Blessed Are the Brokenhearted

But comfort means to give strength to infuse courage into another. So when we bring our sinful selves to God, then we mourn over our sin does what he does.

He infuses us with enough strength to carry on. Listen, mourners are not happy because they are morning was understand there is no happiness in morning mourners are happy because they are forgiven, but that should lead us to deal with our sin, working to learn more about that today from Matthew chapter. Jesus didn't say Blessed are the powders and complainers and whiners. He said blessed are the brokenhearted today on wisdom from the heart. Stephen uncovers the difference between those two. Stephen baby is working through the passage, known as the Beatitudes. This is his second lesson in that series a lesson called blessed are the brokenhearted, open your Bible to Matthew chapter 5 as we get started with today's message from God's word during the days of Christ. The Greek island of Cyprus was one of the favorite places for fishing. It was a resort if it were as active today as it was then people would dock their yachts there and play in the sun they call the island. The Makarios Island literally translated the happy island. The reason this name was used was because it was believed that those who lived on the island of Cyprus had everything necessary for happiness in freshwater fruit soil for growing crops, wildlife, beautiful flowers covering the island. Those who could live there would be essentially self contained, they would have to go nowhere to get anything that they would potentially need for for happiness. It was the place to live. In fact, it was believed and so named, that if you could live there on that island you would find happiness. Everyone recognizes eventually that this definition of happiness is flawed is that because no matter where you live, maybe you moved into your dream home and then realized you wanted a different dream right. Maybe you need another closet a few hundred more square feet or a back deck or yard that grows grass or something like that, no matter what you drive, you know you see somebody driving something else, and you'd like to drive that the Greeks assume that if you could live where you never needed anything. You never needed anyone and everything that could sustain life is readily at your fingertips.

That person would have it made because the world's definition of happiness is never changed. It's all about. I me in mind while in Matthew chapter 5 Jesus Christ comes along and turns that thinking upside down that make he delivers the stunning news that happy people are actually bankrupted their downtrodden, their unappreciated there persecuted there. Neither reviled. There we paying their confessing people truth is that which serves as the structure of our lives. Typically, the pleasure madness. The thrill seeking the money the energy the time the career of the amusement. The entertainments are all expressions of our worlds blindness to the very thing that Jesus Christ says will bring true, genuine satisfaction and what he said was so shocking that when he finished the sermon on the mount. The Bible records that his audience was literally shaken pickup are studied in verse four. Chapter 5 for another shocking revelation of true happiness. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Now in verse three. He's already stated that it is the well-connected of the spiritually well put together and find true happiness. It is the spiritually bankrupt to go back there. Look again. Blessed are the poor in spirit literally devastated. In spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven now.

Blessed are the brokenhearted first. Blessed are the beggars now. Blessed are the broken heart.

This is a new approach the Bible talks about all kinds of mourning and sorrow, and factor IX different verbs in the Greek language which express the idea of grief and and sorrow. Such a pretty good indication that God expected humanity to be suffering in sorrowing grieving.

In fact, Paul tells us that all of fallen creation is literally groaning for the final day of redemption. Romans 822. Christ himself was called the man of what the man of sorrows, literally the man of pain acquainted with grief is a 53 three give you three or four kinds of mourning and grieving in the Bible fairly quickly. First, the Bible refers openly and unashamedly to tears of loss. Abraham grieved over the loss of his wife. In Genesis 23, two were told that Abraham mourned for those who think it is unspiritual to grieve the loss of a loved one need to take note of this giant of the faith. They also overlook the example of our own Lord who was shown to be at the graveside of Lazarus openly weeping because of his love motivated grief.

John 1135. The strongest, most spiritually minded man to ever walk on the planet shed tears over loss. The Bible refers not only to tears of loss, but tears of longing, David longing for an intimate walk with God. He grieved over the lack of community felt rather deeply writes in Psalm 42 as the deer pants for water so my soul longs for you. Oh God. My soul thirsts for God, might tears have been my food day and night some 4203. There the tears of Paul longing for the growth and protection of the Ephesian church in acts chapter 20 verse 31. There, tears that have lost their tears of longing. There are if I can sort of bundle all the rest. For the second time up to get our just call the tears of life. Timothy said, tears of discouragement, and Paul told him listen, I am constantly remembering you as I recall, your tears negativity 14 a father with a sick child in Mark chapter 9, came to him weeping tears of sorrow the office of his son. There were tears of gratitude and devotion from a woman again wash the feet of Jesus. Literally it says with her tears. Luke 738. There, tears, and praying for healing sickness were Hezekiah was told by the prophet God has seen your tears, and he will heal you. Second Kings 20 verse five, Esther went and cried tears before King asking him to change the edict which had brought great sorrow that's for chapter 8 verse three Job, you will remember, the sufferer said, my eyes pour continually out tears unto God. Job 1620 there the tears of the oppressed who suffer the injustices of this planet and Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse one Paul shed tears over the church in Corinth as he wrote, telling them even as I am writing you. I am in anguish of heart and weeping. Many tears second Corinthians chapter 2 verse four is just the beginning. The truth is growing older and in Christ doesn't mean you will cry less but it certainly redefines what you cry over worn weirs be record to the viscometer that a terrible train accident killed a number of passengers and one of the train cars was a mother still holding a little child in her lap. The mother was dead child and harmed the rescuers took the child away from her mother little girl laughed and played when the rescue worker noticed her candy was dirty. He gently took it from her and only then she began to cry. She didn't know anything about death, but she knew that candy what grieves your heart and mind. What causes us to weep what causes us to mourn and sorrow. It ought to be different at the age of 50 that it is at the age of five, Frank.

Trouble is, some people of the age of 50 are still crying over candy.

They cry over their toys. They lose they cry over a plunge in the stock market, but never over, and a strange merit or family relationship, they will leave the loss of a promotion, but they will never leave the loss of integrity they mourn for the wrong reasons effect.

As I studied this particular thought delivered first buyer Lord struck me that there are number of types of mourning and grieving in the Bible that are wrong to give you several of them very quickly as well. First, there is diabolical morning. This is the morning of a man or woman who cannot satisfy their impure lusts there grieved because they lack either money or opportunity or position to simply be able to sin solace first and remembers a high school student working in the toll booths at Portsmouth, Virginia, where you have to drive a carpeting, I would take your money will I was one of those guys. Sorry if you drove through their drive over that bridge into downtown Norfolk very beautiful area where I was raised one night every one of the older guys working in the booth next to me was just really angry had to work that night. Finally, Tony said look look across the bridge as you cross the bridge you see that huge hotel. The on the international hotels and yet I do all his windows as of yet. I see him to deal realize how many people are in those rooms right now involved in all kinds of wicked stuff and I gotta be here working tonight instead of over there I was utterly mystified but it struck me.

It was a man grieving that he wasn't at that moment in the act of sin, but he had to work instead is diabolical. Thomas Watson, the Puritan wrote this is the grieving of the devil's greatest torture is that he can be no more wicked.

This is Ahab mourning over Naboth's vineyard. Remember in first Kings 21 verse four gig of this man's vineyard as part of the family inheritance and so is pouting is why Jezebel comes along and says what's wrong he tells her so she goes out trumped up charges against Naboth has been killed gives a Ahab vineyard which immediately cheered him up is pouting.

This is diabolical morning. This is self-centered tears. There is not only diabolical morning.

There's also deceitful morning this is all for show. This is the masquerade of sorrowing just to get attention and garner pity and support these of the Pharisees who rubbed ashes into their cheeks so they would look gaunt while they fasted Jesus would preach later in this message. In Matthew chapter 6 don't look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others.

They wanted to appear to be morning but it was really nothing more than deceit, self-centered, deceitful morning this is the person is by the way, today would be always talking down about themselves.

It's actually an attempt to get attention. It's an attempt to have somebody say not a century really wonderful.

That's just their way of stroking their ego and their pride in her self-centeredness.

There is nothing spiritual about acting gloomy. Jesus did not say here in this text.

Blessed are the gloomy Christians. Blessed are the cheerless Christians Charles Spurgeon, the 19th century pastor in London once remarked that some preachers he knew appear to have their neckties twisted around their soul's nothing spiritual about that is also morning of despair that only diabolical in deceitful despairing morning this is unhealthy imbalanced grief that robs the soul of hope. This is Judas who was filled with such a sense of despair, knowing he would send. In fact, he admitted that to the chief priest in Matthew 27 for he said, I've sinned by betraying innocent blood. And then the text as he went on hung himself. He literally drowned himself in the spare. Paul wrote to the Corinthians of this kind of hopeless despair. He says for godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death significant 710 this and it's no surprise that the occupation which produces the highest level of suicide among all of our professional occupations is within the world of psychology. Why because they have studied the human condition, and they see and they hear of the depravity of the human heart, and without Christ there is no answer.

There is no hope. There is no cleansing cure. Once you discover in verse three, the bankruptcy of your heart. You are then led to mourn over your sin in verse four, which ultimately brings hope and comfort and forgiveness. Christ is talking here about healthy mourning over the fact that were sinners, but taking it to Christ for the cure is interesting in Matthew five verse four he uses the strongest Greek word for morning mourners discover true happiness because they are the only ones who are grieving over their sin and their sinfulness and the come to the Savior for forgiveness.

Do you know what I'm talking about you know the bittersweet sense of running to the Savior with a towel in your hand to wipe the tears away the first time you mourned over your sin was when you came to faith in Christ and your status was changed instantly from center now. Your status is what St. but the battle had only begun had been. That was the first step. So first John 17 tells us that as we confess our sin.

The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us, we forget often that this is talking to Christian about the ongoing experience Catherine say, which gives us our word catharsis. His blood cleanses us, the verb indicates that God does more than forgive.

He literally erases the stain of that sin. And what's even more encouraging is that the tenses present active. It is denoting a continual ongoing daily, moment by moment process listen the blood of Jesus Christ didn't just cleanse you in the past, relative to your status. It constantly cleanses you in the ongoing experience of life. The blood of Christ continually cleanses us from all sin. There's a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunge many that flood lose all their what guilty stain dear dying lamb by precious blood shall never lose its power till all the ransomed Church of God be saved to sin no more great truth until our final redemption and glorification fountain is never turned off armor witnessing to Hindu some time ago who was cheerful and kind and polite where the mall have to be the same spot, waiting for our daughters. We struck up a conversation course already knew the basic tenets of his religion, and how he was on an endless hopeless cycle of self-improvement self salvation so I still asked him. However, questions about what he believed in. I would interject, and eventually got to the point where I could tell them that the distinctive difference between Christianity and Hinduism is that he could never hope with confidence that he was forgiven and I could and it was at that moment that he hung his head.

Such sadness came over his face and he admitted to me that his religion could never provide that kind of confidence. Jesus Christ says do you want to know true happiness, then it isn't about you because all you can do and all I can do is sin were good at that. That's what his blood has to continually cleanses, but bring your sin to me and I can and I will forgive you. Listen to this text.

James forces draw near to God is writing to Christians now draw near to God and he will draw near to you. And here's how you draw near. Cleanse your hands and purify your hearts be wretched and more and the weep mourn the same order be wretched and mourn and then we Jesus Christ declares in Matthew five for those who mourn like that will receive comfort. The word for comfort is the same word which forms the ministry title of our Holy Spirit is called our comforter same root word. It has the idea of infusing strength and courage. By the way, it's much more than sympathizing to sympathize means to feel with, and it's a wonderful thing but to comfort means to give strength to infuse courage into another. So when we bring our sinful selves to God and we mourn over our sin.

Guess what he does he infuses us with enough strength to carry on. Listen, mourners are not happy because they are morning. Don't misunderstand, there is no happiness in morning mourners are happy because they are forgiven. Happiness does not come for morning. It comes from God's response to morning. It is the confidence in the promise we have in this comfortable, Jesus Christ did not say in Matthew chapter 5 verse four Blessed are those who mourn. No. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Again, the verb tenses in this text in a continuous action. We continually confess to God and he continually infuses us with his strength. No wonder the enemy wants us to do anything but keep an eye on our righteousness.

He wants us confident. He wants us to say were doing really good. I think we can handle this. I can make it not an eye on a wretched state and are our evil heart. He knows that when we then come to Christ. It is then that we are infused with true and genuine strength. Martin Luther, the reformer wrote in his 95 thesis birth Reformation. He said our entire life should be a continuous act of repentance and contrition in that spirit, we find comfort maybe four or five ways were comforted. First, we discover the comfort of God for he is the God of all, what comfort second Corinthians chapter 1 verse three remember watching my son climb a tree when he was run four years of age.

He and his brother found a tree on the woods behind our back yard were somebody driven nails in, but the little bit of it out so they could get a little foothold in hi how are you helping care of all from the deck and watched him climb climbed up to the tree grasp that branch with one hand and then his foot slipped there. He was hanging with one hand and his body swung around and he had one hand around the trunk of that tree, one hand on that holding onto that branch and he was too young to live learned that it it will hurt less. If he hangs on that if he lets go and he let go and he skimmed his way all the way down that tree he was. He was a running scab from the waist.

I moved toward him as soon as he hit the ground he came running to me. I he was crying, and that's putting it mildly.

I mean it was it was cry and I picked them up and then I held him and he wailed away so good here out of this year as a result of that I didn't stand there. Can you imagine if he ran toward me and and I said love stop right there. What were you thinking no that'll come later.

Us a son is better to just hang on until somebody comes do you think that when you come running to the father that he will say stop you again very comes again. There she calms what were you thinking no, he never tires our tears we find in his strong arms comfort and grace. The enemy would tell you he's he's kind of tired. It's been like three times today already were comforted by God's word. Secondly, Paul wrote about the encouragement of the Scriptures to give us hope. Romans 15 for third were comforted by God's spirit.

Christ promised his disciples remember the God the father would send another comforter to them.

John 1416, a permanent infuser of strength and hope. We are comforted by God were comforted by God's word were comforted by God's spirit comforted by God's people. Second Corinthians 1. Four says that God comforts us to that we might be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God were in this together finally were comforted by God's promise not remember God is not promised to completely alleviate the conditions that cause morning toward glorified and everything is made right and he Revelation 21 four wipes tears from our eyes. You want to know one of the distinctive emotional differences between people in heaven and people in hell is this heaven will wipe tears of sorrow and mourning and suffering away, however, were told that for people in hell. Matthew 812, there will be what we did.

Gnashing of teeth.

There will be everlasting weeping. How horrible is that those who come to the forgiveness of Christ for comfort. There will one day be that day when we will weep no more.

No wonder we find true happiness in our tears. No wonder Jesus that you want to know it's gonna make you really happy you really happy people are, they are people who recognize their sin and it grieves them and they they come to me and they are moment by moment confessor's they continually bring me there. Me attitudes and I transform them into being added. Blessed are the broken heart when they come to me, they will become.

Only now, but forever there really are only two ways to live. You can look for yourself or you can live for Christ. That's why Stevens calling this series. Overcoming the me attitudes.

This is wisdom for the heart.

Stephen Davey is working his way through a passage of Scripture known as the Beatitudes. This is the second lesson in that series a lesson called Blessed are the brokenhearted, if you haven't already, I encourage you to install our app to your phone so you can quickly and easily access all of our Bible-based resources when you're in the app store for your device. The app you're looking for is called wisdom international. That's the name of our organization. Our app contains the audio and the transcript of each of these daily Bible messages. We also make available the archive of Stephen's Bible teaching ministry with full-length sermons arranged by book of the Bible are daily Bible reading plan automatically updates with each day's reading so you can follow along with us the wisdom international app will work with your smart phone or tablet or a smart. It's free to install and use. I encourage you to do that today. If you have a comment or question, or would like more information you can send us an email if you address it to info@wisdom online.thanks for joining us today were so glad you were with us and I hope you be with us next time.

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