9200 NE Fremont Street Portland, OR

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1 REAL LIFE A LIFE COMFORTED BY GOD PART 2 IN AN 8-PART SERIES BY PASTOR MARC ESTES EXECUTIVE CAMPUS PASTOR, CITY BIBLE CHURCH 9200 NE Fremont Street Portland, OR

2 A LIFE COMFORTED BY GOD Matthew 5:3-10, NLT: God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. I. INTRODUCTION A. REVIEW GOAL OF SERIES 1. We are all on a life journey - we are all on a quest, placed here on planet earth. We are given a certain amount of time, resources, and experiences to make something out of this gift called life. (Life is a series of snapshots that define us.) 2. Question: Who have you become? Are you happy with the real you? Do you feel that you are experiencing the life that God has for you? Do you understand what Jesus means by Real life? 3. Jesus teaches on REAL LIFE. During this series we are focused on the teaching of Jesus known as the Beatitudes. This is a portion of teaching taken from the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus talks about real life. These are deep truths, riveting principles, challenging values, and contrary to the culture in which we live. 4. REAL LIFE foundations: Jesus says eight times, God blesses those who a. God: He is the source of all things. Blessings originate and are dispensed through God. b. Blesses: Defined as divine joy, perfect happiness, inner satisfaction, and total sufficiency. c. Those: There are conditions of being in the Real Life Club. Not all will experience blessings. d. Who: Those who live a certain way based upon these eight beatitudes 5. Series theme: Giving up our entire life so that we can receive His real life Real Life: A Life Comforted by God 2014 City Bible Church 2

3 B. MESSAGE INTRODUCTION 1. Last week we looked at the first beatitude, God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. We discussed the importance of living a life dependent on God. 2. Today, we will look at the second beatitude: God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) 3. Jesus once again teaches a deeply challenging, heart-wrenching REAL LIFE principle - one that cuts cross-grain to their mindset. At first, it appears as if He is sharing that God is there to comfort those who are going through unfortunate life experiences. Yet He spins the minds of His listeners to a much deeper thought, one that caused them to deeply ponder His teaching. 4. BIG IDEA: REAL LIFE is found by those whose hearts are broken from the sinful behavior of humanity. From this sorrow, they will find the joy of God. 5. The crowd must have thought, This seems like an oxymoron. Happy are those who are sorrowful? When I am broken I am joyful? When I am heavy I am happy? When I mourn I am blessed? Jesus, help us understand You! II. REAL MOURNING DEFINED A. MOURNING DEFINITION 1. Greek definition: To lament, to show grief, to be shameful, to week; to be broken 2. Webster s definition: To feel or show great sadness. 3. Our definition: The revelation that our sins break the heart of a loving, holy God. 4. Illustration: True Sorrow - Sorry, but unwilling to pay the price: A young boy lived in the country. His family had to use an outhouse, which the young boy hated. It was hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and always smelly. The outhouse was located near the creek so the boy decided that he would push it into the water. After a spring rain, the creek swelled so the boy pushed it in. Later that night his dad told him that they needed to make a trip to the woodshed for a punishment. He asked his father why to which his dad replied, Because someone pushed the outhouse into the creek and I think that someone was you. Was it? The boy responded that it was. Then the boy added, Remember when George Washington's father asked him if he had chopped down the cherry tree? He didn't get into trouble because he told the truth. That is correct, the dad said, but his father was not in the cherry tree when he cut it down. Real Life: A Life Comforted by God 2014 City Bible Church 3

4 B. BIBLICAL VIEW OF REAL MOURNING 1. The entirety of humanity possesses a sin nature. Since the time of Adam, we are all born into this world with a propensity to sin. It is not what we do, it is a part of who we are! a. Romans 3:9: For we already know that all people are under the power of sin. b. We do not have to teach a child to rebel and disobey. It is inherent to their nature. You might have given your child directions and they replied, I m sitting in my body, but I m still standing in my heart! 2. Our sin nature distorts our perspective of the REAL truth. Even if you have given your life to Christ, there is the battle we face to live for God. We are redeemed, but still at war. This is why Jesus even started with the first beatitude, Blessed are those who are poor and realize their need for Him. The Apostle Paul takes it further in Romans: Romans 7:14-23, MSG: I know that all God s commands are spiritual, but I m not. Isn t this also your experience? Yes. I m full of myself after all, I ve spent a long time in sin s prison. What I don t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God s command is necessary. But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can t do it. I decide to do good, but I don t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God s commands, but it s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 3. This beatitude on mourning will set us free to experience REAL LIFE. This is the entire point Jesus was trying to make! We are spiritually bankrupt without God. Our own sinful nature can separate us from God s favor and blessings. He isn t trying to punish us, but to only remove the very things from our lives that will eventually destroy us and rob us of REAL LIFE! It is as if he is the parent keeping His children from running across the street. He sees the car about to drive down but the kids cannot see it. They are mad and sad they do not get their way, but little do they know that they are being protected from something that will destroy them. 4. Jesus wants us to mourn for others as well as for ourselves. Although the primary part of this teaching was to the individual, He also wanted them to share His burden for the world. Jesus could see the brokenness of humanity. He knew that the burden to reach the world would be passed on to His followers. He wanted them not to be conformed to Real Life: A Life Comforted by God 2014 City Bible Church 4

5 this world, but transformed by the truth and partner with Him to reach the world in need of Him. a. Our world is broken, hurting, and wounded. There are shattered lives, lost dreams, and hopeless situations! b. Luke 19:41-44: And when he [Jesus] drew near and saw the city, he wept over it. c. Psalm 119:136: My eyes shed streams of tears, because men do not keep your law. III. REAL MOURNING PROMISES - REAL LIFE There are some true blessings to mourning. Jesus knew that REAL LIFE would come to those who embrace this beatitude. Here are a few promises you will receive when you experience real mourning. A. REAL MOURNING PROMISES ETERNAL LIFE 1. A relationship with Jesus begins with mourning first over the recognition of the sins you have committed that have broken the heart of God and sent Christ to die in your place. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army: In case someone forgot to mention it when they explained what it meant to be a Christian, let me be clear: There is no forgiveness without repentance. There is no salvation without surrender. There is no life without death. There is no believing without committing. 2. Thousands of people today acknowledge that they need Jesus, but have they ever truly mourned over the depravity of their sinful behavior? Here are a few who did: a. The broken prostitute Luke 7:37-38, MSG: Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. b. The shameful tax collector Luke 18:13, NLT: But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner. c. The repentant multitudes Acts 2:36-37, NIV: Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah. When they heard this they were cut to the heart. Real Life: A Life Comforted by God 2014 City Bible Church 5

6 d. The regretful prodigal son Luke 1:17-19, NLT: When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. A Sunday school teacher was telling the story about the prodigal son in hopes that the class would see that he was very sorry and asked, Was anyone sorry that the prodigal son returned? Mikey raised his hand quickly and shouted, The fatted calf was! 3. That is what the Cross does for us. As we look at the Cross, we are bound to say, That is what my sin did. My sin took the loveliest life in the entire world and smashed it on a Cross. 4. One of the greatest purposes of the Cross is to open our eyes to the horror of our sin. And when we see sin in all its horror, it will produce an intense mourning for our mistakes. B. REAL MOURNING PROMISES CONTINUAL GRACE 1. Once we become believers, we still have much to mourn over. The sins we still commit both of omission and commission should produce a sense of daily grief, if our conscience is to remain tender. We are not to beat ourselves up, but be forever grateful for His continual grace. 2. Only when we are truly sorrowful for our spiritual bankruptcy can the grace of God be introduced into the picture. It is through God s grace that we are blessed, experience great joy and the comfort of the forgiveness he offers. a. Matthew 11:28: Come unto Me all that weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. b. Psalm 51:17: The broken and the contrite heart God will never despise. c. The way to the joy of forgiveness is through the desperate sorrow of the broken heart. C. REAL MOURNING PROMISES A DEEPER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD 1. Those who live holy lives live closer to God He loves us all the same and is no respecter of persons, yet those who mourn, desire to spend more time with him, resulting in a deeper relationship. IF we draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to us. a. Genesis 5:23-24: Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. b. Isaiah 66:2, MSG: [God says] But there is something I m looking for; a person simple and plain reverently responsive to what I say. Real Life: A Life Comforted by God 2014 City Bible Church 6

7 2. The fact is that the closer we live to God, the more we will mourn overall that we dishonor Him. This results in more favor and blessing in our lives as we mature in our relationship with God. Hebrews 12:11, MSG: But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God s holy best. At the time, discipline isn t much fun Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. D. REAL MOURNING PROMISES WE WILL SEE LIKE JESUS 1. It is simply impossible to see the world as Jesus does with our sinful behaviors in the way. The more focused we become on ourselves, the less focused we are on what matters most to Jesus. 2. The beatitudes are driving us to recognize that there is a greater purpose to our lives than what we are experiencing at present. He has a purpose and plan for each of us. It is huge! Unimaginable! He has placed us here to live for Him by sharing with the world the REAL LIFE that awaits them. E. REAL MOURNING PROMISES JESUS WILL BE SEEN IN US 1. Real mourning produces godly living, which bring fresh power to His Church. 2. What the world needs to see is a triumphant church without spot or wrinkle. A church that is different in their behavior and beliefs. A church that stands for truth. A church that won t compromise. A church that is bold and preaches the Good News and serves the poor, the widow, and the orphan. The local church - with Jesus as the head - is the hope of the world! Ephesians 5:26-27: [Jesus came] to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 3. We are committed to building this kind of church. A transformational church. A cityimpacting church. A gospel-centered church. A disciple-making church. A communityrelational church. A relentless-serving church. An exuberant-giving church. This is the church that God has in mind. F. REAL MOURNING PROMISES A LIFE OF JOY 1. The final comfort we are promised from our mourning is when we leave this world is that are sins, pain, sorrows and regret are gone forever! Revelation 21:4: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. 2. This truly will be the greatest blessing of all; and it will be for eternity. Our temporary challenges will be erased by the magnificent eternal glory that awaits us all... FOR THEY WILL BE COMFORTED! Real Life: A Life Comforted by God 2014 City Bible Church 7

8 IV. CONCLUSION As we close today, let s be honest with ourselves. Are there things in our lives that we know are displeasing to God and break His heart? Do we need to repent and allow our hearts to be broken so that we can be free and experience the REAL LIFE God has for us? OTHER SCRIPTURES Luke 19:41-44: And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation. Genesis 43:30-31: Then Joseph hurried from the room because he was overcome with emotion for his brother. He went into his private room, where he broke down and wept. After washing his face, he came back out, keeping himself under control. Then he ordered, Bring out the food! Ps. 119:136: My eyes shed streams of tears, because men do not keep thy law. Psalm 40:1-3: I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 13:5-6: But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me. Psalm 32:3-11: When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, I will confess my rebellion to the Lord. And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control. Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure! Real Life: A Life Comforted by God 2014 City Bible Church 8

9 Psalm 16:8-9: He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 And so I walk in the Lord s presence as I live here on earth! Isaiah 30:19: He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries. Isaiah 38:16: Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! Jeremiah 31:9: Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. Jeremiah 31:17: There is hope for your future, says the Lord. Luke 7:38: Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. 2 Corinthians 7:8-10: I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Isaiah 63:9: In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years. Real Life: A Life Comforted by God 2014 City Bible Church 9