By: Nat Evans

The greatest sermon as recognized by all was preached by the greatest preacher, our Lord Himself. The sermon of which I speak is, of course, the masterpiece called the Sermon on the Mount of Matthew 5–7. I have only room in this brief article to mention the first part of it in chapter 5—the Be-attitudes. “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’” (Matthew 5:1–3 NKJV).

Verses 3–11 have long been called the Be-attitudes. Brother Franklin Camp would often point out in his class if you take away the “Be” then you will recognize that you are simply dealing with proper attitudes of heart. Brother Foy E. Wallace, Jr. pointed out in the Sermon on the Mount that you are dealing with things that point to the day of Pentecost. By this he meant that the characteristics that are found in the Sermon on the Mount would be characteristic of the members of the kingdom of God (the New Testament church) that would be established on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.

Earlier I mentioned verse 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The word “blessed” means happy or to have God’s approval. So many in life are searching for happiness and peace of mind, but their search is in vain because they are looking in the wrong places and for the wrong things. They are leaving God completely out of their lives (Luke 12:15; Matthew 6:33). To be poor in spirit is to recognize that one is lost and is totally dependent upon God. Without God, we are nothing. When man sinned in the Garden of Eden, God was not obligated to man in any way. It was out of God’s love, mercy and grace that He provided a way for man to escape the penalty for sin. God’s grace provided a way and the means by which man could be reconciled back to God. Today, this is accomplished through the sacrifice of Jesus and our compliance with the terms of the Gospel. Until a man recognizes his lost and undone condition, he will see no need for a redeemer. Neither will he see any need to obey the Gospel plan of salvation. Notice Romans 3:23; 6:23; 6:3–6; 6:16–18; Acts 2:38–47; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9; Romans 10:16; Acts 24:25.

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalms 1:1–2). Only those who are humble in spirit, who are willing to bow their will to God’s will and who are willing to admit that they are a pauper, spiritually speaking, are ready to follow the directions found in God’s Word. A man must be willing to swallow selfish pride and to walk in the pathway of truth in order to make it to Heaven. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). “The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility”  (Proverbs 15:33). “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul. Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud. He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he” (Proverbs 16:17–20).

There is no particular blessing in being poor as to this world’s goods. A man might be poor as far as this world’s goods are concerned and be as mean as a snake. Again, a man might be wealthy as was Abraham and be a righteous man. It is not whether a man has a dollar or a million dollars, but “What is his attitude toward what he has?” Did he obtain these things by honest means? What about his stewardship with regard to what he does have? How will he use it while he has it? Will he do good? Will he help others? Will he recognize his dependence upon God, or will he allow those material blessings to blind him to his spiritual needs? Remember the rich young ruler!

Remember the rich man of Luke 12:15–21 or the rich man of Luke 16:19–31. Do you recognize your absolute need of God? Have you obeyed the Gospel?

Author: Aaron Cozort