The Beatitudes the First Beatitude
The sermon emphasizes the importance of poverty of spirit, which is the realization of one's helplessness and need of God, and is the first experiential evidence of a Divine work of grace within the soul.
A.W. Pink emphasizes the profound truth of the first Beatitude, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven,' highlighting that true blessedness comes not from worldly success but from recognizing our spiritual poverty and dependence on God. He contrasts the humble spirit with the self-sufficient attitude that the world values, illustrating that acknowledging our need for God is the first step towards experiencing His grace. Pink points out that this realization of our helplessness is essential for spiritual awakening, akin to the prodigal son recognizing his need in a foreign land.
Text
THE BEATITUDES
THE FIRST BEATITUDE
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven"
Matthew 5:3
is indeed blessed to mark how this sermon opens. Christ began not by pronouncing maledictions on the wicked, but by pronouncing benedictions on His people. How like Him was this, to whom judgment is a strange work (Isa. 28:21, 22; cf. John 1:17). But how strange is the next word: "blessed" or "happy" are the poor--"the poor in spirit." Who, previously, had ever regarded them as the blessed ones of earth? And who, outside believers, does so today? And how these opening words strike the keynote of all Christ's subsequent teaching: it is not what a man does but what he is that is most important.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit." What is poverty of spirit? It is the opposite of that haughty, self-assertive, and self-sufficient disposition that the world so much admires and praises. It is the very reverse of that independent and defiant attitude that refuses to bow to God, that determines to brave things out, and that says with Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?" (Ex. 5:2). To be poor in spirit is to realize that I have nothing, am nothing, and can do nothing, and have need of all things. Poverty of spirit is evident in a person when he is brought into the dust before God to acknowledge his utter helplessness. It is the first experiential evidence of a Divine work of grace within the soul, and corresponds to the initial awakening of the prodigal in the far country when he "began to be in want" (Luke 15:14).
Sermon Outline
- The Keynote of Christ's Teaching
- What is Poverty of Spirit?
- Poverty of Spirit is a Divine Work of Grace
- It is the first experiential evidence of God's work in the soul
- It corresponds to the initial awakening of the prodigal in the far country
- This is the opposite of poverty of spirit
Key Quotes
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” — A.W. Pink
“It is not what a man does but what he is that is most important” — A.W. Pink
“To be poor in spirit is to realize that I have nothing, am nothing, and can do nothing, and have need of all things” — A.W. Pink
Application Points
- Recognize your own poverty of spirit and acknowledge your need of God.
- Let go of self-assertion and self-sufficiency, and instead, rely on God's strength and provision.
- Seek to understand and experience God's work of grace in your life.