1. Introduction
A. Matthew 5:1-3, NKJV: 1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying, 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
I. To be poor in spirit means humility, dependance on God and not trusting in your own righteousness.
B. Psalms 1:1-6, NKJV: 1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful,
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Those leaf also shall not wither,
And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the win drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the ways of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
2. God weeps with you.
A. Matthew 5:4, NKJV: 4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
B. Psalms 56:8-9, NKJV: 8 You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?
9 When I cry out to You,
Then my enemies will turn back;
This I know, because God is for me.
C. Psalms 30:5, NKJV: For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.
D. John 11:33-35, NKJV: 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, “Where have you laid him?” Then they said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.
3. Meekness
A. Matthew 5:5, NKJV: Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
I. The definition of meekness by Bible Study Tools says in part, “Meekness is therefore an active and deliberate acceptance of undesireable circumstances that are wisely seen by the individual as only part of a bigger picture.”
B. Philippians 4:10-13, TPT: 10 My heart overflows with joy when I think of how you demonstrated love to me by your financial support of my ministry. For even though you have so little, you still continue to help me at every opportunity. 11 I’m not telling you this because I’m in need, for I have learned to be satisfied in any circumstance. 12-13 I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abunde. For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.
4. Hunger for Righteousness
A. Matthew 5:6, NKJV: 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
B. Matthew 6:19-34, NKJV: 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 And where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness. 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 “Therefore, do not worry, saying, ×What shall we eat?` or ×What shall we drink?` or ×What shall we wear?` 32 For all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
C. James 4:13-15, NKIV: 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
D. Matthew 11:28-30, TPT: “Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis. 29 Simply join your life with mine. Learn my ways and you’ll discover that I’m gentle, humble, easy to please. You will find refreshment and rest in me. 30 For all that I require of you will be pleasant and easy to bear.”
I. An oasis is a place in the wilderness where you can find fresh water.
E. Luke 11:32-34, NKJV: 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide for yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Kingdom Advance 