Background: Structure of the Beatitudes (from Latin beatus, meaning “blessedness”

• Nine beatitudes: First eight are addressed in the third person, “blessed are the…”
• The ninth is in the first person, “blessed are you…”
• The first and eighth beatitude have the same, present blessing
• All the others have promise of future blessings

Exposition of Matthew 5:3

1. Blessed
   • Makarios – inward joy that comes from God
   • Connection to Old Testament blessings: Psalm 1:1-3; 32:1-2, Jeremiah 17:7
   • Contrasted to happiness which comes from external factors or personal accomplishment
2. Poor in Spirit
   • Humble toward God
   • Poor – someone who is destitute, completely dependent on the help of another to survive; an acknowledgement of spiritual poverty or spiritual bankruptcy
   • In Spirit – a spiritual poverty in which the individual is completely dependent on God for their spiritual life
   • Connection with poverty, wealth and right relationship to God
3. Kingdom of Heaven: “Theirs is…” present tense – already possessing or already in

          A.  The Message of John the Baptist and Jesus, Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17

          B.  Kingdom implies

• There is a rightful king: Jesus Christ, the Messiah
• There is a standard of kingdom life: The Sermon on the Mount
• There are willing subjects to the rule of the king: Believers in Jesus Christ who show they are true believers because they follow His teachings

          C.  Of  Heaven, Used as a substitute in the place of the holy name of God

• Mark and Luke use often use kingdom of God, Matthew uses kingdom of heaven for the same  (See example in Luke 15:18)

Conclusion: The first statement by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is a pronouncement of blessing on all those who consider themselves to be spiritually destitute and absolutely dependent on the King, their rightful sovereign.  This attitude marks them as kingdom people.