"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." (Matt. 5:4)

Following being poor in spirit is the revelation and awareness of my sin and mourning over it. A person who is poor in spirit will mourn over sin. They will not explain it away or make excuses for it. You see beloved, man has to do something about their sin and the guilt of it! When we explain away our sin, it is an indication that we simply cannot deal with the guilt and harm that it has brought to others, and most of all, it is failing to admit that we have offended our Creator and God.

·      The one thing that the world seeks to do is avoid mourning. It’s whole organization is based on the supposition that it is something to avoid altogether. D. Martin Lloyd Jones

·      All of this wisdom of God is foolishness to the world. John Wesley

Blessed are they that mourn? That's even more illogical to the natural mind than Blessed are the poor in spirit. The world flaunts their sin....they record it, they write about it, they produce movies and sit-coms about it and in many cases, the various actors or actresses who perform in them are elevated to status of celebrity.

·      Blessed are those who mourn is the very antithesis of the spirit of this world. The world is not into mourning over sin or the effects and consequences of sin.

·      The world is not looking for deliverance over the power of sin, but delight and pleasure in their sin. With no regard for eternity, the gospel of the atheist and the agnostic is let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die (1 Cor 15.32).

·      But physical death is not the final stop my friend. The Bible clearly tells us that at the resurrection of the dead, some will rise to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt (Dan 12.2).

·      Mourning is inevitable beloved. We either mourn over sin and trust in Christ today, which is blessed. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh (Luke 6.21). Or we reject Christ and His gospel and mourn for eternity. Jesus said, Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep (Luke 6.25).

When we are born again, a radical change begins to take place in our hearts. Scripture says that love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. It is not until a person is brought to that place of mourning for their sin that they experience the comfort and grace of God. When the woman caught in adultery confessed her sin unto Jesus, she was comforted with the words, neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more. She was comforted by The Master.

·      Ps 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

·      Christ’s coming into the world to die on the cross as full payment for our sin is proof that man cannot save himself….thus, blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

o   May The Spirit of God give to each and every one of us ears to hear the words of Jesus Christ this morning…blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Only those who are born again shall be comforted.

Blessed are they that mourn goes hand in hand with the doctrine of repentance. 

·      The very first words of Jesus penned by Mark were, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

·      Among the last words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of Luke were, Lu 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

·      When the people were pricked with conviction in their hearts at Peter’s message on Pentecost, we read, Ac 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.God commands all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17.30

o    I think there is little doubt that the teaching of salvation without repentance has lowered the moral standards of the church. This has produced a multitude of deceived religious professors who erroneously believe themselves to be saved when in fact they are still in the gall of bitterness an the bond of iniquity…God will take nine steps toward us, but He will not take the tenth. He will incline us to repent, but He cannot do the repenting for us.” A.W. Tozer

o   Our part is repenting, God’s will do the converting, the transforming and the forgiving. Billy Graham

Repentance beloved is (1) the conviction ofsin (2) the corresponding mourning over my sin (3) turning away fromsin (4) a turning to God through faith in the atoning sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.  True repentance and mourning for sin is not a 4-step program, or an accomplishment of man, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.

It is important for us to understand once again that this mourning is not natural, it is spiritual. This mourning is not something that happens when one mourns in the natural state due to some tragedy or loss. And although it is true that Jesus does in fact comfort people who are in mourning over the loss of a loved one, that is not what the meaning of mourning is in this verse, or within the context of the beatitudes.

The idea of mourning here is more related to a person’s spiritual condition; Jesus is not in this context talking about the sorrow of bereavement, but the sorrow of repentance.

·      Lest I be misunderstood on this point about mourning and grieving, we must never forget that The Lord Jesus Christ is our model in every circumstance. Although He never sinned, He did mourn. John 11:32-35, 41-42 (At the grave of Lazarus.) He was moved with compassion when He looked at the lost sea of souls. He wept over the city of Jerusalem. Luke 19:41-44; Is. 53:3-7, 10-11. Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief Isaiah 53:3.  Likewise, godly sorrow will also cause us to the kind of mourning that weeps with them that weep.

·      A mourning believer will be a caring, compassionate individual. But, a person who mourns is also a person who has hope. Like the young pastors wife who became a widow unexpectedly, and on the day of her husbands death she taught a Sunday School class. How could she do this? She had the hope of the gospel.

• Having been made aware of my true spiritually poor condition before God, my heart is now broken and I find myself mourning over my sin. I mourn over what I see of myself, and in myself. Mourning realizes that the problems I am facing are due to sin, be it sin in me, sin in others or sin in the world. I begin to ask myself, what is it in me that causes me to think that ugly thought, or want to say those evil things or watch those unclean programs? It is my sin. Why at the end of the day do I find myself regretting not doing what I should have done and doing what I shouldn’t have done? It is my sin. The Lord's promise for those who mourn and turn to Him is that they will be comforted (Lit. they and they alone).
• The whole need not (do not feel the need of) the physician, but they that are sick; it is only those who are convicted and mourn over their sin who are sensible of their spiritual disease and need for the Great Physicians touch.  
• Only such persons as are deeply convinced of the sinfulness of sin, feel the plague of their own heart, and turn with disgust from all worldly consolations, because of their insufficiency to set them free have God’s promise of solid comfort.

Repentance is more than being convicted of my sin, because a person can know that they are in sin and do nothing about it! True repentance is mourning over sin and turning away from it having seen it in the light of God’s holiness. That is when The Lord truly begins to minister His comfort and strength, through the Person of Holy Spirit to my heart and soul and mind.  

The result of being poor in spirit and mourning is that I experience victory over the very sins in my life that at one time dominated me or weighed me down with tons of guilt and condemnation. Sin can only thrive is the atmosphere of darkness! This mourning over sin leads me right to Jesus where I am reminded of His glorious cross where He bore upon Himself all of my sin, guilt and condemnation. I now begin to experience His divine comfort and the victory of a life completely turned over to Jesus Christ.

Mourning has a unique and eternal purpose for Christians for it serves as a reminder that the things of this world cannot intimately satisfy. It reminds us that only Jesus Christ is the source of unending fulfillment. (Living water; bread of life). Jer 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

The sorrow caused by sin and alienation from God is used by The Holy Spirit to reveal our deepest need and reminds us that the greatest need for every human being is not money, it is not health, it is not fame, it is the gospel.  Isn’t that what Jesus demonstrated for us in the account of the paralytic in Mark 2? His greatest need what his need for forgiveness of sin, not a physical healing. Your greatest need this morning beloved is forgiveness of sin!

However, it is vital that I point out to you this morning that not all mourning is godly mourning. There is such a thing as counterfeit mourning – There is a sinful mourning, which is  known in Scripture  as the sorrow of the world.

·      Beloved, never confuse worldly sorrow with godly sorrow. (2 Cor 7:10).  There is much “so called mourning” that has nothing to do with conviction and repentance of sin. There are many people who are incarcerated right now who are mourning because they were caught in their sin.

·      There was the “mourning” of Amnon, who in sensual lust mourned over Tamar (2 Sam 13:2), or Ahab, who in greed and covetousness, “mourned” because he could not have Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:4). Then there as Cain, who mourned over the punishment and not the sin (Gen 4:13), or the merchants of Revelation 18.11-19, who mourned over their losses.

·      There are millions of people today who call themselves Christians but they are only mourning the consequences of being caught in their sin.

·      When the young man ignored the warnings of God regarding sexual purity and began to experience it’s consequences, we read Pr 5:11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed. In other words, he didn’t mourn for his sexual sin until the consequences of his sin manifested itself.

How does God tell us to deal with sin? He that covereth (covers up) his sin shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Prov 28.13

Read Psalm 51. (1) Why was David mourning? Psalm 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (2) What did David do to restore the intimate fellowship he had enjoyed with His Lord? 51.3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. (3) What did David pray and trust that God would accomplish in him? Ps 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

·      As revealed in this Psalm, those who truly mourn are those who seek to live a life of repentance. They are people who lament the corruption of their nature and the ill effects it has had on others. As a result of this mourning, they turn to Christ, and through the power of The Holy Ghost, they are now comforted and seek to live a life of holiness that will enable them to be an instrument through whom others can come to know The Lord.  

• Godly sorrow is a verb; repentance is visible and bears fruit that indicates a change within.         
• James 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
• But on the flip side of this mourning/comforting experience is a joy unspeakable. Ps 30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
• Thus, mourning is not to be understood as morbid and foreboding. It is sober, but not sour. It is holy, but not homely. It produces a sanctified gladness that causes one to give praise and thanks to God!

The promise of Christ for those who truly mourn is that, They (and they alone) shall be comforted. The Greek word for the English word comfort here literally means, “To call near.” In Isa 61.2, one of the missions of Messiah Jesus is to comfort those who mourn.In Acts 9.31, we read of how the churches were walking in the fear of The Lord and the comfort of The Holy Ghost. Listen to the Amplified Version of Matthew 5.4 Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!

However, this great comfort of The Lord is also extended to us as we experience the trials and tribulations that come into our paths as we follow to serve Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 1: 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

We're comforted by the hope of the better world that is promised to us

• Isa 25:8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces.
• Re 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
• Psalm 30.5 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

Matthew Henry writes in closing tonight. “Though perhaps they are not immediately comforted, yet plentiful provision is made for their comfort; light is sown for them; and in heaven, it is certain, they shall be comforted, as Lazarus, Lu 16:25. Note, The happiness of heaven consists in being perfectly and eternally comforted, and in the wiping away of all tears from their eyes. It is the joy of our Lord; a fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore; which will be doubly sweet to those who have been prepared for them by this godly sorrow.  Heaven will be a heaven indeed to those who go mourning thither; it will be a harvest of joy, the return of a seed-time of tears (Ps 126:5,6); a mountain of joy, to which our way lies through a vale of tears.”

A WORD FOR THE LOST

The story of the prodigal son is a picture of the gospel of God. 

·      Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him (This is the  God of Scripture my friend). ²¹And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

If there is anybody in this sanctuary who realizes that they are not right with God this morning? I am going to ask you to come up front or go back to the prayer room and talk with one of the pastors, elders or deacons. My friends it is only by confessing and forsaking our sins, not explaining them away or blaming other people for them, that we receive comfort. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In other words, as, John Stott has noted, “they will be comforted by the only comfort that can relieve their distress, that being the free forgiveness of God.” Believe the gospel and receive the gift of Christ this morning!