Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Posted by Karah

Pause

List the blessings in your life—from obvious ones to hardships that have turned to blessings. Ask God to open your eyes to His blessings as you study His Word today.

Read Matthew 5:3-4 in your Bible. Read verses 3-4 again carefully, then complete the list below.

“The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted.” —Matthew 5:3-4

 

Blessed are _________________________________

 

Because ___________________________________

 

Blessed are _________________________________

 

Because ___________________________________

 

Known as the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-11 describes what it means to be a citizen in God’s kingdom. These verses describe the character of true believers.

Consider this quote from Stuart Weber:

“The beginning of repentance is the recognition of one’s spiritual bankruptcy—one’s inability to become righteous on one’s own.”

Ask yourself:

What does it mean to be spiritually bankrupt?

How does verse 3 illustrate spiritual bankruptcy?

Look at verse 4. Believers recognize their sinfulness and their inability to do anything about it. This brings them to a place of repentance. How does verse 4 demonstrate that?

Respond

Have you ever recognized your own spiritual bankruptcy? Journal about that experience. Write Jesus a thank-you for rescuing you from your spiritual poverty.

Today’s verses describe the recognition of sinfulness and repentance that leads to salvation, but as a believer, you know that you still sometimes sin. Ask God to reveal any sin in your life today so that you can confess it and enjoy restored fellowship with God.

For further study, consider doing a group Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount. Try “Sermon on the Mount” by Jen Wilkin (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2014).

Behind the Story

The Gospel of Matthew is filled with moments of instruction from Jesus to His disciples, including the Sermon on the Mount. The first part of this teaching (vv. 3-11) is commonly called the Beatitudes and focuses on characteristics of true Christ-followers. Although each of these characteristics seem to be able to stand alone, they are meant to be understood together. The Beatitudes build on each other, like individual bricks to make a wall. Jesus began the Beatitudes by focusing on the hearts of Christ-followers, followed by describing characteristics of their relationship with God and with others.

The Point

Because kingdom citizens realize they can’t save themselves, they mourn and repent of their sin.

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