Poverty of Spirit Part 2: Biblical Examples

In this part of the sermon: This section focuses on poverty of spirit as the condition for entering God's kingdom, equating it with true conviction of sin. Biblical examples of the publican and the prodigal…

The publican's posture and prayer ('God be merciful to me, a sinner') illustrate the deep inner awareness of guilt and destitution that characterizes initial poverty of spirit, leading to justification.

entering into that kingdom, they were made poor in spirit, and the fact that they are members of that kingdom will be evidence in that they are continually giving evidence of poverty of spirit. Now, let's think of it in this two-fold way. First of all, the initial poverty of spirit, which always attends the entrance of a soul into the kingdom of God. This is just another way of saying, blessed are those who have experienced true conviction of sin, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. For no man or woman ever enters the kingdom of heaven until, first of all, they enter the kingdom of God. Secon...

4:48 - 6:11 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Poverty of spirit is always attended with the language of the bitter awareness that we've sinned and offended a holy God.

The prodigal son's confession ('I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son') illustrates that poverty of spirit is a brokenness over sin itself, not just the consequences of sin or physical needs.

Then we see another expression. Another illustration in the life of the prodigal, the prodigal son. The young man who, when he left his house, was barking loud about his rights. I want what's due to me. I want what's coming to me. I want to do this, and I want to do this. And he was just so cocky and sweating about, exerting his own adamant ego, that he began to be in want. The Scripture says he came to himself. When he comes back to his father, what does he say? He says, I want you to know this, dear. When he came back to his father, he didn't say, Look, Dad, I've made a mess of things, and I...

9:42 - 10:30 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Poverty of spirit is always attended with the language of the bitter awareness that we've sinned and offended a holy God.

The contrast between older hymns focusing on guilt and substitutionary atonement versus modern hymns emphasizing Jesus as a 'lover' or 'friend' highlights the loss of a sense of sin and poverty of spirit in contemporary worship.

You see, one man, the publican, who had no physical need, another one, the prodigal, who had tremendous physical need, and yet their language is both the same. It's the language of the deep inner awareness that they've offended. is God, and that's the thing that brings into the presence of God this deep awareness of faith. I'm disturbed by the contrast between the hymnody of another generation and much of the hymnody of our day. And if you have FM sets, you listen to this WFME. Some good things come over there. I'm not wiping it off with one stroke of the hand, but I'm disturbed by much of the...

12:06 - 13:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that this work of discovering your utter poverty in the presence of a holy God must be done in your heart to claim membership in the kingdom of heaven.

The analogy of being 'poor and blind and naked' but not knowing it, like the church in Laodicea, illustrates humanity's natural spiritual blindness and resistance to God's true riches, sight, and purity.

You see, all of us are poor and blind and naked, but the problem is we don't know. We're all this way. By nature and by practice, we're poor, we're blind, we're naked, but we don't know it. Like the lay of the sins, we know not that we are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. And God in his mercy wants to give us true riches, but he's never going to force them on us. He wants to give us. True sight, but he's not going to force it on us. God wants to give us true purity of garments, but he's not going to force them on us. So what must be done? The spirit of God must open our eye...

14:56 - 16:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that this work of discovering your utter poverty in the presence of a holy God must be done in your heart to claim membership in the kingdom of heaven.

These metaphors illustrate how people feed on the world's 'husks,' drink 'polluted streams,' and clothe themselves in 'filthy rags' (self-righteousness) until God convinces them of their true spiritual state, leading them to seek Christ.

of a holy God, you know absolutely nothing of what it means to be in the kingdom of heaven. The experience of the publican, the experience of the prodigal, must be yours, must be mine. God offers the bread of life, but we don't want it. We're feeding on the husk of the world of saints and of time, and we think that that's the bread of life, and the Lord has got to show us what you're eating is husk.

16:18 - 16:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not take the words 'perfectly happy are the poor in spirit' lightly, for unless you come to an awareness of your poverty now, you face the fires of hell revealing it later.

The story of the rich man in Luke 16 illustrates that spiritual poverty will be discovered by every man, either now by the Holy Spirit's conviction or later by the fires of hell, when it is too late.

illumination of the Holy Spirit as the fire of the convicting Spirit burns through the ear of our respectability and consumes the flimsy rags of our own righteousness, either that painful self-discovery comes by the fire of Holy Spirit conviction now or by the fires of hell later. For Luke chapter 16 records the man whose self-discovery never came in life. It came in eternity, and it was too late. He passed day by day, the beggar.

17:49 - 18:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not take the words 'perfectly happy are the poor in spirit' lightly, for unless you come to an awareness of your poverty now, you face the fires of hell revealing it later.

A quotation from an unnamed servant of God emphasizes that we only see Christ's worth and come to Him on His conditions when we first see our own spiritual wants.

you have come to this place of an awareness of your poverty and your destituteness, you stand in terrible, terrible despotism of having the fires of hell revealed to you, your poverty before God. You say, Pastor, why is this necessary? Well, I think we've already hinted at this. One servant of God said, until we see our wants, we never see Christ's worth. Until we see our wants, we never see Christ's worth. And then he said something else that I believe is so true. He said, until we see our wants, we will never come to Christ on His condition.

19:29 - 20:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not take the words 'perfectly happy are the poor in spirit' lightly, for unless you come to an awareness of your poverty now, you face the fires of hell revealing it later.

The analogy of a starving man accepting bread on any condition, versus a non-starving man bickering over terms, illustrates that spiritual poverty makes one willing to accept Christ on His absolute terms.

A starving man doesn't bicker with someone who offers him bread. A starving man sees someone holding forth bread, and he says, sir, what must I do to have the bread? And he says, you've got to go down and eat a mouthful of dirt first. You say, all right, but give me bread. You've got to stand on your head for ten minutes. All right, but give me bread.

20:26 - 20:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not take the words 'perfectly happy are the poor in spirit' lightly, for unless you come to an awareness of your poverty now, you face the fires of hell revealing it later.

A pastor's conversation with a young married man who refused to put Christ above his wife illustrates the bickering with Christ that stems from a lack of true spiritual poverty.

I was talking with a pastor who came burdened in heart just several days ago. He was waiting here when I got back from making some hospital calls. And he's all broken up about some people who seem to be saved this past summer when they had special meetings in their church. But now the issues are beginning to press in upon this young man, young married man.

22:05 - 22:27 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Dear ones, I've never seen yet a man or woman brought to real poverty of spirit who was not glad to come to Christ on his terms.

The analogy of unwinding a great cable to pass it through a needle's eye illustrates how poverty of spirit 'unwinds' the proud human heart, making it surrender to the kingdom of heaven.

This is why poverty is so great. Why poverty of spirit is absolutely essential and why it's the mark of everyone who's entered the kingdom of heaven. Someone has said a great cable can't go through the eye of a needle unless you unwind it and put it through a strand at a time.

25:14 - 25:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin transitions to poverty of spirit as a continuing, abiding condition for those already in the kingdom. Moses's 'Who am I?' response to God's commission, after 40 years of…

Moses's question 'Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh?' after 40 years in the wilderness illustrates the continuing poverty of spirit in a saved man, stripped of self-confidence.

And I'm going to ask you, if you will please, to turn to Exodus chapter 3. As we behold in Moses a clear illustration, a poverty of spirit in a child of God. You remember that Hebrews 11 says, by faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Moses was, as best we can discern, probably about 40 years of age when he left Egypt.

27:12 - 27:48 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: David's life provides two further illustrations of continuing poverty of spirit. His humility when offered Saul's daughter and his awe-struck response to God's covenant promise in…

David's response 'Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family... that I should be son-in-law to the king?' illustrates his poverty of spirit and humility despite his recent victory over Goliath.

Notice what David said in 1 Samuel 18. And David said unto Saul, who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king? Now when Saul took the initiative to say, David, I want you to marry one of my daughters, the first reaction of David was not, well, Saul, you've got a pretty good deal here. I went out and killed Goliath for you, and the Lord helped me, and I've lived a pure life, and I've been diligent, and I've proved myself.

34:13 - 34:51 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: David's life provides two further illustrations of continuing poverty of spirit. His humility when offered Saul's daughter and his awe-struck response to God's covenant promise in…

David's prayer 'Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto?' in response to God's covenant promise illustrates his deep humility and awe even after a life of mighty service.

Remember now, this wasn't for the sake of the court there, it wasn't for the sake of the other Israelites, he was alone with God, and the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto? This was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God, but thou hast spoken of thy servant Paul, for a great while to come, and is this the manner of man, O Lord God? And what can David say more unto thee? For thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant.

36:34 - 37:10 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The Apostle Paul's self-assessment of insufficiency and utter dependence on God is presented as a New Testament example. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is shown as the perfect…

Paul's statements about counting his natural endowments as 'none' and not being 'sufficient of ourselves to think anything' illustrate his poverty of spirit as a mature Christian, recognizing his utter dependence on God.

Briefly, two New Testament illustrations of this same thing. We find a clear illustration in the New Testament in the life of Paul. As one servant of God has said, any man who has natural powers is usually aware of them, Saul was. Paul of Tarsus, Paul the Apostle, he says in Philippians 3, all his natural endowments, all of his attainments, the Pharisee, a Hebrew, touching the law, blameless, all of these things.

38:16 - 38:44 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The Apostle Paul's self-assessment of insufficiency and utter dependence on God is presented as a New Testament example. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is shown as the perfect…

Jesus's statements 'I can do nothing of myself' and His consistent prayer life illustrate His perfect poverty of spirit, demonstrating the utter dependence of the creature upon God, untainted by sin.

For he recognizes as he stands before God that he is nothing, he has nothing, can do nothing, and stands in need of all things. And of course the greatest example in the New Testament is our Lord Himself.

39:35 - 39:54 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are not increasing in poverty of spirit, your emptiness will not drive you to Christ for His fullness, help, and wisdom.

Paul's statement 'I was among you Corinthians, in wisdom, and in fear, and in much tremor' illustrates how poverty of spirit manifests in relationships with men, leading to a blessed absence of cockiness and reliance on God alone.

There'll be a blessed absence of the struck and cockiness of the flesh. I marvel every time I read 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Paul said, I was among you Corinthians, in wisdom, and in fear, and in much tremor. Think of it.

47:40 - 48:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin outlines how poverty of spirit manifests in a believer's life: in prayer (awareness of unworthiness, driving to Christ), in Christian practice (increased need for prayer…

Paul's quote 'I am what I am if it's worth anything by the grace of God' illustrates how poverty of spirit leads to gladly acknowledging God's grace as the source of any good in oneself, deflecting praise to Him.

I'm nothing. No, Paul said, I'm something. But I am what I am if it's worth anything by the what? By the grace of God.

49:15 - 49:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Increase and maintain poverty of spirit by not looking at yourself, but by looking at Christ.

Job's words 'now mine eye seeth thee, and I abhor myself' illustrate that seeing God clearly is the only way to increase and maintain poverty of spirit, leading to self-abhorrence.

For Job said, I heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee, and I abhor myself. That's seeing Him. I abhor myself. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

51:36 - 51:51 Read in full sermon