Sermon on the Mount 2

Sermon on the Mount
The Beatitudes, 2—Happy are the Sad

Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.


Introductory Thoughts

* If we want an antidote to superficial Christianity, there is no better single portion of scripture for us to study than the Sermon on the Mount.

** The Sermon on the Mount consists of the King of Heaven giving the first part of the constitution and by-laws of the Kingdom of Heaven.

*** This Sermon is the first part, the first installment, because the disciples were not ready for all that Christ had to say. Even later, just before His crucifixion, they were not ready for all He had to tell them.

John 16:12-13 "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come."

*** In Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation, Christ finishes the instruction, revealing the fullness of the New Covenant through His Apostles.

* The Beatitudes—the attitudes that ought to be.

* The Beatitudes are the character traits of the Christian.

** Principles to be learned from the beatitudes: (adapted from D.M. Lloyd-Jones)

1. All Christians are to be like this.

2. All Christians are meant to have some measure of all of these characteristics.

3. None of these things refer to what we would call a natural tendency.

4. The Beatitudes show the utter difference between the Christian and the non-Christian.

“The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it…” (Lloyd-Jones.)

a. The Christian is different from the world in what he admires.

b. The Christian is different from the world in what he seeks.

c. The Christian is different from the world in what he does.

d. The Christian is different from the world in what he thinks he can do.

e. Bottom line: the Christian and the lost man belong to completely different kingdoms.

* No one on this earth expresses these qualities perfectly or absolutely, but just as with the contrast in lifestyles given in Galatians 5, and 1 Cor 6, if you look at your life and some measure of the beatitudes is not to be found, you must begin to ask yourself if you are really a believer or not.

* God’s Concept of Happiness—“…3 Blessed …”

a. Blessed—markarios in the Greek

(1) This is not the normal word for blessed.

(2) The concept here is one of happiness, blissful happiness.

b. Happiness—a misused and abused concept.

(1) The World’s idea of happiness is all about possessions and comfort.

(2) The average Christian’s idea of happiness, is, in many ways, much the same as the world’s idea: Christian: don’t let the world set your standard for happiness!

c. The Biblical idea of happiness:

(1) Happiness comes from faith in Christ—John 20:29 "Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed [markarios, happy] are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."

(2) Happiness comes from Following Christ—John 13:17 "If ye know these things, happy [markarios, happy] are ye if ye do them."

(3) The ultimate happiness for the Christian is the return of Christ—Titus 2:13 "Looking for that blessed [markarios, happy] hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"

“The word literally means “happy, fortunate, blissful.” Here it speaks of more than a surface emotion. Jesus was describing the divinely-bestowed well-being that belongs only to the faithful. The Beatitudes demonstrate that the way to heavenly blessedness is antithetical to the worldly path normally followed in pursuit of happiness.” (John MacArthur, Study Bible)

(1) The Biblical idea of happiness is the quiet confidence that comes from faith in Christ, and the benefits that come from Him being your Savior.


(2) One category of these heavenly benefits is bound up in the character that grows in someone indwelt by the Holy Spirit—and the beatitudes reveal that character, as does Paul in Galatians.

Gal 5:22-24 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."

* And last week, we learned that poverty of spirit, or humility, is the first characteristic of the true believer.

* This week, we face a true riddle, “blessed are they that mourn,” or “happy are the sad.”

** Now, the world really thinks this is a stupid idea

** The world will say, “Happy are the sad? What are you Christians smoking?” “What kind of drug are you Christians on to believe such a thing?”

1. The World and Sadness—Mat 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

a. Happy are the sad—this certainly challenges the world’s view of things!

(1) It is backwards, it is upside-down from the world’s view.

(2) It shows again the great gap between Godly thinking and understanding and the mind of the world that hates God and His ways.


b. Basic ideas of worldly people about sadness

(1) The World does not know what to be sad about.

(2) The World does not know how to be sad

(3) The World has lots of reasons to be sad, but it is often sad about the wrong ones.

(4) Often the world is excessively sad about some things, and not sad at all about the things that really matter.

(5) Examples:

(a) A man or woman of the world is sad about losing a lost loved one, as would anyone be:

(i) But if the loved one of the worldly person was a Christian, the worldly will sorrow excessively, perhaps because they sense their own unsaved state and dread the future.

(ii) And, often, if their loved one was obviously unsaved, they will try to mute their sorrow with self-deceiving, self-comforting references, “…he’s better off now…”, which is not true, if the person was lost.

(b) A lost man or woman of the world will often be sad about getting caught in some sin and suffering the consequences, but they don’t really have sorrow for their sin, nor do they want to forsake their sin and follow Christ. They are just sorry they got caught.

(c) The world has studied extensively the Psychology of grief. The worldly scholar’s remedy for grief is psychological mumbo-jumbo and jargon, re-fried and re-packed to sound comforting, without ever addressing the basic issues of mourning and its causes.

c. Worldly Sorrow is worthless—2 Cor 7:9-10 "Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death."

(1) Paul here speaks of those made sorry by actions he found it necessary to take.

(2) He is rejoicing, not in their pain, but in the victory won by God in their lives as they repented.

(3) Paul contrasts two things here:

(a) On the one hand, we see Godly sorrow, real sorrow, sorrow that leads to repentance

(b) On the other hand, we see the sorrow of the world, which is deadly and ineffective, and does not lead to repentance.

d. Examples of worldly sorrow and half-repentance

(1) Esau—He was unable to find repentance because of the hardness brought by sin—Heb 12:14-18 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

(a) Sadness and tears, in worldly sorrow, flow from the pain of consequences, not from godly repentance.

(b) Sadness and tears in worldly sorrow are no sign of sincerity of purpose or purity of spirit, but are only the signs that the one who is now sorry also now understands the cost of his loss.

(c) A man who, like Esau, has tossed away the greatest thing that would ever come into his life, finds himself realizing his loss when it is too late.

(d) His heart is so hard that he cannot find it within him to repent—he is sorry for his state, but cannot find the way back.

(e) In Pilgrim’s Progress, there is a scene of a man locked up in an iron cage—he has sinned away and rejected his opportunity for grace, and though Christ is ever ready to forgive, the man has a heart that is hard, and though he knows he should repent, he finds he cannot.

(2) Judas and his “repentance.”

Mat 27:3-5 "Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."

(a) First, the Greek word for repentance used here is not the word that speaks of salvation-related repentance.

(b) Salvation-related repentance is described by the words metanoia, or metanoeo, which mean a change of heart and mind, a turning away from sin and toward God.

Acts 17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:"

(c) However, the word used here of Judas is metamellomai, which means regret, sorrow, sadness, but does not mean turning from sin and to Christ.

(d) If a person really repents, they turn, they want to make it right, they change their heart, mind, and actions.

(e) But the kind of sorrow Judas felt was more like the sorrow a thief has when he gets caught, or the sorrow a convicted murderer might feel when he is walking to the execution chamber.

(f) Judas was not sorry for betraying Christ, but he was sorry that it had not gone as he had planned, and the consequences were worse than he could have imagined.

(g) So are many in the world of religion and in the secular world. They are sorry they were caught, they are sorry that they are in despair, they are sorry as they see the flames of hell drawing ever closer, but their hearts are so hard that they will not and cannot find a place to repent.

(3) The Inordinate Sorrow of David over Absalom—it was inconsolable grief that ignored the circumstances. Here we have a man of God being infected by the world’s type of grief.

2 Sam 18:32-33 "And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. 33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"

2 Sam 19:1-8 "And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom. 2 And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son. 3 And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. 4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! 5 And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; 6 In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well. 7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now. 8 Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate. And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man to his tent."

(a) David had been saved from the rebellion of his son by his supporters

(b) But David’s inconsolable grief over Absalom had shamed those who supported David.

(c) David’s grief was excessive and inordinate, especially in view of the circumstances.

e. The Sorrow of the world (summary)

(1) The World does not know what to be sad about.

(2) The World does not know how to be sad

(3) The World has lots of reasons to be sad, but it is often sad about the wrong ones.

(4) Often the world is excessively sad about some things, and not sad at all about the things that really matter.

(5) Worldly Sorrow and half-repentance are worthless—

(6) Inordinate Sorrow that ignores circumstances and does not see the big picture of things is also not Godly sorrow

* This is the sorrow of the world, but this is not the sorrow, the mourning, that Christ talks about here.


2. Godly Sadness: What, then, is it?—Mat 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

a. Godly Common grief.

(1) The Death of a loved one—

Gen 23:2 "And Sarah died in Kirjatharba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her."

John 11:35 "Jesus wept."

(2) Loneliness for God—Psa 42:1-3 "To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?"

(3) Grief over a church, over a nation, by the man of God

Jer 9:1 "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!"

Acts 20:31 "Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."

2 Tim 1:3-4 "I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;"

(4) But these things are all common grief, they do not refer to Godly mourning as related here in Mat 5:4.

b. What Godly mourning is NOT

(1) It is not a naturally morose attitude, that of a “…gloomy Gus…”

(2) It is not putting on a long face, affecting a false humility, all for show.

Mat 6:16-18 "Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."

(3) It is not being depressed, just to be depressed.

(4) It is not crying the requisite number of tears, just to be saved.

c. Godly Mourning—there are nine Greek words for sorrow in the New Testament, and this is the strongest

(1) It refers to deep, heartfelt grief.

(2) In its form used here, it refers to continual, mourning, mourning as a habit, mourning done daily.

(3) This is the type of mourning that brings blessing.

(4) Godly Mourning flows from the condition of the first beatitude—Mat 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

(a) The humble, those who realize their spiritual poverty and destitution, are ready to mourn over sin.

(i) The poor in spirit realize who God is

(ii) The poor in spirit realize who they are

(iii) The poor in spirit see the enormity of human sin in the face of a Holy God.

Job 42:5-6 "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

(b) This poverty of spirit and mourning both begin when a person is first saved.

Luke 18:13-14 "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Acts 16:28-31 "But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

(c) But the attitude that ought to be, which says that we are insufficient in ourselves, this attitude of poverty of spirit and mourning over sin, continues to grow throughout the Christian’s life. David was a believer when he sinned his great sin, and see how he mourned:

Psa 32:1-5 "A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."

(d) This combination of humility and continued mourning over our sin should dominate our attitude toward ourselves.

2 Cor 2:16 "To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?"

2 Cor 3:5 "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;"

2 Cor 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

1 Tim 1:11-16 "According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. 12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."

(e) If we have this poverty of spirit and if we are truly mournful over our sin, then we hate the remaining sin in our bodies; we desire to be clothed with perfection. We are disgusted by our sin, and we blame ourselves far more than anyone else blames us.

Rom 8:19-22 "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."

2 Cor 5:2 "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:"

2 Cor 5:8 "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

(f) When A True Christian sins, they want to keep short accounts with God—the bones roar all the day long when we are silent, and we must have the relief that comes from confession to God!

1 John 1:8-9 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."


d. How To Become Sad, Then Happy

(1) If you are believer away from God, you must repent and return, and humble yourself before a holy God.

(2) If you are not a believer, and realize your need of salvation, you must come to Christ with nothing in your hand, come to Him like you were a small child, trusting in Him alone, believing in Him alone, turning from your sin and rebellion, and He will save you.

(3) John MacArthur lists several factors which help us in becoming God’s kind of mourners.

(a) Eliminate hinderances

(i) Love of sin

(ii) Despair

(iii) Conceit

(iv) Pride and presumption

(v) Procrastination

(b) Study God’s Word—study sin in scripture and
study God’s attitude toward sin.

“Sin tramples on God’s laws, makes light of His love, grieves His Spirit, spurns His forgiveness and blessing, and in every way resists His Grace. Sin makes us weak and makes us impure. It robs us of comfort and, much more importantly, robs God of glory…” (John MacArthur)

Psa 51:3 "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me."

Isa 6:5 "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

Luke 5:8 "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

1 Tim 1:15 "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

(c) Pray—we who are the Redeemed have the greatest privilege of any creature; we may, at any moment, step into the throne room of Grace and address the Sovereign of the universe!

(i) Why are you not at this altar?

(ii) Is it pride? Do you worry what someone else will say? Do you discourage others?

(iii) Or, are you so arrogant that you think you have no need of the touch of God in your life and the prayers of those you love?

Heb 4:14-16 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Heb 10:19 "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,"

(d) Prayer will break the hold that sin has on our lives and open up the well of mourning over our sin, which will open up the storehouses of God’s blessings.

(e) Prayer will break down the walls of doubt and confusion that plague you.

(f) Prayer will release you from the bondage that some of you are in because of guilt

(g) Prayer will release you from the bondage that some of you are in because of legalism imposed upon you by others

(h) Prayer will release you to reconcile with God and be reconciled to Him.


4. The Happiness of Sadness—Mat 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

a. The Person of the Comforter—the Sovereign, Triune God: What He promises, He will do!

(1) The Spirit—John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

(2) The Messiah—Isa 61:1-3 "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

(3) The Father—2 Cor 1:3 "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;"

b. The essence of the Comfort—Peace with God, the peace of God.

(1) We are comforted by the fact that we are saved.

(2) We are comforted by the fact that we have eternal life and have avoided eternal punishment.

2 Th 2:16 "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,"

(3) We are comforted by the fact that the Lord is our guide in life

(4) We are comforted by the Word and prayer

(5) We are comforted by the fellowship of the brethren.

c. The Certainty of the Comfort—Mat 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

(1) God will comfort us

(2) There is no “shaller” or “shallest,” this is a sure thing.



d. The Continuity of the comfort—as the mourning is continual, so the comfort is continual.

Heb 13:5-6 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

e. The Ultimate and final comfort— Titus 2:13 "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"

Rev 21:3-4 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."


Applications

1. Those who rejoice now will mourn forever!

2. Those who mourn now will rejoice forever!

3. Where is your heart? Have you mourned? Are you mourning?