1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian 2 - Blessed are the poor in spirit | Page 3

M o n d ay
Reading: Matthew 5 v 3 / Luke 18
Let me begin this week’s devotionals on a personal note. I have this secret fear,
albeit probably an exaggerated one, that I will stand before God one day with all
of those who come to our church. My fear is that many people who have sat in
the pews of this church will not make it into heaven, even though they topped
the charts as attendees, tithers and volunteers. When Jesus separates the sheep
and the goats, as per Matthew 25, I would hate for those who end up being
classified as goats to turn and look at me and say, “Trevor, why didn’t you tell us
the pre-requisites for being a believer?! Why didn’t you tell us the necessity of
being born again?! Why did you make the Christian faith so easy and doable?!
Trevor, why didn’t you tell us…?!” I cannot over emphasise the vital importance
of everything we spoke about last week which is now epitomised in the first
beatitude: Matthew 5 v 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.”
Anybody who follows athletics will know the tragedy of a false start. There is
nothing more embarrassing than a runner who takes off out of the blocks a
fraction too early, but in his excitement does not hear the starter gun go again
calling everyone back, but he continues running as fast as he can to the finish
line on his own. He thinks he has won, but when he turns back he sees all the
other contestants waiting at the start. What has happened is he has had a false
start. All the energy and all the emotion that he has put in to running well has
been wasted because he did not start legitimately. Verse 3 of Matthew 5 speaks
of the only legitimate start for the Christian life. Being “poor in spirit” means we
come into the Kingdom of God with humility acknowledging our sinfulness and
the inability to match up to the ideals of God whereby we throw ourselves at the
feet of Jesus requesting mercy. You see, for many people, their Christian faith is a
“self-help” version, where the belief is that I can just do it all myself. This must
be compared with the “supernatural version” where I ask God to do that which I
cannot do and bring me, through repentance and humility, into a right
relationship with Him.
The condition “poor in spirit” means to shrink back, to cower or cringe declaring
one’s own spiritual bankruptcy before a Holy God. It is the pose of a beggar who
has nothing to offer and he knows it. Jesus, in Matthew 19 v 23 – 24, spoke of the