- Pastor Jacob Marchitell
Blessed are those who mourn
We all mourn over something, what kind of mourning leads to being blessed?
Summary of what weve learned so far:
“Being blessed” means that God is working in your life to bring you to a place where you are in right standing with Him.
Being “poor in spirit” means to recognize who we are in comparison to the perfection of Christ.”
This morning we’ll be looking at the 2nd Beatitude which can be found in Matthew 5:4 which says:
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
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Were going to talk about three different “kinds” or “areas” or mourning. Because of how wide the reasons spread, that can cause someone to mourn, it will be easier to understand if we break it up into three areas, or reasons.
Im not going to tell you them ahead of time, that way when I do, theres more of a dramatic effect.
#1 - We mourn over events.
We all have an idea in our idea, when we hear the word “mourning”
It brings up images of funerals
Or maybe its something bigger than just the day or week of a funeral…
We hear the phrase “a time of mourning…”
For some people, this lasts years….decades
For some people that have experienced a tragic loss….. “Mourning” can become their default.
All of their life experiences from that point forward, are lived through the lens of them being in mourning, unable to move on
There is such power behind the act “mourning” precisely because of the nature of our world.
Not to veer to far off of topic
Our world is “fallen”
It is infused with sin and evil
Death runs through all areas of our life, and through every kind of person
There are diseases that ravage our bodies
Bacteria and viruses that break us down
There are evil people, doing evil things to others
Natural disasters wreak havoc on us, taking the lives of those we love
Our world is functioning in the wrong way
This is not the way the world is supposed to be
Because of that reality…..because we experience events where death is brought to our doorstep------
We mourn
We grieve
We lament and wail and sob tears of uncontrollable grief and sorrow
The events of this world, that soak our heart in pain, should cause us to mourn
precisely because of what mourning does ------ ask any counselor or physcologist on the planet, and theyll all tell you that people need time to mourn, because:
It helps us heal
It gives us closure
It can bring us to somewhat of an answer
And this is something that humans have always understood---
In the Old Testament, God helped the israelites realize this, by instructing them to have “mourning rituals”. They were literal set apart times, where the loved ones and family will take leave of their jobs and responsibilities, and allow themselves to mourn over their loss. They would intentionally tear their clothes or wear ragged sackcloths, and rub ashes on their forehead.
Nowadays we have funerals and funeral processions, we have wakes and celebrations of life, we have graveside services and mausoleums and cemeteries and gravestones and monuments and dedications
We think, if we lift up their life----maybe their death wont be able to hurt us as much, and it works. Mourning over events helps us.
When we allow ourselves to mourn, it brings healing to our emotions and thoughts.
It allows us to process the hurt,
It helps us move forward----even if it’s only a single step at a time
When tragedy comes to us, and we refuse to process those feelings----they can poison our entire system-----BUT
The poison that was introduced to our emotional system, can be drawn out by mourning over the events that injected it there to begin with.
You see, when we mourn, we are acknowledging that there is a part of our heart, that is void of our control.
Its saying - “There is an area in my soul, that is so raw and so damaged and I cant make sense of it. I cant control it, I cant understand it, I cant even look at that memory without being so overwhelmed by the pain of the event”
And it is those areas, where God works.
It is those areas in our hearts where He speaks and moves
Where He points to this verse or that verse
Where He brings people into our lives who can highlight some aspect of Himself that we previously didnt think about
When Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn”
He was saying “I am going to work and be active in the areas of your heart where your pain seems unstoppable. That place in your life, where your sorrow seems insurmountable----that is where I am going to touch. The areas of your soul that hurt just to look at----I will be there. Guiding you, speaking to you, supporting you, and constantly bringing you closer and closer to myself.”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
Before I move on to #2 theres 2 more things that need to be said
When we get to that place, when we have experienced a tragedy so deep that all of our life experiences are forced to live through that lens of pain….
There are healthy ways to mourn and grieve
And unhealthy ways to mourn and grieve
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If we have sorrow because we got caught doing something we shouldnt have, and not for actually doing it-----that is unhealthy mourning.
If we turn to drugs, alcohol, or the pleasures of the flesh, that is an unhealthy way to mourn
If we spit out canned responses because we cant evn think about trying to process the pain -- that is an unhealthy way to mourn
If we take that event that caused us to feel the sorrow and pain, and turn that into part of who we are, if we think to ourselves--- “If I can hold that pain so close to my heart, that it becomes part of me----then it won’t be able to hurt me again”
if we define who we are…...by our hurt ----that is an unhealthy way of mourning
2nd Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
Do not let your sorrow control you.
Thats easy to say, but hard to do
Especially when the events in this world that can make us mourn can be so overwhelmingly dark and evil and powerful
So what is a healthy way of mourning?
When a tragic event hits us like a tidal wave, how do we stop from being swept along?
We bring our sorrow and pain before Jesus, admit we are helpless against it, and listen to His words through every step of our own personal mourning process.
If you're tempted to turn to an unhealthy way of grieving----tell Him about it.
Say “God, I want to drink so bad” or “God I want to do this or do that so bad”
Confess to Him that it numbs the pain
Confess to Him that it covers the hurt
Confess to Him that you can’t stand against the sorrow that has come against you
When you do....He will respond.
He will move in your life
He will speak to your heart
He------will------bless-------you
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”
#2 - We mourn over our sin
Alright, #2.
(#1 we mourn, or should mourn, over events)
We should mourn over our own, personal, sin.
When that verse in 2nd Corinthians says that Godly sorrow brings repentance, this is what that means.
We should mourn over our sin.
We should mourn over our sin, not only because God tells us that it leads to repentance, which leads to eternal life----
But (and this is going to sound like im repeating myself)---- we should mourn over our sin precisely because of what mourning does.
Mourning over our sins points us to who God is, which helps us
move forward
Mourning over our sin, helps us realize the severity of it, which
Can give us closure
Mourning over our sin, reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice, which
Helps us heal
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You see, people don’t like to spend much time looking at their sin
I know I personally do all I can to not even acknowledge it.
But in order to mourn over our sin, we have to look at it
Acknowledge it
And when we do that…..when we look at the sin in our life
If it’s intentional------or if it just pops up
When something in this world triggers a specific memory or event, and our mistakes are brought to our mind-------
Or when we indulge in our own favorite, secret sin------
How do we react?
Well---------
If we want to see Christ for who He truly is----
If we want our life and our behavior to mirror Him----
If we want to be free from the sin in our past and live a life of eternal significance----
We must mourn over our sin
-we must treat it and act towards it-------think about it--------, the same way we would towards something else in our life that we mourn over.
Hate it
Want it to stop
Want it to go away
Want it to have never happened in the first place
Cry over our sin
Grab a box of tissues, get on our knees, and let yourself grieve and mourn over the sin that is in your heart
Mourn over your sin
Do we do those things I said earlier about a healthy way to mourn?
Do we take that sin, and hold it before Jesus and say
“God I can’t deal with this!”
“God I hate my sin”
“I hate it”
It kills me // it hurts me // it manipulates me // it controls me // it makes me think bad things // it makes me think wrongly about my brothers in the Church // it makes me thinking wrongly about you // I hate my sin-------
“oh please God rip this sin out of my heart!”
Do we cry out the words of King David in Psalm 51?
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
If we do-----
God----will----bless-----you
When Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted”
He was saying “God will work in the heart and mind of that person who is mourning over their sin. He will remind them that they are forgiven. Remind them that they are a new creation. Remind them that are valuable and useful and important and they are not just the end result of the sin in their life. And they shall be comforted.”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
#3 - We mourn over the sin in unbelievers // the world
Alright, #3 -
Do you guys remember #’s 1 and 2?
#1 We should mourn over events
#2 We should mourn over the sin in our life.
And now #3
We should mourn over the sin in the lives of unbelievers and in the world in general
When we see the sin that so permeates the world “out there” --- how do we react?
When we see people in the world, they can be total strangers, caught in the snares of the devil----- how do we react?
When we open the weekly newspaper, and see the men and women that were arrested ------- and see the looks of anger, loss, glee, happness, despair, hurt, confusion and apathy painted on their faces
What do we feel?
When a close family member, someone we love, a spouse, a child, a parent------ becomes entangled in their sin ------ what response do we have?
Do we smugly say “You get what you deserve” ?
Do we look down our noses and say “If you didnt want to get in trouble, you shouldnt have done that”
Do we assume we are holier than someone who wears their sin on the outside?
Do we say to God “at least im not like ….that person”?
Do we make excuses for them?
They only acted that way because of how they were raised
Its not their fault
What other choice could they have made, given the place they are in their life?
The way the government or society or their parents or their family has treated them-----has pushed them into a place where they cant really think in a different way, so their actions and behavior and lifestyle arent really something they can control
OR----even worse
Do we wish that they would never repent and be forgiven, because we want God to smite them?
Thats why Jonah didnt want to go where God told him to go
He knew God would forgive them if they asked, and he wanted them to be destroyed.
Do we think “I dont want them to be forgiven….I want them to burn!” ?
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I want to tell you today-----that we should be mourning over the sin in the lives of unbelievers
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We as Christians know what fate awaits the people who they themselves will be accepting the due consequence of their sin.
We know that the wages of sin is death
We know that anyone who stands before the judge of the universe, without the blood of Christ on their life, will be sentenced to an eternity of death
We know of the freedom that Christ brings to our life
We know of the comfort // the joy // the love // the understanding
We know of the hope that lies nowhere apart from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
We know that God will forgive the deepest, darkest, most vile disgusting evil act that could ever happen-----but there are people who refuse this-------
And it should cause us to mourn
To cry
To sob // to lament // to pray // to call out to God
It should cause us to cry out the words of Isaiah 6:5 & 10
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”.................. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” …..And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
When we see people entangled in their sin----
If they are unhappy and miserable…...
Or if they are blind to it and rejoice because of it----
We should cry out to God to save them
“God save that person”
Death awaits them
Their life is leading them to a dead end
They are trapped
They have been deceived by the enemy
They need you
Their lost and broken and hurt and they have decided to find peace in a place that will lead them to their death
God save the people in this world
Intervene in the lives of the lost
Open their eyes God
When we mourn over the unforgiven sin of this world----we do so precisely because of what mourning does
It gives us closure
It helps us move forward
It helps us heal
It helps us understand that every wrong will be made right
It reminds us that God is perfectly just
That every sin will be paid for
That every evil deed will be punished
That injustice will one day no longer exist
It reminds us that God is in charge and there is nothing the enemy can do about it.
When Jesus said “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” He is saying:
When you mourn over the unforgiven sin in the lives of people, I will work in your heart----
I will ease your fears // I will calm your worries // I will direct you how to love them ----
How to reach them // How to speak of me // How to point people towards me
He is saying-------------- I will motivate you to reach the lost
He is saying --------------I will ignite a fire in you to preach and teach and evangelize
He is saying-------------- I will give you the drive
The desire // The ability // The opportunity // The words // The actions
And the platform from which to do it all from
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted
APPLICATION
So what can we do with this----
How can we survive:
The sorrow that comes to us when tragedy strikes?
How can we know that God loves us:
When we see the sin in our own life?
How can we have hope for other people:
When evil seems to be winning the war
When darkness // evil // pain // suffering // death // lies and hurt -- surround us
When sin seems to be running free, unhindered by the truth of God
We mourn
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If we want closure, healing, and a path forward when tragedy strikes----
Mourn over the events in your life that hurt you
If we need to be reminded that God loves us, forgives us, and will never leave us----
Mourn over your sin
If we need to be reminded that God is just, and that every wrong will be made right-----
Mourn over the unforgiven sin of this world
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Rev. 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
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