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THIRD IN A SERIES OF STUDIES OF THE BEATITUDESBy PHILIP POWELL
As I looked more closely at the teaching of our Lord in the opening section of the Sermon on the Mount I realised that He is dealing with principles, which relate to the Kingdom of God in all of its expressions and fullness. In these studies we are looking at it in relation to Spiritual Warfare but the teaching equally applies to any other Kingdom Truth and activity.
As we approach and read the words the Holy Spirit brings conviction to bear upon our proud and sinful lives and we realise that we are nothing and Christ is everything. We rate ourselves insignificant, repent of our sins, surrender our will to the lordship of Christ and we are IN the kingdom. This is why a proud person never gets saved. He is relying on his own significance. He must turn from himself to God and plead in humility and total dependence: "Nothing in my hands I bring; simply to your cross I cling." Such an acknowledgement automatically issues in godly repentance and so the two initial beatitudes (blessed attitudes) work in conjunction with each other. Now this applies with respect to all advancement and fresh revelation within the kingdom, including spiritual warfare. There is a point of entry into a particular realm. It's not a question of system, for God is unique and we as individuals are unique. So it's not this idea of progression from a) to b) to c) and so on. The order in which you experience some of these things will be different from the way they occur in my case. The Kingdom of God is indefinable in human terms so every illustration is inadequate in itself to explain this wonderful life into which the Christian is brought. To me it was this picture of concentric circles with spiritual reality and the very heart and life of God at its centre. When once we have entered the kingdom we have the opportunity of moving ever closer towards that centre. Somewhere along the way we discover the circle called spiritual warfare and we say, "Yes I want to participate in that activity." In a sense the very nature of the Christian life demands that we all participate in spiritual warfare, but I think we can, to some extent, decide the degree of our involvement. In that decision we discover this door that is low and narrow and over it are written the words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." To enter we must rate ourselves insignificant and to engage in the activity we must know what it is to spiritually mourn. This matter is extremely important and very serious. Pride is the most heinous of sins and will not be tolerated by God and is a foothold for Satan. There is an enormous amount of pride in the present day practice of so-called spiritual warfare. Men are taking an authority and position to themselves, which are totally unbiblical. This idea of tramping upon the devil and the various name-calling of Satan is unscriptural and highly dangerous. In Northern Queensland an Assembly of God church that had engaged in this type of activity sadly found themselves facing a situation where one of their pastors was murdered. I am not saying that the murder was the result of their so-called spiritual warfare. What I am saying is that we cannot rely on God's protection if we act outside of His will and contrary to His Word. Satan is a mighty prince and we MUST not speak disparagingly of him: "Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, despise authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, `The Lord rebuke you'" (Jude 1:8-9). Not Natural DispositionsSome teach or imply that the first two beatitudes are to be understood at a natural level, but a moment's thought will show that such cannot be the case. Our Lord is not talking about natural poverty or natural sorrow. Thank God many poor people do find salvation and enter God's kingdom, but some don't. No one gets into the kingdom on the basis of natural possessions be they many or few. This is why a poverty or a prosperity mentality among God's people is so wrong. Our Lord taught that a person's life does not consist in the abundance of the things that are possessed *1 and said that it was impossible to serve God and wealth (mammon). *2 So in the first beatitude He is not talking about natural poverty. In the same way our Lord cannot be talking about natural sorrow when He speaks of those that mourn. It's not a funeral setting that He has in mind. Some who mourn over the death of a loved one do receive comfort, many don't. The disposition and the activity that Jesus speaks about in the first two beatitudes ALWAYS produce the promised results. So clearly both must be understood in a spiritual context and not in a natural one.
He emptied Himself"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-13).The major theological debate throughout history has always surrounded the person of Christ, whom scripture presents as being truly God yet really man. Historic councils have sat and deliberated over the problems associated with this supreme mystery, which we call the incarnation. Some have objected to the terms that have been coined as an attempt to satisfy our limited human understanding. Take for example the one that bible expositors, such as Campbell Morgan, favour, The God-Man. Why not then The Man-God? Use what term you will, we must not exceed the scripture or rationalise beyond its declarations. Suffice it to say dogmatically that with respect to the person of Christ all of scripture expounds the amazing truths contained in this inspired declaration of Paul in Philippians chapter 2. He who WAS God, "made Himself of no reputation" _ oh BLESSED ATTITUDE (the first Beatitude) _ He "humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross". What He did was not forced upon Him. It was a voluntary self-emptying not a surrender of His essential nature and being. He was, is and ever will be God. No one, not even Christ, can give up what He is as a person. For the period of His manhood He was God "manifest in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16) and of course His deity shines through His earthly ministry. In emphasising His humanity we must take care not to deny His deity and visa versa. In this central mystery of the gospel, as with all other great truths, we must not exceed what is written. "Though He were a Son …" note the capital "S" and let us never forget it, " …. yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). In all of this interesting doctrinal discussion let us not miss the reason why Paul wrote Philippians chapter 2. It was not to establish the doctrine of the deity or the humanity of Christ. That is incidental and of course a very refreshing challenge to our minds. The fundamental purpose is the appeal of the first verse for those at Philippi and for Christians of all time to have this same attitude that Christ had. In short it is the supreme illustration of a practical application of the first beatitude, in which Christ becomes our great example. The Christian ParadoxClearly Christ was a very joyful person. People sought His company, which would never have been the case if He were morose or moody. Scripture appeals to us to look to Christ as an example of joyous anticipation _ "Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). Christ was an optimist not a pessimist, yet with that outlook on life and on His mission in life He never lacked realism and here's the paradox. He is described as A MAN OF SORROWS."He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem him" (Isaiah 53:3). I recall reading an early historic description of our Lord as being a person who seldom laughed but often wept. Unfortunately I have been unable to trace this quote *9 but am reasonably certain that it exists. That notwithstanding there are three notable occasions in the New Testament where our Lord actually mourned and it appears to me that these illustrate the great truth of the second beatitude that we are trying to expound, regarding spiritual warfare. Mourning at Lazarus' TombJohn 11:35 is the shortest verse in the English bible _ "Jesus wept." Why did He weep? Not because His friend Lazarus had died for He had already said to the disciples, "Lazarus is dead … and I am glad …." _ verses 14-15. He was glad that He wasn't there during the sickness and death of Lazarus for the sake of the disciples as well as for the sake of those (Mary and Martha) who mourned the death of their brother. Jesus did not weep simply out of sympathy or empathy, as sentiment states. He who is the resurrection and the life was about to turn all of their sorrow into incredible joy by raising Lazarus from the dead. Why did He weep? The context provides the clues.Verses 33 and 38 read: "When Jesus therefore saw her (Mary) weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled" and (38) "Jesus therefore again groaning in Himself came to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it." The Greek (Strongs 1690) embrimaomai translated "groaned" (v 33) and "groaning" (v 38) is derived from a root signifying "to snort with anger". It brings to mind a picture of a horse about to go into battle. Christ wept as an outward expression of an inward and spiritual mourning, in which He was engaged. It had to do with the unbelief of the Jews and the corruption, which had settled upon the natural body of Lazarus.
There was not only a natural stone that had to be removed before resurrection could take place. This natural stone was symbolic of something far more sinister, which had to be dealt with at its foundation. Christ engaged in spiritual mourning and out of that mourning brought comfort. He removed the stone of unbelief. I am not allegorising scripture. The story is literal. There was a literal grave and a literal stone. I am simply extrapolating a spiritual lesson and truth. Unbelief was rampant among the Jews and it had influenced the sisters of Lazarus. As an example to us through strong intercession Christ broke the power of unbelief and the strangle hold of corruption upon the corpse of Lazarus. Then He commanded: "Take the stone away" (John 11:39). Martha said, "Lord, by this time he stinks: he's been dead four days." As if Christ didn't know. Oh yes our Lord always knows and the thing that we must grasp is that He knows what we don't know! "Jesus said to her, didn't I say to you, that, if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me. And I know that you hear me always: but because of the people who stand by I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me. And when he had said this, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said to them, Loose him, and let him go" (John 11:40-44). What a thrill. I get a tingling feeling all over when I read what happened. This is the ultimate expression of Christ's victory and is illustrative of what will happen when "all that are in the graves shall hear his voice" (John 5:28). In His spiritual mourning Christ dealt with the rampant unbelief and corruption of the incident. This was the thing that caused Him to snort with anger as He went into battle. This was why He wept. Divine sovereignty must always perform what human ability can't. BUT, and this is so vital a lesson for us, there is a part that humanity must perform. In the setting of John 11 the people had to roll away the stone. NOW notice Christ mentioned faith as a requisite to seeing "the glory of God". When our Lord stipulated that proviso they immediately removed the stone from the cave where the body of Lazarus was lying dead. What did they do? They exposed corruption to the light of day and thereby exposed Lazarus himself to the light of the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the great problems in the church today is that leaders hide corruption. They are too concerned about the stink that will be caused in the wider church and within society. They appeal to the idea of love covering a multitude of sins and don't realise that there is a fundamental theological difference between covering something and covering it up. God who is true LOVE does cover sin, BUT He never covers it up. Look at the great examples in the bible _ Abraham, Moses, Samson, David, Peter and we could go on and on. They are painted "warts and all". God is never in any cover up. The way He covers sin and corruption is by first exposing it and in this regard He has done His part and requires that we do ours. The other things follow on _ repentance, confession, discipline, forgiveness etc. There must be an exposure of corruption before there can be a resurrection. It was the simple act of obedience in rolling away the stone, which satisfied the requirement that Christ made about faith. This is the only act that indicates faith in this setting and it shows how faith is always linked to obedience. Part of the work of CWM is to expose and in this we have been criticised even by those who basically agree with our concerns. They think that those who have put their faith in men whom we show to be charlatans and con men will lose their faith as Christians by the exposure that we engage in. But this simply reflects their poor view of what faith really is. We must come to this understanding that faith is never believing something that is not true, but more importantly we must recognise that faith is God's work in us. If God doesn't give us faith we won't have it. So we can trust Him as long as we do what He requires of us and one thing that He requires is that we roll the stone away. There is another thing that confuses some people and makes them critical of what we do. So many have said to me, "It's God's business to remove the tares, not yours." Of course they are right, BUT they miss so much of that marvellous parable which Jesus' told in Matthew chapter 13. Study it and you'll see that as harvest drew near the tares were exposed for what they are. They become clearly identifiable before the great harvest. Furthermore they are gathered and burned before the wheat is harvested. Those that gather them are described as angels, which in the Greek is the word aggelos (Strongs 32), which means messenger and is used in scripture of men as well as of angels. But let us return to the setting of John chapter 11, which has enormous spiritual significance to what is happening in our time as it relates to prayer, supplication and intercession. I trust the following illustration will help to get my point across. For the record I was closely associated with what became known as the Ministry of Intercession, which was launched by the late Denis Clark who originated from South Africa. I linked up with Denis in the 1960s some short while after he had launched Intercessors for Britain (IFB), followed by intercessor groups in Scandinavia. Eventually other countries joined and it became truly international. Thank God there was no formal structure and certainly no hierarchy. In my opinion, following the death of Denis Clark in early 1982, the ministry of intercession was highjacked by a number of self-seekers and has largely lost its focus in most countries where, to a large extent, it has become unbiblical in its emphasis. IFB is a notable exception as are some of the groups in Scandinavia. IFA _ 1979As a family we moved from Britain to Australia in late 1978, where I took on the pastorate of a pioneer church in Katoomba and became one of the lecturers at the official AoG National Bible College then based in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. In the latter part of 1979 I shared ministry with Denis Clark at a prayer and bible conference in Sydney, organised by Noel Bell, then director of Intercessors for Australia (IFA). In preparation for my part of the ministry to the conference I studied this passage in John chapter 11 and saw some of the truths that I have shared above. One of the Australian YWAM leaders, who was with us explained what was happening in the education system.
Shortly after the conference three things enjoyed wide publicity in the Christian and secular press. Firstly, Creation Science came to the fore and became like a plough through the education system, at least for a period. Secondly there was the Woodward Report, which named a number of high-ranking governmental and other authorities, which had been involved in corruption of various kinds. Thirdly there was the arrest of Mr Asia, a highly influential drug dealer from New Zealand. In connection with the latter there was an interesting sequel from my perspective. During my sixteen years pastorate in Manchester, UK, prior to our removal to Australia, I had organised meetings with the Christian Police Association and had, in this connection, communicated with the chief constable of Manchester, who was, at the time, a practising Methodist Christian. It was the Lancashire police force, which actually arrested Mr Asia. At the end of 1979 the AoG church that I pastored in Britain asked me to help them in connection with a problem that had occurred, so my entire family went back to Britain for a short period, during which time I and a lawyer friend from Manchester were invited to meet the chief constable of Manchester and some of his senior staff. At lunch we talked about the arrest of Mr Asia and how some 100 Christians from various denominations had prayed for the exposure of corruption at that prayer and bible conference in Sydney. Undoubtedly some will say it was mere coincidence. Well, yes, maybe it was. But isn't it interesting how this sort of coincidence occurs when people pray and when they don't pray it doesn't happen. Today I think there is a difference. A change has taken place and because of this there should be a difference in the way God's people "mourn" and what we mourn about. The corruption that was taking place in the world is now taking place in the so-called church virtually to an equal extent. This should be the focus of our intercession and of our exposure. It is time for judgment to begin in the house of the Lord. If the Lord were to allow me to be a participant in a prayer and bible event, which remains my first love, this would be the focus. It seems to me to be quite hypocritical to ignore what's happening within the "church" and point the accusing finger at the world or for that matter at the cults, which is what some end time ministries do. Surely we should endeavour to set our own house in order first. Mourning over Jerusalem"And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. (v34) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets, and stones them that are sent to you; how often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! (v35) Behold, your house is left to you desolate: and in truth I say to you, You shall not see me, until the time comes when you shall say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord" (Luke 13:22 & 34-35). "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things which belong to your peace! but now they are hid from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you, that your enemies shall dig a trench about you, and compass you round, and keep you in on every side, And shall lay you level with the ground, and your children within you; and they shall not leave in you one stone upon another; because you did not know the time of your visitation" (Luke 19:41-44). When our Lord mourned over Jerusalem He did so with a view to her historic and prophetic failures and to her ultimate reinstatement. She would be destitute but our Lord's desire to gather her would remain. It's a similar picture to that of John 11 where we may view corruption, sin and disobedience more in the individual, family and community settings. Here it is seen in the national context as it relates to Israel, God's ancient people. Jerusalem was where our Lord was crucified at the instigation and insistence of the Jewish people. How did He, Christ view what was about to happen? What part did He Himself play in any necessary forgiveness and public pardon? Did He leave anything undone? If He did then may be there is room for someone on behalf of Christians to seek and pronounce pardon, but the question remains, if anything does remain undone, who apart from the Lord Himself is able, capable or equipped to do it? Who is worthy? In this day of great compromise and hypocritical attempts at inter-religious and inter-racial reconciliation, as seen particularly in the recent pilgrimages and efforts of the Roman Catholic pontiff, it is important to again observe the action and the words of our Lord Jesus. Were they sufficient _ totally sufficient _ or were they not? On Thursday March 23, 2000 when John Paul II spoke at Israel's holocaust memorial, prime minister Ehud Barak said that the Pope had done more than any other church leader "to dress the bitter wounds that festered over many bitter centuries." He added, "I think I can say, your Holiness, that your coming here today … is a climax of this historic journey of healing. This very moment holds within it two thousand years of history." *3 Was the prime minister of Israel right? Was the Pope himself right to declare a Day of Pardon to seek and pronounce forgiveness as he sought to do on March 13, 2000? To answer these questions we need to have another look at Calvary and the build up to it and to again ask those two questions: Who is worthy and was Christ's work adequate _ totally adequate? Did He leave anything undone? On the cross our blessed Saviour prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they don't know what they do" (Luke 23:34). Was His prayer effective? The whole of scripture affirms that the Father will never deny the Son. His work was totally adequate for Jew and Gentile.
Papal pardon simply confuses the whole issue and process. That aside the Pope's act is hypocritical for true Christians did not persecute the Jews. The Roman Catholic hierarchy did, both directly and indirectly, by their support of nazism and other groups that persecuted Jews. Let him apologise on that score, without seeking to implicate those of us Christians who were not involved. In the build up to the cross our Lord, as He wept over Jerusalem, lifted the Jewish nation back into the prophetic purposes of God _ "Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted." Once more in this instance He becomes the supreme example of the beatitude that He taught. There is one more illustration from the life of Christ: Mourning for a World Lost in Sin"And he came out, and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives; and His disciples also followed Him. And when He was at the place, He said to them, pray that you do not enter into temptation. And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done. And there appeared an angel to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:39-44). The Greek agonia (Strongs 74) translated "agony" in verse 44 signifies a "struggle for victory" with connotations of "severe mental struggles and emotions, agony, anguish" *4 It is derived from agon (Strongs 73) which implies "a place of assembly: …. the place of contest, the arena or stadium." It was a word used to describe "the assembly of the Greeks at their national games" or generally "any struggle or contest" including the idea of "a battle" or "an action at law." *5 It is impossible for us mere mortals to enter into the struggles that were going on in Gethsemane that night. Scripture says that He sweat "as it were great drops of blood." Contrary to those who seek to marginalise and compartmentalise the sufferings of Christ, especially in respect of the shedding of His blood, we should note that the bible does not say that He shed some of His sacred blood in Gethsemane. The agony and anguish were so great that it was as if it were blood that fell from His brow. What is happening here? The idea of the Greek word that is used certainly suggests that a great conflict is taking place, probably with the gathering of demonic powers as well as angelic beings. *6 Here is the greatest battle of all time, both in respect of Christ as a person and in regard to the whole plan of salvation. This is a far greater conflict than that which took place between Christ and Satan in the wilderness. That was a battle against the common foe and thank God, as has been well expressed, "Christ at His weakest was stronger than Satan at his strongest." *7 Here we have Christ struggling with the will of God. Angelic aid precedes this struggle whereas it came after the conflict in the wilderness. *8 This is no play-acting; it's real. The whole of our Lord's being is repulsed and revolts against what is about to happen. The sinless Son of God must take upon Himself the sins of the whole world. This is the moment when He will become our sin-bearer and ultimately our sin offering upon the cross as He lays down His life on our behalf. We need to consider the description by the other gospel writers to get a more complete picture of what actually took place that night. Pardon the paraphrase as we seek to re-enact what is happening: "And He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very distressed. Then He said to them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to death: stay here, and watch with me. And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" (Matthew 26:37-39). Is there some other way? I am prepared to die, but must I drink the cup of human iniquity …? (v39) " … nevertheless not as I will, but as you will. … (v42) He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, …" So this is the only way. There is none other. Father you know best. " … your will be done. (v44) And He left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words." Mark's gospel (chapter 14:32-42) also refers to our Lord praying three times and adds the request that the hour as well as the cup might pass from Him. John, in his gospel, says nothing about the Gethsemane prayers describing only Christ's entry into the garden, His betrayal by Judas, the prostrating of the band of men who came to arrest Him, the abortive attempt of Peter to defend Him followed by Christ healing the man's ear which Peter severed with his sword, the escape of the disciples and the final arrest of Jesus _ John 18:1-12. Luke is the most descriptive and once again the language suggests the intensity of Christ's mourning for the ultimate comfort of mankind. The expression "He prayed more earnestly" (Luke 22:44) in the original language gives the impression of our Lord actually stretching Himself out along the ground in the intensity of His prayer. It is the Greek ektenesteron (Strongs 1617) which is derived from ektenes (Strongs 1618) and from ekteino (Strongs 1614) both of which suggest to be stretched out or stretched forth. No wonder "He sweat as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." This is spiritual warfare as its height. Here our Lord is mourning on behalf of a world lost in sin and by His mourning both He and we are comforted _ "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities" (Isaiah 53:11). About the Author... *1 Luke 12:15, "And He said to them, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses." (The following was taken from a manuscript copied from an original letter of Publius Lentullus, at Rome. It being the custom of Roman Governors to advertise the Senate and people of such material things as happened in their provinces in the days of Tiberius Caesar, Publius Lentullus, President of Indes, wrote the following letter to the Senate concerning OUR SAVIOUR.) "There appeared in these days a man of great virtue named JESUS CHRIST who is yet living amongst us, and of the Gentiles is accepted for a Prophet of Truth, but his own disciples call him the son of god: he raiseth the dead and cureth all manner of diseases. A man of stature somewhat tall and comely, with very reverent countenance, such as the beholder may both love and fear: his hair of the colour of a chestnut full ripe, plain to his ears whence downwards it is more orient and curling and wavering about his shoulders. In the midst of his head is a seam or partition in his hair, after the manner of the Nazarites. His forehead plain and very delicate; his face without spot or wrinkle, beautified with a lovely red, his nose and mouth so formed that nothing can be reprehended; his beard thickish,in colour like his hair, not very long but forked; his look innocent and mature; his eyes grey, clear and quick. In reproving he is terrible, in admonishing courteous, and fair spoken; pleasant in conversation mixed with gravity. It cannot be remembered that any have seen him laugh, but many have seen him weep. In proportion of body most excellent; his hands and arms most delicate to behold: In speaking very temperate, modest and wise. A man for his singular beauty, surpassing the children of men."
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