Mourning Series

“Mourning”

The Words of Jesus – The Beatitudes

FCC – October 14, 2007

Text: Matthew 5: 4

Introduction: Today we are continuing a new sermon series on The Beatitudes. This was the first recorded sermon of Jesus and He taught about attitudes for the Kingdom. Jesus took His followers up a mountain and taught them how they were to differ as disciples from the rest of the world. The Message referred to Jesus’ disciples as His ‘climbing companions’ (Matthew 5: 1-2). So during this time, we are going to challenge each of us to become climbing companions of Jesus as we journey up the mountain of God.

At the beginning of each of the Beatitudes we have the word ‘blessed.’ The climbing companion of Jesus who displays the Kingdom attitude is ‘blessed.’ We’ve already have explored the meaning of ‘blessed.’ It means more than just circumstantial happiness or that I will get want I want. No. It means that if I follow God I will be deep down fully satisfied. We also talked about how it was often translated, ‘O the contentment of…”

Last week we looked at the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is the first step to enter and live in the Kingdom. We have to realize that we aren’t God and to empty ourselves of pride and personal independence, to find the kingdom of God. The first step is to recognize our need.

The next step up the mountain of God is found in Matthew 5:4 (NIV) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Jesus summarized His ministry by quoting from Isaiah 61:

Isaiah 61:1 (NIV) The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

Celebrate Recovery is a 16 year old Christ-centered recovery program that was started out of Saddleback Community Church in California. It has grown and spread throughout the United States and in several countries. The program is based on 8 CR principles based on the 8 Beatitudes. In Cape there are 3 Celebrate Recovery chapters: at Lynwood BC, La Croix, and Bethany BC. It is the dream of local founder of CR to have a CR chapter every night of the week in our area. God has put it on the hearts of some in our church to start a CR chapter here at FCC. So these next few weeks, we will look at the Beatitudes and then a principle of recovery.

Celebrate Recovery principle #2: Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.

TESTIMONY - Before we look at this secondBeatitude, we have a testimony from Judy **** about his experience in CR.

This morning I would like to ask three questions of our 2nd Beatitude.

1. What attitude does Jesus want?” Mourning. What does the word ‘mourn’ me? It means to ‘beat the chest in grief.’ It is the sorrow which brings tears to the eyes. The word Jesus used apparently is the most strongest of the nine words for grief in Greek. It was used to mourn the dead.

In scripture there seems to be three kinds of mourning:

a. Normal or personal mourning – Life brings it’s share of pain and heartache and mourning…and the ability to cry is actually a gift from God to help us work through our deepest hurts. Crying, weeping, or mourning is a very, natural, normal and personal experience in life. If we don’t mourn the pain we hold in can actually poison our system.

David mourned over the loss of his son - 2 Samuel 18:33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you--O Absalom, my son, my son!"

Jesus wept over the death of His friend Lazarus and also wept over the spiritual condition of Jerusalem. Isaiah 53 says that He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Psalm 42:1-11 (NIV) For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. [2] My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? [3] My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long,"Where is your God?" [4] These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. [5] Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and [6] my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan,the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar. [7] Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. [8] By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me--a prayer to the God of my life. [9] I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" [10] My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?"[11] Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.