We are rich in our heritage with a FIRM doctrine. The beatitudes are always a good sounding board. They are characteristics with heavenly meaning. We so deal with some of this material to get a better grasp.

The subject of the entire sermon on the mount has the Kingdom of Heaven as its subject. We must always use scripture in its context. You are dealing with a SPIRITUAL kingdom!! The citizenship is paid for on the cross of Calvary. History is ALL the coming of the kingdom. The ONLY entrance (validation of citizenship) is ONLY in Him!!! "Except your righteousness exceed that...." you have no entrance! There are also certain characteristics of the Kingdom of God. The Lord teaches us in parables and in peridox (that make no sense from an earthly point of view.) He does this to continue to unfold the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. (Mark 12.)

But who are those who are poor in spirit? Note that this has nothing to do with your bank account balances. Luke 12: 16ff- Spiritual richness is with and has to do with Calvary. This fool in Luke had many blessings. He had everything so to speak, yet, when it came to facing God he was poor and did not know the Lord Jesus Christ. He was spiritually poverty stricken. Note that Christ talks about the poor in spirit! Being poor in the fact of God. The Pharisees thought they were rich and had merited an entrance into the Kingdom, yet Christ calls them fools. He thought he was rich, BUT he was not rich toward God! The child of God is pleasing to God in his sanctification BUT also knows that they have NO basis in his justification (salvation.) Those sanctified in this world begin to pattern their lives already after that Kingdom. Our catechism shows that knowledge of sin leads to justification and sanctification to a life that is a life of complete thankfulness! There is NO self righteousness and ALL men fall under the curse.

So we know ourselves in our poverty? Do YOU know your poverty? Do we find ourselves rich toward God? Do we think we have merit towards Him? Do we think we have merit towards the entrance of the Kingdom as fools? Do we know our worthlessness and know Christ as our ONLY entrance? Then we know that the Kingdom of Heaven is our NOW!!! Even if you do not have a nice house the Lord says YOU are RICH and you DO have a KINGDOM!!!

It enables us to rise above poverty. The grave. Things in this life so we can sleet and live KNOWING, being assured of the fact that we have a home....a Kingdom! A Homeland!!!

Are you poor? Do you know your poverty?