He boasted that he was right with God, and inwardly hoped that others may attain to his level of spiritually one day. He used to be enslaved to his lists, devoted to sinning, that is, sinning was his main business, and now he hates his sins. He no longer prides himself in his counterfeit self-righteousness. He was a self-made man; he thought he might have a presentable righteousness that would allow him to stand before God in the Judgment. But now, he has been brought low by the Holy Spirit and the Law to a penniless beggar spiritually. You must first become a beggar and ask for alms from Jesus' loving hand and tender mercies. If you are poor in spirit, you are very earnestly invited to come and eat freely at Jesus' table of grace. All I have is Jesus, and He is enough.
If you are unconverted, all your sins are resting heavy on your soul; only Jesus can lift those sins from off your soul. The only way to go to Christ Jesus, God manifest in the flesh, is just as you are - a wretched spiritual beggar. Spiritual outcasts are always welcome at the Cross. There is nothing to be done, felt, or brought by you; no preparation is needed. When you go and beg for mercy at the hand of Jesus, do not put on any of your righteousnesses, but go dressed in all your sin, misery, emptiness, poverty, and wretchedness.
Lord Jesus, here am I, a poor sinner and nothing at all. If you should damn me, I deserve it and cannot complain, but you are able to save to the uttermost. I am that sinful soul that needs saving to the uttermost. I have no claim upon you whatsoever, but I come to you pleading for free mercy. Lord Jesus, I am a sinful mess, save me for mercy's sake, rescue me from danger and my sinful cravings, please save me through your precious atoning blood.
Give up your pride, forget yourself, go directly to Jesus, get on The Rock, or you'll perish in your sins forever. Worse and worse is the way of sin. Better and better is the way of the Cross. You must be reduced spiritually, so that you cannot do anything but go to Jesus for mercy. You must be so lost that you cannot even repent or believe right without help from Jesus. It is your wisdom to go to Jesus for everything. Come to Jesus now pleading for pity and appealing to His mercy. The Gospel is not a merit-based religion where you do your best and hope for the best.
The way to pray is to just beg all over - be resolved to obtain the Lord's blessing. O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul. My work of faith and labor of love is good for nothing without the Lord's divine blessing. As a beggar waits for alms at a rich man's door, knock with fervent importunity, and wait at Jesus' door for Him to supply His riches to your soul's deep poverty. The Lord Jesus Christ is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. To cling to the Cross is the safest course, flat on your face before Jesus - this is the needy suppliant's best posture.
He now realizes his outward morality and religious goodness is vanity and an insult in the sight of God. He senses that he is exceeding sinful, and that his religiousness is mere pretense. He has no good work to bring before a thrice holy God. He senses his spiritual inability, and the Holy Spirit has taken away his haughty power from him. He only has doubts, fears, and vile memories of his past sins.
He feels that he is sinful, deserving the wrath of God, that he cannot help save himself, and is in desperate need of divine mercy. All he has now are thousands of sins which accuse and condemn him and that demand eternal punishment from divine Justice. He hates his self-righteousness, and realizes that he only merits to be damned forever. He knows he must face a burning white throne, an angry holy Judge, and a fiery vengeful Judgment without Christ as His Advocate. Faith in the Atoning Blood of God Incarnate is the important and vital point; coming to Jesus personally is the one needful matter.
A spiritual beggar is always hungering and thirsting after Christ's Righteousness. He has no strength without Christ Jesus. He has no goodness, and he cannot earn any. His eye only looks to the all-merciful Lamb of God, and to His Atoning Sacrifice. He no longer has any plans of his own to do better. He has no way of helping himself, and his own wisdom has failed him. He knows that only the Precious Blood can appease his offended Maker. God's only answer for your sinfulness is the Cross.
Be wise now - take to begging before God, for there is nothing else you can do. Blessed is the needy soul which is shut up to begging God for mercy at the Cross. Religionists are mere actors when they pray, but the guilty sinner is in real distress when he prays. Nobody prays before God like a man who feels his sins and guilt. God be merciful to me a sinner for Jesus' sake. The man who is in most need makes the best beggar. Spiritual beggars are made rich at the Cross. Grace is free every day at Calvary.
Men ought always to pray, and not to faint. It is our highest privilege to beg and seek for grace and mercy from the heart and hand of Jesus. Acquaint now thyself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and be at peace with God. Seek ye the Lord Jesus Christ, call upon Him while He is near. Become a skilled beggar, and enjoy life and peace from Jesus. Feed on Christ every day, ask for the bread of life, plead for the water of life. You must gain all of God's blessings by begging, for there is no other way. Jesus must give you Everything, and all the honor and glory must be given to the generous and kind Savior.
Jesus will never deny the needy sinner's request. Never be ashamed to beg at the feet of Jesus. Blind Bartimaeus begged, and he got the Savior's attention and blessing. Begin begging immediately, go directly to Jesus. If you have nothing left of your own, go to Jesus. There are no preparations needed by you, you cannot prepare yourself for His mercy, come to Him in your nothingness, wretchedness and filthiness. If you are sinful, you are in a fit state for His mercy. Jesus will listen to your sighs and cries for mercy. Jesus has paved the way for you, humbly ask Him for His free salvation.
Come before Jesus in real earnest, that is the only way to pray. Ask for great things from Him - ask for the Savior's blood to be applied to your heart, soul, mind, conscience, and sins; ask the Holy Ghost to renew your nature, and give you repentance and faith. Seek the great Savior; plead His great promises. This man Christ Jesus receiveth sinners. Look right away from your misery to Christ Jesus, the sinner's Substitute and Savior. He is ready and glad to receive sinners just like you; His main work is to seek and save the lost. Respond to the Gospel, act on what you've read, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart.
Absolute and continual dependence upon Jesus is essential. True faith is real reliance upon Jesus' atoning blood and perfect righteousness. Real faith in the Lamb of God - His atonement, substitution, reconciliation; hold on to Christ as a baby clings to its mother with its arms around her neck. Depend upon the Holy Spirit, seek divine light and grace to detect sin in your life, flee from every false way, abhor inward sins, loathe your sinful tendencies.
You can never repay Jesus for His mercy; you can only thank and love Him. Jesus never cast out a sinner that came to Him here on earth, and He will not cast out any sinner that comes to Him now. Bring your sighs, pleas, broken sentences, and simple requests to the feet of the merciful Savior.
But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: Thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
A King met a beggar on a lonely road one day,
A strange occurrence took place as you will see.
The beggar fell upon his knees, and he cried, "O pardon me,
I am unworthy in Thy presence to be!"
The King looked at the beggar, and He said, "You've been set free,
Your sins are all forgiven, and now you're born in royalty."
And so the King and the beggar walked off arm in arm you see,
That King was Jesus, and the beggar was me.
Now One so rich became so poor, that a beggar rich might be.
The Son of God became the Son of man.
That we poor fallen sons of man, the sons of God might be.
I can't explain it, God's wondrous saving plan.
That King was Jesus, and the beggar was me.
