1. Surprised by Joy In Coming to God (Matthew 5:3-5)

2. “Blessed” means “happy” or “joyous” (Psalm 1:1-3) Surprised by joy in coming to God Surprised by joy in walking with God Surprised by joy in taking God back to our troubled life

3. I. Surprised by Joy in Brokenness: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Only broken men are made whole by God Luke 18:9-14 “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Ezra 9:6-7 Ps 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit…” Ps 32:1-5

4. Break my Heart (By Clint Rhodes) Break my heart, dear Lord, tear the barriers down, Show me with, convicting tears, the glory of Your crown. (Chorus – ladies echo) My heart is hard, my soul so weak. The ways of evil cut so deep I need you, Lord to come inside And gently break my heart. My sin is great, but I can see, the glory set for me. Show me Father, where to start, and gently break my heart.

5. II. Surprised by Joy in Repentance “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” The expression of emotion can bring comfort. We hurt when we suppress or repress emotion. Jewish proverb: What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.” In repentance (mourning) we move from knowing about our sin (“the head”) to feeling remorse (“the heart”).

6. III. Surprised by Joy in Humble Submission: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Meekness is not weakness, but “strength under control” Moses (Numbers 12:3 & Ex 3-4) Jesus (Mt 21:5 & 26:39) “not my will, but thy will be done” When we humbly submit to God, we “inherit the earth” Mt 16:25 “Whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

7. Surprised by Joy in Coming to God We admit our brokenness We repent and mourn our sin in our hearts We humbly submit our will to God It’s not all about me; It’s all about Thee!