The Beatitudes
Blessed are They that Mourn
Matthew 5:4
There are numerous verses in the Bible that clearly teach that God comforts us in our times of distress and in our times of mourning, but that is not the point of this passage. This passage has a specific focus and a specific point that fits with the overall goal that Jesus has in these beatitude statements, which is dealing with the heart.
What Does it Mean to Mourn?
1- It means to experience deep, heartfelt grief.
2- It is God-centered.
3- It is a continuous action.
4- It results in life change.
The mourning we are talking about is an ongoing, God-centered, heartfelt grief that results in life change.
Why Should We Mourn?
1- Because of the sin in our lives
David Brainerd was an 18th-century missionary to the American Indians. In his journal on October 18, 1740, this is what he wrote.- “In my morning devotions my soul was exceeding melted and bitterly mourned over my exceeding sinfulness and vileness.”
2- Because of the sin in our churches
3- Because of the sin and unbelief in the world
4- Because it leads to repentance
What Does it Mean to be Comforted?
1- True comfort is only found in Christ.- Isaiah 61:1-2
2- True comfort is found in true forgiveness.
3- True comfort is found in the confidence of eternal life.
Listen to this statement by D. Martin Lloyd Jones. “As the Christian looks at the world, even as he looks at himself, he is unhappy. He groans in spirit; he knows something of the burden of sin as sin in the world which was felt by the apostles and by the Lord himself.
But he is immediately comforted. He knows there is a glory coming; he knows that a day will dawn when Christ will return, and sin will be banished from the earth. There will be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelt righteousness. O Blessed hope! Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”