Our Poverty and Christ’s Value

Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked (Revelation 3:17).  It is worth your time to seriously contemplate these thoughts from Thomas Watson: “The glass is first emptied before you pour in wine.  God first empties man of himself, before he pours in the precious wine of his grace.  Until we see our own poverty, we will never see Christ’s value.  Poverty of spirit makes Christ sweet to the soul.  There is no idol like self.  There is not a more dangerous precipice than self-righteousness.”  Compare what the Laodiceans thought of themselves with Christ’s assessment of their condition in Revelation 3:17.  To have our eyes opened to see ourselves as God does is a great mercy.  To have our eyes opened to see the glory of Christ is precious beyond words!  We must have both if we want to enjoy the blessedness of those who are poor in spirit.

Seeking Blessedness

I have observed a remarkable discernment in the writings and sermons of the Puritans.  In seeking to understand why the things of this world, even an abundance of them, cannot satisfy the human heart, Puritans like Thomas Watson get to the real heart of the matter.  Here is Watson’s summary of a very important point: “Many have shot wide of the mark in  seeking blessedness.  It cannot be found in worldly things, but how ready is man to place happiness in them.  The tree of blessedness does not grow in an earthly paradise.  God cursed the ground for sin, yet many are digging for happiness there and seeking a blessing out of a curse.  You may as well seek fire out of water.  Earthly things are transitory and not adapted to the soul.”  That is brilliant!  Watson’s grasp of the implications of God’s curse on our lives is profound.  We have endless illustrations from the lives of wealthy, famous people that no amount of the world’s pleasures and riches can make people happy.  They were never intended to.  As Watson made clear, they are not “adapted to the soul.”  Earthly possessions have no ability to soothe a troubled heart.  The world can no more keep trouble out of hearts than paper can shield a bullet.   

Poor in Spirit in Abundance

The Puritans carefully considered all of the different aspects of being poor in spirit.  In great thoroughness, they looked at each subject from various perspectives.  Jeremiah Burroughes’ comments on poverty of spirit in the midst of abundance are a ringing challenge to professing Christians today: “What does it mean to be poor in spirit?  If a man is willing in heart to take a low condition if God shall so please, or if he has many worldly goods yet he is willing to give them up when God calls for them, he is poor is spirit.  His soul says, ‘I have received these good mercies from God, but I am ready to part with all these outward accommodations.  I am willing to lay aside all my pomp and riches and glory that I have in this world, that the Lord may have any glory by me.’  If you have been given estates, you may enjoy them, but do you have the disposition in your heart that if you had to make a choice, you would let your estate go, instead of denying the least truth of God?  Would you rather yield your riches than commit the least sin against your conscience?  Can you bring your heart to this?”  This is to be poor in spirit, to be willing to take whatever place God has for us without complaint, and to have this spirit in the midst of abundance.   

The Marks of the Poor in Spirit

What are the marks of the poor in spirit?  Jeremiah Burroughes answered that question by delineating the qualities he saw in Scripture that are characteristic of those who are poor in spirit: 1. They are not puffed up with pride at the sight of their spiritual virtues.  They acknowledge that anything good in them is due to God’s grace working in them.  2. The poor in spirit are not envious when others receive more honor than they do.  3. They are thankful for every good thing they receive, no matter how small, considering it more than they deserve.  4. Knowing how needy they are, the poor in spirit seek God every day in prayer. 5. They are willing for God to choose their condition.  Their comforts, abilities, and everything else can be safely left wholly with Him.  As a result, they are not anxious or fearful.  6. The poor in spirit do not consider the wealthy and powerful as the most blessed people, but those who are the most godly.  7. They are willing to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises.  They are patient.  8. They have a great reverence for God and the authority of His word.  This is a fine portrait of those who will know an abundance of God’s blessings!  And is so different from what the world admires!

“Blessed are the Poor in Spirit”

In Matthew 5:3 Jesus Christ pronounced the “poor in spirit” blessed.  Many other verses, such as Psalm 40:17, reflect this same idea: “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.”  Isaiah 66:2 tells us what God thinks of those who are poor in spirit, while at the same time giving us a clue as to what that means: “To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”  Since being “poor in spirit” is necessary to be blessed, it is important that we know exactly what the Bible intends by this phrase.  The Puritan Jeremiah Burroughes’ description of the poor in spirit is a good starting point: “The poor in spirit live upon continual dependence (on God).  They have nothing in themselves but that which is given to them.  They do not know how to use what they have without help.  They are dependent upon new supplies of God’s grace every moment.  They are destitute of all spiritual good, they have woeful spiritual miseries upon them.  O what a poor creature that is in such a condition!  Now for a man to see this, and to be made aware of it, here is a man that is poor in spirit.”    

To Will What He Wills

“For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).  Yesterday I read something in Richard Sibbes’ sermon on this verse that was very profound.  He said that God does not deal with us as human authorities do.  Governments and human authorities on all levels lay down laws and commands, and then expect people to comply.  Most religions work the same way.  They use rules and laws to compel or force people to obey.  One of the great glories of biblical Christianity is that it operates differently!  God does not constrain our wills, or force our wills to do what we really do not want to do.  God works in us to will what He wills.  Don’t miss this!  God gives us new desires, so that we now want to do what He commands.  Philippians 2:13 tells us that the Lord not only gives us the ability to obey His commands, but also the will or desire to do them.  It would be more accurate to say that He gives us the power to obey by giving us the will to obey.  That is the glory of the Gospel.  This is one of the primary blessings of the New Covenant.  Thank you, Richard Sibbes, for pointing this out with such clarity.    

Freedom From Fear

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the defense of my life, whom shall I dread?” (Psalm 27:1).  “The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6).  We do so many things because of fear of other people.  Consider just how much of what we do is held hostage to the fear of what other people will think of us!  Peer pressure, self-consciousness, and desire for the praise of others forms the motive of so much of our behavior.  How wonderful it would be if we could be rid of this burden!  In order to love and serve and glorify God as the Bible directs us, we must be free from the crippling fear of other people.  Without sincere faith in God we are helpless to overcome such fears.  Scripture gives us an abundance of promises and motives that will nourish our faith; and strong faith in God is the only means of breaking the chains of fear. How did David summon up the courage to face the giant Goliath?  In a sermon on this subject, the Puritan Thomas Lye said, “David’s confidence in God quietly extinguished in his heart the base, sneaking fear of man.”  That is it exactly!  Lye continued: “Let a believer make God his trust, it is enough; he will with a courageous and undaunted mind cheerfully undertake his duty and commit both himself and his success to God.”