Mourning for A People

Reading: Luke 19:28-44, 2 Chron 7:14 Daniel 9:1-19

"...He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem... ' Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If only you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.' " Luke 19:28-44 NKJ

Catch the deep grief Jesus expresses for these people, who would soon send Him to the cross. They did not fully realize that their Messiah walked among them! Look at His heart. He wept and grieved for what would come upon them.

Do we as believers have a sense of loss and grief for those who are lost? Do we have a heart like Jesus, a heart like God... or a heart like Jonah?

Jesus Wept

Jesus Wept by James Tissot

Reading: John 11, Hebrews 2:6, 14-18 and 4:14-16,

"Jesus wept."
John 11: 35 NKJ

So what can this verse mean to us today?
Why did Jesus cry when He came to Lazarus' funeral? Was He crying because He loved Lazarus, (vs 36) and would miss His friend? Lets get into the story.

When He arrived in Bethany, Martha came to Him and said, "'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that what ever You ask of God, God will give You.' (21,22) Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.'" John 11: 24-27 NKJ  Martha knew Lazarus would raise in the last day, but she was hurting now.

Then... when Mary came "she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died'. Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping,... He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, 'Where have you laid Him?' ... 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept." John 11:32-35 NKJ

Forgiven Much, Loves Much

Reading: Matthew 5:4, Luke 7:36-

"Blessed are those who mourn

for they shall be comforted." 

Matthew 5:4

In the last post we spoke of godly sorrow and true repentance. Is there an example in the gospels of this godly sorrow and how Jesus views forgiveness? One that comes to mind is found in Luke 7.

A Pharisee named Simon, invited Jesus to his home for dinner. While He was there a woman came who was known for her sins. She brought an alabaster jar of precious oil. She stood at His feet behind him weeping; and then began to wash his feet with her tears and her hair. She kissed His feet and anointed them with the costly oil. What were the thoughts of the men observing this? Simon was thinking that if Jesus were really a prophet He would know that this woman was a sinner.

Jesus not only knew she was a sinner, but He knew what Simon was thinking.

Brokenness, Promise and Comfort

Reading: Matt 5:4

"Blessed (happy) are those who mourn;
for they shall be comforted."
Matt. 5:4 NKJ

If the word 'blessed' means happy or fortunate; how can mourning be happy? And where is the comfort anyway? In the post Blessed are those who Mourn we saw how the mourning spoken of is not necessarily those in bereavement, but those who experience the sorrow of repentance. Godly sorrow is not to be regretted because it leads us to salvation. This salvation is eternal life; but it is also life now. A whole new life opens up before us. Old things pass away and everything becomes new. (2 Cor 5:17) When we are open before God, see His perspective in life situations, we recognize our sin and experience the sorrow of repentance. Then in asking the Spirit to change us; genuine transformation takes place. With a Spirit led life, much of the misery caused by sin is avoided. Besides we are truly happy and blessed when Christ lives in us. He is perfect love, perfect joy and perfect peace. (Shalom, Shalom = Perfect Peace) We experience His nature with true conversion and salvation. Then no matter what comes our way, we are one with God, one with His nature.

Peter preached an anointed sermon at Pentecost to a crowd and they were cut to the heart and asked the apostles "... what shall we do?" Peters reply was:

"Repent... be baptized...and 
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the Promise is to you and your children."
Acts 2:37-39 NKJ

The promise and the gift is the Spirit Himself!

Blessed Are those Who Mourn

Reading: Matt. 5:4, 2 Cor. 7:8-11,

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." 

Matt. 5:4 NKJ

Often when we think of mourning we relate the word to the passing of a dear loved one. This last year has been a time of grief; many family members and friends have passed away. And there is great sorrow... the empty place at the table... even more difficult is the empty place in your heart, knowing you can't just pick of the phone and talk... get together and hang out. They are gone and we will not see them until we cross over into eternity, in Christ. Bereavement is certainly a trial that God will comfort us in and we can comfort one another in. 

Here are some verses speaking of God's wonderful comfort:

"Blessed be the God and 

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of mercies 

and the God of all comfort, 

who comforts us in all our tribulation, 

that we may be able to 

comfort those who are in any trouble 

with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 

2 Corinthians 1: 3, 4 NKJ

However, there is also another mourning spoken of in the Bible that is not necessarily bereavement, rather it refers to those who experience the sorrow of repentance. What is the sorrow of repentance?

What He has Done

Reading: Matt. 5:3, Luke 4:14-30, Rev 3:17, 18, Eph 1 and 2

"Blessed are the poor in spirit." 

Matt. 5:3

After Jesus was tempted by Satan we read: "Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power... When He came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood town, He went as usual to the synagog on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 

because He has anointed Me to preach to the poor; 

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, 
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 

Luke 4:18, 19  NKJ

He rolled up the scroll, handed it to the attendant and sat down. All eyes in the synagog were fixed on Him. Then He said  

"Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing". 
Luke 4:21

They were moved by His speaking, but they began to wonder, how this could be? The passage spoke of was foretelling the coming of Messiah. Then it began to sink in, Jesus, Joseph's son, whom they knew all of His life had just proclaimed to be the great Messiah, the Anointed One of God!!! This did not end well for Jesus that day. However, we will stay focused on what He said, because through this prophecy in Isaiah, He is telling us who He is and what He came to do. Read those verses above again and be moved by who He is and realize He came not only for the people at that time, but He also came for us today. He spoke to his disciples about “The Spirit of truth.” He told them, “You know Him for He dwells WITH you and will be IN you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”  And He did through the coming of His Holy Spirit, who is among us today.

Are you poor? Poor in the wealth of this age? He is anointed to preach to you. Are you broken hearted? He came to heal broken hearts.  Do you see yourself as poor in spirit... poor in possessing the wealth of the kingdom of God? Or do you see yourself as sufficient, as rich, having everything you want and not needing a single thing from God? Do you see your own wretchedness apart from Christ or are you too blind to even see how poor and miserable you really are compared to the riches of the Kingdom?  We need to see ourselves honestly in light of the Glory of God. In this season of my life, I am lacking.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus says to the church of Laodicea:

"You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. 
I don't need a thing!' 

And you don't realize 
that you are wretched and miserable 
and poor and blind and naked. 

So I advise you to buy gold from me, 
gold that has been purified by fire. 

Then you will be rich... " 

Rev. 3: 17, 18 NLT

What are kingdom riches? What was Jesus talking about?

Who are You, O Lord?

Reading: Matt. 8:27, Mark 4:41 NKJ  

Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt

In yesterday's reading in Luke 5, we saw the change in Peter after they caught the boat loads of fish. He suddenly realized that Jesus was not an ordinary man sitting in his boat. In the next verses we'll see His men overcome with awe in Him once again.

"Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing! But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, and they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, 'Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obeys Him?'" Matt. 8:27, Mark 4:41 NKJ 

I Am a Sinful Man, O Lord!

Reading: Matt. 5:3
Luke 5:1-11,

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, 

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 

Matt. 5:3

Jesus preached all through Galilee. On one occasion the multitudes pressed against Him so close and there were so many of them, they could not hear Him speak. He was standing by the Sea of Galilee and saw two fishing boats. So He got into Simon's boat, and asked him to put out a little from the land. He sat down and taught the people. When He stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." Simon said, "we have worked hard all night and caught nothing, but at Your word I will lower the nets. Yes, Simon saw himself as the expert. What did Jesus know about fishing? Simon did not realize who was sitting in his boat. We do, because we know the rest of the story, Jesus' whole story. But this was all new to Simon at this point. Well, since Jesus said to do it he reluctantly put out the boat into the deeper water. Are you reluctant to do what the Lord says? I have been. It shows little faith. Well, to Peters surprise... his amazement... actually his astonishment...they caught so many fish their net was breaking. They filled two boats so full they began to sink.

"When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart from me,  for I am a sinful man, O Lord!' For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken. Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.'" Luke 5:8-11 NKJ

This moment right here... this moment in Simon's life is the moment of his conversion. Though Jesus was remarkable, winsome, and even a little mysterious in some of the things He said; He looked like an ordinary man. It was at this moment that Simon realized that Jesus was no ordinary man. Like Isaiah, this was Simon's moment that "he saw the Lord".  He saw the glory of Jesus Christ. He caught a glimpse of who Jesus really is. In light of the authority and power of Jesus Christ he recognized his own sin and spiritual poverty. He was not only surprised, amazed, astonished; He was in the state of fearing God, who was actually sitting in his boat. This is where being poor in spirit begins... where true conversion begins and where transformation continues if one gets sidetracked from complete abiding moment by moment.

Where are you right now? Are you a follower with a true conversion? Or are you like Peter before the huge catch of fish...  a follower that has not had that revelation of the glory of Christ and realizing your own poverty in light of Him? Is He sitting in your boat? Do you see His glory in the ordinary that becomes  extraordinary... even little things, little signs of the hand of God moving in your life to draw you near to Him that could easily pass by unnoticed. Or like David, we can look into night sky, a sunrise or sunset, a rainbow, majestic mountains or a beautiful lake or sea, even a glimpse into a child’s eyes and see the glory of God’s beautiful creation.

At some point, I may write about what I call “Pennies from Heaven - when the ordinary becomes extraordinary.” It was and is a season in my life of a lot of physical pain and quietly, little ordinary things began to happen, opportunities that were brought to me... not initiated by me... and I took a deep breath and said “yes”, even though I did not feel like it. Little did I know where those “yes’s” would lead.

Who do you say that I am?

Reading: Matt. 5:3, Matt. 16:13-16, Matt. 17:1,2

So far in reading about the Beatitude, "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." we have looked at the lives of Isaiah, David, Peter, and the other disciples as they had an encounter with God, or with Jesus. In the light of His amazing glory, they suddenly realize their own pitiful state of being a sinner. Today we'll look at a couple experiences Peter, John and James had with Jesus and then their comments later in life after He ascended to heaven. Here we will see who Jesus was and is.

Jesus asked His disciples: "'Who do people say that the Son of Man is? 'Well,' they replied, some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.' NLT  Jesus knew that people perceived Him as a prophet, one of many men, who spoke for God. But still just a mere man. Jesus was more than one of many men, He was the one and only unique man to ever walk on this earth . Next Jesus asked them,

'But who do you say I am?' 

Peter answered, 

"You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" 

Matt 16:13-16 NKJ

Peter got it! After all he had experience with Jesus, He knew who Jesus really was and he dared to say it. 'You are the Christ,' the one and only Messiah in all of human history that God sent to save humanity. Even more penetrating, 'the Son of the Living God', the one and only Son of God Almighty! After Peter said this, Jesus said to him, 'You are Blessed... because My Father in Heaven revealed this to you.'

"Six days later Jesus took Peter, James and John, 

and led them up to a high mountain to be alone. 

As the men watched Jesus' appearance was transformed 
so that His face shone like the sun, 
 and His clothes became as white as light." 

Matt. 17:1,2 NLT

They witnessed more of His glory being revealed. Imagine the sense of awe they must have experienced that day as they gained an even greater picture of His glory! Much later, after Jesus ascended to the Father; Peter reflects on his experience with Jesus:

"For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw His majestic splendor with our own eyes when He received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to Him, 'This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.' We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place- until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts." 2 Peter 1:1:16-19 NLT

Who am I, O Lord?

Reading: Matt. 5:3, Psalm 8:3, 4, 2 Sam. 6 & 7, Psalm 128:1-4,

"Blessed are the Poor in Spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven". 

Matt. 5:3 NKJ

This week we are looking at a few examples of God's people who were poor in spirit before Him. Today, we will look at David, who penned the following Psalm (song). I can imagine him sitting on a hillside, with his sheep bedded down for the night, looking up into the heavens, in awe of it's vastness and glory. By comparison he must have felt so small and insignificant.

"When I look at the night sky 

and see the work of Your fingers, 

the moon and the stars, you set in place-
what are people that you should think about them, 

mere mortals that you should care for them?"

Psalm 8:3-4 NLT

Here we are thousands of years later. The same moon and stars are there, moving in their preordained course through the heavens. In comparison to the vast universe we are small and can feel insignificant. Who am I O God, that You should think about me and care for me? God answers David's question about 1,000 years later with the coming of Jesus. His answer is our hope. Perhaps David asked this question when he was a young man, maybe as a shepherd. If so did he maintain his spiritual poverty before God, even when he was king of Israel?

Woe is Me

Reading: Matt. 5:3, Isaiah 6:1-5

"Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, 

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven". 

Matt. 5:3 NKJ

Yesterday we looked at how Jesus used a small child to explain the humble attitude needed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This attitude of humility begins with the realization of our need for God. The NLT Bible puts it this way:

"God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him..."  

Matt. 5:3 NLT

How do you do this as an adult? How do you become poor in spirit? I think of what Jesus said to Nicodemis:

"I tell you the truth, unless your are born again, you can not see the Kingdom of God." This really confused Nicodemus. He said, "What do you mean? How can an old man go back to His mothers womb and be born again?" That's not happening, neither will we ever become a child again.

Note: 2/18/24:

We have been watching the Chosen Series. I am really inspired by Episode 7 of the First Season.  The "Nicodemis" character met with "Jesus" at night. It is very Biblical, mostly quotes from John 3 and Psalm 2:12

So how can we have a child like heart and mind set, as an adult? We need to be transformed by renewing our minds as Paul says in Romans 12 "do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 12:2 NKJ  In this we become children of God.

What could happen that would change your life forever?

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Reading: Matt. 5:3, 18:1-4

"Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, 

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven". 

Matt. 5:3 NKJ

Since I originally wrote and posted this blog post I came across an updated version of the Amplified Bible. It fills in and defines text bringing even more understanding to the verses.

“Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired]

 are the poor in spirit 

[those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], 

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

https://www.bible.com/1588/mat.5.3.amp

The first beatitude is "Blessed are the Poor in Spirit,. What is the meaning of "poor in spirit?" The Amplified Bible defines “poor in spirit” as not being spiritually arrogant, and regard themselves as insignificant. I also like how the New Living Translation states this beatitude. "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him." Both of these versions bring enlightenment and understanding.

In contrast those who are "poor in spirit" are the opposite of the Laodicean people that Jesus addressed in Revelation 3:17. He said "You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing! And you don't realize that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked."
The Laodiceans were so comfortable in their wealthy way of life that they did not realize their need for God. They were the picture of the end times church. In our day and age, how many of us actually realize our need for God? Do we look toward Him to satisfy our souls or do we look toward our world, the culture found on the internet to satisfy our deepest longings? Do we understand how wretched we are without God? Are we so blind as to not recognize how sinful, miserable and poor we are apart from the atonement of Christ? Do we even know that our hearts are completely open and naked before God and that someday we will have to give an account? Hebrews 4:13 In the woke politically correct culture that we live in today, everything is upside down and sadly I think most people do not recognize their need for God, yet live needlessly in great pain and confusion.

In light of that, we will look at what Jesus taught about greatness and entering the Kingdom of Heaven:

Carl Bloch

"... the disciples came to Jesus and asked: 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' Jesus called a little child to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, 'I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes humble as this little child is the greatest in the 

Kingdom of Heaven.'" 

Matthew 18:1-4 NLT

Little children do not have very much in the way of possessions,  pride and accomplishments in this age. They know they are little, not able to care for themselves and they understand their need to be loved and cared for by their parents. Similarly the poor in spirit realize their own spiritual poverty in comparison to the greatness of God. They understand their need for Him and His grace. This childlike faith, the perspective of needing God is the entry point into the kingdom of heaven. A person who is poor in spirit recognizes that 'I can do nothing of lasting value without Him'. Jesus tells us in John:

Blessed Are

Carl Bloch

Reading: Matthew 5:1-3

As Jesus traveled, teaching, and healing; crowds of people came to Him. He went up on a mountain, sat down, and began to teach them His famous Sermon on the Mount. He started this sermon with what is called the Beatitudes by saying:

"Blessed are...."

What does it mean to be blessed?

It means to be happy. It is the special joy of being saved by Jesus and having God's favor. Blessing describes a life of joy the true children of God experience.

The Beatitudes

Reading: Matthew 5:1-3

As Jesus traveled all through out Galilee, crowds of people were drawn to Him. They were seeking hope, much like us, like me today. He taught the crowds and He healed them of all kinds of sickness. Do you ever wish you could have been there to see Him... this young winsome, compassionate man... teaching and healing... bringing hope to discouraged people. When He saw the crowds, He went up on a mountain, sat down to teach them beginning with:

"Blessed are...."

Today we begin a new series in the Beatitudes that Jesus taught to the crowds in His famous Sermon on the Mount. 

What are the Beatitudes? 
The Beatitudes are blessings that Jesus proclaimed on the Sermon on the Mount. My dictionary describes them as supreme happiness, bliss and blessing.
Why are they important to us? 
In them we see a path to blessing, salvation and transformation both now and forever, through the redemption of Jesus Christ.