Matthew 5:3 & 4 NLT

3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.



Amplified

3Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
4Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!

What kind of picture is being painted here?

Poor mourners are the picture of the true Christian life!

We are told at a very young age to be self confident, self-motivated and self-serving. So where is this self-centered stuff in the bible. Can you find one piece of evidence to support self?

I can show you numerous passages where we are to loose ourselves, surrender, humble and serve others. Yet we have this infatuation with self-glory (look at me syndrome).

Don’t get the wrong idea here. Self-confidence can be healthy in moderation. But for it to be the driving force in our life, not so good.

In Matthew 5:3, what does it mean to be poor? In Greek the word poor translates literally as, “one who crouches and cowers”.

Can you see the clear illustration of US now, a poor beggar bent over with our hands out seeking a spiritual handout from God? Very humbling. Yet this is something that happens inside of us, not outwardly for the world to see.

What about the issue of mourning in verse 4? What does it mean to mourn? And how do people treat those that are mourning?

Talk about becoming public spectacles. Look over in Matthew 6:16 for the answer.

Do you believe that God wants us walking around in a zombie state of mourning? No. But he does want us to realize our true sinful nature.

When is a Christian safe from worldly influence? Are you ever safe from it? It’s funny how many of us that profess to be Christian don’t even read the bible (life’s application guide). Let me qualify is, following along as someone else reads is not reading. I’m talking about sitting down on your own dime and reading when you could be on the golf course, watching tv or any number of other personal things.

Throughout the ages saints have written about their broken, fallen earthly natures. Look at King David in Psalms 19:12. He understood his sinful nature yet could not see clearly (just as all of us). So he prayed for God to cleanse him of not only what has known (seen sin), but also what might come (unseen sin).

Wonderful saints like Sister Teresa clearly felt unworthy of what Christ had done for her. Having difficulty and even struggling at times with her human nature. Martin Luther consistently referred to himself publicly as “a stinking sinner.” Even Billy Graham has great issues with personal honor. He always gives all the glory to God. When told that his message was wonderful, he corrects them. It was God’s message that was wonderful, I am just a messenger. Humble, broken hearts, all of them.

Why did they all feel this way?

Is it because they had secret sinful lives? (Closet cases perhaps) Or is it because they understood that Jesus dies for them when they did not know Him and may have even denied Him a few times in their lives.

It gets boiled down to this… The closer we come to Christ, the more aware we should be of our fallenness, broken, sinful nature. Sister Teresa, Luther, Graham and others as they have matured in their faith never proclaimed their own holiness (to be set apart). They have however come to the true biblical understanding of their own fallen states.

The closer you are to the light the more your imperfections are exposed.
Just as dust in your home is exposed by the sunlight coming through a window.
As I have said often, Christianity is an inward struggle (in our hearts), not an outward one. We are to submit to God and His will and allowing the trials to come (regardless of the severity) with thankful warm hearts.

This world and all that is in it is temporary. If it looks crazy and foolish to the secular world, it’s probably biblical.