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*This is an excerpt from my book “Captivated Anew: Restored to Pursue Him.” It can be found on virtually any major on-line bookstore in both digital and hardcopy formats.
All who’ve received Christ inherit a marvelous gift: spiritual freedom. In Jeremiah 33:8 the Lord says, “I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion.” Quite literally, He lifts sin’s stranglehold. In John 16:8 Jesus explains the role of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who dwells in all believers: “[He] … convict[s] the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” Though believers are no longer bound to sin, we still require a counselor to guard our ways. The Holy Spirit checks the heart of each Christ-follower, gently prodding him or her to stay in tune with the Lord. This He does not to condemn us, but to guide us in the abundant life Christ offers.
I’m constantly amazed at the number of professing believers mired in a pit of toxic guilt. Rather than accepting the Spirit’s leading with joy, they become despondent and defeated, wallowing in past mistakes and the sins which cause them to experience little motivation to serve the kingdom. We must understand that while the Holy Spirit does convict us of sin, He does not paralyze us with shame. Everything He does guides us closer to Jesus, the source of all truth (John 16:13).
The Holy Spirit does not condemn us. He merely convicts us of the reality and guilt of sin, thereby reminding us that we are sinners in need of Christ’s salvation. We can’t get by without Him; righteous Jesus is our only hope. Conviction is meant to nudge us closer to the source of life and mercy. When we focus on our guilty feelings instead of reaching out to Christ, we quickly become completely self-absorbed. We mentally scold and abuse ourselves until we think not of realigning ourselves with Christ but only of our own failure. This form of self-flagellation causes us spiritual paralysis and a morbid and lifeless disposition. Those entranced with this cancerous syndrome shelve their Christian service and give up on abundant life. In this process Satan gains an upper hand. By deceiving us into a depressing malady of defeat and paralysis, he induces a spiritual coma that sidelines us from our calling and purpose.
This is not an issue of self-esteem – just the opposite. Believers shackled by shame and toxic guilt share a commonality; they hold too low a view of Jesus! They allow guilty feelings to diminish and demean the power of Christ’s death as if it was not enough to cover all their sins. In wallowing in self defeat, we suggest that Christ’s atonement was insufficient. At that point our feelings of unforgiveness supersede the fact of His perfect sacrifice.
True, without the Lord, we are all “without hope … in this world” (Ephesians 2:12). We cannot save ourselves or remove the shame of our sin. The beauty of the gospel, however, is that God gave us the gift of Himself and declared us righteous through His Son. Jesus became our perfect high priest and intercessor. Hebrews 2:17 says, “For this reason [Christ] had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” That same pure and exalted high priest intercedes for us before God, arguing for His righteousness as our standing before a holy God (Hebrews 7:25).
When we receive Christ in faith, He forgives all our sins—past, present, and future. This is not to say we should willfully keep on sinning or become insensitive to the urgings of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we should embrace the freedom Jesus offers as a gift while constantly pursuing Him and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Calvary and His resurrection mark the victory over our failures. When we receive Christ we can live with liberty. His infinitely valuable sacrifice gives us freedom to be and do what He calls us to.
In accepting Christ’s remedy for our guilt we become motivated to live and speak by His power and for His glory. Second Corinthians 5:17 reminds us that those who are in Christ are “a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We must turn our attention to the Lord and away from ourselves. Let us pursue Him as the only One with the power and provision necessary to free us. When we daily respond to His urgings, our lives will testify to His transcendent glory and infinite worth.
Oral Roberts’ Son Arrested for Allegedly Speeding, Driving Drunk in Okla., Christian News
No one is a smaller fan of Richard Roberts and his ministry than I am. I consider his theology and ministry to be terribly misguided and a blemish on all that the true Gospel and Scripture stand for. But this is no time to cast stones. I’m praying for him, his family, and all those who follow him. I pray for all of those whose faith might falter due to this news. For, no matter the sin or the sinner in question, I couldn’t be more thankful that our Heavenly Father is a God of mercy, grace, forgiveness, and multiple second chances. And I write knowing this redemptive truth applies more to me than anyone else I know.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:4-5).
In our culture the word “jealous” invokes a myriad of negative concepts. It’s called “The Green Monster” and suggests envy, covetousness, and other unwholesome qualities. That’s why many struggle with God being a jealous God. But His jealousy is in every way good. As a matter of fact, in Exodus 34:14 we find that one of the many names of God is “Jealous.” Some commentators indicate this maybe the only time in Scripture where God is named something that is a pure emotion (they would say love is not a pure emotion). To many this is confusing and even hard to accept. Because the way the world uses this word, as opposed to the way God demonstrates His jealousy, is a turn-off to many. Including Oprah Winfrey.
According to this article – Oprah Winfrey and God’s Jealousy – and many more you can find similar to it, Oprah chose to seek other paths to God due to the seeming incongruity in the God of the Bible being jealous. It appears that when Oprah was about 27 years old she went to church one Sunday and listened to a very charismatic preacher. She was caught up in all the positive, “warm and fuzzy” things the speaker had to say but was confused and disturbed when she heard that God is a jealous God. She, it seems, could not reconcile a loving God with a jealous one. But, with Him, they are one. God’s jealousy for His children is one of His greatest demonstrations of pure, unconditional love. He wants us to love Him above all else and covets our affections.
In the verses above, Exodus 20:4-5, God is talking about people making idols, bowing down, and worshiping those idols instead of giving God the love, adoration, and worship that He alone rightly deserves. God is possessive of the affection and love that belong to Him. It is a sin (as God points out in this commandment) to worship or serve anything other than God. We are called to love Him above all else as a reflection of His initiatory love for us (1 John 4:19).
It is a sin when we are envious or jealous of someone because they have something that we do not have. It is a different use of the word “jealous” when God calls Himself Jealous. What He is jealous of already belongs to Him. He has purchased us with the love-saturated shed blood of Christ, therefore we are His. Yes, we are called to love others and, in reality, all people, (see 1 John 4:12) but we are not to love anything (see Matthew 6:24) or anyone (see Luke 14:26 – which is a statement of comparison) more than Him. So our final affection is due Him alone; our love is to be given to Him above all else.
Interestingly, in 2 Corinthians 11:2 Paul describes his love for the church at Corinth with the term jealousy: “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” I also believe, due to the marriage analogy of Christ and His church and the picture of purity represented in the term “virgin,” that this passage is also encouraging us to love each other and, of course, God with a divine and holy possessiveness.
God is love (1 John 4:8) and He is jealous. These are not contradictory but complimentary ideas because He is jealous for us. And aren’t we so very thankful that He has redeemed us for Himself. That He loves us with a possessive love and demands that He, above all, is the focus of whom and what we adore. Jesus has paid the price so that we can become God’s treasured possessions. I can think of nothing more wonderful than being the object of God’s jealous affection. And I can think of little that glorifies God more. For in His jealousy resides supernatural and supreme love, grace, and mercy!
The words of the David Crowder Band’s song “How He Loves” ring in my head:
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
This powerful phrase represents the message of hope we find in the Gospel. You can put an infinite number of thoughts ahead of this phrase and then say, “But God,” and you get to the heart of His good news. So let’s do an exercise. I’m going to make some statements, comments that might be common thoughts to many of us, and let some Scriptures that use this encouraging phrase respond (all emphasis mine).
My sin is so great and I’m burdened with the guilt of my poor choices, mistakes, and unholy bent. How can God love and forgive me? – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
I have so little to offer my Lord. Really, I’m a “nobody” and don’t see how He can use me. – “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
There is so much I don’t understand about Him, His ways, His will, or His Word. How can I know God and how I can best be His servant? - “…but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10).
I’m not sure how I can serve Christ’s church, how I fit in, and if I’m really needed? Am I important to the body of Christ? – “…while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it” (1 Corinthians 12:24).
I feel endangered and unprotected in a cruel world. Sometimes I feel that everyone is against me and I have no real shelter from their attacks. – “…Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, But God did not allow him to hurt me” (Genesis 31:7).
I feel defeated and powerless. Where do I get the wisdom and strength to live for Jesus and be the kind of Christ-follower that advances His kingdom and gives Him glory? – “…for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained” (2 Timothy 2:9).
I’m so discouraged, maybe even depressed. I can’t get out of this rut and I feel distant from Jesus. Where should I turn for hope and help? – “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus…” (2 Corinthians 7:6).
I feel as if I try so hard, but even with all of my effort I feel like a spiritual failure, as if my all resources and “works” don’t add up to much in the sight of God – “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything” (Hebrews 3:4).
Looking at my circumstances, I feel as if I’m being punished by God. I know most of this is if of my own doing, but how is God involved? – “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).
Who can I trust? What can I trust in? It seems like there is no one or no thing that I can really count on in this life – “We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son: (1 John 5:9).
Is there hope? There have been so many defeats, broken promises, and my past is littered with a myriad of things that haunt me today? Can I trust that my future is bright and, if so, in whose promises do I need to trust? – “For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise” (Galatians 3:18). Or, “But it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’. But God has revealed them to us…” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
“But God…” I don’t know what your thought or question might be today but I encourage you to make the statement and then search the Scriptures to find His answer. For in Christ we have received the promises of God and God can not lie (Titus 1:2: Hebrews 6:18). His promises are real and by believing in Christ you can find the great meaning and hope found in this simple phrase that changes everything - “But God!”
So how does this happen? By faith in Jesus through the grace given by God. Let’s add a couple more passages:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by His grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4 ).
“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:4-5).
All of this reminds me of a cliché that we often hear, an anecdote that actually has rich significance. I think it sums this up well. And that phrase? “But for the grace of God, there go I.”
I always dreaded the first day of classes but it wasn’t because I didn’t like school. After all, I thought school was more about playing around than preparing for life. Because my last name starts with a “W” I was usually forced to sit in the back of the class (when I wasn’t being put in the corner). This, because of having poor eyesight from a very early age, made it difficult to see the blackboard (I know, I’m so old we had real chalk and rectangular erasers also). The good news is this was a perfect excuse for my miniscule GPA.
But that wasn’t the worst part: It was the roll call I loathed. I knew what was going to happen. I was going to be one of the last names called. I would have napped until they got to me except for the impending embarrassment. “Linda Wolfe?” With many years of practice, I had my response down pat. I cleared my throat, summoned up my deepest bass voice and firmly (and sometimes sarcastically) replied, “Here! And my name is LINDEN Wolfe.” No wonder I struggled in school – it seems as if most of my teachers and professors had a reading disability (To all my wonderful academic mentors: This is an attempt at humor. And please don’t criticize my grammar and syntax – I continue to blame you for that.). But alas, this problem has persisted for my entire life. Rarely do folks pronounce my name right, never mind spell it correctly.
Simply said, this means I’m scarred for life and have a built-in excuse for all of my under-achievement and bad behavior. Except for the fact that one person got my name right. God did! Ponder the miracle of this from the lips of the prophet Isaiah:
“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:1-7).
And who is this Lord, this Holy One of Israel, your Savior? Jesus! Inhale these comforting words from His lips:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.3To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee
from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:1-5).
What grace! What mercy! Because God loved me He sent a Sheppard (who was also the spotless Lamb of God) to find this lost sheep. He called me by name and His Spirit prompted me to listen. Jesus has made me His own. He has made me one of His flock yet I am not nameless to Him. It’s personal. So personal that He wrote my name in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the world (see Revelation 17:8; 21:27). My name and the names of all His redeemed sheep. Beyond that, according to Isaiah, He gives us His name for His own glory! Amazing! He calls us by name and then gives us His name. We are adopted by the great Sheppard into the flock of God. Now and forever.
This is why I no longer dread roll call. Just the opposite. Because He has called me by name, when the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there! So if Jesus has called you by name and you are called by His, feel free to go ahead and sing along!
When the trumpet of the Lord
shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
On that bright
and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
*Section 1 – Kingdom Character
Six- The Mercy Experience
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
Often life seems merciless. Our days require constant work, whether we feel ill or well. Hunger gnaws, whether or not we have the means to buy food. And unfortunate circumstances and death happen, whether or not we toe a moral line. The relentless cycle of life, with its challenges and struggles, leads some to adopt a Scrooge-like sense of self preservation that routinely exalts itself over the needs of others. Unfortunately, this survival of the fittest, do-whatever-it-takes to come-out-on-top mentality has made the notion of extending mercy appear a sign of weakness. An old-fashioned idea that makes you vulnerable to manipulators.
When Jesus explained, in Matthew 5:7, that the merciful will receive mercy, He highlighted once more how different the lives of kingdom dwellers should seem when compared to the world’s ideals. In the days leading up to Christ’s delivery of this sermon, Jewish law made the stoning of an adulterer acceptable, though those who’d mete out the punishment were no less “sinful” than the one receiving it. Furthermore, the Jerusalem of Jesus’ day was under Roman rule. Rome prided itself on merciless advancement. They routinely crucified those who questioned their ways, determined to wipe out any resistance. Mercy was not a widely embraced concept in either Jerusalem or Rome at large. In ancient times, too, mercy was often dismissed as an Achilles heel.
The Greek word translated “mercy” in this passage essentially speaks to situations of need, pain, and distress that will go unalleviated unless someone steps in with an offer of compassion.[i] That intervention, an undeserved act that relieves a need, defines mercy. It lifts a burden. It pays a debt that its beneficiary cannot pay. We best understand the concept in light of what God did for us. Because of sin, humanity remains hopelessly separated from holy God. Between us stands a moral debt that we cannot settle: we deserve only His wrath and condemnation (see Romans 5:13-21). Yet out of love for us, God sent His only Son to die as a sacrifice that would cover the sin debt of all who believe in Him.
The mercy extended to us through Christ’s offer of salvation and the incredible way that God sustains us reveal how God lovingly withholds from His chosen what we truly deserve. It reveals a divine attribute that the world finds surprising. Our holy ruler and judge exhibits love and grace towards us by removing us from the eternal consequences of our sin. It makes sense, then, that those who serve Him would choose to project to others the merciful attitude their King first extended to them. We can better identify with Christ and more fully understand His design for His kingdom when we choose to display His mercy. As we show unmerited kindness, we’ll find supernatural satisfaction.
In my own experience, too much negative introspection, self-pity, and self-absorption trigger discouragement and depression. When I find myself in such a state I need to “get outside of myself” and practice acts of kindness and mercy. Such was the case when I decided to start a Bible study at a local nursing home. Although I felt saddened by the circumstances of the attendees, I found my spirits lifted with each visit. As the elderly men and women began to depend on me for instruction from God’s Word and simple caring, I received the blessing of a renewed heart. The thoughts that clouded my perceptions crumbled, and I increasingly sensed Jesus’ movement in my attitude and life. The more I ministered to those nursing home residents, the more Jesus ministered to me.
As this story suggests, mercy goes beyond feeling concerned for people. The language of Matthew 5 implies that merciful people actually do something to alleviate dire circumstances. This verse suggests extending relief, healing, and helping whether the recipient proves worthy or not. Interestingly, mercy in action is a clear symbol to those outside of God’s kingdom: Someone out there is willing to extend unmerited favor. As Jesus’ disciples show mercy, we project a unique sense of God’s favor and the joy and blessing He brings. Demonstrating mercy shows that we live as examples of what He has done for us.
In Matthew 6 Jesus says, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). Clearly, God expects the forgiven and aided to pass the blessings on to others. This does not mean that we must earn God’s mercy by being merciful. Instead, when we reflect the mercy God first demonstrated to us through Christ, we gain a heightened sense of the benevolence He shows us. For example, the more I give, forgive, and show mercy, the more I grow aware of the gifts that God graciously showers on me. Kindness to others simultaneously gains for us a greater knowledge and experience of God’s mercy in our own lives.
These days the weak and needy are often overlooked and abandoned as people seek after personal pleasure and ease. Many corporations give only for the purpose of gaining tax breaks, and they often avoid causes that won’t make the news. Charity giving dwindles as families spend more on their personal desires and set aside less for the needs of others. Even some churches have become more myopic, focusing their budgets around scrapbooking seminars and elaborate sound systems instead of meeting the more pressing needs of the hurting and pained people who live nearby. We must remember that our King loves benevolence. He desires that the Jesus follower’s life be defined by giving and forgiving—ideas often diametrically opposed to the philosophy of our culture.
Various actions exhibit mercy. At times, extending mercy requires that we offer forgiveness, even to those who wound, wrong, and malign us (see Matthew 5:44). In those instances we can choose to image forth the forgiveness and grace of our loving Lord, even though we may feel our “enemies” deserve our vengeance. Sometimes, as in the case in the parable of the Good Samaritan, mercy means providing assistance to someone we do not know (see Luke 10:30-37). Perhaps it requires making and delivering a meal. Maybe it means giving towards the medical bills of a family facing tragedy. Even personal involvement in local and foreign missions is an example of mercy as we seek to help spread the message of God’s saving grace. But whether extending kindness and generosity towards needy friends, strangers, neighbors, co-workers, or other believers who fall on difficulty, we show mercy as we meet needs and offer aid without thought of reciprocation. In all instances, merciful acts evidence that we understand the undeserved kindness God extends.
Apply It.
Read and internalize Matthew 25:35-45. Grasp the significance Jesus places on showing mercy to the undeserving and down-and-out. Who in your life could use some mercy, some help, or just a friend? Pray that God might raise your “spiritual antenna” to help you sense opportunities to serve. He’ll provide you the power to act in those situations.
[i] Lenski, R.C. H. Interpretation of St. Matthews Gospel (Augsburg, 1964), 191.
*This is an excerpt from Captivated by the King and His Kingdom: A Personal Encounter with the Sermon on the Mount published by Crossbooks in 2010. The links for this book are:
Amazon in book form – http://www.amazon.com/Captivated-King-His-Kingdom-Encounter/dp/1615073418/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302820767&sr=8-1
Amazon Kindle – http://www.amazon.com/Captivated-King-His-Kingdom-ebook/dp/B004KAA9UC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1302820767&sr=8-2
Barnes and Noble in book form – http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Captivated-by-the-King-and-His-Kingdom/Linden-C-Wolfe/e/9781615073412/?itm=3&USRI=captivated+by+the+king
Other eReader formats – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/33572
If you follow along with this category (albeit backwards) by the same name as the book, eventually, Lord willing, we will have walked through the Sermon on the Mount verse by verse in a devotional commentary approach. I pray that this series impacts you as much as it did me as I studied this passage and wrote this book. Grace to you!
*Section 1 – Kingdom Character
Two – Hope for the Broken
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
Jesus’ entire, complex Sermon on the Mount begins with this mind-blowing statement: Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. Before a crowd called “His disciples” (Matthew 5:1) that likely included the down-and-out, the average laborer, the wealthy, the young and the old, as well as women, children, and some leaders from the local synagogue, Christ extended through these words an important clue regarding entry into and connectedness with God’s kingdom.
In Christ’s day, religious leaders called Pharisees held incredible power. These “holy” men were generally thought to stand in favor with God through their meticulous keeping of tedious laws and their pious ability to create new ones. If any man were worthy of God’s kingdom, some may have thought, surely I qualify! When, however, Christ explained that those who are “poor in spirit” are welcome—practically given—the keys to the kingdom of Heaven, every listener grew aware that wealth, confidence in one’s self, and knowledge of do’s and don’ts prove unhelpful in gaining God’s favor. With one brief comment Jesus dethroned the religious types and gave spiritual hope to the desperate.
An informed understanding of just what Jesus meant by “the kingdom of heaven” proves essential as we enter The Beatitudes or “the blessings.” Christ’s phrase referred to the kingdom of godly men and women over whom God would forever reign. It includes the spiritual, eternal, and eventually visible rule or dominion of Christ over His children and creation. Or, simply described, the kingdom of God is the manifestation of God’s ruling presence. Therefore, the kingdom refers not just to the place where the godly go when they die; instead, it encompasses the entire, living body of Christ—His church—as they work together and encourage one another in the days leading up to sin’s demise.
The sovereign Lord of the universe allows His creation to live as part of His kingdom! To honor Him through service that points people to Him and brings glory to His name. I can think of nothing greater than daily experiencing the kingdom of Heaven, of faithfully living as a servant of the King of Kings. When we consider that God created humanity for the purpose of glorifying Himself, we find that living as part of the kingdom of Heaven defines the purpose of our existence! This life-transforming way of life should be the highest pursuit of every man.
Jesus asserts that the means to participate in God’s kingdom comes not in the manner that mankind might think, and both His ancient audience and modern students of His Word stagger under the teaching. In Matthew 5:3 He proclaims that humility proves the key component. Self-love, self-promotion, and self-effort fall short. Only through poverty of spirit—the recognition that we lie helpless and hopeless in light of God’s holy standard—are we fit to enter His kingdom.
Christ spoke to those who could see their spiritual bondage and sin-debt before God (see Matthew 6:22). Only those listeners who were “poor in spirit” could recognize the pervasiveness of their sin and acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy (see Romans 3:10-17). They, along with all hearers of the good news, must see that fallen humanity stands condemned as guilty before God our judge (Romans 3:19). Like the prodigal son who “came to the end of himself,” we must realize that we possess no good thing that makes us pleasing to the Father. We must grasp that we are a spiritually impoverished mess before we’ll truly cry out for salvation.
The entire Sermon on the Mount makes it clear that fallible and frail humanity proves incapable of living up to the high standards of God’s new kingdom, a kingdom built on the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. The notion is reminiscent of the Old Covenant God extended to mankind, an offer of relationship made to the descendants of Abraham. The terms of both pacts reference the huge rift that man’s sin places between him and God.
No person could ever live out God’s high, holy standards. Since the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed the one rule God set over His garden paradise, humanity has suffered under the pain of separation from Him. We cannot satisfy His righteous demands on any level (Romans 3:10). All break His law, and we have broken all of it (James 2:10). Not one of us will ever be good enough or wise enough to win our way back into His favor. The only hope extended us comes through the emptying of self.
As if to remind hearers of this truth, Jesus refers to the most righteous folk of His day as a reference point: “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In saying this, Jesus clarified that no one can enter Heaven on merit. Only when people accept the perfect life, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection of Jesus do they find forgiveness from sin and the hope of participating in His unending kingdom.
Spiritual poverty speaks of a humility that forces us to look to Jesus. Christ said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4). We come to know God by letting go of our right to be big in our own eyes, by submissively and obediently recognizing Christ’s supremacy and surrendering all of ourselves to Him.
Remarkably, accepting who Christ is and what Christ did for us leads us to supernatural reward. Through poverty of spirit and the acceptance that Jesus provides our only means to understand His kingdom (John 14:6), we are blessed in the grandest sense of the word. For we then have access to the Creator of the universe and all that entails. Author and speaker C. H. Spurgeon said, “The way to rise in the Kingdom is to sink in ourselves.”[i]We must dismiss our reliance on self in any form in order to find acceptance through the One who draws unworthy humanity into His kingdom.
Sadly, the first beatitude and others, prove contrary to popular proposed messages regarding the means to blessing and happiness. In our post-modern culture we receive a constant diet of self-reliance, self-sufficiency, self-assertion, and self-absorption. The underlying messages? You can be good enough and wise enough to do anything on your own! The pursuit of your own happiness in your own strength is what satisfies! These ideas, however, ring false. Dependence on our misguided human strength and wisdom proves futile. Only Jesus’ way leads to ultimate blessing and entrance into God’s kingdom.
God chooses to fill empty vessels, those people willing to put away any form of self-reliance or self-focus in order to depend on Him. He serves as our infinite source for all spiritual blessing. When we accept our poverty of spirit—a denial of the teaching that we can produce in ourselves anything we really need—we become empty vessels. In that moment, we sit ready to receive God’s beauty and majesty.
Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). Essentially this means that we have to die to that part of us that chooses the world’s “live for me” attitude and find new life in adopting one that says, “Lord, my life is Yours.”
Being “born again,” becoming a follower of Christ, finding entry and acceptance in His kingdom, all come down to a decision. Experiencing the kingdom of the God of the universe and enjoying His blessedness happens only through Jesus and His cross (John 14:6). We’ve got to come to Him in brokenness over our sin, surrendering to Jesus as our only hope (see Romans 3:23; 5:8; 6:23; 10:9-10). God, desiring that we become His children by exchanging our life for His, compels us by grace through faith (see John 1:12-13; Ephesians 2:8-9). I pray that if you haven’t already, you will humbly and sincerely cry out to Jesus to receive His free and full offer of salvation.
Apply It.
Read James 4:6-10 and 1 Peter 5:4-6. Why is humility necessary for entrance into Christ’s kingdom? For living out His kingdom? Pray that God would give you the “poverty of spirit” necessary to receive and believe Him and critical in living for Him.
[i] Spurgeon, C.H. The Gospel of the Kingdom (Passmore and Alabaster, 1893), 21.
*This is an excerpt from Captivated by the King and His Kingdom: A Personal Encounter with the Sermon on the Mount published by Crossbooks in 2010. The links for this book are:
Amazon in book form – http://www.amazon.com/Captivated-King-His-Kingdom-Encounter/dp/1615073418/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302820767&sr=8-1
Amazon Kindle – http://www.amazon.com/Captivated-King-His-Kingdom-ebook/dp/B004KAA9UC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1302820767&sr=8-2
Barnes and Noble in book form – http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Captivated-by-the-King-and-His-Kingdom/Linden-C-Wolfe/e/9781615073412/?itm=3&USRI=captivated+by+the+king
Other eReader formats – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/33572
If you follow along with this category (albeit, backwards) by the same name as the book, eventually, Lord willing, we will have walked through the Sermon on the Mount verse by verse in a devotional commentary approach. I pray that this series impacts you as much as it did me as I studied this passage and wrote this book. Grace to you!
