Sermon Central
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The Beauty Of Brokenness Series
Contributed by Russ Barksdale on Jul 22, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
The Beauty of Brokenness
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.
