Matthew 5:1-4
1 Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
2 And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (ESV)
The beatitudes starts with this presupposition (central to our reformed world and life view):
1. Who are we?
2. What went wrong?
3. How can we fix it?
Answers:
1. Creation.
2. Fall / sin.
3. Redemption.
The beatitudes show us that there’s something horribly wrong with even the best of us.
A. Blessed are the Poor in Spirit:
Examples:
Abraham, Moses.
The Biblical antidote to low self esteem is Sovereign Grace, not high self esteem (Is. 41:13,14). William Carey also saw himself as a worm.
David (Psalm 51),
Solomon (1 Kings 3:7)
Job (Job 42:5,6)
Isaiah (woe is me, a man of unclean lips, Is. 6:5)
John the Baptist (Mat. 3:11)
The tax collector (Luke 18:13)
The Centurion (Mat. 8:5-13)
The Canaanite woman (Mat. 15:21-28)
Those who sense their unworthiness, knowing that only God can fix them are the poor in Spirit who are blessed.
B. Blessed are Those who Mourn:
You are blessed, because You are going to be comforted. How? By the Cross.
God, in Christ, fixes the world— one sinner at a time.
He will take away the Penalty, the Power and the Presence of Sin.
When you mourn and show contrition you will be blessed.