Matthew 5:4-5 It Hurts to Change January 29, 2006
I remember the day my son Charlie was born. He emerged into the world with a hearty loud full cry. It was a good thing to hear. In years past, mothers watched for good strong crying in their infants to know that they were thriving in the first months of life. Crying, for babies, is a sign of health and evidence that they are alive. However, as we grow into adulthood, we come to despise our tears. We seek to avoid sorrow and mourning. But William Ward, the great nineteenth century missionary to India wrote, “We should be thankful for our tears: They prepare us for a clearer vision of God.”
Today, we are continuing our series on the beatitudes. Last week, we examined Jesus’ statement—Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God. We talked about our need to know ourselves. To know that we are spiritually poor, bankrupt, in the poverty of our sin. And that knowledge of who I am as a broken person is the wisdom I need to set me free. Today, I want to see how Jesus continues this same line of thought with his next two statements: Happy are those who mourn….Happy are the meek. Here is my big point for today: When I know who I am as a person who is spiritually poor, then I will begin to be in sorrow about my sin and I will humbly, meekly desire to bring my life under God’s control. And that is the next step on the journey to lifetime and eternal joy.
As Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God and kingdom living, it does not take long for us to realize that this is an upside down kingdom. It is a Kingdom where the first will be last and the servants will become the greatest. Let’s face it. In our world, in our nation, in our culture, we believe that it is best to avoid all sorrow, all weeping, all bad feelings. Feeling good all the time is the way to happiness. And we know for certain that the people who get ahead in life are those who are tough, aggressive, and pushy. What is Jesus talking about when he says, “Happy are those who mourn’ and “Happy are the meek?” Jesus is talking about Kingdom living.
Who are those who mourn? First, Jesus is not speaking here of a state of depression where we can find no comfort. Jesus promises us comfort. Jesus wants us to seek help if we are in a state of depression. Secondly, Jesus is not speaking of those who are in sorrow on account of some worldly trouble or disappointment. This is not weeping over the loss of a boy friend, a job, or my money. God does comfort us in our times of worldly loss when we go to Him in prayer, but Jesus here is speaking on a much deeper level. He has just told us—Happy are those who know themselves to be spiritually poor, lost, in sin. Our need now is spiritually to mourn. When you and I fully come to realize our spiritually bankruptcy, then we will mourn. We will feel regret at the lost years of our life. We will sorrow over what we have done and what we have left undone.
Many years ago a young Midwestern lawyer looked at his life and saw he had failed in most everything. He went into mourning. He questioned whether his life was worth living. His friends thought it best to keep all knives and razors out of his reach. During this time he wrote, "I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully fear I shall not." But through his sorrow, Abraham Lincoln received the encouragement he needed, and went on to the achievements of his life.
Listen carefully. The whole direction of this sermon series is about changing my life and moving toward happiness. But real change for a new future never comes without some deep sense of regret about my past. If you have some area you want to change, if you have some habit you wish to conquer, if you have some sin you want to put behind, you need to come to a place of sorrow. As long as I am comfortable or even half way comfortable about whom I am, how I live, what I do in my day to day life, then I will never change. Oh, I may not like the way I am completely, but I have grown use to it, okay with it, fairly comfortable with it. But when it hurts enough, when I finally find myself in sorrow, in regret, in mourning, then I will be ready to change. I will be prepared to submit myself meekly to God.
Jesus speaks here of meekness, but there is much confusion over the meaning of the word. The devotional guide “Thy Daily Bread” reported that Mr. J. Upton Dickson was writing a book entitled Cower Power. He is the founder of the organization called DOORMATS. That stands for "Dependent Organization Of Really Meek And Timid Souls" Their motto was: "The meek shall inherit the earth -- if that's okay with everybody."
So often, we confuse the word meek with the word weak. It seems in our world that those who get ahead are the pushy, the proud, and the aggressive. So who are the meek and how will they inherit the earth?
Meekness in the Bible carries the meaning of one who has himself under control. Moses was a strong man. He fought and defeated several men at once to defend some women at a well. He faced down Pharaoh to set the people free. He led a vast nation of people across a wilderness to a new land. Moses was not a weak man. But the Bible says in Numbers 12:3 that Moses was the meekest of men. Meekness is strength under control. Meekness is balance between the extremes. Meekness is calm in the storm. Meekness is patience. Meekness is not apathy. Meekness is not a person who does not care or who is without emotion. The meek can have great zeal and passion and fire but these have all come under control. And here is the clincher. The meek are not under self-control but under God’s control. Moses was a strong man, but when he lived his life by himself, he just messed up time after time. When Moses meekly submitted his strength to God, then Moses became a great man.
Jesus tells us—Happy are those who know themselves to be spiritually poor. Happy are those who mourn over their messed up condition. And now, happy are those who humbly, meekly place themselves under the control of God. Some of us have realized our poor condition. Some of us feel sorrow over that condition. But some of us are still keeping our lives in our own hands for a self help project, fix it myself, I can do it attitude. In fact, the world tells us to have that “can do” attitude. But the meek are those who have turned it all over to God. The meek are those who have submitted to God’s control. And they will inherit the earth. They will get it all. All the joy, all the happiness, all the blessings will come to them.
Do you want to be happy in life? You are going to have to take a hard look at your life. It is going to hurt. And then you are going to give yourself over to God. For some of you who have never really come to God, you may need to follow this process looking at your whole life. It will hurt much. It will be a lot to submit to God. But the gift will be great joy. For some of you, you have long ago decided to follow Jesus. So much of your life is better, changed, blessed. But you still have that life area, that habit, that anger, that shortcoming. Look and know yourself. It will hurt to really look. But that will be your healing. When it hurts enough to make you cry—to mourn—then you will be ready to submit it to God. You will be ready for change. Oh, we hate to look so hard at ourselves. It just hurts so much. Who needs that? But Jesus says this is the way to joy. Look at yourself. Mourn. Submit to God’s control. And you will find comfort. You will inherit everything. The full complete joyous gift of God. Amen.