Title: The Beatitudes (Part 2 - Blessed Are Those Who Mourn)
Text: Matt 5:1-12 (Key Verse 4)
Pray!!!
Read Text!!!
Introduction:
- We live in a fallen world, where there is a lot of pain and suffering around us.
- None of us escapes the pains of life that come upon us. There are times when all of us Mourn.
- To mourn means to grieve or to feel sorrow.
- But when we look at the passage more closely, it kind of implies that not all people mourn.
- The question is does everyone mourn in this world?
- I like this story I found that answers this question.
Alexander Sanders, Jr., the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, gave the commencement address at the University of South Carolina several years ago. His daughter, Zoe, was a member of that class.
Sanders told a story about his daughter. He said that when Zoe was 3, he came home to find the household in a crisis. Zoe’s pet turtle had died and she was crying as if her heart would break. Zoe’s mother had dealt with all of the other crises of the day and left this one for dad.
Frankly, Sanders felt like this was beyond the ability of a lawyer-politician. He said the mysteries of life and death are difficult enough for adults, but explaining this to a 3-year old was beyond his ability. But he tried.
First, he made the obvious argument that they would get another turtle just like the one who had died. But Zoe saw right through that. Even at 3 years old, she was smart enough to know that every living thing is different, there was no such thing as another turtle just like the one who was gone.
And so in desperation, he said, “Tell you what, we’ll have a funeral for the turtle.” Now being 3, she didn’t know what a funeral was, so he began to explain. He used the old trial lawyer’s maneuver that if you can’t win the argument at hand, take off on something completely beside the point.
So he explained that a funeral was a great festival in honor of the turtle. And she didn’t know what that meant either, so he said it was kind of like a birthday party and they would have cake and ice cream and balloons and have her friends over to the house.
Finally, Zoe’s tears began to dry up, and she became her happy, smiling self again. She was filled with joy at the prospect of what was about to happen. All because the turtle had died.
And then, a completely unforeseen thing happened. They looked down, and lo and behold, the turtle began to move. He wasn’t dead after all, and in a few seconds, was back to his old self, crawling away as lively as ever. And for once, a politician was at a loss for words.
But not his daughter. Zoe appraised the situation perfectly. And Alexander Sanders said that while this incident had taken place 20 years before, he remembered it like it was yesterday. With all the innocence of her tender years, she looked up at her father and said, “Daddy, let’s kill it.” (Article from Dave Russell, First Baptist Church of Ames, Iowa USA)
- Dave Russell goes on to say in his article, “There may be those people who in the face of deep losses have the attitude of this 3-year old towards her turtle—people who are not mourners. It is possible to be so self-centered, so focused on oneself, so unfeeling that a person really doesn’t grieve. This would be the person who rather than feel the loss of a loved one thinks about the inheritance and positions oneself to get the good china and the valuable collection. This would be the person who rather than seeing devastation in a natural disaster instead sees a buck to be made.”
- Jesus clearly states that we are blessed if we mourn.
- Because if we mourn it means we are in touch with our feelings.
- To mourn means we have reached out in love towards someone or something.
- To reach out to people, whether family or friends, takes trust and a sense of vulnerability.
- Leaving yourself exposed to the possibility of being hurt. For some people that’s hard to do because they have been hurt before.
- People with unresolved hurt from family or friends can cause a person not to trust and reach out to people. Thus never building relationships.
- To truly Mourn means to be in touch with your feelings, whether it’s with a person or a pet.
- So the question is what areas should we being mourning in?
- If we are healthy in our Spirits, meaning we haven’t let bitterness creep in, we have truly given our situations over to the Lord, what areas should we be mourning in to be called blessed?
- 3 areas Christians need to be mourning in from time to time and they are:
Point 1: In Grief And Distress - Psalm 30:5
“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
- How can a person be blessed in the midst of grief?
- I believe this scripture can only be truly known by the believer.
- Joy comes in the morning, grief only lasts for the night.
- Meaning there will be an end to the grief we go through.
- Whether we experience down here on earth or in Heaven.
- Grief and distress will end.
- What are some things we grieve in?
- Death of a loved one, bitter divorce, bankruptcy, betrayal, children growing up and leaving the house, loss of job, hardships of life - Florida and the whether storms, rebellious children, emotional stress from the world’s pressure etc.
- But I like the promise that God gives us from the Word, if we put our trust in Him, live for Him, serve Him, tell Him our cares and worries, then we can truly claim this promise, “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”
- When we mourn in these situations, we are not whining, but rather our mourning keeps us relying on God and His promises.
- If you have been betrayed by someone, give it to God, forgive and realize that Joy will come in the morning. Those feeling will pass with the help of the Lord, trust Him.
- God is in the business of restoring lives and turning tears into joy.
A miserable looking woman recognized F.B. Meyer on the train and ventured to share her burden with him. For years she had cared for a crippled daughter who brought great joy to her life. She made tea for her each morning, then left for work, knowing that in the evening the daughter would be there when she arrived home. But the daughter had died, and the grieving mother was alone and miserable. Home was not "home" anymore. Meyer gave her wise counsel. "When you get home and put the key in the door," he said, "say aloud, ’Jesus, I know You are here!’ and be ready to greet Him directly when you open the door. And as you light the fire tell Him what has happened during the day; if anybody has been kind, tell Him; if anybody has been unkind, tell Him, just as you would have told your daughter. At night stretch out your hand in the darkness and say, ’Jesus, I know You are here!’" Some months later, Meyer was back in that neighborhood and met the woman again, but he did not recognize her. Her face radiated joy instead of announcing misery. "I did as you told me," she said, "and it has made all the difference in my life, and now I feel I know Him."
- The only way we can conquer grief is to face it head on. Don’t try to run from it. Embrace it with God’s help. Jesus is the answer, but He can only help what you are willing to acknowledge and deal with.
Point 2: The Lost World - Rom 9:1-5
- Paul here is grieved for people who need to know the Lord Jesus as there personal Savior.
- Now we don’t grieve everyday for lost people.
- Our eyes are not full of tears every minute of everyday, but we still should be grieving.
- If we only new what was waiting our loved ones that aren’t saved when they die, it would change our prayer time and how we talk to them.
- But not only do our unsaved loved one cause us grief, but the world should cause the Christian to fall on there knees in sorrow.
- If people don’t have Jesus Christ as there personal Savior they have no hope.
- Somehow the church needs to get the message out to a dying community that Jesus is there only source of hope.
- The Lord is coming soon, and what is going to happen after the church is gone, is nothing in comparison to what we already have seen.
- It’s going to get worse and not better.
- We are living in a fallen world, a world that needs Jesus.
- Matt 23:37 says, “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!”
- And as a result of us not willing, this is what we produce without God:
27 children die from poverty
95 children die from low birth weight
43 children are killed or injured by guns
952 African-American teens become victims of violence
1637 youth drop out of school
1081 children are abused/neglected
89 Americans die of AIDS
5357 Americans are robbed, raped, or assaulted
8 million Americans are unemployed
1.5 million Americans are homeless
20 million Americans suffer from hunger
34 million Americans go without health insurance
(From Eighth Day Center for Justice; these figures are a few years old)
- It is blessed for us to mourn over the injustice, crime and perversion in our world today.
- Why, because we are in sorrow for humanity, it will keep us humble and our eyes upon the Lord
- But not only do we need to mourn over humanity and sin that has so captivated people,
we need to look at ourselves and mourn in repentance.
Point 3: Repentance - John 21:15-19
- Jesus restores Peter, after Peter denied the Lord 3 times.
- When Peter denied the Lord, there was great sorrow over what he had done.
- For Peter sinned against the Lord. (Luke 22:62)
- So in John 21:15, Peter is restored into fellowship with God, and Jesus reaffirms his
ministry and calls him to feed His sheep.
- The question we need to answer ourselves is, does sin grieve us?
- When we sin and blow it, are we sorry and repent?
- How do we conduct ourselves in public, is it God honoring and if not, does it bother us?
- Peter denied Christ, and when it was all over, realized what he had done. It caused
great pain in his heart, why?
- Because he loved the Lord.
- Does the church of the 21st Century love the Lord enough to grieve when they sin?
- Are we willing to change when we no that our attitudes are not godly and bring pain to
God and people?
- Repentance should bring sorrow and grief, even tears at times.
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, the many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.
(April 30th, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation for a National Day of Fasting)
- So what’s our world like today?
There’s little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the unchurched. There’s as much pilferage and dishonesty among the churched as the unchurched. And I’m afraid that applies pretty much across the board: religion, per se, is not really life changing. People cite it as important, for instance, in overcoming depression--but it doesn’t have primacy in determining behavior.
George H. Gallup, "Vital Signs," Leadership, Fall 1987, p. 17.
- Let me challenge you, as I have myself, that if you don’t feel sorrow for your sin when you
repent, ask the Lord to help you feel again.
- Ask the Lord to help you grieve over your mistakes so that we will not be inclined to do
them again.
Conclusion:
- The Bible says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
- So we no the main reason why we mourn is because of true sorrow about something.
- When we truly love something, when we lose it or offend it or hurt it, we will mourn.
- The great thing is God comforts those who mourn.
- If we don’t mourn it means that it doesn’t mean much to us. It’s low on the priority list.
- One of the greatest things about loving others, loving God in a passionate way is that
when we experience grief, we also experience God’s comfort.
- For that is a promise found in the Beatitude.
- Let us remember, that we will grieve as Christians from time to time in 3 areas:
1. Loss of loved one and distress
2. The Lord World
3. In Repentance
- If we are not grieving but other things hold us captive, let us call on God to change us and
make us more like Him.
Lets Pray!!!
