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In Pursuit of GodIn Pursuit of GodChapter 2: The Blessedness of Possessing NothingChapter 2: The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing
Recap slideAs we start chapter 2: The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing, Let’sturn in our Bibles to:Matthew 5:1 “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain,and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.” (NKJV)As we see here the multitudes continued to flock to Jesus, and he wentup on a mountain and sat down. It was the custom of Rabbis to sit asthey taught. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them.What he is teaching here in Matthew 5-7 is known as “the Sermon onthe Mount”. Jesus began His sermon with “the Beatitudes,” which are statementsbeginning with Blessed are. “Blessed” means “happy” or “fortunate”Speaking of being fortunate, my husband and I had the privilege of being where they think this sermon was taught and our Jewish tourguides read the Beatitudes in Hebrew and English
. 2I have a small clip of them
that I thought you would like to hear asyou view a picture of the Church of Beatitudes in Israel.It was really fascinating to hear them read the Beatitudes in Hebrew aswe looked over the Sea of Galilee.So here you have our Lord start out: Matthew 5:3:“
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
.”(KJV)Now, the Pharisees were concerned primarily with external qualities,but the qualities Jesus mentioned here in the Beatitudes, “the poor inspirit,” “those who mourn,” “the meek,” etc. are internal qualities. They come when we place our complete trust in God.
 
 John Wolvoord’s commentary stated: “The sermon showed how a person, who is in right relationship with God, should conduct his life.
 So the sermon applies not only to those He spoke to then but to Jesus’followers today, you and me, for it demonstrates the standard of righteousness God demands of His people. The poor in spirit here inMatthew 5:3are those who consciouslydepend on God, not on themselves; they are “poor” inwardly, havingno ability in themselves to please God. —
Bible Knowledge Commentary
 You can see how Tozer’s interpretation of Matthew 5:3 applies. Hesays, the “poor in spirit” consider that nothing they have comes beforeGod in importance to them. God is more important than their things.In fact, they do not consider their things to be theirs at all, but God’s.Now this is a very difficult concept to understand – to have and yet youdon’t possess it. It is even more difficult to apply it. You can say, “Oh I have turned everything over to the Lord and Hecontrols my life and my things.” It is very easy to say isn’t it? But doyou really practice it?If we hold back anything, we are still in control. If we say, God you canhave 95% of me; I’ll just hold on to this 5% over here, “we are actuallysaying that we are still the one who decides what to give and what notto give – we are the controller. God wants us to give everything to Himand Possess nothing!I have a clip from Pastor Paul Sheppard, who is a pastor in Palo Altothat my husband and I listen to on Christian radio on the internet. Inthis clip Pastor Sheppard talks about our attitude as we surrender.Please listen:
*
(“Did you say, ok Lord I see that this is your will for this area in my lifeand you’re doing it, But you are doing it with attitude. That’s not surrender. Surrender is not only, am I saying Yes, but I have no morefight, no more resistance. Your will is the only thing that matters in my 
 
life. I want to see what you’ll do if I will just yield to you and trust  you.”)
“Let’s see what God will do if we totally surrender and yield to Him….”Ladies, Sin has introduced complications and has made those very giftsthat God has given us a potential source of ruin to our soul. Tozer said:
 
Our woes began when within the human heart things wereallowed to enter and have taken over and God was forced out.We end up worshiping the gifts that God had given to us rather thanworshiping the giver of the gifts.Haddon Robinson said: “To live to pursue riches and success is foolish,for these things are not eternal. Obsessions with worldly priorities keepus from hearing what Jesus has to say
.”
Luke 12:34:
(NKJV)
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will bealso.” 
 
What is important in life? What do you find absorbs your time? Is itthe gifts that God has given or God himself?Luke 12:15
“
 Jesus said,
 "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for  one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."
(NKJV)
Ladies, No matter what it is in your life – we all need to take an accountand examine what it is in our lives that we find ourselves thinkingabout. If God is excluded then this is where it becomes a problem.I liked how Tozer put it - The roots of our hearts have grown down intothings, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things havebecome necessary to us, a development never originally intended.God’s gifts now take the place of God.
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