Blessed Are Those Who Mourn (Matt 5:4; Psa 51) A. Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850 1919) was an American author & poet. 1. Her most enduring work "Solitude contains the lines: "Laugh, & the world laughs with you; Weep, & you weep alone". Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone. For the sad old earth must borrow it s mirth, But has trouble enough of its own. Sing, and the hills will answer; Sigh, it is lost on the air. The echoes bound to a joyful sound, But shrink from voicing care. Rejoice, and men will seek you; Grieve, and they turn and go. They want full measure of all your pleasure, But they do not need your woe. Be glad, and your friends are many; Be sad, and you lose them all. There are none to decline your nectared wine, But alone you must drink life s gall. Feast, and your halls are crowded; Fast, and the world goes by. Succeed and give, and it helps you live, But no man can help you die. There is room in the halls of pleasure For a long and lordly train, But one by one we must all file on Through the narrow aisles of pain. a. That may be true in many cases, but it s not true for the Christian. b. But the reason it is so often true in the world is because we re living in age of aversion to sorrow; afraid of it. 1
- People will do anything to escape mourning (sorrow), AND they will avoid those who are feeling it. - This is an age of laughter; the last thing anyone wants to do is cry in sorrow (in happiness, but not sorrow). [So what an awakening is this second beatitude! It hits us like a ton of bricks. Our Lord tells us that there is happiness in sorrow, comfort in crying, gladness in grief, & a state of utmost bliss in being brokenhearted. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matt 5:4). But not all mourning is comforting.] I. WRONG KINDS OF MOURNING A. Jesus is not telling us to go around with a sad face, because we can t find any good in the world --- or in our lives. 1. So we can arrive at the meaning of this beatitude by eliminating what it doesn t mean. B. This beatitude does NOT refer to several attitudes or emotions. 1. It s not depression over other s sorrows. a. It is easy to get depressed in this day of advanced communication. b. There has never been a time when we have been so well informed about things we really don t need to know. - World s problems (and sins) - Other people s sorrows (through email, texting, social media) 2
c. When it comes to the world s problems, we can take that to God in prayer & avoid a depressive state altogether. d. When it comes to the world s sins we can feel righteous indignation as God does, but we don t have to let it render us immobile or un-useful in His kingdom. e. When it comes to other s sorrows, weeping with those who weep is one thing, but allowing it to drive us into deep depression is just not good. - BTW, is it possible that Social Media has desensitized us a little, to sorrow? - Too much to keep up with, I ll be praying for you, can become trite. f. Depression is not what Jesus is talking about in this beatitude. 2. It s not disappointment over material loss. a. There s nothing wrong with mourning (feeling sorrow) over the loss of our possession; that s a normal emotion. b. But when a person is driven to despair; that s when it become problematic. - When we allow the loss of things to make us angry, bitter, blaming, vengeful. - TV program: American Greed: Scams there is no virtue in being duped, or in the sorrow we feel over it. c. To mourn the loss of things will not put us in a state of utmost bliss; it will not be a blessing to us. 2 Corinthians 7:10b 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 3
3. It s not resentment over injured feelings. a. Maybe someone is justifiably hurt over being made to feel foolish, but mourning the loss of one s image (standing or even reputation) - is not the kind of mourning Jesus is talking about. b. Haman mourned in this way when Mordecai wouldn t stand to honor him (Esth 5:9-14) 4. It s not remorse over uncovered sin. Matthew 27:3 3 Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse & returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests & elders, a. The KVJ says, he repented himself ; he was sorry that he got caught. b. There is no blessedness in that kind of remorse or grief. 5. It s not self-pity. a. It is not uncommon for people to look into their past & find a cause for their present unhappy situation (as they see it). and say, See, I have a right to mourn my sad state of life. b. But since a Christian is taught to look forward instead of backward, (Phil 3:13), then we re not going to find any comfort from the Lord by mourning over what could have been if Such & Such had happened, or if So & So had acted differently in my case. [The second beatitude is speaking of an emotion that is not selfish, but righteous; & depression, disappointment, resentment, remorse & self-pity don t fit the bill. So what is Jesus meaning?] 4
II. RIGHT KINDS OF MOURNING A. Happy is the person who is sorry for his sins. 2 Corinthians 7:10 (A case of a church being sorry) 10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. Psalms 34:18 (David s penitential psalm; he was sorry) 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted & saves those who are crushed in spirit. Acts 2:37-38 (First gospel responders were sorry) 37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, & said to Peter & the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, & each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; & you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 1. The genuine Christian not only expresses sorrow for sin at the time of his conversion but also throughout his life. 2. In fact, one outstanding mark of being a Christian is that he cannot sin & enjoy it (Rom 7:18-25). B. Happy is the person who is sorry for the sins of others. 1. Abraham Lincoln said, I am sorry for the man who cannot feel the whip when it is laid on the other man s back. 2. Lot is a good example here too: 2 Peter 2:7 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 3. Our Lord is the prime example of sorrow for the sins of others. 5
a. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus; all death is ultimately caused by sin (John 11:35). b. He wept over the city of Jerusalem, which committed the sin of rejecting Him (Luke 19:41-44). c. Isaiah called Him a man of sorrows & acquainted with grief (Isa 53:3). d. In fact, all of Jesus grief was interlocked with sin (every time He mourned or was sorrowful, sin was involved, but not His.) - That ought to tell us something about this beatitude! - Jesus was an appropriate mourner; He didn t waste tears on meaningless things. - He mourned sin & sinners. Romans 6:23 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 3:23 23 or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [Spiritual death, separation from God, is really the only thing worth mourning about. Only a Christian can reap the reward of this kind of mourning.] III. TRUE MOURNER S REWARD A. The promise of this beatitude is they shall be comforted. Parakaleo (par-ak-al-eh'-o); to call near, i.e. invite, invoke (by imploration, consolation): The Holy Spirit is the comforter parakletos (par-ak'-lay-tos); an intercessor, consoler: 6
B. The comfort of the Holy Spirit is the comfort He brings through the words of inspired men (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7, 13). 1. Sins forgiven (Acts 2:38; Eph 1:7). 2. Saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-10). 3. Anticipating the Lord s return (Titus 2:13; 1 Thess 4:18). a. Those who are found faithful to the Lord & watching for His return are called blessed (Matt 24:46; 25:34; Luke 12:37-38, 43). Revelation 16:15 15 ("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake & keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked & men will not see his shame.") 4. Ultimately, the comfort of the Holy Spirit is the comfort of residing in Heaven forever. a. A place for all the saved (John 14:2). b. A place of rest (Heb 4:9-11; Rev 14:13). c. A safe place (Matt 6:19-20). d. A sorrow-less place (Rev 21:4). e. A place to see the Lord (1 John 3:2). CLOSING 7
A. The story is told of an unfortunate explorer who was caught in the bitter cold for several days --- He had many things to tell about his grueling experience. 1. But one thing he said was that as long as his feet hurt him, he was happy. 2. But when the pain was gone, his knew that his feet were doomed to frostbite. B. So it is with the Christian. 1. As long as we allow the HS to convict us through the Word of God, to prick our consciences to proper action, we re on safe ground: mourning will lead to comfort as we confess our sins. 2. But when we lose that sensitivity to the convicting power of God s word, we are doomed. 3. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 8