WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:01.720 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:07.799 Would you turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5? 00:00:08.839 --> 00:00:13.919 That is page 759 in the Pew Bible, Matthew, chapter 5. 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:21.140 This summer, we are beginning a series in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. 00:00:22.039 --> 00:00:26.719 The Sermon on the Mount is probably one of the best-known passages in the New Testament, 00:00:26.920 --> 00:00:29.760 and probably one of the most practical as well. 00:00:30.940 --> 00:00:35.380 But, you know, it's also, the Sermon on the Mount is also one of the most revolutionary. 00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:43.259 In fact, any serious reading of the Sermon on the Mount, you discover right away how countercultural it is, 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:45.019 no matter what culture you live in. 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:52.280 And yet, as we'll see in the coming weeks, Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:57.659 is the answer to one of the deepest questions of human experience. 00:00:57.659 --> 00:01:02.659 The question of, what does it mean to truly flourish? 00:01:03.599 --> 00:01:06.219 How do I live a life worth living? 00:01:07.099 --> 00:01:11.280 Here is Jesus' answer in this great collection of teaching that we call the Sermon on the Mount. 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:17.079 Now, I mean, if we're on so much of our religious life, right, it feels empty. 00:01:18.500 --> 00:01:21.640 And so often, the church looks just like the world with little substance. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:28.799 But when we come to the Sermon on the Mount, it's like we stand on the shore of a great ocean, 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:37.060 and it beckons us to come and to raise our sails and to explore the uncharted seas of what it means to be genuinely human, 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:38.479 genuinely alive. 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:42.560 And we see that the seas won't always be easy waters. 00:01:42.700 --> 00:01:43.719 They will challenge us. 00:01:44.399 --> 00:01:46.239 At times, they'll threaten to capsize us. 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:51.379 Much of what we thought our lives should be and do will have to be jettisoned, thrown overboard. 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:58.679 But the one who beckons us on this journey is a captain who knows the waters of existence better than any, 00:01:59.599 --> 00:02:00.500 for he created them. 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:03.560 And the winds and the waves obey his voice. 00:02:04.939 --> 00:02:07.500 So we're going to dive in to the Sermon on the Mount together. 00:02:07.679 --> 00:02:10.280 And we're going to do so very slowly. 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:16.860 As you might know, the Sermon begins with a series of eight or nine, depending on how you count them, 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:17.719 Beatitudes. 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:20.620 That is a series of pronouncements of blessing. 00:02:21.259 --> 00:02:24.599 And this summer, we're just going to take one of those Beatitudes at a time, 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:26.520 one a week for the rest of the summer. 00:02:27.259 --> 00:02:31.139 But we're going to begin by reading the whole kind of opening passage of the Sermon, 00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:32.800 Matthew 5, 1 through 12. 00:02:32.979 --> 00:02:35.560 We're going to read these Beatitudes, as they're called, 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:38.159 and then I'll pray, and then we'll explore them together. 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:39.900 So let me read. 00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:41.580 Matthew 5, 1 through 12. 00:02:41.580 --> 00:02:44.980 Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain. 00:02:45.780 --> 00:02:48.000 When he sat down, his disciples came to him. 00:02:49.200 --> 00:02:50.800 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying, 00:02:51.020 --> 00:02:54.500 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:58.140 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 00:02:59.100 --> 00:03:01.220 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 00:03:02.300 --> 00:03:06.100 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:09.800 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:13.340 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 00:03:14.300 --> 00:03:18.280 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 00:03:19.320 --> 00:03:23.660 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:27.680 Blessed are you when others revile you or persecute you, 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:30.980 and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:35.039 Now rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. 00:03:36.060 --> 00:03:38.599 For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 00:03:39.899 --> 00:03:41.060 All right, let's pray together. 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:47.439 Father in heaven, how we long to find depth in our shallow world. 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:51.800 By your spirit, help us to hear your word, 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:55.580 and become the sort of people you've redeemed us to be, 00:03:56.560 --> 00:03:58.379 through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:00.640 In his name we pray. 00:04:01.300 --> 00:04:01.520 Amen. 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:01.600 Amen. 00:04:03.020 --> 00:04:07.100 So today what we're going to do is a bit of an introduction to this section of the Sermon on the Mount, 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:08.820 this opening section we call the Beatitudes. 00:04:09.219 --> 00:04:10.840 And I want to do something pretty simple this morning. 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:14.900 You'll notice that each verse in verses 1 through 10 has the same structure. 00:04:15.320 --> 00:04:17.360 First there's a pronouncement, blessed. 00:04:17.900 --> 00:04:20.600 Then there's a quality or a characteristic, right? 00:04:20.900 --> 00:04:22.379 The one we'll look at today, poor in spirit. 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:24.819 And then there's sort of a reason or a promise, 00:04:25.139 --> 00:04:26.379 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:31.519 So simply then this morning, what I want to do is just walk through each of those three elements. 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:33.000 What does Jesus mean by blessed? 00:04:33.139 --> 00:04:35.579 What does Jesus mean by poor in spirit? 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:38.000 What does he mean by the kingdom of heaven? 00:04:38.339 --> 00:04:40.879 And I think if we kind of do that basic work this week, 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:45.860 it will equip us in the coming weeks to grapple more with this section of Scripture we call the Beatitudes 00:04:45.860 --> 00:04:49.699 and to be able to really hear in these opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount 00:04:49.699 --> 00:04:51.899 what Jesus is really saying. 00:04:51.899 --> 00:04:58.919 Because honestly, most of us, on our initial reading of the Beatitudes, 00:04:59.719 --> 00:05:01.139 we miss Jesus' point. 00:05:02.099 --> 00:05:04.759 We actually miss what he's saying. 00:05:06.159 --> 00:05:08.560 And to see that, we need to consider the first thing. 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:10.599 What does Jesus mean by blessed? 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:12.199 What does Jesus mean by blessed? 00:05:13.159 --> 00:05:16.519 Now, if you're wondering why we call these verses the Beatitudes, 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:19.639 it's because in the Latin translation of the Bible, 00:05:20.159 --> 00:05:25.060 the word blessed is the Latin word beatus, or in the plural, beati. 00:05:25.180 --> 00:05:28.599 So these verses have come to be called in the West the Beatitudes. 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:30.680 But what does blessed mean? 00:05:30.799 --> 00:05:32.740 Blessing is kind of a funny word, isn't it? 00:05:33.419 --> 00:05:35.919 And we don't really use it all that much anymore. 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:38.159 Except when someone sneezes, right? 00:05:38.159 --> 00:05:39.139 We say, bless you. 00:05:39.799 --> 00:05:41.500 But why do we even say that, right? 00:05:42.419 --> 00:05:43.019 What does that even mean? 00:05:43.799 --> 00:05:46.799 Or I'm told that in the South, when someone says, bless your heart, right? 00:05:46.919 --> 00:05:50.479 Like, but that's apparently not a compliment, I guess, right? 00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:56.060 So this word blessed has sort of become like an empty word for us. 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:00.459 But it was not an empty word in the first century. 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:07.299 However, what we don't immediately see in our English translations of the Bible 00:06:07.300 --> 00:06:10.360 is that in the Greek, and especially in the Hebrew, 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:15.960 there are two words that we translate into English as blessed. 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:17.800 One of those words in Hebrew that, of course, 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:19.860 formed the background for the New Testament, 00:06:19.939 --> 00:06:22.420 one of those Old Testament words for blessed in Hebrew 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:24.300 is the word barach, right? 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:29.780 And that word is the word for God blessing us, right? 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:33.160 God showing his favor to us, making his face shine upon us, 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:34.720 God accepting us. 00:06:35.880 --> 00:06:39.439 But there's a second word that we translate blessed in the Old Testament, 00:06:39.620 --> 00:06:41.160 and that word is ashray. 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:45.040 And ashray is sort of the word that we find, for instance, 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:47.120 in the opening verse of Psalm 1, 00:06:47.820 --> 00:06:48.980 where you remember how Psalm 1 starts, 00:06:49.320 --> 00:06:50.540 blessed is the man, 00:06:51.440 --> 00:06:54.760 blessed is the human being who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked 00:06:54.760 --> 00:06:57.180 or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of scoffers, 00:06:57.240 --> 00:06:58.760 but is delighted in the law of the Lord. 00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:03.959 But with that second word, with that Hebrew word we translate blessed in Psalm 1, 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:05.699 ashray, here's the thing. 00:07:06.379 --> 00:07:11.139 That word doesn't primarily refer to God blessing us or favoring us. 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:18.500 That word is not a statement that this person has now received divine approval 00:07:18.500 --> 00:07:19.879 or reward or favor. 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:23.079 Rather, it means actually something like, 00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:28.120 this person is truly flourishing. 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:31.599 It's as if someone comes to you and says, 00:07:31.979 --> 00:07:34.599 do you want to know who's living life as it's meant to be lived? 00:07:35.300 --> 00:07:37.279 Do you want to know who's living the good life, 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:38.979 the fully flourishing life? 00:07:39.139 --> 00:07:40.339 It's this person. 00:07:40.919 --> 00:07:42.180 They've found it. 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:43.959 Blessed is the one. 00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:46.899 But the problem is, for most of us, 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:49.419 blessed doesn't carry that second sense. 00:07:49.420 --> 00:07:53.420 I actually like how the New Living Translation translates Psalm 1. 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:54.060 It says, 00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:59.480 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, etc., etc., 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:01.040 but who delight in the law of the Lord. 00:08:01.400 --> 00:08:03.500 Oh, the joys of that person. 00:08:04.259 --> 00:08:05.980 They know real human flourishing. 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:07.720 That's a life worth living. 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:11.860 Do you see the difference between those two words? 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:14.500 Barak is a statement that God favors you. 00:08:14.840 --> 00:08:17.120 You've won his approval. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:18.620 You've received his favor. 00:08:19.420 --> 00:08:20.280 Asherah is different. 00:08:20.420 --> 00:08:22.740 It's a statement that you're engaged in a life worth living, 00:08:22.840 --> 00:08:23.980 a full and flourishing life. 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:27.040 Now, here's the point. 00:08:27.640 --> 00:08:29.400 When Jesus begins his sermon with, 00:08:29.840 --> 00:08:30.980 Blessed are, 00:08:32.340 --> 00:08:33.800 which of those two did he mean? 00:08:35.180 --> 00:08:36.680 At first, we think, right, 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:39.139 he must be talking about God's favor, right? 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:40.940 We're reading the Bible, after all, right? 00:08:41.740 --> 00:08:43.720 This is how you get God's blessing, we think. 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:45.300 You try to be poor in spirit. 00:08:45.420 --> 00:08:46.600 You try to be a peacemaker. 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:49.040 Then it seems God will approve of you. 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:49.960 He'll reward you. 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:51.879 Blessed are those people who do those things. 00:08:53.580 --> 00:08:55.680 But that's actually not what Jesus means. 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:59.920 Because when you open up the Greek translation of the Old Testament, 00:09:00.060 --> 00:09:02.980 you'll find that the same word that Jesus uses here in Matthew 5, 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:05.639 makarios, makarioi, 00:09:06.019 --> 00:09:08.000 is actually used in Psalm 1. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.500 And in all the other places where the Old Testament is saying, 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:14.279 look, here's the one who's truly living. 00:09:15.259 --> 00:09:16.179 They've found it. 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:17.940 There's the life worth living. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:20.679 Oh, the joys of that one. 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:23.940 Now, what does all this mean? 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:26.860 It means that when Jesus opens a sermon on the mount, 00:09:27.419 --> 00:09:28.379 he's not saying, 00:09:29.320 --> 00:09:30.320 here's how you were in God's favor. 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:35.800 Rather, he's answering one of the oldest 00:09:35.800 --> 00:09:39.080 and one of the most important questions human beings have ever asked. 00:09:40.420 --> 00:09:44.820 How do I live a life of true, lasting worth? 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:49.200 What's the shape of real human flourishing? 00:09:49.300 --> 00:09:51.900 You know, that's what the Greek philosophical tradition 00:09:51.900 --> 00:09:55.320 was striving towards and reaching towards for hundreds of years. 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:58.880 Going all the way back to Aristotle with his Nicomachean ethics, 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:01.620 trying to develop, what does it mean to live the good life? 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:04.919 And that's what the Jewish wisdom tradition in the Old Testament 00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:07.039 and in through the intercanonical period 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:09.120 had been speaking to for even longer. 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:12.799 And maybe you've wondered the same thing. 00:10:14.580 --> 00:10:16.259 What does it mean to really live? 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:20.000 How do I find lasting happiness? 00:10:21.899 --> 00:10:23.799 You know, some translators have even tried to render 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:25.820 Jesus' saying here in the Beatitudes, 00:10:25.960 --> 00:10:26.419 it's just that, 00:10:26.419 --> 00:10:29.059 happy are those who are poor in spirit, 00:10:29.379 --> 00:10:31.159 happy are those who mourn, etc., etc. 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.740 But you know, that word happy doesn't really get at the sense. 00:10:35.219 --> 00:10:36.679 Happy doesn't sort of have the depth 00:10:36.679 --> 00:10:39.860 of what we're searching for or what Jesus means. 00:10:40.339 --> 00:10:42.079 Because we don't just want to be happy, right? 00:10:42.079 --> 00:10:43.120 We want something deeper. 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:45.399 We want to thrive. 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:46.439 We want to flourish. 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:50.660 But the trouble is, 00:10:51.180 --> 00:10:53.580 we've lost our way. 00:10:56.300 --> 00:11:00.100 Think of all the ways we try to secure a life worth living, 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:01.620 a flourishing life. 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:08.120 I think first we sort of try to find it in possessions or in accolades, right? 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:12.940 If I amass enough stuff or accolades or professional awards or achievements, 00:11:13.500 --> 00:11:15.179 then I'll know what it means to flourish. 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:18.639 Then I'll know what it means to live a life that's satisfying to the soul. 00:11:20.299 --> 00:11:23.200 But you know, you don't have to read about human experience 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:25.419 or examine your own heart long enough to realize that doesn't work. 00:11:25.419 --> 00:11:27.659 Right? 00:11:28.939 --> 00:11:29.959 But the reality is, 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:31.939 a lot of Christians have kind of lost their way too. 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:35.559 We sort of baptize that same thinking, 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:37.620 but in sort of spiritual or religious terms. 00:11:37.719 --> 00:11:41.079 We think performance or producing numbers 00:11:41.079 --> 00:11:44.439 or making a big impact is what the Christian life is really all about. 00:11:47.419 --> 00:11:49.759 But look at the trouble such thinking has caused. 00:11:50.099 --> 00:11:50.980 Even in our own day, 00:11:51.019 --> 00:11:52.980 even in the last five, ten years, 00:11:53.059 --> 00:11:54.719 how many prominent leaders 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:57.860 in the church world have fallen in disgrace, 00:11:57.860 --> 00:11:59.399 even though externally, 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:01.980 their ministries had big numbers 00:12:01.980 --> 00:12:03.820 and so-called influence. 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:08.920 You see, in the ancient world, 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:11.620 they knew something that we've forgotten. 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:15.120 They knew that the key to a truly flourishing life 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:17.740 wasn't found in amassing wealth or success, 00:12:17.920 --> 00:12:19.320 and it wasn't found in being competent 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:20.660 in external performances. 00:12:20.980 --> 00:12:23.500 They knew that the key to a fully flourishing life 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:25.860 wasn't found in your possessions or your performance, 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:27.559 but in your character. 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:30.419 Not in what you had, 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:31.720 not in what you did, 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:33.600 but in who you were. 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:38.820 You see, they knew that it wasn't simply about 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:40.720 following the right rules, 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:44.620 but about developing into a certain kind of person, 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:47.759 a person with depth of what they called virtue. 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:52.200 That was the path of flourishing. 00:12:54.179 --> 00:12:55.299 And at a certain level, 00:12:55.980 --> 00:12:57.000 we get this, don't we? 00:12:57.639 --> 00:12:58.679 You know, consider the athlete, 00:12:58.940 --> 00:13:00.179 maybe a basketball player, 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:02.679 who trains for hours every day, 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:03.679 the same skills, 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:04.860 the same exercises, 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:06.440 or think about the jazz musician 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:08.500 who plays the same scales every day. 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:09.860 Why do they do that? 00:13:09.860 --> 00:13:12.200 They do that not so they can simply 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:14.300 do the drills or run the scales, 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:15.519 but so that in the moment, 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:16.960 in the moment of the game, 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:18.220 in the moment of the concert, 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:21.100 when something new is called for, 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:23.680 they can then meet the challenge. 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:26.480 They've so internalized 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:28.200 and become so accustomed to their game 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:29.000 or to their instrument, 00:13:29.259 --> 00:13:31.039 they've developed such virtue, 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:32.360 such being, 00:13:32.899 --> 00:13:33.820 that in the moment, 00:13:33.820 --> 00:13:36.440 they can do something beautiful 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:38.100 and satisfying 00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:39.660 and wise. 00:13:41.680 --> 00:13:42.860 Even if that moment 00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:43.900 was totally unexpected, 00:13:44.180 --> 00:13:45.440 totally unique. 00:13:48.200 --> 00:13:49.400 You see, the same is true 00:13:49.400 --> 00:13:50.240 more broadly 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:53.200 of our humanity, right? 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:54.920 Of course we need to know the rules. 00:13:55.040 --> 00:13:56.720 We need to know what's right and wrong, 00:13:56.780 --> 00:13:57.800 and we need to know 00:13:57.800 --> 00:13:58.640 what those rules are 00:13:58.640 --> 00:14:00.080 and what we should follow. 00:14:00.180 --> 00:14:01.140 We need to do the drills. 00:14:01.260 --> 00:14:02.200 We need to run the scales. 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:04.200 Yes, but deeper than that, 00:14:04.379 --> 00:14:05.120 we need to become 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:06.240 the kind of people, 00:14:06.820 --> 00:14:07.840 people of virtue, 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:09.140 people of character, 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:10.660 who will be able to act 00:14:10.660 --> 00:14:11.720 faithfully and wisely 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:13.600 in every new situation 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:14.200 that arises, 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:15.920 when there maybe isn't a rule 00:14:15.920 --> 00:14:17.980 that tells us exactly what to do. 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:22.040 So when Jesus says, 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:23.340 blessed are, 00:14:23.420 --> 00:14:24.200 he's not saying, 00:14:24.920 --> 00:14:26.020 here's how you can earn God's favor. 00:14:26.160 --> 00:14:26.580 He's saying, 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:28.040 here's the path 00:14:28.040 --> 00:14:29.520 of genuine flourishing. 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:31.520 Here's the sort of person 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:32.699 who lives life 00:14:32.699 --> 00:14:34.199 as it's meant to be lived, 00:14:34.699 --> 00:14:37.279 and he's inviting us into it. 00:14:38.179 --> 00:14:39.559 He's opening the door 00:14:39.559 --> 00:14:40.340 and saying, 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:41.939 come inside. 00:14:43.220 --> 00:14:44.120 Come inside 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:45.539 and find a life worth living. 00:14:45.740 --> 00:14:47.220 Open your sails to the wind 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:48.799 and brave the ocean. 00:14:50.340 --> 00:14:51.659 Here are the deep virtues. 00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:53.259 Here's the deep character 00:14:53.259 --> 00:14:54.620 of a human person 00:14:54.620 --> 00:14:55.840 fully alive. 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:59.320 And that brings us 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:00.019 to the second part 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:00.560 of our verse. 00:15:01.060 --> 00:15:02.300 Because once Jesus starts 00:15:02.300 --> 00:15:04.680 enumerating those virtues, 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:07.379 we're met with a surprise. 00:15:08.660 --> 00:15:09.580 We're struck 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:10.639 by what he says. 00:15:10.700 --> 00:15:10.960 You see, 00:15:11.620 --> 00:15:12.379 if the Beatitudes 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:13.060 are an invitation 00:15:13.060 --> 00:15:13.980 to the virtues, 00:15:14.100 --> 00:15:15.060 the character qualities 00:15:15.060 --> 00:15:15.800 of a human person 00:15:15.800 --> 00:15:16.500 truly alive, 00:15:16.940 --> 00:15:17.800 truly flourishing, 00:15:18.940 --> 00:15:20.360 at first they seem 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:21.519 totally upside down. 00:15:22.420 --> 00:15:23.100 Blessed are 00:15:23.100 --> 00:15:24.659 the poor in spirit. 00:15:26.420 --> 00:15:27.200 Wait, what? 00:15:27.379 --> 00:15:28.820 The poor in spirit? 00:15:29.700 --> 00:15:30.960 They're the flourishing ones? 00:15:31.560 --> 00:15:32.300 How can that be? 00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:34.279 Doesn't common sense 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:35.180 tell us that the rich 00:15:35.180 --> 00:15:36.279 in spirit have found 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:37.460 the life worth living? 00:15:38.019 --> 00:15:38.740 Not the poor. 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:39.700 Who wants to be poor? 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:39.800 Sure. 00:15:43.759 --> 00:15:44.900 So what does Jesus mean 00:15:44.900 --> 00:15:46.000 by poor in spirit? 00:15:47.640 --> 00:15:48.640 Now some people think 00:15:48.640 --> 00:15:49.580 that Matthew here 00:15:49.580 --> 00:15:52.180 is sort of watering down 00:15:52.180 --> 00:15:53.800 a similar saying of Jesus 00:15:53.800 --> 00:15:54.420 that we find 00:15:54.420 --> 00:15:55.400 in Luke chapter 6. 00:15:55.980 --> 00:15:57.020 In Luke chapter 6, 00:15:57.080 --> 00:15:57.620 Jesus says, 00:15:58.400 --> 00:15:58.420 just, 00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:00.020 blessed are the poor. 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:01.720 Not the poor in spirit, 00:16:01.860 --> 00:16:03.000 just the poor. 00:16:03.879 --> 00:16:05.040 So this sort of theory goes, 00:16:05.100 --> 00:16:05.920 and you might run across this, 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:06.620 this sort of theory goes 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:07.600 that Matthew didn't like 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:09.200 that sort of socially radical 00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:10.200 Jesus of Luke 6. 00:16:10.280 --> 00:16:11.120 So, you know, 00:16:11.160 --> 00:16:12.720 who pronounces blessing 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:13.900 on the economically poor, 00:16:14.040 --> 00:16:15.320 so he sort of softened 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:17.060 and spiritualized Jesus' saying 00:16:17.060 --> 00:16:19.180 by adding poor in spirit. 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:21.900 But you know, 00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:22.660 that theory, 00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:24.520 that theory cannot be right. 00:16:25.540 --> 00:16:26.879 Because Jesus is saying 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:27.940 both in Luke 6 00:16:27.940 --> 00:16:29.340 and in Matthew 5 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:30.560 have their background, 00:16:30.780 --> 00:16:30.940 again, 00:16:31.020 --> 00:16:32.080 in the Old Testament scriptures. 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:35.120 Who are the poor 00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:36.420 in the Old Testament? 00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:36.579 Yes, 00:16:37.779 --> 00:16:38.479 on the one hand, 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:39.939 the poor were those 00:16:39.939 --> 00:16:41.199 who lacked material 00:16:41.199 --> 00:16:42.599 and economic resources. 00:16:43.299 --> 00:16:44.379 And we find in the Old Testament 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:45.299 that God's heart 00:16:45.299 --> 00:16:46.899 is near to those who are poor. 00:16:46.959 --> 00:16:48.459 He is their great defender. 00:16:48.599 --> 00:16:49.719 He rises them up, 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:50.759 raises them up 00:16:50.759 --> 00:16:51.399 from the ash heap 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:52.159 as we heard earlier 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:52.899 in our psalm reading. 00:16:54.779 --> 00:16:55.959 But also in the Old Testament, 00:16:56.099 --> 00:16:57.360 in passage after passage, 00:16:57.459 --> 00:16:58.360 we also see that 00:16:58.360 --> 00:16:59.240 at a deeper level, 00:17:00.299 --> 00:17:01.579 at the most profound level, 00:17:01.580 --> 00:17:03.980 the poor are those 00:17:03.980 --> 00:17:07.519 who know they need God. 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:11.259 I sought the Lord, 00:17:11.700 --> 00:17:12.680 Psalm 34 says, 00:17:12.740 --> 00:17:13.480 and he answered me 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:14.559 and delivered me 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:15.420 from all my fears. 00:17:15.500 --> 00:17:16.200 Those who look to him 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:16.680 are radiant 00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:17.480 and their faces 00:17:17.480 --> 00:17:18.440 shall never be ashamed. 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:20.799 This poor man cried 00:17:20.799 --> 00:17:23.059 and the Lord heard him 00:17:23.059 --> 00:17:24.420 and saved him 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:25.360 out of all his troubles. 00:17:26.740 --> 00:17:29.140 This poor man cried. 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:30.740 We could produce many passages 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:31.539 like this one 00:17:31.539 --> 00:17:33.099 where we see that the poor 00:17:33.099 --> 00:17:33.819 is a description 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:34.980 in the Old Testament 00:17:34.980 --> 00:17:37.880 of those who know desperately 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:39.700 that they need God. 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:41.720 Whether it's their lack 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:43.720 of external resources 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:45.599 or it's their lack 00:17:45.599 --> 00:17:47.039 of internal resources, 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:49.920 they know they don't have enough. 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:52.420 They know they need God. 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:55.299 You see, we don't need 00:17:55.299 --> 00:17:56.140 to drive a wedge 00:17:56.140 --> 00:17:58.039 between Luke 6 and Matthew 5. 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:00.859 On the one hand, 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:02.440 a lack of external resources 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:03.799 can drive someone 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:05.220 to a deep dependence on God. 00:18:07.139 --> 00:18:08.319 But so can a lack 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:09.420 of internal resources 00:18:09.420 --> 00:18:11.639 when you realize 00:18:11.639 --> 00:18:12.819 that your moral performance 00:18:12.819 --> 00:18:15.159 or your emotional resilience 00:18:15.159 --> 00:18:17.500 or your intellectual prowess 00:18:17.500 --> 00:18:19.139 can't save you 00:18:19.139 --> 00:18:20.980 and can't keep you 00:18:20.980 --> 00:18:22.680 and can't satisfy you. 00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:24.299 When those internal resources 00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:25.000 give way 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:26.660 and you realize 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:27.460 you need God 00:18:27.460 --> 00:18:28.299 and God alone 00:18:28.299 --> 00:18:29.299 in utter dependence, 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:32.240 then you are poor in spirit. 00:18:34.600 --> 00:18:36.220 And then Jesus says, 00:18:36.620 --> 00:18:37.920 you're blessed. 00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:40.420 When you've stopped 00:18:40.420 --> 00:18:41.600 relying on yourself 00:18:41.600 --> 00:18:43.840 and brought empty hands 00:18:43.840 --> 00:18:44.600 to God, 00:18:45.560 --> 00:18:46.960 then you've begun 00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:47.660 to discover 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:49.519 a life truly worth living. 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:51.460 You see, 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:52.559 to be poor in spirit 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:53.359 doesn't mean 00:18:53.359 --> 00:18:54.420 that you constantly 00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:55.420 beat up on yourself. 00:18:55.980 --> 00:18:56.480 It doesn't mean 00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:57.400 that you sort of wallow 00:18:57.400 --> 00:18:59.019 in self-deprecation. 00:18:59.139 --> 00:18:59.559 It doesn't mean 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:00.599 you can never graciously 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:01.559 accept a compliment. 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:02.539 You know, 00:19:02.559 --> 00:19:03.339 those are all forms 00:19:03.339 --> 00:19:05.240 of false, actually, 00:19:05.379 --> 00:19:06.119 spiritual poverty. 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:08.259 No, 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:09.839 genuine spiritual poverty 00:19:09.839 --> 00:19:10.740 is discovering 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:12.259 the freedom. 00:19:13.900 --> 00:19:14.879 The freedom 00:19:14.879 --> 00:19:16.039 from having to be 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:17.460 constantly managing 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:19.440 your interior accounts. 00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:22.200 Am I smart enough? 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:23.700 Well, I better invest in this. 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:25.100 I better start reading that. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:28.360 Am I relationally connected enough? 00:19:28.420 --> 00:19:29.559 Am I liked or admired enough? 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:30.340 Well, I better start 00:19:30.340 --> 00:19:31.500 connecting with this person, 00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:32.620 being nicer to that person. 00:19:32.860 --> 00:19:33.840 I better not let people 00:19:33.840 --> 00:19:35.120 see my faults and failures. 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:37.779 Am I morally good enough? 00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:39.360 I better do more good things, 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:40.579 try harder, 00:19:40.579 --> 00:19:41.360 do better. 00:19:42.340 --> 00:19:43.860 We're constantly managing 00:19:43.860 --> 00:19:44.860 our self-centered 00:19:44.860 --> 00:19:46.240 spiritual portfolio 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:48.299 to see if we can get 00:19:48.299 --> 00:19:49.140 the spiritual riches 00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:49.759 to accrue. 00:19:50.220 --> 00:19:52.140 But it's a constant exercise 00:19:52.140 --> 00:19:52.940 in anxiety 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:53.980 and pressure 00:19:53.980 --> 00:19:55.440 that never gives up. 00:19:57.000 --> 00:19:58.160 We frenetically 00:19:58.160 --> 00:19:59.099 try to make ourselves 00:19:59.099 --> 00:20:00.160 spiritually rich, 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:01.220 but we find ourselves 00:20:01.220 --> 00:20:02.599 consumed more and more 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:03.819 when we're less at peace 00:20:03.819 --> 00:20:04.680 and we're less at ease 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:05.460 and we're less able 00:20:05.460 --> 00:20:06.259 to enjoy the life 00:20:06.259 --> 00:20:07.480 that's right in front of us. 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:09.779 And we find that 00:20:09.779 --> 00:20:10.839 we're not flourishing, 00:20:11.720 --> 00:20:12.599 but we're floundering. 00:20:13.779 --> 00:20:14.859 It's not blessing 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:15.779 we experience, 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:17.639 but whoa. 00:20:21.879 --> 00:20:22.740 On the other hand, 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:25.240 genuine spiritual poverty 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:27.419 to admit that we need God, 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:29.159 to admit that we have 00:20:29.159 --> 00:20:30.240 nothing apart from 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:31.119 what God gives, 00:20:31.879 --> 00:20:32.839 that is freedom. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:35.099 And if you've ever been 00:20:35.099 --> 00:20:36.000 around someone 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:37.500 who's genuinely poor 00:20:37.500 --> 00:20:38.059 in spirit, 00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:39.459 if you've ever been 00:20:39.459 --> 00:20:39.819 around someone 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:41.259 who isn't trying 00:20:41.259 --> 00:20:42.539 to constantly manage 00:20:42.539 --> 00:20:43.839 their spiritual portfolio, 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:45.700 but lives in the freedom 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:47.680 of having nothing to lose 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:48.759 and nothing to prove 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:49.619 because they know 00:20:49.619 --> 00:20:50.839 that God is all they need, 00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:51.859 if you've been around 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:52.779 someone like that, 00:20:53.740 --> 00:20:54.680 then you know 00:20:54.680 --> 00:20:55.940 how freeing it is. 00:20:56.899 --> 00:20:57.399 It's freeing 00:20:57.399 --> 00:20:58.059 just to be around 00:20:58.059 --> 00:20:58.759 that kind of person. 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:00.339 Their presence is calming 00:21:00.339 --> 00:21:01.259 because they're not 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:02.359 in the rat race anymore. 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:03.740 They're not constantly 00:21:03.740 --> 00:21:04.539 measuring up 00:21:04.539 --> 00:21:05.319 their investments 00:21:05.319 --> 00:21:06.079 against yours 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:07.500 to see how they stack up. 00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:10.140 For a moment, 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:10.920 the competition 00:21:10.920 --> 00:21:11.779 and the comparison 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:12.500 that exists 00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:13.559 in so many 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:14.880 of our earthly relationships 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:16.000 seems to pause 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:16.660 for a moment. 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:19.799 And we can just 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:20.680 meet one another 00:21:20.680 --> 00:21:22.460 as human beings 00:21:22.460 --> 00:21:24.359 and to relish 00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:25.000 in the gift 00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:25.640 of each other, 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:27.519 to receive each other, 00:21:27.980 --> 00:21:29.359 and show genuine love 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:30.119 toward each other. 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:33.279 Blessed are the poor 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:33.839 in spirit. 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:36.599 Blessed are those 00:21:36.599 --> 00:21:38.659 who have stopped 00:21:38.659 --> 00:21:40.279 trying to amass 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:41.719 their own spiritual wealth 00:21:41.719 --> 00:21:42.579 and have come 00:21:42.579 --> 00:21:43.879 empty-handed to God 00:21:43.879 --> 00:21:45.439 as their all in all. 00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:49.839 And that brings us 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:50.480 to the third part 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:51.139 of the beatitude. 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:52.639 Blessed are the poor 00:21:52.639 --> 00:21:53.159 in spirit, 00:21:53.959 --> 00:21:54.559 for theirs 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:55.679 is the kingdom of heaven. 00:21:57.259 --> 00:21:58.019 Now, what is 00:21:58.019 --> 00:21:59.000 the kingdom of heaven? 00:21:59.099 --> 00:21:59.839 What is the kingdom 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:00.539 of heaven? 00:22:01.459 --> 00:22:02.500 Well, the kingdom of heaven 00:22:02.500 --> 00:22:03.279 is sort of a phrase 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:03.759 that's unique 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:04.759 to Matthew's gospel, 00:22:05.439 --> 00:22:06.419 but it's his way 00:22:06.420 --> 00:22:06.840 of referring 00:22:06.840 --> 00:22:08.259 to the kingdom of God. 00:22:08.680 --> 00:22:09.160 Heaven there 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:10.180 is sort of a reverential 00:22:10.180 --> 00:22:11.320 way of Matthew 00:22:11.320 --> 00:22:12.279 to speak of God, 00:22:12.420 --> 00:22:13.360 where God dwells 00:22:13.360 --> 00:22:13.900 in fullness. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:14.800 Heaven. 00:22:16.300 --> 00:22:17.380 So if Matthew here 00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:17.740 is talking about 00:22:17.740 --> 00:22:19.019 the kingdom of God, 00:22:19.080 --> 00:22:19.680 the kingdom of heaven, 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:20.340 then we find that 00:22:20.340 --> 00:22:21.960 all of the gospel writers 00:22:21.960 --> 00:22:22.620 speak of the kingdom 00:22:22.620 --> 00:22:23.100 of God. 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:25.680 So Jesus is saying 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:26.660 that the poor 00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:27.160 in spirit, 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:28.960 they are the ones, 00:22:29.800 --> 00:22:30.779 they are the ones 00:22:30.779 --> 00:22:31.500 who participate 00:22:31.500 --> 00:22:32.840 in God's kingdom, 00:22:33.019 --> 00:22:34.539 in God's reign. 00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:37.200 And we know 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:38.279 that this reign 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:38.980 of God, 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:40.539 for the prophets 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:41.379 in the Old Testament, 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:42.619 they looked ahead 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:43.259 to a time 00:22:43.259 --> 00:22:44.480 when that reign 00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:45.099 would begin. 00:22:47.099 --> 00:22:48.559 But we know now, 00:22:49.099 --> 00:22:51.180 living on this side 00:22:51.180 --> 00:22:52.399 of the incarnation 00:22:52.399 --> 00:22:52.879 and cross 00:22:52.879 --> 00:22:53.379 and resurrection, 00:22:53.619 --> 00:22:54.339 that the reign 00:22:54.339 --> 00:22:54.639 of God 00:22:54.639 --> 00:22:55.180 isn't just 00:22:55.180 --> 00:22:56.039 a future reality, 00:22:56.579 --> 00:22:57.839 but God's reign 00:22:57.839 --> 00:22:58.440 of righteousness, 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:00.119 God's reign 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:00.759 of peace, 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:01.740 God's reign 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:02.460 of restoration 00:23:02.460 --> 00:23:03.840 has been inaugurated, 00:23:04.259 --> 00:23:05.079 has been begun, 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:05.880 has been launched 00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:06.600 into the world 00:23:06.600 --> 00:23:07.799 in Jesus' own 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:08.579 person and work. 00:23:11.160 --> 00:23:12.220 Remember Jesus' words 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:12.660 from earlier 00:23:12.660 --> 00:23:13.400 in Matthew's gospel, 00:23:13.559 --> 00:23:13.779 repent, 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:14.960 for the kingdom 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:16.000 of heaven is at hand. 00:23:17.380 --> 00:23:17.880 In other words, 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:19.160 Jesus says, 00:23:19.500 --> 00:23:20.420 the reign of God 00:23:20.420 --> 00:23:20.880 is beginning 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:21.920 right now 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:23.100 through me. 00:23:25.740 --> 00:23:26.440 Now, of course, 00:23:26.519 --> 00:23:27.440 we await a day 00:23:27.440 --> 00:23:28.740 when this kingdom 00:23:28.740 --> 00:23:29.100 of God 00:23:29.100 --> 00:23:30.079 will be consummated 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:31.279 and there will be 00:23:31.279 --> 00:23:31.980 no more tears 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:32.759 and no more evil 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:33.319 and God will make 00:23:33.319 --> 00:23:34.159 all things new. 00:23:34.919 --> 00:23:35.699 We studied a lot 00:23:35.699 --> 00:23:36.299 about this summer 00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:37.059 in the book of Revelation, 00:23:37.179 --> 00:23:37.460 didn't we? 00:23:39.119 --> 00:23:40.359 But this restoring 00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:41.619 reign of God 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:42.599 is on the move 00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:43.519 even now. 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:46.740 When Christ 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:47.839 ascended into heaven 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:48.480 and sat at the right 00:23:48.480 --> 00:23:49.019 hand of the Father 00:23:49.019 --> 00:23:50.119 and sent down 00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:50.919 his spirit, 00:23:52.039 --> 00:23:52.960 the kingdom of God 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:53.720 was, again, 00:23:53.779 --> 00:23:54.759 it was flung 00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:55.579 upon the world. 00:23:57.960 --> 00:23:59.139 And who will participate 00:23:59.140 --> 00:23:59.920 in this reign? 00:24:02.140 --> 00:24:03.460 Who will be the ones? 00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:06.880 The poor in spirit. 00:24:10.300 --> 00:24:11.320 The poor in spirit. 00:24:13.160 --> 00:24:13.680 You see, 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:14.259 when God looks 00:24:14.259 --> 00:24:15.820 at the world, 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:19.120 when God looks 00:24:19.120 --> 00:24:19.460 for those 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:20.140 who will join 00:24:20.140 --> 00:24:21.340 his work 00:24:21.340 --> 00:24:22.259 in the world, 00:24:22.900 --> 00:24:24.940 he's not looking 00:24:24.940 --> 00:24:25.540 for the wealthy. 00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:28.460 He's not looking 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:28.960 for the people 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:29.360 who think 00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:30.000 they're spiritually 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:31.680 loaded and well-off. 00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:34.079 He's not looking 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:34.519 for the people 00:24:34.519 --> 00:24:35.180 who think that, 00:24:35.620 --> 00:24:36.640 wow, God sure is lucky 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:37.940 to have me on his team 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:39.360 because I bring a lot 00:24:39.360 --> 00:24:39.880 to the table. 00:24:41.600 --> 00:24:42.039 No. 00:24:43.740 --> 00:24:44.160 Friends, 00:24:44.200 --> 00:24:44.500 he's looking 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:45.079 for the poor. 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:47.740 He's looking 00:24:47.740 --> 00:24:48.519 for those who know 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:49.100 that everything 00:24:49.100 --> 00:24:49.840 they have 00:24:49.840 --> 00:24:50.920 is grace 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:52.840 and his grace 00:24:52.840 --> 00:24:53.900 is enough. 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:56.680 of course, 00:24:56.780 --> 00:24:57.600 God can use 00:24:57.600 --> 00:24:58.080 your talents 00:24:58.080 --> 00:24:58.540 and gifts 00:24:58.540 --> 00:24:59.519 for his kingdom. 00:25:00.840 --> 00:25:01.620 But the poor 00:25:01.620 --> 00:25:02.460 in spirit realize 00:25:02.460 --> 00:25:03.240 that these gifts 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:04.040 are just that. 00:25:05.060 --> 00:25:05.920 They're gifts 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:08.660 given to you, 00:25:08.780 --> 00:25:09.740 not earned. 00:25:10.780 --> 00:25:11.560 And such gifts 00:25:11.560 --> 00:25:12.720 are best used 00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:14.220 to glorify 00:25:14.220 --> 00:25:14.740 the giver. 00:25:17.940 --> 00:25:18.800 Hudson Taylor, 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:19.840 the missionary, 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:20.660 was once scheduled 00:25:20.660 --> 00:25:21.580 to speak at a large 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:22.539 Presbyterian Church 00:25:22.539 --> 00:25:23.359 in Melbourne, Australia 00:25:23.359 --> 00:25:25.079 and the moderator 00:25:25.079 --> 00:25:25.679 of the service 00:25:25.679 --> 00:25:26.720 introduced the missionary, 00:25:27.159 --> 00:25:27.919 introduced Hudson Taylor 00:25:27.919 --> 00:25:28.659 in these eloquent 00:25:28.659 --> 00:25:29.439 and glowing terms. 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:30.819 He told the large congregation 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:33.000 that Taylor, 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:34.480 told them all 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:35.339 that Hudson Taylor 00:25:35.339 --> 00:25:35.899 had accomplished 00:25:35.899 --> 00:25:36.480 in China 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:37.339 and he sort of 00:25:37.339 --> 00:25:38.460 presented Taylor 00:25:38.460 --> 00:25:39.960 as our illustrious guest. 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:42.559 And Hudson Taylor 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:43.159 stood quietly 00:25:43.159 --> 00:25:43.720 for a moment 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:44.339 and then opened 00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:44.879 his message 00:25:44.879 --> 00:25:45.319 by saying, 00:25:45.439 --> 00:25:46.019 dear friends, 00:25:47.419 --> 00:25:48.699 I'm a little servant 00:25:48.699 --> 00:25:50.799 of an illustrious master. 00:25:51.579 --> 00:25:54.359 That's a good picture 00:25:54.359 --> 00:25:54.980 of what it means 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:56.119 to be poor in spirit. 00:25:59.339 --> 00:26:00.039 But of course, 00:26:00.099 --> 00:26:00.579 all this raises 00:26:00.579 --> 00:26:01.379 a crucial question, 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:01.819 doesn't it? 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:04.000 If the poor in spirit 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:05.579 are the truly flourishing ones, 00:26:06.159 --> 00:26:07.039 if they are the ones 00:26:07.039 --> 00:26:07.639 who participate 00:26:07.639 --> 00:26:08.759 in God's reign, 00:26:10.139 --> 00:26:11.019 the question is, 00:26:12.019 --> 00:26:13.119 how do we become 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:13.879 poor in spirit? 00:26:15.619 --> 00:26:15.939 You know, 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:16.699 anyone who simply 00:26:16.699 --> 00:26:17.960 tried to, 00:26:17.960 --> 00:26:18.220 you know, 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:19.500 proverbially sell off 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:20.679 their self-made 00:26:20.680 --> 00:26:21.560 spiritual wealth, 00:26:21.860 --> 00:26:22.640 if you try to sell 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:23.019 that off, 00:26:23.060 --> 00:26:23.519 you realize 00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:24.420 how hard it is. 00:26:26.100 --> 00:26:26.960 You realize 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:27.560 how easy 00:26:27.560 --> 00:26:28.779 we slip 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:30.360 into a conversation 00:26:30.360 --> 00:26:31.160 some good deed 00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:31.720 we've done, 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:32.080 right, 00:26:32.120 --> 00:26:32.740 to look good. 00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:35.000 You realize 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:35.960 how unconsciously 00:26:35.960 --> 00:26:36.600 we begin to look 00:26:36.600 --> 00:26:37.180 down our nose 00:26:37.180 --> 00:26:37.620 at someone 00:26:37.620 --> 00:26:38.620 who isn't quite 00:26:38.620 --> 00:26:39.140 as accomplished 00:26:39.140 --> 00:26:39.920 or as successful 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:40.560 as we are. 00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:43.580 You realize 00:26:43.580 --> 00:26:44.259 how anxious 00:26:44.259 --> 00:26:45.240 we still get 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:46.500 when we see 00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:47.080 the success 00:26:47.080 --> 00:26:47.680 of a friend 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:48.340 or a colleague 00:26:48.340 --> 00:26:49.200 wondering if 00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:49.980 will measure up. 00:26:51.779 --> 00:26:52.660 There's something 00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:53.460 in our fallen 00:26:53.460 --> 00:26:54.180 human hearts 00:26:54.180 --> 00:26:54.700 that clings 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:55.259 tightly 00:26:55.259 --> 00:26:56.600 to our self-made 00:26:56.600 --> 00:26:57.420 spiritual wealth. 00:26:58.759 --> 00:26:59.559 The truth is 00:26:59.559 --> 00:27:00.519 we can't simply 00:27:00.519 --> 00:27:01.799 make ourselves 00:27:01.799 --> 00:27:02.759 poor in spirit. 00:27:04.819 --> 00:27:05.920 But what we cannot 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:07.100 do for ourselves, 00:27:08.420 --> 00:27:09.360 God can do 00:27:09.360 --> 00:27:10.740 through the gospel. 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:13.240 On the one hand, 00:27:13.620 --> 00:27:14.940 simply encountering 00:27:14.940 --> 00:27:15.880 God as he reveals 00:27:15.880 --> 00:27:16.819 himself in scripture, 00:27:16.819 --> 00:27:17.839 that begins 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:18.539 the process. 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:19.899 I remember the story, 00:27:19.980 --> 00:27:20.259 I think it was 00:27:20.259 --> 00:27:20.899 Teddy Roosevelt, 00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:21.299 you know, 00:27:21.579 --> 00:27:21.980 Teddy Roosevelt 00:27:21.980 --> 00:27:23.119 is a great outdoorsman 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:23.899 and he would take 00:27:23.899 --> 00:27:24.700 his guests outside. 00:27:24.939 --> 00:27:25.460 This is probably 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:26.039 apocryphal, 00:27:26.119 --> 00:27:26.359 but I'm going to 00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:26.779 share it anyway 00:27:26.779 --> 00:27:27.179 because it's a good 00:27:27.179 --> 00:27:27.519 illustration. 00:27:27.879 --> 00:27:28.359 Whenever he was 00:27:28.359 --> 00:27:29.059 with friends, 00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:29.579 he would take them 00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:30.919 outside and he would 00:27:30.919 --> 00:27:31.759 have them look out 00:27:31.759 --> 00:27:32.399 at the stars 00:27:32.399 --> 00:27:32.859 or whatever they 00:27:32.859 --> 00:27:33.500 were looking at 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:33.919 and then he would 00:27:33.919 --> 00:27:34.119 say, 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:34.419 okay, 00:27:35.460 --> 00:27:36.000 I think we're 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:36.819 small enough now, 00:27:36.919 --> 00:27:37.559 let's go to bed. 00:27:38.220 --> 00:27:38.399 Right? 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:42.119 When we come 00:27:42.119 --> 00:27:43.139 to an encounter 00:27:43.139 --> 00:27:43.980 with God 00:27:43.980 --> 00:27:44.599 as he reveals 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:44.939 himself, 00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:45.799 not just in nature 00:27:45.799 --> 00:27:46.500 but in scripture, 00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:47.720 that begins 00:27:47.720 --> 00:27:50.019 the humbling process. 00:27:50.159 --> 00:27:50.599 John Flavel 00:27:50.599 --> 00:27:51.079 once said, 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:52.379 they that know 00:27:52.379 --> 00:27:53.819 God will be 00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:54.119 humble 00:27:54.119 --> 00:27:55.700 and they that 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:56.599 know themselves 00:27:56.599 --> 00:27:58.059 cannot be proud. 00:28:00.299 --> 00:28:00.940 But you know, 00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:01.379 there's a deeper 00:28:01.379 --> 00:28:01.759 level. 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:04.139 Why? 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:05.759 Why do we cling 00:28:05.759 --> 00:28:06.500 so tightly 00:28:06.500 --> 00:28:07.899 to our self-made 00:28:07.899 --> 00:28:08.680 spiritual wealth? 00:28:08.680 --> 00:28:10.779 Why are we so 00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:11.420 afraid to open 00:28:11.420 --> 00:28:11.820 our hands 00:28:11.820 --> 00:28:12.400 and become 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:13.220 poor in spirit? 00:28:15.100 --> 00:28:15.740 Because we're 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:16.140 afraid. 00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:17.140 We're afraid 00:28:17.140 --> 00:28:17.660 that without 00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:18.640 those spiritual 00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:19.000 riches 00:28:19.000 --> 00:28:20.320 that we've made 00:28:20.320 --> 00:28:20.900 for ourselves, 00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:21.380 we're afraid 00:28:21.380 --> 00:28:22.080 that we'd be 00:28:22.080 --> 00:28:22.940 nothing, 00:28:23.779 --> 00:28:24.900 that we'd be 00:28:24.900 --> 00:28:25.600 cast off, 00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:27.080 that we'd be 00:28:27.080 --> 00:28:27.720 destitute. 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:31.120 And you see, 00:28:31.259 --> 00:28:32.299 only Jesus 00:28:32.299 --> 00:28:33.799 can meet us 00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:35.120 in that place. 00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:39.179 because at the 00:28:39.179 --> 00:28:39.939 foot of the 00:28:39.939 --> 00:28:40.479 cross, 00:28:41.179 --> 00:28:41.899 we see, 00:28:41.979 --> 00:28:42.299 on the one 00:28:42.299 --> 00:28:42.539 hand, 00:28:42.879 --> 00:28:43.459 we see our 00:28:43.459 --> 00:28:45.099 total spiritual 00:28:45.099 --> 00:28:46.179 bankruptcy. 00:28:46.859 --> 00:28:48.039 We are so 00:28:48.039 --> 00:28:49.219 destitute. 00:28:50.119 --> 00:28:51.179 Our good deeds 00:28:51.179 --> 00:28:52.039 are so 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:53.759 counterproductive 00:28:53.759 --> 00:28:54.339 to the kingdom 00:28:54.339 --> 00:28:55.000 of God 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:56.539 that Christ 00:28:56.539 --> 00:28:57.000 had to be 00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:57.659 crucified 00:28:57.659 --> 00:28:58.679 for our sins. 00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:01.640 but also 00:29:01.640 --> 00:29:02.420 at the cross, 00:29:03.620 --> 00:29:04.380 our deepest 00:29:04.380 --> 00:29:04.980 fears are 00:29:04.980 --> 00:29:05.259 meant. 00:29:07.100 --> 00:29:07.380 You see, 00:29:07.420 --> 00:29:07.820 at the cross, 00:29:07.900 --> 00:29:08.480 we're not 00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:09.100 left as 00:29:09.100 --> 00:29:09.580 beggars 00:29:09.580 --> 00:29:12.160 because he 00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:12.680 did all 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:13.120 this for 00:29:13.120 --> 00:29:13.580 us. 00:29:16.320 --> 00:29:16.799 Do you 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:17.120 remember the 00:29:17.120 --> 00:29:17.700 song we sang? 00:29:17.820 --> 00:29:18.539 Two wonders 00:29:18.539 --> 00:29:19.100 here I 00:29:19.100 --> 00:29:19.759 confess, 00:29:20.820 --> 00:29:21.500 my worth 00:29:21.500 --> 00:29:22.420 and my 00:29:22.420 --> 00:29:23.120 unworthiness. 00:29:25.700 --> 00:29:26.400 Paul put it 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:26.900 this way in 00:29:26.900 --> 00:29:27.440 2 Corinthians 00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:28.019 8-9, 00:29:28.019 --> 00:29:29.539 you know 00:29:29.539 --> 00:29:30.099 the grace 00:29:30.099 --> 00:29:30.400 of our 00:29:30.400 --> 00:29:30.819 Lord Jesus 00:29:30.819 --> 00:29:31.420 Christ, 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:32.819 that though 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:33.379 he was 00:29:33.379 --> 00:29:33.960 rich, 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:34.819 yet for 00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:35.579 your sake 00:29:35.579 --> 00:29:36.079 he became 00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:36.460 poor, 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:37.599 so that 00:29:37.599 --> 00:29:38.019 you by 00:29:38.019 --> 00:29:38.660 his poverty 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:39.379 might become 00:29:39.379 --> 00:29:39.799 rich. 00:29:40.940 --> 00:29:41.680 When you 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:43.139 see that 00:29:43.139 --> 00:29:44.240 Christ became 00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:44.900 poor for 00:29:44.900 --> 00:29:45.139 you, 00:29:45.619 --> 00:29:45.920 that he 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:46.700 gave up 00:29:46.700 --> 00:29:47.059 the riches 00:29:47.059 --> 00:29:47.480 of heaven 00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:48.319 and emptied 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:48.799 himself and 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:49.559 became poor 00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:49.940 and a 00:29:49.940 --> 00:29:50.319 servant, 00:29:51.460 --> 00:29:52.079 when you 00:29:52.079 --> 00:29:52.440 see that 00:29:52.440 --> 00:29:52.759 he did 00:29:52.759 --> 00:29:53.160 that for 00:29:53.160 --> 00:29:53.700 you, 00:29:55.059 --> 00:29:56.500 then you 00:29:56.500 --> 00:29:57.639 have the 00:29:57.640 --> 00:29:57.860 real 00:29:57.860 --> 00:29:58.220 treasure, 00:29:58.800 --> 00:29:59.440 the real 00:29:59.440 --> 00:29:59.880 riches. 00:30:01.020 --> 00:30:01.460 Then you 00:30:01.460 --> 00:30:01.780 have the 00:30:01.780 --> 00:30:02.180 kind of 00:30:02.180 --> 00:30:02.680 riches that 00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:03.500 enable you 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:04.020 to sell 00:30:04.020 --> 00:30:05.020 off all 00:30:05.020 --> 00:30:05.320 of your 00:30:05.320 --> 00:30:06.460 self-centered 00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:07.100 investments 00:30:07.100 --> 00:30:07.980 and become 00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:08.900 truly poor 00:30:08.900 --> 00:30:09.400 in spirit. 00:30:12.600 --> 00:30:13.280 In other 00:30:13.280 --> 00:30:13.460 words, 00:30:13.520 --> 00:30:13.740 when you 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:14.520 get Christ's 00:30:14.520 --> 00:30:15.020 righteousness 00:30:15.020 --> 00:30:15.840 credited to 00:30:15.840 --> 00:30:16.440 your account 00:30:16.440 --> 00:30:17.540 through faith 00:30:17.540 --> 00:30:17.900 in him, 00:30:18.840 --> 00:30:19.380 you can 00:30:19.380 --> 00:30:20.100 discard your 00:30:20.100 --> 00:30:21.060 self-righteousness 00:30:21.060 --> 00:30:23.220 and then you 00:30:23.220 --> 00:30:23.660 can know the 00:30:23.660 --> 00:30:24.340 blessedness of 00:30:24.340 --> 00:30:24.900 genuine 00:30:24.900 --> 00:30:25.759 spiritual 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:26.420 poverty. 00:30:29.540 --> 00:30:30.000 But you 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:30.060 know, 00:30:30.120 --> 00:30:30.380 for those 00:30:30.380 --> 00:30:30.620 of us 00:30:30.620 --> 00:30:30.980 who are 00:30:30.980 --> 00:30:31.500 in Christ 00:30:31.500 --> 00:30:32.480 and we've 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:32.880 begun to 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:33.740 experience that, 00:30:34.040 --> 00:30:34.480 how do we 00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:34.740 grow? 00:30:34.800 --> 00:30:35.140 How do we 00:30:35.140 --> 00:30:36.140 grow in 00:30:36.140 --> 00:30:36.660 this virtue 00:30:36.660 --> 00:30:37.540 of spiritual 00:30:37.540 --> 00:30:38.300 poverty? 00:30:38.420 --> 00:30:38.800 What sort 00:30:38.800 --> 00:30:39.680 of practices 00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:40.560 might help 00:30:40.560 --> 00:30:41.480 us more 00:30:41.480 --> 00:30:42.160 and more 00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:43.440 to become 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:43.960 this sort 00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:44.300 of people 00:30:44.300 --> 00:30:44.940 that Jesus 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:45.480 has redeemed 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:45.880 us to be 00:30:45.880 --> 00:30:46.180 and that he's 00:30:46.180 --> 00:30:46.820 making us 00:30:46.820 --> 00:30:47.220 to be by 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:47.680 his spirit? 00:30:49.740 --> 00:30:50.120 Well, 00:30:50.140 --> 00:30:50.460 there's lots 00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:50.900 of things we 00:30:50.900 --> 00:30:51.259 could say 00:30:51.259 --> 00:30:51.600 here and 00:30:51.600 --> 00:30:51.840 we're going 00:30:51.840 --> 00:30:52.200 to get into 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:52.700 a lot of 00:30:52.700 --> 00:30:53.620 them as 00:30:53.620 --> 00:30:54.120 we proceed 00:30:54.120 --> 00:30:54.460 through the 00:30:54.460 --> 00:30:54.840 Sermon on 00:30:54.840 --> 00:30:55.160 the Mount. 00:30:55.299 --> 00:30:56.759 But perhaps 00:30:56.759 --> 00:30:57.220 this morning 00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:57.580 we might 00:30:57.580 --> 00:30:59.220 just mention 00:30:59.220 --> 00:30:59.740 the practice 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:01.220 of what I 00:31:01.220 --> 00:31:02.180 would call 00:31:02.180 --> 00:31:02.860 being more 00:31:02.860 --> 00:31:04.840 intentional about 00:31:04.840 --> 00:31:05.620 being on the 00:31:05.620 --> 00:31:06.440 receiving end. 00:31:09.500 --> 00:31:10.340 In our pride, 00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:11.120 we like to be 00:31:11.120 --> 00:31:11.799 the ones who 00:31:11.799 --> 00:31:12.759 give, right? 00:31:14.180 --> 00:31:14.940 And of course, 00:31:15.100 --> 00:31:15.759 generosity is 00:31:15.759 --> 00:31:16.140 important, 00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:18.080 but if we are 00:31:18.080 --> 00:31:18.500 always the 00:31:18.500 --> 00:31:18.799 giver, 00:31:20.460 --> 00:31:21.039 then we are 00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:21.559 always the one 00:31:21.559 --> 00:31:22.319 in control to a 00:31:22.319 --> 00:31:22.899 certain extent. 00:31:23.359 --> 00:31:23.939 We're always 00:31:23.939 --> 00:31:24.439 the one with 00:31:24.439 --> 00:31:24.919 something to 00:31:24.919 --> 00:31:25.240 give. 00:31:27.139 --> 00:31:27.619 Instead, 00:31:28.519 --> 00:31:29.779 we need to 00:31:29.779 --> 00:31:30.599 practice being 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:30.939 on the 00:31:30.939 --> 00:31:31.700 receiving end. 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:34.359 Practice being 00:31:34.359 --> 00:31:35.480 empty and 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:36.439 getting something 00:31:36.439 --> 00:31:37.039 from someone 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:37.399 else. 00:31:39.379 --> 00:31:40.220 Receive a 00:31:40.220 --> 00:31:41.740 compliment and 00:31:41.740 --> 00:31:42.439 simply say, 00:31:42.839 --> 00:31:43.299 thank you. 00:31:45.159 --> 00:31:45.939 Receive the 00:31:45.939 --> 00:31:46.960 help of a 00:31:46.960 --> 00:31:47.519 church member. 00:31:49.099 --> 00:31:49.879 Receive the 00:31:49.879 --> 00:31:50.579 counsel of a 00:31:50.579 --> 00:31:51.200 friend or a 00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:51.759 small group 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.240 member. 00:31:52.319 --> 00:31:54.159 Put yourself 00:31:54.159 --> 00:31:54.919 in the place 00:31:54.919 --> 00:31:55.819 where you 00:31:55.819 --> 00:31:56.919 need to 00:31:56.919 --> 00:31:57.579 receive. 00:32:00.059 --> 00:32:00.659 Of course, 00:32:00.740 --> 00:32:02.419 sometimes it's 00:32:02.419 --> 00:32:03.059 actually hardship 00:32:03.059 --> 00:32:04.439 or trials or 00:32:04.439 --> 00:32:04.960 suffering that 00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:05.500 will put us in 00:32:05.500 --> 00:32:06.039 that place, 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:06.500 won't it? 00:32:08.619 --> 00:32:09.059 Friend, 00:32:09.159 --> 00:32:10.539 thank God for 00:32:10.539 --> 00:32:11.220 those times, 00:32:11.339 --> 00:32:11.899 even if they 00:32:11.899 --> 00:32:12.460 are difficult. 00:32:13.019 --> 00:32:13.819 Not for the 00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:14.519 suffering itself, 00:32:14.700 --> 00:32:15.599 but because that 00:32:15.599 --> 00:32:16.659 in those times 00:32:16.659 --> 00:32:17.899 when suffering 00:32:17.899 --> 00:32:18.659 forces us to 00:32:18.659 --> 00:32:19.879 receive from 00:32:19.879 --> 00:32:20.339 others, 00:32:20.339 --> 00:32:21.659 we're learning 00:32:21.659 --> 00:32:22.139 more and 00:32:22.139 --> 00:32:23.599 more the 00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:24.119 virtue of 00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:24.459 spiritual 00:32:24.459 --> 00:32:24.939 poverty. 00:32:28.779 --> 00:32:29.339 We're 00:32:29.339 --> 00:32:29.759 learning more 00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:29.980 and more 00:32:29.980 --> 00:32:30.299 what it 00:32:30.299 --> 00:32:31.659 means to 00:32:31.659 --> 00:32:32.119 be truly 00:32:32.119 --> 00:32:32.579 blessed. 00:32:35.319 --> 00:32:35.959 But you 00:32:35.959 --> 00:32:36.059 know, 00:32:36.079 --> 00:32:36.699 perhaps one 00:32:36.699 --> 00:32:36.859 of the 00:32:36.859 --> 00:32:37.519 greatest ways 00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:38.119 that we can 00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:38.599 put ourselves 00:32:38.599 --> 00:32:38.879 on the 00:32:38.879 --> 00:32:39.639 receiving end 00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:41.200 is at the 00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:41.740 Lord's table. 00:32:41.740 --> 00:32:43.660 When we come 00:32:43.660 --> 00:32:44.259 to the Lord's 00:32:44.259 --> 00:32:44.520 supper, 00:32:44.860 --> 00:32:45.140 right, 00:32:45.980 --> 00:32:47.259 we are all 00:32:47.259 --> 00:32:47.820 on the 00:32:47.820 --> 00:32:48.500 receiving end. 00:32:49.600 --> 00:32:50.060 We come 00:32:50.060 --> 00:32:51.460 hungry and 00:32:51.460 --> 00:32:52.020 needy, 00:32:52.320 --> 00:32:53.100 admitting our 00:32:53.100 --> 00:32:53.960 spiritual poverty. 00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:55.780 And in the 00:32:55.780 --> 00:32:56.160 bread, 00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:56.840 in the cup, 00:32:57.040 --> 00:32:58.160 we receive these 00:32:58.160 --> 00:32:59.360 signs telling us 00:32:59.360 --> 00:33:00.520 that Christ and 00:33:00.520 --> 00:33:01.259 Christ alone 00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:02.600 can feed us, 00:33:02.759 --> 00:33:03.759 and He has, 00:33:03.759 --> 00:33:05.160 and He will 00:33:05.160 --> 00:33:06.000 continue to do 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:06.279 so. 00:33:07.700 --> 00:33:08.200 And you know, 00:33:08.240 --> 00:33:08.640 it's at the 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:09.019 table, 00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:09.500 it's at the 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:10.079 Lord's supper 00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:10.759 where we 00:33:10.759 --> 00:33:11.960 experience our 00:33:11.960 --> 00:33:13.420 greatest solidarity 00:33:13.420 --> 00:33:14.119 with one 00:33:14.119 --> 00:33:14.420 another. 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:17.359 Because at the 00:33:17.359 --> 00:33:17.759 table, 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:18.519 right, 00:33:18.779 --> 00:33:19.400 whether we are 00:33:19.400 --> 00:33:20.460 materially wealthy 00:33:20.460 --> 00:33:21.740 or materially poor, 00:33:21.940 --> 00:33:23.920 we all come as 00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:24.859 spiritually bankrupt 00:33:24.859 --> 00:33:25.619 in need of God's 00:33:25.619 --> 00:33:25.980 provision. 00:33:25.980 --> 00:33:30.720 And if we can 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:31.440 practice that 00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:32.220 kind of solidarity 00:33:32.220 --> 00:33:33.180 here with one 00:33:33.180 --> 00:33:33.839 another at the 00:33:33.839 --> 00:33:34.160 table, 00:33:35.019 --> 00:33:35.740 where we are 00:33:35.740 --> 00:33:36.660 truly one 00:33:36.660 --> 00:33:38.140 before the 00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:38.420 Lord, 00:33:39.019 --> 00:33:40.059 if we can do 00:33:40.059 --> 00:33:40.720 that practice 00:33:40.720 --> 00:33:41.180 here, 00:33:42.700 --> 00:33:44.019 if we can learn 00:33:44.019 --> 00:33:44.920 what that means, 00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:47.420 then we can go 00:33:47.420 --> 00:33:48.120 into the world 00:33:48.120 --> 00:33:50.140 and start to 00:33:50.140 --> 00:33:50.799 practice other 00:33:50.799 --> 00:33:52.059 forms of 00:33:52.059 --> 00:33:52.579 solidarity, 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:54.039 working, 00:33:54.839 --> 00:33:55.180 living, 00:33:55.980 --> 00:33:56.500 listening 00:33:56.500 --> 00:33:58.019 alongside of 00:33:58.019 --> 00:33:59.339 those whom 00:33:59.339 --> 00:33:59.720 the world 00:33:59.720 --> 00:34:00.339 would consider 00:34:00.339 --> 00:34:02.380 marginal or 00:34:02.380 --> 00:34:03.680 unimportant or 00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:04.019 poor. 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:07.160 You see, 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:07.960 the first step 00:34:07.960 --> 00:34:09.240 of practicing 00:34:09.240 --> 00:34:10.559 solidarity with 00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:11.000 the poor, 00:34:12.139 --> 00:34:13.240 to echo God's 00:34:13.240 --> 00:34:13.519 heart, 00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:14.860 the first step 00:34:14.860 --> 00:34:15.440 is to start it 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:16.500 right here as 00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:16.900 we come to 00:34:16.900 --> 00:34:17.260 the Lord's 00:34:17.260 --> 00:34:17.539 table. 00:34:20.880 --> 00:34:22.000 It all starts 00:34:22.000 --> 00:34:22.280 here, 00:34:23.099 --> 00:34:23.880 receiving these 00:34:23.880 --> 00:34:24.360 signs of the 00:34:24.360 --> 00:34:24.719 gospel, 00:34:24.719 --> 00:34:24.799 gospel, 00:34:25.679 --> 00:34:26.099 because here 00:34:26.099 --> 00:34:27.079 we're all 00:34:27.079 --> 00:34:27.619 receivers, 00:34:28.459 --> 00:34:29.039 each one of 00:34:29.039 --> 00:34:29.319 us. 00:34:30.459 --> 00:34:30.819 And you know, 00:34:30.859 --> 00:34:31.500 as we celebrate 00:34:31.500 --> 00:34:31.879 the Lord's 00:34:31.879 --> 00:34:32.039 Supper, 00:34:32.419 --> 00:34:33.579 we hear Jesus' 00:34:33.799 --> 00:34:35.439 words in this 00:34:35.439 --> 00:34:36.539 first beatitude, 00:34:37.199 --> 00:34:38.039 not just as an 00:34:38.039 --> 00:34:38.439 invitation, 00:34:38.959 --> 00:34:39.599 not just as a 00:34:39.599 --> 00:34:40.039 challenge, 00:34:40.399 --> 00:34:40.859 but at the 00:34:40.859 --> 00:34:41.619 table we hear 00:34:41.619 --> 00:34:42.219 these words as 00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:42.839 an assurance. 00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:45.819 Jesus hands us 00:34:45.819 --> 00:34:46.219 the bread and 00:34:46.219 --> 00:34:46.619 the cup, 00:34:47.159 --> 00:34:48.319 we receive them, 00:34:48.320 --> 00:34:50.559 and we hear 00:34:50.559 --> 00:34:51.100 Jesus say, 00:34:51.260 --> 00:34:51.820 blessed are the 00:34:51.820 --> 00:34:52.500 poor in spirit, 00:34:53.300 --> 00:34:54.080 for theirs is the 00:34:54.080 --> 00:34:54.740 kingdom of heaven. 00:34:56.940 --> 00:34:57.539 Let's pray. 00:35:02.140 --> 00:35:02.780 Father, as we 00:35:02.780 --> 00:35:03.380 come to the table 00:35:03.380 --> 00:35:05.300 now, we ask for 00:35:05.300 --> 00:35:05.760 your grace. 00:35:07.400 --> 00:35:08.100 Would the bread 00:35:08.100 --> 00:35:09.500 and the cup make 00:35:09.500 --> 00:35:10.680 real to us again 00:35:10.680 --> 00:35:12.780 the great self- 00:35:12.780 --> 00:35:13.880 emptying of Christ? 00:35:13.880 --> 00:35:14.000 Christ. 00:35:16.160 --> 00:35:17.180 Help us to see 00:35:17.180 --> 00:35:18.519 Christ as the 00:35:18.519 --> 00:35:19.800 one who modeled 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:21.559 perfect poverty 00:35:21.559 --> 00:35:22.220 of spirit, 00:35:22.880 --> 00:35:25.480 but not just as a 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:26.500 moral exemplar, 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:28.019 as a Savior, 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:30.019 his body broken, 00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:31.559 his blood shed 00:35:31.559 --> 00:35:32.720 for the forgiveness 00:35:32.720 --> 00:35:34.019 of our sins. 00:35:34.019 --> 00:35:37.460 At this table, 00:35:37.659 --> 00:35:38.900 would we have a 00:35:38.900 --> 00:35:39.960 fresh realization 00:35:39.960 --> 00:35:40.900 of our spiritual 00:35:40.900 --> 00:35:41.440 poverty? 00:35:42.559 --> 00:35:43.500 Would we be able 00:35:43.500 --> 00:35:44.360 to say again, 00:35:44.900 --> 00:35:45.880 nothing in my hand 00:35:45.880 --> 00:35:46.300 I bring, 00:35:47.219 --> 00:35:48.059 simply to the 00:35:48.059 --> 00:35:48.820 cross I cling. 00:35:50.519 --> 00:35:51.440 Naked, we come 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:52.320 to you for dress. 00:35:52.699 --> 00:35:53.440 Helpless, we look 00:35:53.440 --> 00:35:54.300 to you for grace. 00:35:54.900 --> 00:35:56.980 Foul, we fly 00:35:56.980 --> 00:35:58.059 to the fountain. 00:35:59.800 --> 00:36:00.440 Wash us, 00:36:00.920 --> 00:36:01.199 Savior. 00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:03.039 Wash us, 00:36:03.099 --> 00:36:03.440 we pray. 00:36:04.679 --> 00:36:05.259 Thank you for 00:36:05.259 --> 00:36:05.780 washing us. 00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:06.400 Fill us with your 00:36:06.400 --> 00:36:07.179 spirit as we take 00:36:07.179 --> 00:36:07.880 this meal together. 00:36:07.980 --> 00:36:08.599 In Christ's name, 00:36:09.159 --> 00:36:09.440 Amen.