In the previous posting I introduced the life-style (“walk”) of a true Christian–a “saint”–as described by Jesus Christ in what has been labeled the “Sermon on the Mount.” As always, I took the reader to the Word of God for proof of what I wrote. Let us continue to study the mountainside sermon in order to find more of God’s commands relative to the lifestyle of those who walk with Him. As an aside, I have been to the “mount” from which Jesus gave His famous message. By our standards it is a moderate-sized hill. As I looked at the famous piece of real estate I envisioned Him sitting on the hillside speaking to His disciples about the Christian life. What began as a private talk turned into a mass teaching session as a crowd gathered to hear the Man from Nazareth Who spoke so powerfully, healed the sick, etc. Let us listen in with them as He speaks the words which, if believed and obeyed, will result in eternal life. The irony of the situation is that there is no indication that any of the people who heard Him embraced Him. Not even all of the disciples present at the time stayed true to Him. Only a “few” will do so (Mat. 7:13,14).

In Matthew 5:4 Jesus exalts those who are “poor in spirit.” Note that the first letter in “spirit” is not capitalized, meaning that He was referring to “the spirit that is in man” (Job 32:8). As Job tells us, this is the spirit that gives man the capacity to understand–to think, reason, form opinions, etc., that enables us to decide what we will say, do and think, whether we will be humble or proud, obedient or disobedient, etc. It is this spirit that Jesus was referring to when He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” “Poor” does not mean “lacking.” It means that our self-view is one of humility and realistic, Bible-based self- apprasal. It does not mean to be lacking in God’s Holy Spirit as Romans 8:9 tells us. Without the Holy Spirit abiding within us it is impossible to be “poor in (man’s) spirit”–humble–as we are commanded to be. The Lord tells us through the Apostle Paul that unless one possesses His Holy Spirit “he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). The true Christian is one who is led by God’s indwelling Spirit. “They who are led by the Spirit of God, (only) they are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). Will God’s Spirit, through which He sent His words to His prophets and apostles, lead us to doubt so much as a single Word in God’s Holy Book? Of course not. Therefore, those who doubt and disobey any part of His Bible are “none of His”–they do not belong to Him, are not His sons, and serve Satan: “No man can serve two masters”–he will serve either the Lord or the devil (Mat. 6:24). He will not straddle the spiritual fence: “for what concord has Christ with Belial” (2 Cor. 6:15)?

In verse 5 the Lord reveals the reward for being poor in spirit–inheritance of the earth (not heaven). It is the poor in spirit and meek of heart that will live in the Kingdom of God from which they will reign on and over the earth with Jesus Christ for ever. Ephesians 4:1,2 confirms the Lord’s command for humility by stating that we are commanded to walk in “lowliness and meekness,” meaning to not think too highly of ourselves or to exalt ourselves over others. This does not mean that the saint is to deny his standing with the Lord. This would amount to rejecting His lordship over him. If one believes and obeys God’s Word he is spiritually above those who do not BECAUSE GOD HAS PLACED HIM THERE, not because he placed himself there. God “blesses” and “exalts” those who humbly walk with Him. “Humble yourself before God and He will exalt you” (1 Pet. 5:6). The obedient are not to deny their exalted position in the Lord. The true saint stands out from the masses because he is different from them, so different that God calls him “peculiar.” He “contends for the faith” (Jude 1:3) and “fights the good fight of faith” against Satan and his false Christians (1 Tim. 6:12).

Jesus, our example, was the meekest of all men. He proved that He was also the strongest of all men by what He suffered for the sake of mankind. He revealed His meekness by coming from paradise to this earth to die for those who reject Him, suffering indescribable pain and humiliation for all of us, and doing so without anger or resentment. It takes a strong man to say to those who are killing him because of his righteousness, “Father forgive them.” God help your obedient servants to have such strength and meekness–strength in knowing who they are–Your sons–and meekness in knowing why they are who they are–Your grace.

A wide gulf separates meekness and weakness. The saint is not weak, as his attitude toward those who reject him reveals. Because of his love for them he points them toward the Lord in hope that some will embrace Him. He loves those who hate, despise and reject him and, when possible, does good for them. He sets a godly example for them and teaches God’s Ways to those who will listen. That is the art of having both spiritual meekness and spiritual power. As any true God-seeker will confirm, exhibiting such characteristics is much easier said than done. To be continued. L.J.