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The Beatitudes: Those Who
Mourn
Matthew 5:1-12: Seeing
the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples
came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. 4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted. 5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit
the earth. 6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 "Blessed are
the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are
the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are
the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed
are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when others revile
you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my
account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in
heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
I.
Why It is Not Sad to be
a Mourner, but “blessed”?
A.
Realization
of spiritual condition
1.
Repentance
from sin- Matt. 3, John the Baptist and Jesus’ message of the Kingdom.
2.
Jesus speaks
words of healing to those who believe.
a.
Luke 4: 15 And he taught in their
synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and he entered,
as his custom was, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to
read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the
prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was
written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he
anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim
release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at
liberty them that are bruised, 19 To proclaim the acceptable
year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and gave it
back to the attendant, and sat down: and the eyes of all in the synagogue
were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, To-day
hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears.
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of
the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news
to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are
bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's
favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion- to give them a beautiful
headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the
garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks
of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
3.
Contrast
with the Pharisees who did not mourn- Matt. 3: According to John the
Baptist they were not producing “fruit consistent with the
Kingdom”. They were not
producing fruit as those who mourn over sin and are repentant.
B.
Realization
that things are not the way they should be in this world
1.
People
either excuse sin or they condemn sinners.
2.
We are to
mourn over the sins of others.
3.
We are not
to be angry and vengeful at sinners (our angry and vengeance is neither
sufficient enough, nor able to punish justly. Rather, we are to weep because God is
offended by the rebellion.
C.
Realization
that we have the privilege of being identified with the risen and suffering
Christ!
a.
Paul was a mourner identified with Christ- 2 Cor.
11; Phil. 3:8ff
9 But he said to me,
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my
weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For
the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships,
persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of
the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I
may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes
through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith- 10
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his
sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means
possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not
that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to
make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
II.
Who are the mourners?
A.
Repentant
sinners saved by grace, yet desiring to be more Christ-like.
1.
Mourners,
not “Cry babies” (or “the whiners”) who do not get
their way!
a.
David was a
mourner- Psalm 51
Psalm 51:1 Have mercy
upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my
transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And
cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions; And my
sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest
be justified when thou speakest, And be clear
when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was
brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me….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 a willing spirit.
b.
Job was a
mourner- Job 9:1-3; 25ff; 13
Job 9:1 Then Job answered and said: 2 "Truly
I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?
….25 "My days are swifter than a runner; they flee
away; they see no good. 26 They go by like skiffs of reed, like
an eagle swooping on the prey. 27 If I say, 'I will forget my
complaint, I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,' 28 I become afraid of all my suffering, for I
know you will not hold me innocent. 29 I shall be condemned; why
then do I labor in vain? 30 If I wash myself with snow and
cleanse my hands with lye, 31 yet you will plunge me into a pit,
and my own clothes will abhor me. 32 For he is not a man, as I
am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. 33
There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. 34
Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify
me. 35 Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so
in myself.
Job
13:15-24-:15 Though
he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his
face. 16 This will be my salvation, that
the godless shall not come before him. 17 Keep listening to my
words, and let my declaration be in your ears. 18 Behold, I have
prepared my case; I know that I shall be in the right. 19 Who is
there who will contend with me? For then I would be silent and die. 20
Only grant me two things, then I will not hide myself from your face: 21
withdraw your hand far from me, and let not dread of you terrify me. 22
Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and you reply to me. 23
How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and
my sin. 24 Why do you hide your face and count me as your enemy?
c.
Paul was a
mourner identified with Christ- 2 Cor. 11; Phil.
3:8ff
B.
Sinners
saved by grace, yet desiring to see God’s justice fulfilled in this
world.
C. Jesus the Mourner
Jesus
was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53). He wept when he saw the effects of sin
causing a man to die who was his friend.
He wept over Jerusalem because she would not come to him and be saved. He experienced death, in order to defeat
death and take away our greatest fear!
III.
The God of All Comfort
A.
Be comforted
Christians!
Old
Testament: Isaiah 40:3: “Comfort Jerusalem”/ New Testament
Matthew 3- Repentance and turning from sins to God for hope and comfort of
salvation in Christ!
2
Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4
who comforteth us in all our
affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction,
through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 5
For as the sufferings of Christ abound unto us, even so our comfort also aboundeth through Christ. 6 But whether we
are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or whether we are
comforted, it is for your comfort, which worketh
in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: 7
and our hope for you is stedfast; knowing that,
as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort. 8
For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction
which befell us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly,
beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9
yea, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we
should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth
the dead: 10 who delivered us out of so great a death, and will
deliver: on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver
us…
A.
Revelation
21:1-8- The promise of being with the Living God in the New Heaven and New
Earth and him wiping away every tear from our eyes!
Job’s Hope
: Job
19:25-29:25 But as for me I know that my
Redeemer liveth, And at last he will stand up
upon the earth: 26 And after my skin, even this body,
is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God…
B.
Prophecy of
Isaiah 61:
C.
Anne
Cousin’s hymn based upon the last words of Samuel Rutherford:
The
sands of time are sinking,
The
dawn of heaven breaks,
The
summer morn I’ve sighed for,
The
fair, sweet morn awakes.
Dark,
dark hath been the midnight,
But
dayspring is at hand;
And
glory, glory dwelleth
In
Emmanuel’s land.
The
King there in His beauty,
Without
a veil is seen:
It
were a well spent journey,
Though
seven deaths lay between:
The
Lamb, with His fair army,
Doth
on Mount Zion stand,
And
glory, glory dwelleth
In
Immanuel’s land.
O
Christ, He is the fountain,
The
deep, sweet well of love;
The
streams on earth I’ve tasted,
More
deep I’ll drink above.
There
to an ocean fullness
His
mercy doth expand.
And
glory, glory dwelleth
In
Immanuel’s land.
For further
meditation on the Scriptures: Psalms
51; Job 5:8-13; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Isaiah 61:1-3; Matthew 9:10-19; James
4:4-10; Revelation 21:1-7.
CRB
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