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.”
Consider with me: FOUR REASONS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST MOURN.
(1) THEY MOURN BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN SIN.
Our life in God begins with grieving over our offenses against God. The Holy Spirit makes us aware of the seriousness of those offenses.vii Without that conviction, the world justifies their self-centered, ungodly lifestyle. They push the very thought of God out of their minds so that they can pursue their own pleasure without disturbance.viii They want nothing to do with mourning over sin. Their pursuit in life is not the glory of God; it is their own promotion and comfort. They do not want the straight, narrow path that leads eternal life. They want a broad way that lets them do whatever they want to do without the restrictions of God’s commandments.ix “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12 NIV). Mourning over personal sin is necessary to even enter the kingdom of God.
But even as believers we mourn over our unfaithfulness to the Lord. After Peter denied the Lord, he went out and wept bitterly.x Psalm 51 records David’s sorrow over his personal sin. This “man after God’s own heart” is asking God to “blot out” his transgressions; asking God to create in him” a clean heart”; asking God to renew a right spirit within him. If you want to know what it’s like mourn over sin, read Psalm 51 and feel the grief that David expresses over his sin. He is sorry for the impact his sin on other people. Many were affected by David’s sin with Bathsheba. But David’s primary repentance is over his violation toward the Lord himself. “For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight. . . .” (Ps. 51:3-4). You never see King Saul saddened like this for his disobedience to God.xi Judas had remorse about the way his actions turned out, but he did not mourn over his sin as a violation against God.
James called sinning Christians from a state of levity to a mourning over their sin. In James 4:8-9 he wrote, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.” There is a time for joy and festivity, but it is after we repent, not before. Revival typically begins with contrite mourning over personal sin and repentance toward God. First of all, followers of Christ mourn over their own sin.
(2) THEY MOURN BECAUSE OF THE SINS OF OTHERS.
Jesus wept over Israel’s rejection of their Messiah. His heart was filled with sorrow over their sins. His lamentation is recorded In Matt. 23:37. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!”
Have ever brought the Good News of Christ to someone, and felt God’s sorrow over their rejection of the message? Have you ever reasoned with a backslider who refused to repent and felt such sorrow over that decision? “Blessed are those who mourn.” You are sharing in God’s sadness over the choices made.xii When loved ones turn from God and go their own way, our hearts break over the consequences of their bad choices. Isaiah diligently called Israel to repentance, but they refused the call. When the consequences of those choices fell on them, Isaiah’s response was to mourn for them. Isa. 22:4: “Therefore I said, ‘Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me Because of the plundering of the daughter of my people.’” While others partied, Isaiah mourned. The followers of Christ mourn over their own sins, but they also mourn over the sins of others.
(3) THEY MOURN BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN PAIN.
Becoming a Christian does not exempt us from the human experience. We live in a fallen world. Our mortal bodies age. Earthquakes and tornadoes can impact Christians as well as non-Christians. Paul wrote in Romans 8:18-25:
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
We enjoy the earnest of our salvation now.xiii There are times when God supernaturally heals our bodies. There are times when he answers prayer and miraculously delivers us from negative circumstances. But there are other times when he uses the trials to develop our faith.xiv Peter wrote to Christians who were enduring such trials and said, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7 KJV). The suffering not in vain. It will be rewarded at the coming of Christ. But in the meantime, there is some mourning to be endured.
While sharing the hardships he endured in ministry, Paul said in 2 Cor. 4:16-18:
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Paul considered his hardships only “light afflictions” compared to the glory that awaits us at the coming of Christ.xv God is working through your trials to refine you; to mold you in the image of Christ. None of it is happening by chance. Your heavenly Father is ordering your experiences for your eternal good. Romans 8:28 tells us he is working all things together for our good. The next verse tells us that ultimate good is that we be “conformed to the image of Christ.”
The wise person always considers the end of a matter. Where is it all going? Solomon compared mourning accompanied with sober thoughts about the true meaning of life with light-hearted festivity. In Eccl. 7:2-3 he wrote, “Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.”
It is in the hard times that we come to terms with the real purpose of life. The world entertains us and leads our minds to frivolous things. The word of God awakens us to the real issues of life. Sometimes those issues can be very sobering. It’s not that we don’t have any fun in life. But we take seriously God’s purpose for our being here. We take seriously the end of the matter. We seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness because we have considered the end of the matter.
A Christian’s sorrow often come as a result of persecution. “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Jesus warned,
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. . . .” (John 15:18-20).
In Luke’s Beatitudes there is a clear contrast between the fun times of world versus the mourning experienced by believers. Luke 6:21 says, “Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.” Then in verse 25 a woe is pronounced on the ungodly: “Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.”
The persecution the world asserts against believers produces some mourning in our lives. But “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Jesus deals specifically with persecution in the 8th beatitude. So, later we will deal with that more fully. So, the followers of Christ mourn partially because of their own pain.
(4) THEY MOURN BECAUSE OF THE PAIN IN OTHERS.
When Jesus saw the multitudes, Matt. 9:36 says he “was moved with compassion for them.” He felt their need and began relieving their pain. He healed their afflictions. In another place, he fed them because they were hungry.xvi Some of the mourning we experience comes out of empathy toward those who are hurting. It motivates us to act on behalf of Christ to help them. Romans 12:15 tells us to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Sometimes we weep, not because of our own pain, but because of the pain others are experiencing. With an empathetic heart, we can intercede effectively. With an empathetic heart, we are willing to inconvenience ourselves for the sake of others.
IN SUMMARY: We have considered four reasons Christians mourn.
(1) Their life in Christ begins with mourning over their own sin. And when they fail they mourn over that failure.
(2) They also mourn over the sins of others and the consequences of those sins.
(3) In this life, Christians experience pain and suffering, and that is another cause of mourning. Persecution from the world is a major source of sorrow when we operate in revival. Revival intensifies the conflict between good and evil. Not so much because Satan becomes more sinister, but because we are assaulting his strongholds. We are delivering his captives. In biblical times, the gates of a city represented the defense of that city against attack. When God’s people enter into revival, they assault the gates of hell. They go into the world and deliver the oppressed. And that intensifies the battle between good and evil. Revival begins with a refreshing of God’s people, but if it ends there it has not accomplished its purpose. The purpose of revival is to empower us to fulfill the Great Commission. And that always involves assaulting the gates of hell. But Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against or stand up against his church.xvii Hell is assaulted, and hell is plundered during revival. We mourn over the personal pain we experience in those battles.
(4) Lastly, we feel compassion for the lost. That motivates you to reach out to them in love. We empathize with fellow believers who are suffering. We weep with those who weep. There is some mourning in all that as well. Nevertheless, “Blessed are those who mourn.”
WHY ARE THOSE WHO MOURN BLESSED?
It is because “They shall be comforted.” They shall be comforted by God himself.
There is coming a day when God will settle all accounts. Every burden carried in his name will be rewarded. Even a cup of water given in the name of the Lord will not lose its reward.xviii “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17).
“It will be worth it all when we see Jesus
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ
One glimpse of his dear face All sorrow will erase.
So bravely run the race till we see Christ”xix
Therefore, we do not lose heart. We would rather go to the house of mourning if our journey requires it, than to live a selfish, fun-loving life of vanity. “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”
They will be comforted in heaven forever. Rev. 21:1: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away . . .” (NIV). John’s description continues in verse 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” (NIV). “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted,” in heaven.
But some of that comfort happens in this life. Our God is the God of all comfort now. Building on Jesus’s second beatitude, Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 1:3-7,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. [Notice , the cycle of trouble and comfort in the believer’s life equips us for ministry. By enduring tribulation ourselves; then receiving comfort from God, we learn how to minister comfort to others.] 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. [In proportion to the consolation needed, God supplies the comfort.] 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.”
Even in this life, “as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.” Those who mourn are blessed because they receive consolation from the Lord himself. “Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy. 6 He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps.126:5-6). It’s not all mourning, and it’s not all rejoicing. God orders our experiences to produce the very best end result for us. We do not put on a somber face and keep it there; nor do we put on a fake happy face so people will think Christianity is always fun and easy. Instead, we live an authentic life in Christ, rejoicing at times and mourning at times.xx
We do not present Christ as the way into a trouble-free life. We present the Gospel as the pathway to eternal life, as the avenue of a meaningful life, as the opportunity to know God and experience his love in a personal way. I hope you have received Christ on those terms. If you have not received him, I hope you will. “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Cf. John 15:5.
iii Cf. 1 Cor. 15:10.
iv “Pentheo,” Louw-Nida Greek Lexicon.
v Eccl. 3:4 says, “A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance.”
vi Cf. Rom. 8:37.
vii Cf. John 16:8-11.
viii Cf. Rom. 1:18-32.
ix Cf. Matt. 7:13.
x Matt. 26:75.
xi Cf. 1 Sam. 15.
xii For an example of God’s grief study Genesis 6:6.
xiii Cf. Eph. 1:14. As theologians have pointed out, there is a “now and not yet” dynamic in the Christians current experience.
xiv Heb. 11:36 begins this contrast with the words, “And others.”
xv Cf. 2 Cor. 5:10.
xvi Cf. Matt. 15:32.
xvii Matt. 16:18.
xviii Cf. Mark 9:41.
xix Esther Kerr Rusthoi, “When We See Christ” in The New Church Hymnal, Lexicon Music, Inc., Ralph Carmichael, Pres., 481.
xx We see the balance of festive rejoicing and lamentation in the Psalms. The experiences of life call for grieving at times but also call for times of celebration. To present a false somberness or a false happiness misses the authenticity people need to see in our walk with God. Sometimes people need to see the God of all comfort sustaining us during a loss. They also need to see the joy we can experience through his provision. He is the God of all seasons (Eccl. 3:4; Rom. 12:15).
