listening to "The Riches of Poverty" by P. Kevin W. at http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=211082159198
[taken from sermon series in which these address the "Blessed Are" statements of Christ at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew ch. 5]
....Because "blessed" is a positional distinction - it also MUST be true that "the blessed ones" - those who are approved by God - are those who exhibit ALL the characteristics listed here - these things that we have NO ability to do apart from Grace. If we do not have one, we do not have any insofar as our own righteousness is as filthy rags to a holy God; but if we have one we have all, by Grace. ONLY "the Blessed ones" will enter the kingdom of God.
Poverty of Spirit is "prominant" in that it is the first of the "beattitudes" - the supreme lesson of this declaration - the kingdom of heaven will only be ours if we are poor in spirit.
"...It declares for all time that no one is saved who believes that there is something within them that would make God prefer them, ever, or accept them, ever! It is wholly of the grace of God!...Can we with the hymnwriter say...'Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me Savior or I die!'...or are we Christ-less Christians?....This morning we need to confess our sin of spiritual self-sufficiency & look to Christ who is the author & finisher of our faith. We need to declare spiritual bankruptcy, and then as Christ fills us we need to recognize the spiritual riches that are for us in the kingdom of God...." ~PK
No comments:
Post a Comment