The Kingdom of God belongs to the Poor
Luke 6:20 “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”
Introduction
A. In Jesus’ first sermon, He announced that the kingdom of God belongs to the poor, hungry, weeping, and those excluded and reviled, who are spurned as evil because of the Son of Man. Luke 6:20-23.
1. James 2:5-6 “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”
2. In Matthew 5:3 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” To be poor in spirit means more than humility. It means to have the spirit or disposition of the poor.
3. In Mark 12:42-43, Jesus honors a poor widow because she offers to God her last two pennies. (“lepta” were small copper coins) Why would she do that? How can the poor be so generous when they have so little and the rich be so stingy when they have so much?
4. Matthew 11:5 When John the Baptist was in prison and heard of Jesus’ great work, he sent some of his disciples to inquire if Jesus was indeed the Christ that they expected. “And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” That was Jesus’ answer to prove that He was doing what the Messiah or Christ was prophesied to do.
B. Jesus removed the stigma of poverty by becoming poor Himself when He walked this earth. 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” 2 Cor 6:10 “as poor yet making many rich.”
1. Philippians 2:5-11 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
2. Poverty carries a shame that marks a person for life. Often, we spend a lifetime in fear of becoming poor again, losing everything, having nothing and being despised and humiliated by our neighbors and friends. Pitied and looked down on.
3. That fear of poverty causes most men to sell their souls, to sell the souls of their children, and sell-out the Lord our God.
I. Some things that we do because we fear poverty.
A. We postpone marriage for several years. Both our sons and daughters must be sufficiently educated and trained in a career or profession, so that both of them can get good jobs. When they marry, most of them will be deeply in debt as they begin their lives together and try to establish their careers and begin their family. Marriage is dangerous and many of them fail because poverty is a great trial that few can overcome unless they have a lot of faith in the Lord. Homes today cannot survive on one income, that is, without leaving us poor. You know how it is: the poor must live on faith and love and that is not easy.
B. We postpone children “until we can afford them.” We must be “ready” to raise them “well.” That means, “not poor.” We must be successful in some career that will pay a good enough wage so that we and our children will not be poor. If we cannot make enough money, we will have to do without what many others will have, and we will have to trust in the Lord a lot more.
C. We limit the number of our children, or forgo children altogether, “because we cannot afford to raise them. Children are so expensive.” It is better to have no children than to have poor children. If your children are poor, they will have to lean on the Lord a lot more.
D. We neglect the Bible education of our children, working long hours, so that we can send them to schools taught by godless men and women whom we know may instill doubt and disbelief in their hearts. It is a risk that we are willing to take so that they will not be poor. They may be godless, immoral and worldly, but at least they are not poor. And they will not have to trust in the Lord quite so much.
E. We discourage the marriage of our daughters until they have been “educated” or successful in some career in which they will work. They may not begin their families until they are in their last child-bearing years. But they and their children, if they have any, will not be poor. It is risky letting our daughters marry a young man because he usually has nothing and may never amount to anything causing them to live in poverty. They will need to trust in the Lord.
F. We have left the farms because farmers are poor, even if they feed and clothe their families. They always run the risk of a bad harvest, too much rain or not enough rain. They just have to live a life that depends on the mercy of God. That requires a high level of trust.
G. We cannot attend all the services of the church, because our jobs will not let us. We cannot have a full week’s Gospel Meeting because we cannot afford it. We cannot risk losing our jobs. We cannot risk becoming poor. When we were poor, churches had protracted meetings that ran three to six weeks with preaching every night. Often, the poor who attended began to see the light after a few weeks of nightly studies. Now we are not so poor, but we don’t have time for more than two or three days of nightly studies. Now that we are not so poor we can afford to travel and take vacations like the rich. Usually we travel on our days off, or weekends, which always include Sunday. Who are more likely to be with the brethren every Sunday? Those who cannot afford the vacations. In their poverty, they must be content with the pleasure of communion with the brethren on their days off.
H. We do not encourage our young to consider evangelism, especially foreign evangelism, because one must learn to live in poverty, or at least without the comforts that we take for granted. Families of evangelists often face the prospects of a lower standard of living, financial uncertainty, a gypsy mentality, pilgrims and strangers wandering from place to place seeking fields to work in that may or may not be productive, in which they may or may not be adequately supported. They must become God’s beggars. Where is home? What sort of life can you have in retirement? What if you are disabled? The poor just have to trust in the Lord.
What decisions have you made, that did not put God first, because you were afraid of poverty?
II. Jehovah delivers the poor.
A. Psalm 40:17 “As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!” Psalm 41:1 “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.”
B. Psalm 70:4-5 “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” 5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!”
C. Psalm 35:10 “All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
D. Psalm 68:9-10 “Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad; you restored your inheritance as it anguished; 10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.”
E. Psalm 72:12-14 “For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. 13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. 14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.”
Conclusion
A. The Laodiceans were rich, but they were poor, Revelation 3:13-20: “15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”
B. Galatians 2:10 “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”
1. 2 Timothy 4:13 “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.” He who was eager to remember the poor was often quite poor and passed his last days asking Timothy to bring him his cloak that he had left behind at Troas. He apparently could not afford to buy a new one and save Timothy the bother, and he apparently did not have another.
2. 2 Corinthians 11:27 “24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”
C. It is not a sin to be poor. The fear of poverty can motivate us to work harder, but it can also become a stumbling block. We make many foolish decisions and abandon our trust in God because of the fear of poverty.