“They That Mourn”

Matt 5:4
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

“Laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone” is the philosophy of our day. To many, this is the age of laughter; the last thing anyone wants to do is to cry or mourn.

What a bombshell drops on us in the second beatitude! Our Lord tells us that there is happiness in sorrow, comfort in crying, gladness in grief, and bliss in being brokenhearted.

Blessed are those who mourn—those who care deeply—for they shall be comforted. The Greek word used for “mourn” is the strongest word in that language for mourning; it is the word used to designate mourning for the dead. To mourn is to care deeply, to know godly sorrow for sin, to be deeply concerned about the evil in the world and to know the meaning of suffering because of the sin, injustice, and perversion in society. Jesus Christ assures us of the comfort of God, for this is a promise, one who draws near to God, God in turn draws near to them.

There is a direct relationship between the word for “comfort” and the word describing the Holy Spirit as the Comforter for the believer (John 14:16). As we live with a repentant spirit we open ourselves to the presence of God. The psalmist wrote, “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 51:17).

I. The wrong kind of mourning.

Does Jesus Christ place a premium on crybabies, sad sacks, lemon faces, and sob sisters? Certainly not! The best way to arrive at the meaning of this beatitude is to eliminate the ideas it does not teach.

Depression because of the world situation. It is easy to get depressed in any age, particularly in this day of advanced communication. There has never been a day when people have been so well informed about each other’s sorrows. 

Disappointment because of material failure. The apostle Paul said that the “sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Cor. 7:10). Disappointment because of material failure has driven many to despair. This is not blessedness. 

Bitterness because of injured pride. Many Christians are wearing spiritual chips on their shoulders that have sapped them of spiritual power and made them more and more bitter each day. 

Grief because of discovered sin. It is said that Judas “repented himself” when his sins were discovered. There is no blessedness in this sort of grief. 

Self-pity. The person who pities himself bores other people with the repeated story of his troubles until he is left more and more to himself. 

If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, refuse bitterness, or refuse self-pity...
THEN GOD CAN TURN THINGS AROUND.
THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US - Wade M. Hughes, Sr

The second beatitude is speaking of something deeper and more meaningful than depression, bitterness, disappointment, grief, and self-pity.

II. The right kind of mourning.

Happy is the person who is sorry for their sins. This kind of sorrow precedes repentance,

because “godly sorrow brings repentance” (2 Cor. 7:10). The psalmist wrote that “the Lord

is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34:18).

When Peter was preaching the gospel on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was doing

His work. The people who were “pricked in their heart” cried, “Men and brethren, what shall

we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter replied, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name

of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (v. 38).

Sorrow for sin is a continual trait in the Christian’s life. The genuine Christian not only expresses sorrow for sin at the time of their conversion but also throughout their life. One of the outstanding marks of being a Christian is that the Christian cannot sin and enjoy it. The Christian’s battle with sin and Satan is not won on the day of conversion nor on this side of eternity (Rom. 7:18 – 25).

Happy is the person who is sorry for the sins of others. Abraham Lincoln said, “I am

sorry for the man who cannot feel the whip when it is laid on the

other man’s back.”

 

Our Lord is the prime example of sorrow for the sins of others. Because He cared for our

sins, “he [was] despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”

(Isa. 53:3). The shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). But don’t let the length of that verse hide its meaning. As Jesus Christ stood at the grave of Lazarus, His tears more than likely were not for Mary and Martha. He was not crying because His good friend Lazarus was dead, after all He was planning to raise him from the dead. 

Jesus Christ cried because of that ugly, foul thing called sin had introduced death to man. He knew that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Jesus Christ also wept over the city of Jerusalem because of the inhabitants’ spiritual blindness caused by sin (Luke 19:41 – 42). If this trait could be recovered in our churches, revival would result. “As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isa. 66:8). John Knox travailed, and the Church of Scotland was revived. John Wesley travailed, and the Methodist movement was born. Martin Luther travailed, and the Reformation broke out like a wildfire. Do we still weep over our sins and those of others? 

A young girl became a Christian in an exciting revival at her church and was baptized the closing Sunday morning. That afternoon, she ran through the house singing and dancing. Her sour grandfather rebuked her with these words, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself. You just joined the church and you're singing and dancing on the Lord’s Day!"

Crushed by her grandfather's attitude, the little girl went out to the barn, climbed up on the corral fence, and observed an old mule standing there with a sad, droopy face and bleary eyes. As she reached over and patted the mule sympathetically, she said, "Don't cry, ole mule. I guess you've got the same kind of religion that Grandpa has!" (Source: Bart Leger)

III. The true mourner’s reward.

The promise of this beatitude is “they shall be comforted." Comfort of the Holy Spirit. It is significant that the word “comforted” parakaleo (par-ak-al-eh'-o) is the same root from which paraclete; Jesus Christ’s word for the Holy Spirit, is derived. 

Comfort of knowing that one’s sins have been forgiven. Sorrow for sin leads to repentance, which removes the heavy load of sin from the back of a sinner. 

Comfort of knowing that one has been saved by God’s grace, not by their own works. Years ago a communist orator in Hyde Park pointed to a bum across the street and cried, “Communism can put new clothes on that man.” A Christian shouted from the crowd, “But Christ can put a new man in those clothes.” 

When a person turns their sins over to God in Christ instead of trying to atone for them themselves, they receive immediate comfort and live at peace with themselves.

Comfort of anticipating the second coming of Jesus Christ. His coming is the Christian’s

“blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Those who are found faithful when he comes and who have

been watching for his coming are called “blessed” (Matt. 24:46; Luke 12:37 – 38, 43;

Rev. 16:15).

Comfort of heaven forever. Only when people are sorry for their sins and repent of them can they expect to go to heaven when they die. There are several comforting things about heaven.
 

1. Heaven is a place for the saved of all ages (John 14:2).

2. Heaven is a place of rest (Heb. 4:9 – 11; Rev. 14:13).

3. Heaven is a safe place (Matt. 6:19 – 20).

4. Heaven is a place where sorrow cannot enter (Rev. 21:4).

5. In heaven we see Jesus Christ face to face (1 John 3:2).

Conclusion:

An unfortunate explorer caught in the bitter cold in the far North had many things to tell about his grueling experience. He said that as long as his feet pained him, he was happy. When the pain was gone, his feet were doomed. That’s how it is with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When a person is sensitive to the Holy Spirit and is sorry for their sins, they can truly be happy. But when they have lost their sensitivity to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, they are