Session Two: Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
In Unit Three we are looking at how we live as members of the Kingdom of God. Last time we looked at the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Now we are going to look some famous sayings from Jesus’ longest sermon. These titles are from the New International Version of the Bible.
In this session, we’ll explore:
What attitude God wants from us.
1. Reflect
Read Matthew 5: 1-3
For the rest of this unit we are going to be looking at this series of teachings that Jesus gave which are called the Beatitudes (from the Latin to be blessed). They are part of a body of teaching that is known as the Sermon on the Mount (verses 1 and 2 explain why).
What do you think this saying means?
“Those who are poor in spirit…see Christ’s blood and righteousness as their hope not only for eternity but for God’s favour each day. They groan over their sin and earnestly pursue holiness but they do not trust in their holiness.
Jerry Bridges
2. Read
What does this passage tell us about the poor in spirit? What are the consequences of being poor in spirit? What are the consequences of being unaware of this spiritual poverty?
Why does Jesus condemn the Pharisee and commend the tax collector? Which of them was good?
What is it about our lives that impresses God?
What does this tell us about being poor in spirit?
Need help? Here are some hints…
1. To be poor in spirit is to acknowledge the poverty of our spiritual lives. It is about recognising how far short we fall of God’s glory and how much we need Him. In that sense, there needs to be action associated with this recognition. It’s not about feeling worthless but about be ready and open to the change God wants to bring in our lives.
2. Verse 15 is the key verse here.
3. Being good and looking good are not the same!! Think about what goodness really is and how we connect to the heart of God (i.e. it is not about our supposed goodness but our ability to recognise our spiritual poverty).
3. Act
How do live our lives in the light of this teaching?
Jesus teaches us this so that we develop the right attitude of spirit and heart towards him. He is not interested in making us feel worthless and useless but in helping us to dethrone ourselves and crowning him as Lord and King.
Think about how you do this practically in your daily devotional time.
4. Pray
For genuine and not false humility.
For the needs of our community.
