Date:
Text: Matthew 5:3-4
Title: Happy are the Sad
Theme: As citizens’ of God's kingdom, our hearts are broken by the sins that sadden our King’s heart.
Introduction:
Dr.
Nicholi of
Now that we are in God's kingdom, what is our world view, that will affect our happiness? In a way, most of us are in this country to pursue happiness. Yet in the process, we are found by Jesus Christ who transferred into his kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. Being in this kingdom of heaven, we still are asking, what is happiness.
I. True happiness is when we receive God's approval.
At the onset of his ministry, Jesus wants to make it very clear to his disciples, what is happiness in his kingdom. The word “Blessed” is also translated as “happy” in some versions. This happiness is more then pleasure, it refers to completeness, total fulfillment. In the Bible, this term ‘bless” is used in the context of God blesses man, and man blesses God. The word bless means to give approval. When God blesses man, it means that He gives approval of the man’s thoughts and deeds. When man blesses God, obviously it cannot mean that we approve of God. Who are we that we dare to say to him, “I approve of what you have done.” Instead, it means we praise him for who he is and what he does. Happiness then becomes a result of being blessed by God.
Now, as citizens of God's kingdom, whose blessing or approval are we seeking? Very often we seek the approval of those whom we consider important. This includes our father and those in authority. Often times, this also means pastors, teachers and our bosses. Yet, here, Jesus, in no uncertain terms, tells us that blessings from God, God's approval of us is more important than anything else. As followers of Jesus Christ, this is what we are to pursue, God's blessing.
In verses 3-12, there are 8 descriptions of true happiness. This is also known as the 8 beatitudes. It tells us that these are the characters that God seeks in his followers. The first and the last, have the same reward, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This means that everything in between, also leads to the kingdom of heaven. Therefore these 8 beatitudes are also known as principles for kingdom living, or kingdom norms. As children of God, these beatitudes are to be our focus on life. They are our norm. They bring happiness to us. God blesses those with such quality of life. This is what God approves. Let’s take a closer look at them.
II. True happiness is when we acknowledge our spiritual bankruptcy.
Vs 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” In the OT, we have, “For this is what the high and lofty One says:….“I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”(Isaiah 57:15), “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2). Poor in spirit mean lowly, humble.
It refers to a person who acknowledges his spiritual bankruptcy. He confesses his personal unworthiness before God. Not that his existence is insignificant or that he has no value. But morally, when we stand before the holy God, we see our sins of lust, greed, dishonesty, hatred, resentment and bitterness. Before this holy God, we are morally bankrupt.
The
opposite of the poor in spirit is Pride. There are too many things we take
pride in. To the Chinese in NA, we take pride especially in education. Several
weeks ago, I asked an individual about the background of a speaker. He
immediately told me that he graduated from
However, Jesus will not allow any of such attitude in his kingdom. In Jeremiah 9:23, “this is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches,” From his followers, Jesus expects full, honest, factual, conscious recognition that before this holy God, we personally are morally unworthy. In the light of his Light, we are nothing but filth. This is the deepest sense of repentance. Our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to recognize our spiritual bankruptcy. Such people are blessed by God. To them belongs the kingdom of heaven. To such people, belongs the eternal life.
Humanly speaking, it is hard for us to see our spiritual bankruptcy. Our society wants us to feel good about ourselves. Beginning in kindergarten, children are taught being assertive, that they are somebody. This creates a culture of self confident and self reliance. Therefore it is hard for us to meet God's expectation that we are to be poor in spirit.
As we study the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, its content will remove our self reliance. As we study Jesus' teaching, it will begin to foster in us that sense of spiritual poverty. Besides being poor in spirit,
III. True happiness is when we mourn over our spiritual poverty.
Vs.4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Acknowledging one’s spiritual poverty is a matter of mind. But mourning is the emotional counter part to the poor in spirit. I not only KNOW that I am morally bankrupt before God, but emotionally I also deeply feel sad about it. Our world likes laughs. Yes, laughter is a good medicine. It can indeed give us health. But there is also a time for us to mourn, to feel sad.
What is it that we feel sad about? Certainly we all feel sad when we lost someone or something that we treasure. When a loved pet, a relationship or a job is lost, we are sad and cry over them. This is normal. But here our Lord Jesus Christ is telling us that as his followers, we are also to feel sad, to mourn over our sinfulness.
In Isaiah 6:5, “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” When Isaiah saw God's holiness and majesty, his only appropriate response was to mourn over his sinfulness. When Ezra saw the sins of his people, he was overcome with great sorrow and remorse. The more we recognize God's holiness, the more we see our darkness. When we see our lust, greed, hatred and lovelessness, the sadder we are to feel. Dear brothers and sisters, when was the last time we felt sad about our sinfulness?
There is also a broader level to this mourning. We mourn not only because of the darkness we see in us, we mourn because of the darkness around us. When Jesus saw the Pharisees, he pointed our their sins, and condemned their hypocrisy. Isn’t it true that this part we can easily identify with? It is not that difficult for us to see the evil around us? We too criticize and condemn them. Isn’t it true that the media always wants to portray Christians as angry religious fanatics? But Jesus did not stop at condemning the Pharisees of his days, he also wept for them.
In the Christian church history, individuals like Calvin, Whitefield, Wesley, Shaftsbury, Wilberforce saw the darkness of their city and society, and they wept. Likewise, for us living in the 21st century, we also need to learn to mourn, to feel sad for the sins in our society. We wept when we see our national sins and blasphemies toward God. We feel sad when we hear the governor of a northern state say last year that religion is only for the weak. We feel sad when we see the erosion of the concept of truth in our modern society. There is no such thing as absolute truth, each person is entitled to his/her opinions. Personal opinion guides our decision making. Our decisions are no longer based on what is right and proper, rather what is good to us. We weep when we see our society ignoring the sanctity and dignity of human life. We weep when we realize every day, thousands of unborn child are being aborted because of inconvenience to the mother or the couple. We weep when we see the elderly being mistreated in nursing homes or by their own family members. We mourn over the human greediness. It is greed that has led to the demise of Enron, WorldCom, and other large corporations. We weep over the lack of integrity in our society. We weep when we see elected officials openly ignore God's law.. We weep over the sins that have been committed in this and other churches. We weep over the immorality that are exposed or still hidden among the Christians. When we see God's name being defamed by individuals who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, we feel sad and cry.
As followers of Jesus Christ, as citizens of God's kingdom, our hearts are to be …like our lord. When he saw the wickedness around him, besides the most severe condemnation, there was also the most tender rendering, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”(Matthew 23:37) This was a soft, tender and yet sad heart over man’s sins.
What is the result of such mourning? What is the reward when we mourn? “For they will be comforted.” First, let’s look at the personal level. When I mourn over my sins, the greatness and darkness of my sins before God, I am also reminded of the work of Jesus Christ. He came into the world and died on the cross. On that cross, he bears my sins. Because God puts my sins on him, I am being considered righteous. I am being totally accepted by God and is completely pleasing to him. When Jesus died on the cross, he also bear the punishment that is due me. He was punished on my behalf. Therefore I don’t have to be afraid of being condemned by this holy God. The more we see and mourn over our sins, the more we see God's love and grace. This is the reason, in many different occasions I have shared and encourage you that we Christians need to listen to the gospel message everyday. Not just the seekers, the non-Christians, are to listen to the gospel, but every one, including you and I. The more we listen to the gospel, the more we are comforted.
Secondly, at the broader level. When we mourn over the sins around us, very often God will use us to untie the sin’s knot. Using us to bring new birth and righteousness into our immediate world. When Shaftsbury and Wilberforce in the 18th century mourned over the inequality in the British society, they pioneered the labor reform law in that country, leading to the abolishment of slavery. When individuals mourn over the death of those innocent unborn child, it leads to the pro-life movement, saving millions of children, thus pricking the conscience of the society. When we mourn over the lack of integrity, the greediness so evident in our society, it will lead us into actions that will bring more integrity and righteousness into our world.
You see, when we mourn over personal sins and sins in the world, God will use us to bring about change. Beginning with individuals’ mourning, God used them to abolish slavery and child labor. This is how mourners are comforted.
Brothers and sisters, what are we mourning? Do we feel sad over the things that break our Lord’s heart? Do we mourn over the sins within and without us? Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Conclusion:
What is true happiness? According to the society’s worldview, a blessed person is one who is full of self confidence. If you don’t feel confident, learn how to project an image of confidence, that you are in control. A blessed person is one who is always happy because he has all his needs being met. A blessed person is one who is prosperous, wealthy and healthy.
However,
the