Empty Vessels and Overflowing Grace

 

 

Sermon On Mount- 1

 

TITLE: Empty Vessels and Overflowing Grace

TEXT: Matthew 5:1-3

TONE: Encouragement

TARGET: Believers

TASK: To encourage my hearers to realize the rich blessings of spiritual poverty.

TEACH: Imagine two cups placed on a table side by side. One cup is filled with water, while the other is empty. Now, if you were to pour a jug of water over both cups: (1) For the full cup, any additional water poured will overflow and spill out, making no significant impact as the cup cannot hold anymore. (2) For the empty cup, however, it eagerly receives the new water, filling up and holding it perfectly within its capacity.

 

In this illustration, the jug represents God’s grace, the full cup represents a self-sufficient person or full of pride and achievements, and the empty cup represents someone poor in spirit, fully aware of their need for God’s grace. When we are “full” of our self-worth, achievements, or spiritual pride, we leave no space for God’s grace to enter and work within us. However, when we acknowledge our spiritual poverty and recognize our dependence on God, we create space for His grace to fill and overflow in our lives.

 

TRUTH: Thomas Watson, in his classical work on the beatitudes, wrote, “Christ does not begin His Sermon on the Mount as the law was delivered on the mount, with commands and threatening’s the trumpet sounding, the fire flaming, the earth quaking and the hearts of the Israelites too for fear; but our Savior begins with promises and blessings.”

 

Observe, First, the occasion of this Sermon -it was on seeing the multitudes that He took Himself to a convenient place to instruct them. Second, the place -He sent up onto a mountain. Mountains were commonly covered, at least in part, with trees. Thus, they afforded secrecy and retirement. Seeing the multitudes of people who wished to hear Him, He drew them away from the interrupting concerns of cities and towns into a place where all was still, solemn, and impressive. Third, the posture -He sat and taught them; this was the usual posture of teachers among the Jews. He sat with authority. Fourth, He spoke in the hearing of all, but with special respect to His disciples.

 

Jesus begins His sermon by declaring who were the blessed, which is contrary to the world’s understanding. On this account, all these beatitudes possess the air of paradox.

Concerning spiritual poverty there is something we need:

 

1.        Understand

2.        Observe

3.        Embrace

 

 

 

I.                             We Need to Understand the Barrenness of Spiritual Poverty

 

a.        Explanation: “Poor” in Greek (ptochos) implies deep poverty, such as a beggar reliant entirely on others. This statement illuminates the paradox that spiritual poverty has, acknowledging our insufficiency and sinfulness -is the gateway to the abundant riches of God’s grace. Theologically, this recognition of spiritual poverty admits an awareness of humanity’s fallen state.

 

b.        From the early church Fathers to contemporary theologians, this doctrine underscores that the human condition, marred by sin, perpetually distances us from the holiness of God, making us acutely aware of our need for redemption. 

 

c.        St. Augustine of Hippo eloquently states, “God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full, there’s nowhere for Him to put it.” Perhaps this is why the hymn writer wrote, “Nothing in my hands do I bring, simply to the cross do I cling.” Spiritual poverty is not just about relinquishing attachment to material possessions; more importantly, it is about emptying ourselves of pride and self-reliance and recognizing our complete need of God.

 

d.        In the broken recognition of our sinfulness, we are not met with condemnation but with the lavish grace of God exemplified in Christ’s sacrificial love, for it is in our brokenness that “His power is made perfect in weakness” (2Cor. 12:9).

 

e.        One question we need to answer is why Matthew starts the Sermon on the Mount in this way. D. Martyn Lloyd Jones provided some helpful insight when he wrote, “The Sermon on the Mount, in other words, comes to us and says, “There is the mountain that you have to scale, the heights you have to climb, and the first thing you must realize is that you cannot do it, that you are utterly incapable in and of yourself, and that any attempt to do it in your strength is proof positive that you not understood it. It condemns at the very outset that it is some program for man to put into operation.”

 

f.           The world says, ‘express yourself, believe in yourself, realize your power. Our world exalts self-confidence and self-reliance. We are told to put these forward when interviewing for a job. Yet, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” 

 

g.         Application: Ask God to represent sin to you in all its wicked forms. Ask God to melt your heart by His majesty and mercy.  

 

II.                         We Need to Observe the Beauty of Spiritual Poverty

 

a.        Explanation: The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14) is one of Jesus’ profound teachings contrasting two distinct attitudes towards God and unfolding the essence of spiritual poverty.

 

b.        The very first thing we see is the self-reliance and spiritual pride of the Pharisees. His prayer is a stark portrayal of self-righteousness. He thanks God not as a response to grace but to boast of his righteousness based on his perceived moral superiority. He lists his religious accomplishments (fasting twice weekly, giving tithes) as grounds for his righteousness, disregarding the need for divine grace.

 

c.        The Pharisee’s self-assured righteousness leads him to hold others in contempt. His prayer denigrates the tax collector, whom he perceives as morally inferior. This attitude is antithetical to genuine spirituality. The Pharisee’s prayer lacks a sense of need or humility before God.

 

d.        However, the tax collector’s prayer exemplifies spiritual poverty. The tax collector, aware of his sin and unworthiness, stands at a distance and dares not look up. His physical posture reflects his inner brokenness and humility. His plea, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” embodies spiritual poverty. He recognizes his spiritual bankruptcy and utter need for God’s mercy, unable to present anything of his merit.

 

e.        Jesus concludes that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, goes home justified. This theological declaration underscores that divine justification is granted to those who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy and trust God’s mercy.

 

f.           Application: Resist the urge to justify yourself before God. Ask God to wound your heart that it may be healed. To break it and make it whole.

 

III.                      We Need to Embrace the Blessings of Spiritual Poverty

 

a.        Explanation: God's values are opposite of the world. The idea that “poverty of spirit” means blessedness reveals a wisdom that overturns our natural inclinations toward self-reliance. This statement sets the stage for understanding that divine favor/wisdom comes to those who recognize their spiritual neediness. Unlike worldly wisdom that values self-sufficiency, divine wisdom emphasizes humility and dependence on God.

 

b.        Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18-31: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are "being" saved it is the power of God.” God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things of the world to shame the strong. Divine wisdom elevates the humble and brings down the proud. When we embody the empty vessel, confessing our weakness and need for grace, God pours out His grace abundantly.

 

c.        St. Augustine once asserted, “Pride is the root of all sin, and humility the mother of all virtues.”

 

d.        Jesus provides both present and future Promises. The kingdom of heaven is a present reality for those poor in spirit, although its full expression awaits the eschaton -when God’s reign is fully realized. Jesus proclaimed in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel.” Of course, this highlights the already aspect, indicating that the kingdom of God has broken into history through Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection. The “already” aspect means that believers can experience the reign of God in their lives today through the Holy Spirit.

 

e.        Jesus proclaimed further in Luke 17:20-21, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed…For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” This points to the present, invisible reality of the kingdom, which exists even now among the faithful.

 

f.           However, despite the kingdom being present, Christians live in expectation of its full revelation. Revelation 21:1-4 portrays the ultimate consummation when God makes “all things new,” bring about a reality without pain, suffering, or death. The future promise involves a renewed creation where God’s reign is apparent and uninterrupted.

 

g.         We are to live with tension, realizing the coexistence of present sufferings with future glory, calling believers to live with hope and patience, and being aware that the complete manifestation of God’s kingdom will dispel all present pain and suffering. Paul wrote in Romans 8:17, “Now if we are children then we are heirs -heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His suffering in order that we may also share in His glory.” Here, our spiritual poverty underscores our adoption. Even as we grow through our poverty into Christlikeness, we are assured of our status as God’s children and thus, heirs.

 

h.        Application: Count yourself blessed through poverty of spirit for you are rich in Christ. Be a blessing to others.

                 

Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.

Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing.
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray.
Make me a blessing to someone today. -Ira Wilson

 

TIE-UP: Essentially, being poor in spirit, like the empty cup, allows us to be receptive and ready to be filled with God’s boundless grace, leading to transformation and blessings that we could never achieve. “The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor, and life.” -Pr. 22:4

 

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