- Stories of getting in trouble as a kid
- These stories help us to wrap our minds around the idea of what we are talking about in the beatitudes today.
- Quickly define what Beatitudes
- The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin word “beatus,” which simply means ‘bless’ or ‘bliss’. Each one of the Beatitudes begins with the word “blessed.” But the name “beatitude” also is commonly used to describe how each of these attitudes should “be” part of our behavior. They are the “Be-Attitudes” that should be in each of our lives.
- As the Beatitudes convicted and challenged Christ’s audience then, they should convict and challenge you and I today.
- There is a distinct reason for the layout of these Beatitudes. The first four deal primarily with our relationship with God, while the last four deal with our relationship with others.
- Quickly talk about what it means to be blessed
- It reflected an inward contentedness that was not affected by circumstances. The word “blessed” also has the sense of being approved. Not only does God approve of these people and bestow Divine happiness upon them, he also favors them. He lavishly bestows grace, mercy, and peace upon their lives. He favors them in a myriad of ways.
- Last week we talked about being poor in spirit, and what that means.
- This should be the most basic characteristic of a Christian. It is the first thing that must happen in the life of anybody who enters God’s kingdom. Nobody entered God’s kingdom on the basis of pride. Poverty of spirit is the only way in. One commentator says: “The door to the kingdom is very low and you must crawl in”
- Read the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12
- Today we are going to be in the 4th verse of this great chapter.
- Quickly define what Beatitudes
- Blessed are those who mourn: The ancient Greek grammar talks about an intense degree of mourning. Jesus does not speak of casual sorrow for the consequences of our sin, but a deep grief before God over our fallen state.
- in Greek there are nine words that express sorrow, but “of the nine terms used for sorrow, the one used here (pentheo, mourn) is the strongest, the most severe. It represents the deepest, most heart-felt grief, and was generally reserved for grieving over the death of a loved one. It is used in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) for Jacob’s grief when he thought his son Joseph was killed by a wild animal. It is used of the disciples’ mourning for Jesus before they knew He was raised from the dead. The word carries the idea of deep inner agony, which may or may not be expressed by outward weeping, wailing, or lament.
- Jesus uses pentheo in the present tensewhich speaks of a continual state of mourning or mourning as one’s lifestyle! Spiritual mourning is not just an isolated or limited act in life. It is a continual part of the believer’s life.
- We know that this is a mourning over the sin in our life, not someone who mourns for the loss of a loved one, or some other reason for an intense sorrow or sadness in their life.
- What is meant here when Jesus talks about Mourning?
- It can be taken quite literally: Blessed is the man who has endured the bitterest sorrow that life can bring. Sorrow can do two things for us. It can show us, as nothing else can, the essential kindness of our fellow-men; and it can show us as nothing else can the comfort and the compassion of God.
- Some people have taken this beatitude to mean: Blessed are those who are desperately sorry for the sorrow and the suffering of this world. When we were thinking of the first beatitude we saw that it is always right to be detached from things, but it is never right to be detached from people.
- No doubt both these thoughts are in this beatitude, but its main thought undoubtedly is: Blessed is the man who is desperately sorry for his own sin and his own unworthiness. One of the great functions of the Cross is to open the eyes of men and women to the horror of sin. And when a man sees sin in all its horror he cannot do anything else but experience intense sorrow for his sin. Christianity begins with a sense of sin. Blessed is the man who is intensely sorry for his sin, the man who is heart-broken for what his sin has done to God and to Jesus Christ, the man who sees the Cross and who is appalled by the havoc wrought by sin.
- For they shall be comforted: Those who mourn over their sin and their sinful condition are promised comfort. God allows this grief into our lives as a path, not as a destination.
- What are some of the fake attitudes toward mourning that are out their?
- Crying about the consequences.
- We are sad on the outside
- The fake and insincere mourning.
- So what does true mourning look like? It is spontaneous and free. It must come as water out of a spring (naturally bubbling to the top), not like fire out of a flint (forced and artificial). We should mourn for sin more than suffering.
- One of the great examples of true mourning comes from David in the 51st Read psalm 51:1-11
- David, in Psalm 51, cries out, ‘My sin is ever before me’ God had threatened that calamity would never leave his family—but David does not say, ‘I can’t bear the weight of all this hardship, why are you takin gmy child’—but ‘My sin is ever before me’. The offence against God troubled him. He was more upset about his rebellion against God—than the consequence.
- True mourning has a couple of different looks:
- Treat it as an act of rebellion against God.
- Understand that sin cheapens grace.
- True mourning for sin is specific.
- True mourning hates what you have done.
- True mourning for sin hates sin.
- Read Luke 18:9-14
- Man #1
- stood and prayed about himself; really?
- Prays why he is better than this list of people; gets a shot in on the tax collector
- boasts about how “spiritual” he is; once a year fasting was all that was required
- Man #2
- stood at a distance; this man doesn’t even feel worthy enough to come to God
- would not look to heaven as he prayed; Pharisee’s standard pray stance was looking up toward heaven
- beats himself up and says how unworthy he is; he feels he has no goodness in him.
- So the real question tonight is if we are more like Man #1 or #2?
- Man #1
- How often to brag about all the “churchy” things we do?
- Do we feel like I’m a good christian?
- do we ever think, “it’s ok I’m forgiven” when it comes to sin?
- Man #2
- Knows how bad a sinner they really are and feel so unworthy to come before Him
- Is sorry for his sin, not just that he got caught.
- reluctantly accepts grace fully knowing what it cost Jesus.
- Man #1
- Man #1