1. The first principle of the Sermon on the Mount is this: There is a new life style given to the believer, that God promises will bring eternal happiness, BUT you can not attain it on your own.

2. For a man unaided by God, it is impossible for him to attain God's standards and thus be truly happy.

In the Old Testament, God made provision for man's sin in that the believer who sinned, would go to the tabernacle and later the temple and offer sacrifices as evidence of repentance for sin. God mercifully forgave them.

Some thought the could keep God's law and in pride and self-righteousness boasted of their good works. The Jewish Rabbi's added to the Old Testament laws making keeping the law a matter of outward pride and earning salvation and status with God by good works. Many church have done the same thing in changing the biblical teachings of the Bible by added men's laws instead.

* For example Baptism became a saving act or sacrament instead of a picture of salvation. Sprinkling became the mode as a matter of convenience.
* The Lord's Supper - became a act to remove daily sin, instead of a memorial to remember and thank the Lord for his suffering and atonement for our sins.
* Church membership - became the thing that got one into heaven instead of trusting in the
* Christ as one's savior.
* Churches - became buildings instead of a group of believers under the headship of Jesus Christ joined together to carry out the Great Commission. Churches then became cathedrals instead of places where the body of Christ the church met.
* The Bible - became not the absolute word of God, but a guide book, to be followed if one desires.

3. Many who professed to be the children of God found the instructions of God to be to much to live by so they made up their own instructions and taught others to follow their commandments instead of God's.

Alcohol is good example: Men love to drink. So in spite of God clear instructions to abstain from the use of alcoholic beverages, they pervert the passages such as Paul's instruction to Timothy to take a little wine as a medicine and the turning of the water to wine by Christ at Cana, into excuses to justify drinking.

4. Matt. 5:48, says that we are to be "perfect, even as your Father, who is in heaven is perfect."

The Scribes and Pharisees had changed the Word of God and its principles making it meaningless by substituting acts such as, not picking up sticks on Saturday, or traveling over certain distance from your home, for the purer and spiritual principles of keeping the Sabbath day holy by loving, honoring and worshiping God in their hearts.

Jesus said, "except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

5. A man who is not truly a child of God until he truly believes in Jesus Christ and accepts Him alone for his salvation. Until he is saves and receives the new nature he cannot live according to God's instructions.

6. Once a person is saved, and receives the new nature, then they can begin the progress of becoming what God intended. They can then start down the road that leads to happiness and contentment and a fulfilling life that brings joy and close fellowship with God.

I. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE POOR IN SPIRIT?

A. Greek word for "poor", is the word "p t-o kos." The verb form means to "cower and cringe like a beggar. The picture is that a beggar doesn't want to be seen. He is ashamed.

It is not describing ones financial state, such as being the state of poverty, but the emotional
state of having to beg. The normal word for being poor is the Greek word, "pen -es."

B. Happy (Blessed) are those that are so destitute in their spirit that they are ashamed and cower, begging for God's forgiveness. The world says, happy are the rich, famous, self-sufficient and proud.

C. A man's "spirit" is his inward being. The body is the outward. Blessed is the man who is begging on the inside.

Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a Broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

READ: Isaiah 57:15

God receives those with a broken spirit, not the proud.

"Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up." James 4:10

This is not popular today. Now the emphasis is on celebrates, experts, and rich Christians.

Example: Suppose husband or wife is having marital problems: Instead of counseling a submissive, forgiving spirit and showing love without regard to whether it is returned, modern "Christian counseling teaches: Stand up for your rights!"

Religion teaches, divorce is OK in most circumstances. Instead of teaching: contentment in whatever your circumstance. False religion teaches, something good is going to happen and fosters dissatisfaction because it rarely does.

II. WHAT IS THE RESULT OF BEING POOR IN SPIRIT.

A. First the Bible says they will go to heaven. Why? They will seek God.

B. They will be destitute of pride, self-worth, arrogance. They will be wholly dependent on God.

III. HOW DO YOU BECOME POOR IN SPIRIT?

A..Seek to know God. Lot of folks are satisfied with their knowledge of God. They know bible stories. Know facts , yet the way to be poor in spirit is to intimately know God.

Seeking God is be seeking His influence in your life. Judging what you all day everyday all day in light of whether it would be pleasing to God or not. As you look upon God, you will lose yourself in Him.

B. Pray. Make a time to consult about the daily affairs of life.

C. You take to heart your goal to please God, to imitate the Lord Jesus in everything. You make that the prior. You consciously, make each decision of the day, based upon whether it would be what the Lord would want you to do.

You deliberately, vow your commitment to make Christ first in your life.

D. You see you first, see that you at best will make a mess of your life.

You know, in truth that only God can lead you unto happiness and fulfillment. So you seek Him as a blind man, seeks help to lead him. You live a life of crying out in desperation to God.

It is not a prayer telling God what you, or think you need. But a prayer begging God, to guide you in your blindness.

IV. HOW CAN YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE POOR IN SPIRIT?

A. You will deny "self." READ: Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5...

B. John 14:8, Philip said, "...Lord show us he Father and is sufficeth us.

C. You will not complain: If you are truly poor in spirit, you will not complain about your circumstances. You will not be critical of the life God has given.

You will experience the Grace of God when you have needs. You will know and trust that whatever your circumstance God has lead you to it, ordained it, or allow it. Thus you thus Him, You know Him. He wants only for you the best. So you resign in thanks giving for even the problems, the hurt, the sacrifices, glad to be able to suffer anything for Christ who saved you.

D. You will see good in others. The Bible says "We ought not think more highly of ourselves than we are." If you know God, you know your own frailty, you correctly know what you are...no lies..no pride to blind you..just the naked and rare truth. Thus you know you are not really any better in God's sight than anyone else.

C. You will pray. The beggar is always begging. He knows where his life comes from and thus be begs desperately for it.

D. The proud sinner, will want heaven, but on his own terms. The poor in spirit, will take what he is offered, gratefully. He will accept the Bible, and God's plan for his life, his family, his church and all he does.

He will not rebel at God's plan. He will be a humble learner...He will not seek to exert himself over others.

E. You will praise God and be truly thankful. The beggar is grateful for what he receives to sustain his life. You will be grateful.

V. CONCLUSION:

1. Being poor in spirit, is against our very nature. It in truth is impossible for us to do, apart from outside help.

2. That help is Christ Jesus. That help is receiving Christ as Savior and then being filled with the Spirit of God.

3. For the Christian, in sin...its first throwing off the mask. Looking reality in the face, and in God's strength accepting the hard and soul wrenching truth of the fact we are sinners.

Folks it takes God's strength to even look at yourself as you truly are. Our carnal nature fights against us, it is not easy, but it is necessary to being the child of God, that the Lord wants you to be.

Christ did not died, to put a band aid on our deep emotional and spiritual needs. He died to effect a total and complete cure.

4. Would you today, now where you sit, put that first foot forward, that first step, in being what Christ intended you to be.

5. What is you don't. What if you refuse? You will forfeit truth happiness, true satisfaction of being able to live a life fulfilling and rewarding.

The choice is yours. What will you do with the one called Jesus.


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