The Beauty of Brokenness
Matthew 5:4
The Sermon on the Mount: a new way of viewing how one has a right relationship with God
blessed (makarious): supremely happy.
Secret #2: Brokenness brings healing.
So what secret keeps us from being genuinely broken? Fear of consequences
When we actually take the secret out of the closet and deal with it, at least three responses are possible:
1. Shame at being discovered.
2. Remorse for the consequence
3. Brokenness for the reason
The promise for those who genuinely mourn for their sin: Comfort. Healing. Hope.
Off website: “I live a highly functional life but struggle daily with marital problems, issues with my children, alcohol abuse, and misuse of prescription meds. The field I work in is punitive of seeking help with addiction. I feel trapped in a cycle of earning a living, raising a family, and self reliance. The demands on me are high and my support system is minimal. I was raised in a Christian family, but lack a close relationship with my parents. My issues are complex and I know God is sovereign, but can't seem to get ahold of life abundant. My biggest prayer is hat my children do not have to suffer the depression, fear, and rejection that I have experienced. I hope that their lives will be more fulfilling than mine.”
“I divorced after a bad marriage. I am away from that toxic situation but I long to find love again. Raising my son keeps me busy. But I miss being wanted by another woman. But am I really good enough to be with another woman. What’s wrong with me? Do I not deserve to be loved? Do I not deserve to have a special someone in my life? I have dated a lot but I just can’t get rid of that secret in my heart that I am not good enough for anyone.”
“Everyday I wish I was invisible. These things corroded my marriage & he left me after many years together. How can something that is joined as one be broken and still be whole? Everyday is a struggle to carry on with life but I do for my children. They are my ONLY reason. Sometimes I wished my mother would have aborted me. I feel labeled & just wished no one could see me at all. I feel branded, as trash. Everytime I hear about marriage, see men proudly wearing a wedding ring, hear of another's happy marriage I want to crawl under a rock & die. I am happy for everyone but I am so broken inside. Why would God or anyone want trash like me anyways?”
Did you hear the desperation, the pain, the hopelessness? Remember this: sin kills. It kills relationships. It kills hope. It kills peace. It kills joy.
What are your secrets? The thing is: everyone has them. The secret about secrets is when we hide them, we deny them. And when we deny them, we deny ourselves the light and life that brings us freedom.
Turn to Matthew 5:4 This morning we continue this series entitled ‘Secrets.’ It’s taken from the Beatitudes, which is the first part of the greatest sermon ever preached, The Sermon on the Mount.
In this sermon, Jesus lays out the keys to kingdom living, to freedom living, to supreme happiness. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: A NEW WAY OF VIEWING HOW ONE HAS A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. To live the life Jesus is talking about here is absolutely opposite of the way the world lives. Do you want to know how to live life rightly? To live in a way that brings pleasure to God and to you? Then look at what the world is pursuing to make them happy, and go just the opposite direction!
When you read Jesus’ words closely and think about what He is saying, you go: ‘huh?’. The poor in spirit are blessed? Those who mourn are blessed? What the heck?
Remember, the word BLESSED (MAKARIOUS): SUPREMELY HAPPY. A word of clarification. There is a distinction between being happy the way the world defines it and being supremely happy that Jesus speaks of.
SUPREME HAPPINESS: (BUILD SLIDE)
NOT TEMPORARY, BUT A STATE OF BEING
NOT FAVORABLE CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT THE FAVOR OF GOD
NOT AN EMOTION, BUT A SENSE OF BEING BLESSED BY GOD
This blessedness that Jesus speaks of is available to anyone who is His follower. If you are a follower of Christ, and you can’t honestly say you are supremely happy, then you there are some secrets you MUST, you MUST discover.
The 1st secret covered last week is: Poverty is beautiful. Jesus said, “The poor in spirit are blessed.” What that means is: GOD, I AIN’T GOT NOTHIN’ “When it comes to being in right relationship with you, God; when it comes to living a life of supreme happiness: GOD—I CAN’T. That’s the starting line for this kind of life. You can’t start at square 2; you’ve got to begin at square 1. None of the other secrets can be discovered if you don’t discover this secret.
Once you discover the beauty of poverty, then there is another secret you must discover. SECRET #2: BROKENNESS BRINGS HEALING. Think with me about what our culture says brings healing. Our culture says therapy brings healing. “MY THERAPIST TOLD ME THE WAY TO ACHIEVE TRUE INNER PEACE IS TO FINISH WHAT I START. SO FAR TODAY, I HAVE FINISHED 2 BAGS OF M&M'S AND A CHOCOLATE CAKE. I FEEL BETTER ALREADY.
~ DAVE BARRY ~ “A PSYCHIATRIST ASKS A LOT OF EXPENSIVE QUESTIONS THAT YOUR WIFE ASKS FOR NOTHING.” ~ JOEY ADAMS ~ “AFTER A YEAR IN THERAPY MY PSYCHIATRIST SAID TO ME, "MAYBE LIFE ISN'T FOR EVERYONE."~ LARRY BROWN ~ “I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH PARANOIA SO I WENT TO A THERAPIST. I QUIT BECAUSE MY THERAPIST WAS TRYING TO HELP ME BEHIND MY BACK.”~ RICHARD LEWIS ~ Our culture says if you just get the right information, you’ll find healing. Just go to B&N and check out the self-help section: (BOOK COVER) EXTRAORDINARY HEALING: TRANSFORMING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS, YOUR ENERGY SYSTEM, AND YOUR LIFE
“EXTRAORDINARY HEALING IS NOT ONLY A BOOK OF INNER SPIRITUAL WISDOM; IT'S ALSO A HANDBOOK OF TECHNIQUES COMBINING DEEP INNER HEALING WITH A SPECIAL FORM OF ENERGY THERAPY. YOU'LL FIND HEALING WISDOM, TRANSFORMATIONAL STORIES AND SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LIFE TRANSFORMATION, HYPNOTHERAPY, AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH BY READING THIS BOOK.”
And this one: (BOOK COVER) HE HAPPINESS PROJECT: OR, WHY I SPENT A YEAR TRYING TO SING IN THE MORNING, CLEAN MY CLOSETS, FIGHT RIGHT, READ ARISTOTLE, AND GENERALLY HAVE MORE FUN
This is my favorite title:(BOOK COVER) THE GREATEST BOOK OF ALL TIME: PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION EXPERIENCE TO ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING ON YOUR BUCKET LIST, CREATE YOUR LEGACY, & HAVE THE MOST FUN YOU'VE EVER HAD IN ANY YEAR OF YOUR LIFE
Our culture also says that time heals all wounds. Hogwash. Time by itself heals nothing. Some of the most hopeless, dysfunctional, bitter people I know were wounded decades ago.
What does Jesus say? “THOSE WHO MOURN ARE BLESSED, FOR THEY WILL BE COMFORTED.” MATTHEW 5:4 Underline that word comforted in your Bible. COMFORTED (ΠΑΡΑΚΑΛΕΩ; PARAKALEŌ): CALL TO ONE’S SIDE Many of you may recognize that in John’s gospel, the Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete. To be comforted carries with it the idea of strengthening; of encouraging; of healing.
Jesus says there is strength, there is encouragement, there is healing in something. What is it? Mourning. What happens when you mourn a loved one? I remember when my dad died suddenly. I was grieved to the middle of my being. I wept harder than I had ever wept. I was broken.
But Jesus isn’t talking about the mourning that occurs when you lose someone you love. He’s getting at something else. There is a secret He wants to reveal. What is it?
Remember what we discovered last week: these beatitudes build on one another. So the 1st beatitude sets up this 2nd one. What was the 1st one: If you’re poor in spirit, you find the keys to kingdom living. To be poor in spirit is to say, God, I ain’t got nothin’ It’s THE HONEST ADMISSION OF MY SINFUL CONDITION. And when I see myself for the wretched sinner I am, I mourn my sin. I see that my sin is what put Jesus on the cross. And brokenness occurs.
This is not a once in a lifetime occurrence. It should be the 1st step in salvation, but it’s not the last time you’ll ever have to make an honest admission of your sinful condition.
The great Apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in about 55 A.D. Toward the end he says that he was the last of the apostles. But he was still an apostle. About 5 years later he wrote Ephesians and in Eph. 3 he says, “I’m the least of the saints.” But he was still a saint. And then finally, just a year or two before he died he wrote in 1 Timothy, “I’m the chief of sinners.” Did Paul’s walk with Christ get worse? No—it’s just his view of his own sinfulness become clearer.
The great prophet Isaiah gives us insight into this when he came into the Temple and came into the presence of God. What did he say? “Woe to me for I am undone.” “WOE IS ME FOR I AM RUINED.” Isaiah 6:5 HCSB
When Jesus says, “Those who mourn are blessed,” he is saying until that brokenness comes, you’ll never get full healing and find supreme happiness.
SO WHAT SECRET KEEPS US FROM BEING GENUINELY BROKEN? (BUILD SLIDE) FEAR OF CONSEQUENCES
We don’t want to feel the pain, so we keep the secret in the closet. We don’t want to feel the shame, so we keep the secret in the closet. We don’t want a spouse or someone else to discover our secret so we keep it in the closet.
When we actually take the secret out of the closet and deal with it, at least three responses are possible:
1. SHAME AT BEING DISCOVERED.
It’s the idea that you did something so ugly or you are so ugly inside and out, that you need to cover up and hide in disgust.
God is not into shame. That’s Satan’s gig. God doesn’t want anyone to feel shame. Many of you suffer from a good deal of shame and it is the absolute wrong response to dealing with your secrets. As I read the website and the secrets shared there, the response I saw more than anything was shame. It’s an awful lie.
2. REMORSE FOR THE CONSEQUENCE
When I was a kid, I ate some candy bars my parents had stashed away. They were so good. And then I got caught. Justice was quick and painful. Was I remorseful? You bet. I was remorseful I got caught!
Sometimes our remorse is nothing more than being sorry we got caught. We’re sorry about the consequence, but not so sorry about the reason.
3. BROKENNESS FOR THE REASON
When David was confronted by Nathan the prophet about his sinful relationship with Bathsheba, what did he do? He wrote PSALM 51: “HAVE MERCY ON ME, O GOD . . . WASH AWAY MY GUILT AND CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN.” This is a mourning that bemoans our sin and it’s impact on our relationship with God.
And what was THE PROMISE FOR THOSE WHO GENUINELY MOURN FOR THEIR SIN: COMFORT. HEALING. HOPE. Why? Because it’s in this genuine repentance that the mercy and grace of God becomes yours in abundance.
Then you become the beneficiary of promises like: “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ.”
Would you bow your heads with me? (DAVID & ERIC, ET AL COME OUT)
What secrets are you hiding? What secrets do you need to take out of the closet and lay before the Lord? Are you responding in shame? Are you responding in remorse for the consequences? Or are you willing to be broken to the middle of your being for violating your relationship with God? As ? sings, you might want to come and just lay it down on the altar.
“NOT GUILTY ANY MORE” BY AARON KEYES
(During offering, play Beth’s video)
