Blessed are Those who Mourn, for They will be Comforted.

Thank you for joining today as we seek God’s wisdom together. Let us begin with prayer.

“Lord Jesus, I ask that you search our hearts and see if there be anything wicked in them. We ask that your Holy Spirit show us what you are saying to us today. I ask that the words on this page would jump out to us as you speak to our hearts and minds truth and life. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Matthew 5: 1-12 NASB

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2And He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

What the Word is Saying

This portion of scripture is often referred to the Sermon on the Mount and begins with what are commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. These are comparisons in line with the Kingdom of God. Then are in contrast to the worlds standards or what most would think of people in these conditions. Jesus calls attention to this for two reasons. One is to encourage those in these conditions and two to change the thinking of those who are not.

Beatitude----Kingdom Thinking

Poor in Spirit---Kingdom of Heaven

Mourn---Comforted

Gentle---Inherit the Earth

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness---Satisfied

Merciful---Receive Mercy

Pure In Heart---See God

Peacemakers---Called Sons of God

Persecuted for the Sake of Righteousness---Kingdom of Heaven

Insult you and Persecute You, and Falsely Says All Kinds of Evil Against You Because of Me (Jesus)---

Rejoice and Be Glad, For Your Reward in Heaven is Great. For the Prophets Before You Were Treated the Same way.

In the next 9 blog posts we will look at each one individually and attempt to see what the Lord is teaching us in them. Having looked at the “Poor in Spirit” yesterday, today we will look at those who “Mourn.”

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

In the past I have always considered this to refer to those who have lost a loved one. While this certainly applies, I have heard it stated as either mourning over persecution or deep sorrow over the sin they have committed. I find this to be rather eye opening for us. I think their exists in the church a certain lack of remorse over the sins believers commits after salvation. While the fact that grace has freed many from the burden over their sins. I think that victory over sin cannot truly occur until we recognize His Lordship in our lives and how we have wronged Him in committing sin.

There can be no doubt that Jesus is Lord. He came and died for us and won the victory over sin for us. We are saved when we recognize that we cannot pay a satisfactory price for the sins we commit and then rely on His work to save us from the wrath we deserve. This is not a onetime event in that we are continually being shown our dark areas by the Holy Spirit and then bringing those revealed sins to the cross in Him. Make no mistake this is not a matter of works. We can do nothing on our own to achieve salvation. We are merely agreeing with the Holy Spirit that it is in fact sin and then placing that sin upon Jesus for release of the chains tying us to it and the forgiveness we need for it. The key here I think is our admission of lack of any control over it.

When we mourn over something we realize the impact our actions have had on others. When I was a very young teen, I got into a fist fight with my best friend at the time. I honestly cannot remember what it was for, nothing important that is for sure. I was bigger than him and ultimately, I punched him in the eye. Immediately His eye started to fill with blood. I was horrified and even though he was still swinging I grabbed his arms and hugged him telling him repeatedly I was deeply sorry for what I had done. Asking if he could ever forgive me. That is the kind of mourning that I believe Jesus is talking about here. We see what our actions have done both to those around us and ultimately what our savior had to go through to redeem us.

Another example I will give is regarding drinking and someone close to me. This person is an alcoholic of the worst kind. They are often in the throes of a bender in which they drink so heavily that they must crawl to bed at night. They have no control over it and frankly it is difficult to watch. Sadly, after I came to know Jesus when I was 20, I stopped drinking for 13 years and then started up again after life got difficult for me. While I was no longer addicted to alcohol because I had been set free from the chains by Jesus. I did not have the example of what Jesus could do for them because He did it for me. Though, we did not come together often. When we did, we drank and sometimes excessively. They did not see me stop when they couldn’t because usually by that time, they were too far gone to see me stop. Since I have stopped drinking, I have been mourning the opportunity and witness I could have been for them of the Power of Jesus to set us free. I do tell them of that power now, but I am saddened to think that maybe they could have stopped if I had not joined the party; so, to speak, with them.

This is the mourning that Jesus speaks of the remorse over what we have done, should have done, and did not do. So, let me ask you this: “Have you mourned over your sins?” “Have you seen the effects your sins have had on others around you, your witness to them, and your sorrow of the pain your savior had to endure to free you from them?” Jesus wants to set you free from your sins. Not just forgive you for them, but, set you free from them. He can only do that when you are no longer ok with the consequences of doing them. Just like the cog in a wheel every action we take in this world has a consequence. Any sin, no matter how small, needs a sacrifice to pay the penalty for it. Therefore, once we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we should seek to remove everything that is an afront to Him. Certainly, sin is still in the world, and we likely will not be able to live without sin in our lives until Jesus returns or we spend eternity with Him. But it should be our goal if He is Lord to live in a way that honors Him. For the sake of those around us watching and to show our remorse for what our sin cost Him.

Maybe you have been convicted by this message. I implore you to repent and really seek Jesus and ask Him how He wants you to live your life. Then do it! No matter the cost, because great will be your reward in Heaven.

If you have not received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I implore you to do so now. All He asks for is for you to accept the free gift He gave you. Therefore, humble yourself and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord of all. He alone is all powerful and you submit to His authority. Next you must believe He did what He did. That is; die on a cross and rise again from the dead. These are both actions of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for with evidence not seen. Meaning you believe even though you don’t have physical evidence to prove it. I know you made it to this page for a reason and the Holy Spirit is working on your heart. The Father has drawn you and He alone can reveal to you the truth of what I am saying. I know that He is now, and you need to take a step of faith and pray these words with me.

Right where you are; say these words out loud: “Jesus I confess that you are Lord of all, I yield my will to your will for you are greater than me. I believe you came to this world and lived a sinless life; I believe you suffered and died on cross for my sins, I believe they put your lifeless body in a tomb, and three days later you rose from the dead. I confess to you that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me. I also ask that you send me your Holy Spirit to give me power to live a sanctified life and to lead me into all truth. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, I urge you to contact us here so that we might come beside you and hold you up in prayer as you begin your journey with Jesus. I assure you that we have all been where you are. We may have committed different sins, but we are just as guilty, nonetheless. We all needed forgiveness and someone else supported us as we began our Journey with Him.

Thank you for joining me today as we searched the scriptures for What the Word is Saying. I pray that God will send His Holy Spirit into our lives anew and fill us again with His love and His purpose for us. So that we can fulfill the mission He left us in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB (New American Standard Bible) Copyright 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” lockman.org.