“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3)
This week we will be looking at what the text tells us is the direct reason why the poor in spirit are blessed. It is because “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” On the surface this does not seem to be much of a reason to be blessed or have true inner joy in the present. However, when we probe a little deeper this is seen to be a blessing far beyond any other. In fact, this is perhaps the greatest reason to seek the experiential aspect of being poor in spirit and this teaches us even more about what it means to be poor in spirit. The blessing of what one is given by grace by being poor in spirit is as opposed to works, merit, and self-effort as a text can be.
What is the kingdom of heaven? As has been so well put in past days, a kingdom is where the king reigns. Now if we think this through, we see that those who are poor in spirit are blessed because they have the kingdom of heaven. But those that are not blessed do not have the kingdom of heaven and so they are of another kingdom. This surely points to the biblical truth that the libertarian view of free will is simply bogus. As Luther put it, man is like a horse ridden by one or the other. Man is ridden by the devil or by Christ. Man is not free to have a third choice, but man is under the dominion of one kingdom or another. As Colossians 1:13 puts it, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” To be in the kingdom of Christ is to be delivered from the domain (power and authority) and kingdom of darkness (devil). Now while that is putting it in rather stark terms, the picture should be quite clear. Men and women are all under the authority and power of the evil one unless they are delivered from it and transferred to the kingdom of the Beloved (Christ).
Luke 11 gives us this concept from the lips of Christ: “17 But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. 18 “If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 “And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. 20 “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Jesus is showing that there are two kingdoms. One kingdom is that of Satan and the other is that of the kingdom of God. Satan ruled and rules by his influence, authority, and power and part of that was by demonic influence. When Christ came and cast out demons, this demonstrated that the kingdom of God was there.
The Gospel is presented to us in terms of the kingdom in many places. When Jesus first started His ministry it is said that He went about preaching the Gospel of the kingdom (Mat 4:23; 9:35). When Jesus was speaking of the end times He spoke of the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached to the whole world before the end would come (Mat 24:14). As mentioned above, salvation is presented in Colossians 1:13 as being a transfer from the domain and authority of darkness to the kingdom of the Beloved.
Let us take a look at another passage. “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free ‘?” 34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:31-34). Here we see that Jesus was telling the Jews that those who were His disciples were truly free because they had been freed by the truth. The Jews did not understand and told Jesus that they were Abraham’s descendants and had never been enslaved. Apart from the absurdity of that since they had been taken into captivity on previous occasions, Jesus was referring to the slavery of sin. All that continue in sin are slaves of sin. So we see the two kingdom approach again and yet without the using the term “kingdom.” All are slaves of sin unless they are disciples of Christ. Only those who are disciples of Christ were and are not slaves of sin. These and these alone are the people that are free.
We also see the same teaching in different ways throughout the New Testament. We see this taught very clearly in Romans: “16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification” (8:16-19). All men are slaves of just one of just two things. All people are slaves of sin or they are slaves of God and of righteousness. There is no autonomy of the human will here at all since all are under the authority and power of either Satan through sin or God through righteousness. As Romans 5:21 puts it, “so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Men are ruled by sin or by grace. As Ephesians 2:1-3 sets out, man is dead in his sins and trespasses and follows the course of the world as it is set out and determined by the prince of the power of the air. The only rescue is by the mercy, love, and grace of God (Eph 2:4-10). Again, the same teaching is set out.
Throughout the New Testament Christ is called the “Lord Jesus” and the “Lord Jesus Christ.” At the end of times every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil 2:8-11). He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14; 19:16). For Christ to be King there must be something that He rules over and that means that there is a kingdom. His kingdom is in the hearts of His people and His kingdom is within His people (Luke 17:20-21). Christ lives in the hearts of His people by His Spirit and it is the Spirit’s work in the hearts that sets out the life of His kingdom.
Now how does this relate to the blessing of being poor in spirit? I hope that it crystal clear by now that the blessing of being poor in spirit is that the kingdom of God dwells in those people and those alone. The reign and rule of Satan is through sin which is really pride and self-centeredness. It is a terrible thing to be ruled over by an evil person. Being full of pride and self is evil since those things are opposed to the glory of God. That means that all people that do not have the reign of Christ in them are those that are ruled by evil people (self and the devil). But those that are poor in spirit are those that have been emptied of pride and self as rulers which are those things that the devil reigns by. We must remember at this point that people that are outwardly moral but not delivered from pride and self are simply very wicked people in their self-righteousness. Religious people can be as proud and self-centered as anyone, if not more so. But only those that are poor in spirit have the reign of Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven in the heart. That is a true blessing.
Those that are not poor in spirit are ruled by pride and self which are the tools of the devil and even the character of the devil. Being poor in spirit is a work of grace in the heart of a person so that the person does not trust in his own righteousness by pride and self. Being poor in spirit means that a person is empty of self (not perfectly) and so has room for the reign and life of Christ. We can easily see how the reign of Christ and of grace is a blessing. As Colossians 1:13 shows us, this kingdom is a kingdom of the Beloved Son. In this kingdom, then, there is love and even more love than an earthly soul can imagine. If Christ dwells in a person, then that person is full of the very love of God in the Person of Christ who dwells in His people by the Spirit who pours out the love of God in the hearts of believers (Rom 5:5).
Those that are poor in spirit are those that have been emptied of self and pride. How is that a blessing? Because Christ must work humility in hearts in order that the heart may receive grace (James 4:6). A person that is full of self and pride can never know what love is since that person is too focused on self to love. Pride is the opposite of humility and love. A proud person is ruled by self and will not be ruled over by the humble Savior and Lord who works humility into the hearts of those He rules over and reigns in. In fact, a proud person does not have the life of Christ in him because there is no room for anyone but self in that heart. So the poor in spirit are blessed because they have Christ as their Savior and Lord. He rules in them.
One other aspect of the blessing of the kingdom in the hearts of the people is that sin and death no longer rules over those in that kingdom. Sin is the worst thing that can happen to people as it leads to hardness of heart and then hell. Living in sin and pride is to treasure up wrath for the day of wrath (Rom 2:4). What a blessing it is to be delivered from slavery to sin and to treasure up treasures in heaven. What a blessing it is to be delivered from hate and hating (Titus 3:3-4) as unbelievers do as seen by the light of reality to the kingdom of the Beloved. What a blessing to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Light. What a blessing to be delivered from the horror and rule (devil) of selfishness and pride to the reign and rule of grace and love. There can now be no question why the poor in spirit are blessed. Now we must pray for the grace to seek it with all of our hearts.
God Loves... Himself 
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