Poverty of Spirit Part 1: What It Is/Is Not

In this part of the sermon: He further clarifies that poverty of spirit is not natural shyness or diffidence, using an extended analogy of two dogs to illustrate that natural temperament is distinct from a…

Martin uses the example of two dogs he owned – one terribly shy, the other naturally aggressive – to illustrate the difference between natural shyness/diffidence and true poverty of spirit, arguing that the latter is a work of grace, not temperament.

Now the illustration, I said I almost sprung on you in the Sunday school class, but I used my better judgment and held it till now. We've seen this so clearly in the two dogs that we've had in the past year. Now we picked up a little dog, a cross between a terrier and a beagle, mostly terrier. And she was a cute little dog, well-marked and never snipped or nipped at Joel.

18:54 - 19:18 Read in full sermon

The point: If you and I have learned to mouth the phraseology of humility, let us not rest content that we know something about poverty of spirit.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is used to illustrate the desire for the reputation of a virtue (sacrificial giving) without being willing to pay the price for it, paralleling the desire for a reputation of humility without true poverty of spirit.

It's so easy to want the reputation of humility without paying the price of being truly poor in spirit. Remember Ananias and Sapphira. They wanted the reputation of being sacrificial givers.

24:44 - 24:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not hide laziness in the house of God behind a false humility, claiming 'I'm not worthy' or 'I'm not capable'.

The account of Moses' initial reluctance to lead Israel, and God's anger, is used to demonstrate how true humility can slip into a false humility that masks laziness and unwillingness to serve.

May God help us not to be guilty of this. You remember what God did to Moses. Moses began to pull this. His initial response was one of true humility.

27:52 - 28:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Be willing to take on challenges, acknowledging personal incapability but trusting in God's greatness and ability.

The servant who hid his talent, claiming fear and calling his master harsh, is presented as an example of false humility masking wickedness and slothfulness, not true poverty of spirit.

You remember what the Lord Jesus said about a man who had this false kind of humility? He was entrusted with a talent and when the day of reckoning came he came and said now look you were such a hard master and I was such a poor businessman I didn't dare go out and invest it. I was afraid I might not bring back my original investment. Remember what the Lord called that man?

30:06 - 30:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines poverty of spirit as a deep inner awareness of spiritual neediness, destitution, and lack of self-sufficiency, leading one to look wholly to Christ for supply.

Martin recalls a missionary's story about a unique form of currency (brass shaped like a propeller) to illustrate that 'money' can take various forms, reinforcing the general concept of lacking means for sufficiency.

And the money in some places may be like we saw here one night. You saw that little piece of brass or something with two of these. You could buy a good wife or a poor pig. Remember that?

32:04 - 32:13 Read in full sermon