“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs." Matthew 5:3 (HSB)
Guess what? If you develop the proper attitude – if you
realize that you are completely bankrupt in your spirit before God, He has a
reward for you.
The Kingdom of Heaven.
Same as the Kingdom of God. Matthew holds to Jewish usage which
equates heaven with God
Our reward for being poor in spirit is citizenship in The Kingdom of Heaven. So what is this Kingdom? The rule of God, the divine kingly
authority. The object of the divine rule is the redemption of people and
deliverance from the powers of evil.
It is not abstract.
It is invading the kingdom of Satan. It comes to fulfillment at the end
of the Age. It came in the person and mission of Christ. It is supernatural –
only God can defeat Satan.
It is a mystery. A mystery in Scripture is something long-hidden that is finally exposed. It has come into mankind’s presence not with
the power to make every knee bow, but as a seed that grows.
A reign must have a realm in which authority is exercised. Future
– at the end of the Age. God’s
redemptive purpose to bring those who are His home. Present –
right now. We have the privilege to
enter into realms of blessing as Christ works in our lives.
One major note – the Kingdom is NOT the church. The
church is the fellowship of people who have accepted God’s offer of the
kingdom, submitted to its rule, and entered into its blessings.
Therefore, the Kingdom of God creates the church. The
kingdom works through the church.
Therefore, the Kingdom is greater and more powerful than the
church.
So, we have learned from the
first of the Beatitudes that to be “poor in spirit” means to acknowledge spiritual bankruptcy. It confesses one’s unworthiness before God and utter dependence on him.
We develop this by acquiring humility as
presented in James 4:7 – 10
And we receive citizenship into the Kingdom of
Heaven as a reward from God.
Let me ask you – today, where is your
citizenship? Is it in the World or is it in the Kingdom?
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