Attitudes For Revival: Those Who Mourn Series

Intro

How do we posture ourselves to be used by God? What attitudes of heart invite the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives? We find answers to these questions in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus began that sermon in Matthew 5 with the Beatitudes. In the Beatitudes he shares eight attitudes of heart that characterize those living under God’s blessing.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”i To be poor in spirit is to live humbly in reliance on God. The opposite of that is to be self-righteous, self-promoting, and self-sufficient. After talking about his ministry in 2 Cor. 2, Paul asks the question: “And who is sufficient for these things?” (vs 16). The obvious answer is: No one in their own strength is sufficient to live for God or serve him in ministry.ii In 2 Cor. 3:5 Paul applies that answer to himself when he says, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. . . .”iii Our sufficiency is from God. That is what it means to be “poor in spirit.” We considered that attitude of heart last week.

This week we seek clarity on the next beatitude: “Blessed are those who mourn.” Our series is entitled: “Eight Attitudes for Revival” because we consider these eight beatitudes as the mindset conducive to participating in God’s kingdom activity. In Isa. 57:15 God connects attitude of heart with revival. “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” Do you want revival? Do you want to be revived? These eight attitudes are the key to participating in that.” Although the sovereignty of God is one side of revival, there is action you can take on your side of the matter. For example, 1 Peter 5:6 exhorts us: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” We are to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in cultivating these eight attitudes of heart.

So, how does God’s kingdom operate in contrast to the world’s attitudes and preferences? The answer is embedded in the Beatitudes. For context we will read Matthew 5:1-4. “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.’”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MOURN?

The Greek word, Pentheo, translated mourn, means to “experience sorrow, sadness, or grief.”iv Times of mourning are part of the Christian’s experience.v In 2 Cor. 4:8-11 Paul shared some of the sorrow encountered in his life. “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted,

but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed — 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” There is some mourning in this life for those who will follow Christ. We do not follow the Lord just to make life easy. We are not just using God for our own personal comfort and prosperity. We submit ourselves to the Lord Jesus because we love him and want our lives to count for his glory. But in the hard times, God comforts us so that we do not despair. We are strengthened by the Holy Spirit so that the trials and opposition are not overwhelming. Through it all we are made “more than conquerors” in Christ.vi

Revival is not a path of comfort and ease. The Assembly of God church in Brownsville, Florida asked for revival. In 1995 God gave them revival. For those people revival meant great opportunity to further the kingdom of God. It meant a level of anointing they had never experienced before. It meant the refreshing and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. But let me tell you what it also meant. It meant church services every night. It meant accommodating the needs of thousands who came to experience the glory of God. It meant showing up early to make sure everything was prepared for the guests. It meant cleaning the bathrooms and vacuuming the sanctuary. It meant the congregation would work their fingers to the bone. Was it worth it? Absolutely! Was it a whole lot of hard work? Yes, it was! Did some people persecute them as they represented Christ? Yes, they did. If you want revival so that you can feel good and take it easy, you have a very naïve understanding of what revival is. Our text today is Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”