“Looking at his disciples, he said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’” Luke 6:20 (NIV)
Our condition before we came to Christ was that of spiritual bankruptcy. We had nothing to offer God due to our sin nature. Our fallen state disqualified us from the kingdom of God. Our righteousness just did not come close to measuring up to God’s holiness and perfection.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shared what we call the Beatitudes. Matthew provides the expanded version and Luke gives us the key ingredients of the message Jesus shared. Jesus identified the inner life of a person who is happy. This happiness is a result of recognizing your personal sin and separation from our holy God. The spiritual bankruptcy causes you to look to the One who redeems you from your sin and reconciles you to a right relationship with God. The kingdom of God becomes a reality to you when you acknowledge your sin and turn to Jesus alone for salvation.
- “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.’” Romans 3:10-11 (NIV)
- “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:21 (NIV)
Are you happy? Are you rightly related to God through a personal relationship with Jesus? His happiness is not connected to circumstances, but to your position in Christ. If you are in Christ, His life flows through you and delivers you from your spiritual bankruptcy. You become His treasured possession! Now that you possess Christ, you can profess Christ and be blessed!
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor