Today we are beginning a journey that will eventually take us all the way through the Sermon on the Mount. Consider this: Matthew’s gospel begins with a genealogy of Jesus, tells the beginning story of Joseph and Mary, Jesus’ birth, John the Baptist’s preparation of the way for Jesus’ ministry, Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry—Jesus begins to speak around the area of Galilee (although we’re not given much detail about what he is saying), calls some fishermen to be his disciples and heals some of the sick in the area. By the fifth chapter of Matthew, crowds have begun to gather to hear him. Seeing the crowds, Jesus takes his disciples up the mountainside and begins to teach them—what we know as the Sermon on the Mount. If you have a red letter Bible—the words of Jesus in red—the next three chapters are nothing but red letters. It is the most extensive teaching of Jesus that we have and something to pay special attention to.

And what Jesus teaches is something to behold. Jesus teaches a radical new way of living—a way that certainly runs counter to the philosophy of life in the world today. I often think that Jesus makes for a lousy marketing exec. Picture him at J and L Advertising, Inc. (that’s Joshua and Levi Advertising) brainstorming ideas for the Galilee Gospel Advancement Project, tossing out such suggestions as "Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me;" "Become great by being a servant;" "Follow me and you will be persecuted, but rejoice and be glad in it!" Wouldn’t make for a very successful advertising campaign, don’t you think. Probably won’t see any of those commercials during the game today. Yet, that’s the kind of thing Jesus says here and elsewhere to his disciples. He teaches his disciples—including you and me…anyone who claims to be a Christ-follower—he teaches a radical new way of living.

The Sermon on the Mount begins with a familiar section known as the Beatitudes, the "blessed are" statements. "Blessed" is sometimes translated as "happy." It can also be understood as being the recipient of God’s blessing. Yet, what Jesus defines as happiness, or as God’s blessing, makes for a lousy recruitment poster: Blessed are…the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry and thirsting, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, the persecuted and reviled. Not a lot of words in there that make you want to jump up and embrace such a life. Yet, that’s what Jesus teaches as the pathway to happiness. It is a happiness that is very different from the world’s definition of happiness…and a happiness that is beyond the world’s determination. William Barclay, in his commentary on Matthew, says of this happiness, Human happiness is something that is dependent on the chances and changes of life, something which life may give and which life may also destroy. The Christian blessedness is completely untouchable and unassailable. Wait a minute! This "blessedness" is beginning to sound more desirable! Barclay goes on to say, "The world can win its joys, and the world can equally well lose its joys. A change in fortune, a collapse in health, the failure of a plan, the disappointment of an ambition, even a change in the weather, can take away the fickle joy the world can give. But the Christian has the serene and untouchable joy which comes from walking forever in the company and in the presence of Jesus Christ. The greatness of the beatitudes is that they are not wistful glimpses of some future beauty; they are not even golden promises of some glory; they are triumphant shouts of bliss for a permanent joy that nothing in the world can ever take away." Now we’re talking about something! "A permanent joy that nothing in the world can ever take away," who doesn’t want that? Well, this is the pathway for that says Jesus in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount.

One more introductory statement on the Beatitudes: I believe there is an intentional order to the Beatitudes Jesus speaks. They are the "stairsteps" of Christian living. It begins with being "poor in spirit," which leads to "mourning," leading to "meekness," then a "hungering and thirsting for righteousness," becoming more "merciful" and "pure in heart," leading to attempts at "peacemaking," which leads to "persecution." Yet, Jesus says to "rejoice and be glad" in such persecution because that is the pathway to blessedness, to a happiness the world can’t take away.

So, let’s begin this journey in the Beatitudes which we will exam one at a time over the next several weeks. Today, the beginning, the first Beatitude: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," (Matthew 5:3).

What a place to start, being poor in spirit! But, that is exactly where the Christian journey begins. No one enters into the kingdom with pride. And, once in the kingdom—and particularly we are speaking of kingdom living here and now on earth—once in the kingdom there is little room for pride. By definition, grace has no room for pride—grace meaning "unmerited favor." God has made His favor available to us, but we don’t deserve it. Where is there in God’s unmerited favor room for pride? And it can be rightly said that pride is behind every sin. "I deserve this," or, "I want this," and we end up doing something that is outside God’s will for us. There is no room for pride in the kingdom.

Rather, the kingdom is for those who are poor in spirit. That’s where kingdom living begins. Dale Bruner, in his commentary of Matthew, says that everything else in the Sermon on the Mount—the remaining Beatitudes, Jesus’ teaching on the disciplines of faith, His comments on loving our enemies, everything else in the Sermon on the Mount—points back to this first Beatitude and its attitude of poverty of spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

It’s interesting to note that in the Greek language there are two words for poor available to describe this poverty of spirit. One is penance and is used to describe a poverty that requires every amount of energy and effort on the part of an individual in order to survive. Penance is used to describe people who own no property and, thus, must work hard to earn a barely scraping by living. Penance became the word "penance" which the Church defined as "An act of self-mortification or devotion performed voluntarily to show sorrow for a sin or other wrongdoing." Poor in spirit that was penance poor would mean a spiritual poverty that required every effort of the individual in order to survive. But, that’s not the word used here. The word Matthew uses to define Jesus’ meaning is the word ptokos and it means abject poverty. Someone who is ptokos poor is so destitute, so poor that it doesn’t matter how much effort they put into changing their situation it’s not enough. Ptokos poor is to be so poor that outside help was necessary in order to survive. "Blessed are the destitute, the helpless poor in spirit," says Jesus, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Friends, that is where the Christian journey begins. We bring nothing to the kingdom. We are so poor in spirit that we cannot make it on our own. No matter how much effort we put into it—we can scratch and claw our way through our poverty of spirit and it won’t be enough. We need help. And that help, of course, is given through Jesus Christ. What we cannot DO for ourselves, Jesus has DONE for us. And that is our happiness. For through Christ, the kingdom of heaven is ours. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," says Jesus, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." And, again in the Greek, the "theirs" is emphatic—placed at the beginning of the clause—so that the meaning is "theirs and theirs alone" is the kingdom of heaven.

It’s a paradox isn’t it? The first step to blessedness, the key to a happiness that the world cannot take away is to start with the realization that we have nothing to offer to begin with. We are absolutely, desperately poor in spirit. We need help…and Jesus offers the help we need. When you come forward in a moment for Holy Communion, you bring nothing that qualifies you as worthy to receive it. Nothing, that is, except for the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

Now, I’d like to offer you a checklist of steps to take to reach being poor in spirit. Do this and do that and, bingo, you’ll reach poorness of spirit. I’d like to offer that, but it’s not necessary…because you’re already there! The truth is, we are poor in spirit…in abject poverty of spirit and there’s nothing we can do about it. We can, however, begin the journey of kingdom living, checking our attitude in life by acknowledging our poverty of spirit. Each and every day, begin with a prayerful acknowledgment to God that you are poor in spirit and absolutely dependent upon Him.

That’s the starting point. If we would do that, acknowledge each and every day our poverty of spirit and our dependence upon God, we begin to live life in the kingdom here and new with a sense of God’s blessing and a happiness that the world cannot take away. A poor in spirit attitude will begin to move us away from self-centeredness and selfishness. A disciple with a poor in spirit attitude will begin moving away from complaining about their situation in life and lean heavily on trusting in God. A first Beatitude kingdom liver will become less critical of others, recognizing their own poverty of spirit and seeing more the potential that God sees in others. And a disciple who is poor in spirit will spend much time in prayer—someone who is destitute and in abject poverty of spirit needs the intervention of someone who can rescue them, and that is Jesus Christ. And, finally, a poor in spirit attitude will lead to overwhelming praise and worship of Almighty God out of gratitude for His love, mercy and grace.

So there you have it, the first step toward kingdom living in blessedness and happiness that the world cannot touch. Are you ready to check your attitude and see if you are living as God desires you to live? Ready to take that first step? "Blessed…happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs and theirs alone is the kingdom of heaven."