It's a very, it's a real joy for Mark and I to be back after three years. Wow. So thank you for the invitation and let's pray and then we're gonna turn to Matthew chapter five. So let's pray. Lord, thank you for bringing us all here for this evening, perhaps some, others this evening, obviously, and tomorrow, but we just say this time is yours. Strengthen us after, Lord, a work week and travels and a wonderful meal. Lord, we need help tonight to be alert, to be quickened, to receive the aid of the Holy Spirit, to just hear your word, with ears within our hearts to receive the word into our minds that we might be changed. So help us. We ask you to give us your Holy Spirit according to the promise of Luke 11, 13, that we would tonight, Lord, hear your voice and profit from your word. So we thank you and we praise you. In Christ's name, amen. We'll read Matthew 5, 1-4. And seeing the multitudes, he went up on a mountain. And when he was seated, his disciples came to him. Then he opened his mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." You know, there are many Beatitudes throughout the Bible. You know, the statements, blessed are, blessed is. And of course, these in Matthew 5 through 7 are some of the most well-known ones. But do you think about Russell quoted one earlier, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. Blessed is he who is not offended in me, Jesus said. I think Vance Havner loved to translate that. Blessed is the one who doesn't get upset about how I run my kingdom. And then I thought about also Psalm 32. Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven. blesses the man to whom the Lord will not impute iniquity. So there's all kinds of beatitudes throughout the Bible. But these, in what we know as the Sermon on the Mount, preached not to the multitude, but to the disciples, are among the most well known. So tonight, these two beatitudes, I call them the beatitudes of conversion. becoming poor in spirit and as a result of that mourning over things that ought to be mourned over. You know, the world thinks the teaching of Jesus is so acceptable, so socially, politically correct, so sweet and comforting, so affirming of everyone. until you actually read it. And then you realize it's just the opposite. How shocking this you think about the the the centuries of Judaism and and temple worship and the rabbis muttering liturgies Sabbath after Sabbath after Sabbath for hundreds of years that would have been it would have been ultimately become so boring, so dead, and meaningless to so many, except to the eyes of spiritually awakened Jews in Israel who did have eyes to see, and they would hear the voice of Christ in the Old Testament. They would be looking for Messiah, right? But for the most part, by the time Jesus arrives, temple Judaism was dead, twice dead and plucked up by the roots. And so for this Nazarene to come and be saying things that men had never heard and saying them perfectly, and saying them under an infinite and perfect anointing of the Holy Spirit, preaching perfect sermons. You ever heard a perfect sermon? No, you hadn't. You read one, though, if you read the Sermon on the Mount. And so here Jesus comes, so different and authoritative, so awakening, You know, they said never a man has spoken like this. The gracious words that proceeded from his lips, they were astonished. And it was so glorious, so liberating, but also so condemning of the self-righteous who didn't think they had any need to repent. They had need of nothing new because they knew it all. and they had every box checked, and every T cross, and every I dotted, they knew they were right with God, and nothing could have been further from the truth. So, here comes the Lord, preaching, and both, it says of John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus, they came preaching what, in general? They come preaching the Kingdom of God, right? John the Baptist came preaching the kingdom of God. Jesus comes preaching it, and that's what he does here in this first fully recorded sermon called the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew's gospel begins and ends with things concerning the king and the kingdom. So Matthew and Mark say at the beginning of their gospel, Jesus began to preach saying, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Luke 4, Jesus directly says, I must proclaim the kingdom of God. And later in Luke chapter 10, I read this week in going through Luke's gospel, he sends the 70 out two by two, and he tells them, heal the sick and say to the people, the kingdom of God has come near you. So Jesus is ushering in the fullness of the kingdom of God on earth. And then we know ultimately there was past kingdom, present kingdom, and future kingdom. But He's the King bringing the kingdom. That's the point. And so, before we get into seeing these two Beatitudes briefly tonight, I hope it's briefly, let's just think about the nature of the kingdom of God. It wasn't external or observable. Right. Remember that Jesus said the kingdom does not come by outward observation. For behold, the kingdom is within you or in your midst. And so it wasn't something that could be seen outwardly and judged outwardly. politically, militarily, visibly? No. Because Jesus said the kingdom of God is here in your midst and it doesn't come with observation. He also said, my kingdom is what? Not of this world. For if it were, then we'd be going to battle. And Paul says about the kingdom of God in Romans 14 that the kingdom of God is not outward or external, it's not meat or drink, but it's righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. So this language in the New Testament about the kingdom is telling us that the kingdom of God are about spiritual realities that are real within the people of God. It's not about external realities. John Blanchard said this, quote, The Sermon on the Mount is about a revolutionary lifestyle within a rotten culture. And every Christian in the world tonight is living right now a revolutionary lifestyle within a rotten culture. You think our culture is rotting more? Yes, it is. Well, there's eight Beatitudes here in Matthew's account. And when you closely read the Gospel of Matthew, you see When you come to the Sermon on the Mount, you see what one great preacher of the past said. When you come to the Sermon on the Mount, every little flower suddenly becomes like a big meadow. Beautiful, amazing. You see what's in each beatitude. And I think we get so used to them that we have lost the amazing reality of just seeing what's in them. So let's just hang out for a few minutes in these first two Beatitudes. Now the first thing to notice is, by way of introduction, his audience It says in verse one, seeing the multitude, Jesus withdrew up into a mountain, and he called his disciples unto him, and when they came, he sat and he taught them. So the Sermon on the Mount was not to the multitude. It was a retreat with his 12 men, who he's beginning to train. And also, it shows us that the Sermon on the Mount is not for the mature. Because these guys weren't mature. They were novices, right? They didn't have a clue, oftentimes, what was going on. And so this tells us that this sermon is for every believer, no matter where we are spiritually in life, a brand new Christian or a saint that's walked with God for 70 years. The Sermon on the Mount is for every believer, and it's about every believer. But also notice this, there's not a single command in these Beatitudes, not one. Jesus doesn't tell them, you need to act like this. You need to behave this way. You need to try to perform these. No. He's declaring what is actually already real and true of them. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Blessed are the peacemakers. So as we think about the Beatitudes tonight, let's just see it this way. These are spiritual kingdom realities that are already in the life of every believer. The kingdom of realities that we read here in these Beatitudes are in every Christian to some degree. If you're a believer, you are poor in spirit already. You are mourning at times over your sin. You are a meek person if you're a Christian. You can't be in the kingdom if these things aren't true about you. So what's the meaning of the sermon? Well, you know, it's respected. Have you ever heard someone say, I love the sermon on the Mount? You know, what does it teach? Well, it tells us to be good to our neighbors, and it tells us to do better, and it tells us to care for the poor, and it tells us to work hard, and all that. And nothing could be further from the truth. The Sermon on the Mount became the basis for the social gospel spreading in America in the 20th century especially. And people just say, Oh, I love it. I love how it teaches us to be good and do good things. So I'm going to try harder. I'm going to do my best to live the Sermon on the Mount. Anybody who says that is ignorant. They probably never read it. Because if you read it honestly, you suddenly see, I can't pull this one off. I don't even like half the things that are said here. And there's no way to live this. And so, you begin to realize soon that Jesus is saying much, much more radical, hard things in the Sermon on the Mount like, Unless your righteousness exceeds the Scribes and Spirits, you're not even getting in the kingdom. Or whoever is angry with his brother is in danger of hellfire. Or if you even look on a woman to lust after her, you've already committed adultery. These are hard sayings, demanding sayings, impossible things to live up to. Or love your enemies. You can't serve God in money. You cannot do it. So, the Sermon on the Mount is given by Jesus not as principles to live by through which you do certain things and you become a believer. No. The Sermon on the Mount is about what a true Christian is and how they live, pure and simple. You read the Sermon on the Mount, through kingdom eyes and you see it's about what a Christian looks like and how a Christian lives. So the Beatitudes could not be more opposite of how the world believes and lives. Poor in spirit, meek, just being a peacemaker and not a fighter, really? The world thinks that's weakness and stupidity and cowardice. But Jesus said it's the only kind of blessed and happy life there is. Blessed are. So this means it's wonderful to be poor in spirit. And it's right to mourn over the things that ought to be mourned over. And it's satisfying to hunger and thirst. And it's strength to be a meek person. Oh, the blessedness of being a true disciple of Jesus. Now, Luke translates these, blessed are you when you're persecuted, blessed are you when you mourn. So, Luke's showing how Jesus said it at times where it's intensely personal. These are personal toward every Christian, and we ought to read them that way and enjoy them that way. So, let's see these first Beatitudes briefly tonight. Number one, blessed are those who are poor in spirit. Blessed are those who are poor. Now, he's obviously not talking about being poor in a general way. But in a very specific way, not poor materially or educationally, not poor mentally. not poor with a bad reputation, not a poor self-image, but rather poor in spirit. So it's poverty that's hidden that is not seen outwardly, poor in spirit. It's spiritual poverty Jesus has in mind. And it's a picture of someone who has nothing and has become a beggar. Utterly destitute with nothing. Not just being poor, but as John MacArthur said, it's begging poor. Somebody who has nothing by which they can sustain themselves at all or take care of themselves. Spiritual bankruptcy. I don't know how much money any of us have in the bank here, but just think if you woke up Monday and found out you were completely bankrupt, everything's gone, and you had nothing, what would your heart be? Among other things, you'd be very sad and grieved and upset when you realize that you have been reduced to nothing. This is the picture Jesus is giving here. Spiritual bankruptcy. But think of the irony. Now that, Jesus says, is a happy, blessed person who is bankrupt. Not financially, but spiritually. What does it mean to be bankrupt spiritually? Well, it means that a person has come to the place that they see for the first time they have nothing whatsoever to offer to God that will earn them anything. Nothing they can bring to the table. They're utterly a pauper and anything that's going to Benefit them is going to come from somebody else and not them offering something to God. Spiritual paupers. And Jesus is saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, because once a person becomes poor in spirit and they see their true condition before God, that's the door into getting the kingdom. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom. So you can't even get into the kingdom without seeing that you are poor in spirit. So Jesus is teaching here as he's bringing in the kingdom, he's talking about spiritual realities of conversion. and spiritual life that has to happen to a person first to even gain entrance into the kingdom. God's promise of salvation entering the kingdom is not to the wealthy or the intellectual or the well-educated or the gifted person, but it's only for those who are utterly empty of any merit and goodness before God. Bankrupt. Now, let's just pause and think. What could any of us have ever done? As we look back, what could any of us have ever done to gain anything for our salvation? Can we name one thing that we could add to the recipe for salvation? No. We know that we couldn't. We know there would be absolutely no hope of attributing anything. Now, some of us didn't know that for a long time. We thought being in church or giving in the offering or serving in the church or being a good neighbor, doing good works, we thought all those were building a resume that God would read and say, you know, you've been pretty good. Just let my son die for you and that'll seal the deal. You add your part, Jesus will add his. But we realize, if you came to the place of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ, you soon realize that all your good works were what? Filthy rags. Worth nothing. Poor in spirit means being a spiritual pauper. destitute and empty, and crouching in a corner with your head hung low, crying out to God for mercy. Sacrifices and offerings you don't want. The sacrifices of God are what? A broken and a contrite spirit. It's that broken and contrite heart that God says He will not despise. So when a person becomes poor in spirit, it's because the Spirit of God has awakened them to see their condition and they are being born again. And suddenly their eyes are open and they see that they're poverty stricken, that they have nothing to offer. And their heart comes to the place of saying, you're the Lord and I'm the lost. Have mercy on me. You're the Savior. I'm just sinner. Have mercy on me. Nothing in my hands I bring. Simply to the cross I cling. Lord, have mercy on me. Only the poor in spirit get anything from God. And what do they get? Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is what? The kingdom of heaven. What do they get? They get the kingdom. What's bigger in Christianity than the kingdom of heaven? Nothing. That's it. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. What's all involved in the kingdom of heaven? Everything. The reign of the king and the hearts of the subjects of the kingdom. Kingdom life together. Eternal life. Eternal glory. Forgiveness of sin. Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The family of God loving one another. Isn't it just amazing? Brother and I were chatting here a while ago. We couldn't even remember when we've seen each other. And suddenly, you're taken up where you left off. How are you doing? Good to see you. And you're loving each other. The ice doesn't have to be broken, does it, when you're in the family? This is kingdom life, kingdom reality. The poor in spirit get the whole shebang. We get it all. All that's about the kingdom is ours in Jesus Christ. They alone get it all. And I'm telling you, that's better than winning a World Series any day, just being in the kingdom. Well, secondly, not only blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall inherit the kingdom, but blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Now, Jesus is intentional here. Why did He move from being poor in spirit to mourning, spiritual mourning. Well, because only the poor in spirit who see their condition are going to begin to mourn over it. And everybody who sees their poverty or spirit truly will mourn over it. So see, he's building a deeper progression of a picture of a Christian. Jesus in these eight Beatitudes paints a portrait of you as a Christian. This is a picture of you. You got in the kingdom, poverty stricken, and you're still poor in spirit because you know it's all the Lord, right? We know there's nothing in ourselves, so we maintain a poorness of spirit that it's all Him and we don't We don't have anything really to contribute. It's all of grace. But then, do you still mourn over sin ever? Does sin ever grieve you? It grieves us, doesn't it? We remain mourners because we're in the kingdom. Blessed are those who mourn. So the Lord is building His doctrine of conversion here. Spiritual poverty produces mourning. Mourning over your condition. before you were in Christ. You began to mourn when the Lord began to deal with you and draw you and quickened you to life and you began to see your sin. You began to mourn over what was true of you then. When the Lord saved me 50 years ago and three months ago in the summer of 1973, suddenly one night I was overwhelmed with how bad my sin was. I felt it. And then my sins had... Jesus had taken them and suffered for them on the cross. I didn't know hardly anything. But that became a revelation in my heart. My sins were so grievous and I was so grieved over and I began to cry. And I realized He took them. He really took them and bore them. And then my sorrow turned into mourning for a period of time. I couldn't process it. I couldn't find words. And then I realized He had saved me. And my sorrow was turned to joy. And the garment of heaviness became a garment of praise and comfort and joy. Poverty of spirit always produces mourning over sin. You know, the world today, it doesn't like anything that's sad. You go in a restaurant, the music is blaring so loudly you can't hear one another talk, to have a serious conversation. You go to many funerals the world has and you can walk out and there'll be people outside within three minutes talking about who's going to win the Cowboys game because they don't want to have to face reality and death. They don't want to think about anything that's sad or about mourning. But those in the kingdom do. They mourn over the things that God mourns. They're grieved by the things that grieve the Lord. And everyone who is a true believer has together both poverty of spirit and a heart that mourns over what grieves God. Now, you know, there's two examples. I'm just going to read these to you. But two greatest examples, I think, in the Old Testament. about this idea of spiritual mourning. One is in Jeremiah. Just listen to it. You might mark it. But Jeremiah 50, 4 and 5 says this about spiritual mourning. Jeremiah says in chapter 50, verse 4, In those days and in that time, says the Lord, the children of Israel will come, they and the children of Judah together, with continual weeping they shall come and seek the Lord their God. They will ask the way to Zion with their faces toward it saying, Come, let us join ourselves to the Lord. Spiritual mourning about the ways of the kingdom of God. But perhaps the most striking one is in Zechariah 12 verse 10. And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication Then they will look on me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son and grieves for him as one grieves for a firstborn." Those Jews that day in Jerusalem in Acts 2, they woke up that morning clueless or in utter unbelief that Jesus of Nazareth was Messiah, right? And Peter preaches, and they are stabbed in their hearts. They're stabbed in their consciences, and they cry out, what must we do? Mourning comes in the heart when someone is poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn. Mourning means walking with a sensitivity about our sin. And see, this is a kingdom of reality that's in us. If you're a Christian, you have a sensitivity about sin if you're walking with the Lord. If you're a Christian, when you sin, it grieves you and you don't want to do it. That's a mourning of spirit over sin because you don't like it. anymore because you have a new heart. David, Psalm 51. Peter, when the Lord fills the boats with fish, Peter realizes this is not an ordinary man. Depart from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man, an awareness of sin. Believers keep on mourning over their sin. Do we mourn over our sin? Do we take it seriously? Does sin grieve us? Are we quick to abandon it? Are we quick to repent? Spiritual mourning is a blessed thing. Those who mourn are blessed because they and they alone will be comforted. And that's the promise. The comfort of being in the kingdom, the comfort of sins forgiven, the comfort of joy and assurance and peace, the comfort of knowing, Lord, I don't rejoice that demons are subject to me, but that my name is written in heaven. The comforts of God that a child of God has, that now God is your Father and He loves you with an everlasting love. Oh, the comforts, the blessedness of the believer. who is poor in spirit and who mourns. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Amen. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that these words are true of every Christian. The blessedness of being a disciple, the blessedness of being a follower of Christ, or seal the truth afresh in our hearts about the kingdom realities of these beatitudes. And we together, Lord, we say, blessed be your name, O Lord Jesus. Amen.