According to Luke: Pour In Spirit

According to Luke: Pour In Spirit 

Opening Illustration

The other day, I was surfing the web. I was actually reading the news and there were several pop ups that invaded my visual space. Here is what I learned.

I learned that I desperately need a Peloton Indoor Exercise Bike. Im telling you what, if you want to thin, attractive and in shape, that’s what you need.

Next, I learned that I need a Tesla Model S. No, it is not all that practical for a family of five but according to the ad, I need it. I have to have it. I also discovered that for all my hauling needs I needed to get a brand new 2018 Chevy Silverado 1500. Yep, need that one too.

I kept going until another ad came my way. This one was from Jos. A Bank. Apparently my suits, heck, all my cloths are garbage. The ad asked me if my wardrobe was ready for spring and I honestly did not know the answer to that question. Probably not. Guess it is time to go shopping. 

The next ad really got me. I was not aware that I needed these until the ad came across my eyes. I needed new kitchen knives. Not just any kitchen knives. I needed the kitchen knives that Rachel Ray approves of. Those are the best knives around…according to Rachel. My knives are trash. 

So, I put down the iPad and moved on with my day. I needed a new bike, a new car, new clothes, and new knives. I got in my car and was heading home and I drove by some new housing subdivisions. Boy, those new houses sure were nice. They even had a neighborhood pool. I need a pool. I deserve a pool. 

By the time I got home, I was just just depressed, I straight up needed counseling. 

It is easy to feel that way isn’t folks. What you have is not what you need or deserve. You and I both want more, the newest, the latest and greatest. The sad truth is that the latest and greatest doesn’t stay that way for very long. 

Isn’t it true that the Devil wants to foil our fulfillment. He wants us never to be content, never be satisfied. He always wants us to desire more and more. 

Answer for me this opening question…

Are You Calmly Content or Itching For Increase? 

Context:

In Luke 6, we have yet another account of the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever spoken. Practically speaking, the most information of the Sermon on the Mount is reflected in the beginning of Matthew 5. Luke only captures a portion of what Jesus said. So, for the next few weeks, we will be looking at the Beatitudes that Jesus described in His message. 

To set the scene, Jesus has been traveling throughout the region. He has been healing people with all sorts of infirmities. He ability to heal has gained Him quite a following. Jesus has also called the entirety of His disciples. Jesus arrives in a valley and before Him are the thousands who are awaiting His teaching and His healing. 

This is the start of the Sermon on the Mount. 

Let’s read from Luke 6:20 

Luke 6:20 ESV

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

3 Reasons Its Good To Be Pour in Spirit

I. A Dependent Life vs. 20

Illustration:

There is an old story about an older couple having dinner in a restaurant. The wife sees another couple about their age sitting in a booth nearby. She sees the husband sitting close to his wife, with his arm around her. He is whispering things in her ear, and she is smiling and blushing. He’s gently rubbing her shoulder and touching her hair.

The woman turns to her husband and says, "Look at the couple over there. Look how close that man is to his wife, how he’s talking to her. Look at how sweet he is. Why don’t you ever do that?"

Her husband looks up from his Caesar salad and glances over at the next booth. Then he turns to his wife and says, "Honey, I don’t even know that woman."

Point:

Clearly this woman wanted more from her husband and many of us want more out of life. She missed the point that they were still married. She missed the point that they were able to eat. She missed the fact that they drove to that restaurant. She missed the point that they were able to pay for that meal. Oh, its easy to miss God’s blessing when our natural desire is to want more. More out of life. More out of people. More out of our finances. More out of everything. 

The truth is is that we are just not very good at being content.

Point:

Remember who Jesus is talking to here. He is talking to poor, in many cases, starving and sick people. All of them wanted more. However, Jesus wanted to take what they saw as a negative and turn it into a positive. 

Greek:

Jesus tells the crowd that they are blessed when they are poor in spirit. That word for poor in Greek is very meaningful. 

It means reduced to beggary and asking for alms.

It means destitute of wealth, influence, position or power. 

it means that they are helpless, that they are poor and needy. They lack in everything. 

To give you a proper mental image, imagine a new born baby. That baby has nothing. It brings nothing into the world. That child doesn’t have the brain function to understand the emotional aspects of fear and want, yet it is fearful and wanting. The child is scared. That child has no clothing, no food, no ability to provide for him or herself. 

Friends that is what it looks like to be pour in spirit. Totally dependent on someone else to provide. 

Point:

In this case, Jesus is saying that we are actually blessed when we have nothing at all. Now that seems crazy doesn’t it. All of us spend a huge portion of our lives amassing stuff, little trinkets and do dads that make us feel better about ourselves and bring us temporary happiness. However, one day when we are all dead and gone, that stuff will either be passed on to family or tossed out by people that don’t appreciate our stuff the way we did. 

Point:

When you are poor in spirit, you are totally dependent on God’s provision for you. You have to rely on Jesus’ promises that he will protect you and provide for you. 

Point:

Now, am I suggesting that everyone go today and get rid of everything that you own and live on the streets. No. No I am not. However, if our material possess keep up from relying on God, then perhaps we need to reevaluate where those belongings rank in the priority of our life. 

Promises of Jesus

Just listen to a few of these Scriptures that promise us that God will provide for us.

Matthew 6:31-32 ESV

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Philippians 4:19 ESV

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Luke 12:24 ESV

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

Point:

Remember that when we are poor in spirit, we can lean on God for His provision. Do not worry about your tomorrow because God is already in your tomorrow providing for you and helping you grow. 

3 Reasons Its Good To Be Pour in Spirit

I. A Dependent Life vs. 20

II. A Focused Life vs. 20

Quote: Heaven

Calvin Miller, famed author wrote the following, “Heaven is a destiny so grand that we madly live all of our lives outside its gates on the porch of hope waiting to touch the treasure that is ours inside.”

Point:

Remember the audience here that Jesus is speaking to. He is speaking to the poor, the sick and the oppressed. These people wanted more and Jesus is giving them quite a promise. You are blessed if you are poor in spirit because there is a greater Kingdom with your name on it. 

Jesus tells them this truth to help keep their eyes focused on what really matter. What really matter is not chasing after the stuff, the materials, the wealth that this world offers, rather we should be focused amassing Kingdom wealth. Spiritual wealth. 

Point:

This truth that Jesus gives is ultimately very freeing. Would it not be awesome not to feel the overwhelming pressure to have the latest truck, the most advanced home, the snappiest clothing, and all that other stuff. 

When you are set free from chasing after material possessions and wealth, we can focus our hearts and minds on what really matters. We can chase after heavenly expansion instead of earthly gains. 

I Timothy 6:10 ESV

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Remember, earthy gains are temporary, heavenly glory lasts forever. 

Matthew 6:19-21 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Point:

So what is the currency of heaven? The answer is easy. The currency of heaven is people. 

Genesis 2:7 ESV

Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Jesus reminds the thief on the cross that he will live with Jesus in paradise, or heaven. So, the thief dies but his soul lives on .

Jesus also reminds us in the Great Commission that our main earthly priority is to go into the world making disciples of all men and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. 

That’s right, when we lead others to Christ, when we disciple them to grow in Jesus and when we set them loose on the world with the power of the Gospel, we earn a heavenly reward. 

Revelation 22:12 ESV

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.

Ephesians 6:8 ESV

Knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Matthew 16:27 ESV

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Point:

Trust me, the earthly rewards of chasing wealth cannot compare our heavenly rewards. Therefore since we see the value of our heavenly inheritance, we can properly prioritize what we do here on earth. 

Point:

Again, this does not mean that having earthly possessions is wrong or sinful, rather, we need to keep our hearts in the right place. We should look at our world and see it the way Christ sees it. People are important, enteral, and the we receive an heavenly reward and glorify God when we see people come to know Christ. 

Illustration: One Garbage Man’s Commitment 

In 1972, a young Egyptian businessman named Farahat lost an $11,000 watch. He was stunned when a garbage man dressed in filthy rags found it and returned it to him. Farahat asked him why he didn’t just keep the watch. The garbage man said, "My Christ told me to be honest until death."

Farahat later told a reporter: "I didn’t know Christ at the time, but I told [the garbage man] that I saw Christ in him. I told [him], ’Because of what you have done and your great example, I will worship the Christ you are worshiping.’" 

Farahat studied the Bible and grew in his faith. Two years later, he visited the garbage man’s village outside Cairo, where between 15,000 and 30,000 people were living in squalor. There was no electricity or running water. Alcohol, drugs, and gambling were pervasive. Men, women, and children sifted through huge mountains of garbage, looking for something of value that could be sold for cash or traded for food. 

Farahat found himself reflecting on the words of Jesus: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." He also remembered the words of the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 4:13: "We have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things." It was soon thereafter that Farahat and his wife began ministering to people’s spiritual and material needs. They preached the gospel throughout Egypt, and thousands of people turned to Christ. 

In 1978, Farahat was ordained by the Coptic Orthodox Church and became known as Father Sama’an. Now, about 10,000 believers meet in a large cave outside the garbage village. It is the largest church of believers in the Middle East. 

Just a few years ago, in May 2005, that church held day of prayer for Muslims to turn to Christ. More than 20,000 Arab Christians gathered. A Christian satellite TV network also broadcast the event, and millions more were watching. All this, because one garbage man chose to humbly return a watch that would have made him the richest man in town. 

3 Reasons Its Good To Be Pour in Spirit

I. A Dependent Life vs. 20

II. A Focused Life vs. 20

III. A Peaceful Life vs. 20

Point:

Again, a reminder to Jesus’ audience. These were mainly Jews who were being oppressed by the Roman Empire. They were persecuted. I would wager that these people had all seen crucifixions and had witnessed the brutality of the Roman government. Not exactly peaceful times. 

Jesus was again telling them that oppression here on earth served as a forerunner to better things. Remember, it is the poor in spirit that will inherit the Kingdom of God. Now this is a much better deal then what they were currently living under. 

Caesar was a brutal man. A harsh man. A man who did not tolerate any sort of issues from the people that he was pressing. 

God is good. God is generous. God is kind. God is forgiving. God’s Kingdom would be vastly different than what these people were experiencing. 

Point:

Here is the great news. Being poor in spirit absolutely points to the peace that we will all have if we are disciples and followers of Christ. 

Yet, it also means that we can have peace here on earth while we are still alive. Jesus was telling His followers that blessed are the poor in spirit, because peace can be theirs today, now, immediately. Sure, they were oppressed, but peace could still be felt and known in the here and now. They did not have to wait for the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God would be with them in their current day situation. 

Closing Illustration: I Did It My Way

When “Old Blue Eye’s” died in May 1998 at the age of 82 everyone agreed: There will never be another Sinatra. Sinatra had an amazing career; he even topped Elvis! He holds the record of 40 consecutive years with a song on the billboard charts. One of those chart topping songs was “I Did It My Way” a theme song for many Americans. 

The opening verse says, “Now, the end is near, So I face the final curtain – My friends, I’ll say it clear State my case of which I’m certain. I’ve lived a life that’s full, And traveled each, and every highway – And more, much more than this I did it my way.”

When Sinatra died, he left family and friends, plus a world full of fans who grieved his loss. He also left behind millions of dollars in cash and assets: cars, houses, land and stocks. He left all of his platinum and gold records, his Grammys, and his Oscar. When Francis Albert Sinatra died, he left behind exactly what you and I will leave behind when our days on Earth are over. HE LEFT BEHIND EVERYTHING.

Just like all of us will someday do, Frank Sinatra left this world to stand face-to-face before Jesus Christ. When God asks him, “Frank, why should I let you into my Heaven?,” he won’t have the courage to sing, or even say the words “I did it my way.” When we stand before the Lord in heaven our self achievement and accomplishments, no matter how great or small will not count for anything.

If we are going to receive the Kingdom of Heaven, then we must be “poor in spirit.” God’s eternal reward will only be given to those who die to self and live for Christ. Only one answer matters when we stand face to face before the Living God, “Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior. Everything I did for myself counts for nothing; I am saved by grace, through faith in Christ alone.”

Application:

So, blessed are those who are poor in spirit because theirs is the Kingdom of God. Our application for the text today is this, depend on God to provide for you the things that you need. He will take care of you. Even in your perceived lacking of God’s prevision, He is growing you and helping you become stronger. You will be blessed with much and with little. God works in moves in the abundance of life and the shortfalls of life.

Next, being poor in spirit is freedom. We no longer have to chase what the world tells us is important. We can focus on God, eternity, and the rewards from leading others to Christ. Can we have possessions? Yes. However, being poor in spirit helps us prioritize whats really important and valuable in this life and the next. 

Lastly, being poor in spirit means that we have peace. We know that our citizenship is not of this world, it is of heaven. We can look forward to a good and righteous Kingdom by a gracious and loving King. Knowing what our future is means that we can have comfort in the present. 

I Peter 1:5-7 ESV

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Do You Know The Peace of Being “Poor”?