Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

And natural sorrow does not bring comfort. Natural sorrow does not bring blessedness. There's only one kind of sorrow that brings blessing to an individual. And that's a supernatural kind of sorrow. It's recorded over in 2 Corinthians 7, verse number 10, when the Apostle Paul wrote these words. 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. There's only one kind of sorrow that produces blessing, and that's a godly sorrow that leads to repentance.

Any other kind of sorrow will not bring you life. Any other kind of sorrow will not bring you comfort. Any other kind of sorrow will not bring you blessedness. But there is one that does, and that's the one that leads to salvation. It's a godly sorrow. Sorrow because of my sin. That's the issue. The Bible tells us that those who mourn, mourn because they realize they are sinners. And that godly sorrow will lead them to repentance, which leads them to salvation. Warren Weir's becoming on this beatitude in his commentary on the beatitudes addresses the issue of a godly sorrow that leads to repentance when he says these words.

We must distinguish, however, between repentance, remorse, and regret, he says. When my consciousness of sin rests only in my mind, then it is regret. When it affects my mind and my heart, it is remorse. And remorse is a dangerous thing. But when my concern over my sin brings me to the place where I am willing to turn from it and obey God, when my concern affects my will as well as my mind and heart, then I have experienced true repentance. James says something very interesting in contrast to what the world says.

Over in James 4, verse 8, when James records these words, Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable. Preach that on Sunday mornings. Preach that in your user-friendly churches. Be miserable, and mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. Gee, maybe we won't preach on that on Sundays. Humble yourself in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you, James says. James says, look, you want to draw near to God?

You've got to cleanse your hands. You've got to purify your heart. You've got to realize that you are a sinner, and that God Himself is the one who is the powerful judge of the universe. And you've got to turn all the superficial things into mourning, and into weeping, and to realize and come before Him in a humble kind of manner, and God then will exalt you. God then will lift you up. Conviction of sin must precede conversion, and it must follow it as well. It is the path to blessedness. Mourning is an ongoing kind of process.

Believers perpetually mourn. They perpetually repent. They perpetually confess their sins. When Martin Luther knocked those 95 theses on the Wittenberg door, the very first one read as follows, that the entire life of the believer is to be one of continuous repentance and contrition.

Over in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse number 12, Paul expressed the fear that when he visited the Corinthians, he would cry about those who had no sorrow for their sin when he recorded these words, I am afraid that when I come again, my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality, and sensuality which they have practiced. You see, the believer has an ongoing life of repentance and mourning over a sin because you see, he's very sensitive to how he offends his God.

The unbeliever is desensitized to his offense of God, but the believer is very sensitive because he knows the heart of God because the Spirit of God resides within him. And so when he grieves the Spirit, he himself is grieved. Over in Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3, five of the seven churches are commanded to repent. Why? Because it's a natural, ongoing process of the believer. And David would say in Psalm 51 verse 17, A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. What are the consequences?

Let's describe them for you. That's point number two. Matthew chapter 5 verse 4 says, Blessed are those who mourn, for they, emphatically, they and they only shall be comforted. The only ones who find real, true comfort in life are those who mourn. It's very emphatic. Those who don't mourn will never find comfort. Those who do will experience comfort in at least four different ways. Number one, comfort from God.

Second Corinthians chapter 1 verse number 3 says that God is the God of all what? Comfort. He is the God of all comfort. And so the one who offers comfort to you is saying, look, I am the God who lives to comfort his people. But comfort not only comes from God, but comfort comes from the Spirit of God, John 14 verses 16 and 19. The Spirit of God is called another comforter, not another of a different kind, another of the same kind. So as God himself is a comforter, so the Spirit of God who indwells man is a comforter and wants to rescue you and bring you what you so desperately need.

And then thirdly, there's comfort that comes from the Word of God. Romans 15 verse number 4, through perseverance and the encouragement of Scripture, we receive hope. Turn with me back to Psalm 119.

Psalm 119. Listen to what the psalmist says in verse number 50, and we'll look at a couple of verses here in Psalm 119.

Psalm 119 verse number 50, This is my comfort in my affliction, that thy word has revived me. Isn't that good? You see, next time you go through an affliction, next time you go through a difficulty, you've got to ask yourself, do you receive comfort? If you are not comforted, then you've got to go back to Psalm 119 verse 50 and say, wait a minute. God's Word is that which comforts me in my affliction. You've got to spend time in God's Word. Why? Because when you spend time in God's Word, God's Spirit begins to do the illuminating kind of work that He does to bring comfort to you from God Himself.

That's how it all works. Psalm 119 verse number 92 reads as follows, If thy law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget thy precepts, for by them thou hast revived me. You see, God's Word is a source of comfort. And so you pray that God will revive you. And how does He do that? He does it through the Word of God. As the Spirit of God illumines your life, you begin to find refuge and revival in God. And of course, lastly, the people of God. The people of God provide comfort as well.

Over in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul wrote these words, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. That's a powerful verse. Why? Because that verse tells you that in the midst of your affliction, God's going to comfort you. And the reason God comforts you amidst your affliction is not so much to give you comfort.

It's so that you will be able to comfort those who have a like-minded affliction. You see that? Isn't that good? You see, God's already thinking down the road. He's thinking in the future. He's way beyond where we are at. He goes, I'm going to comfort you because, you see, down the road, there's going to be somebody who needs comfort amidst their affliction. And so I am going to comfort you, not for you, but for them. So I will use you in their life, and you will see the value of being used of God in the life of another person to bring them comfort.

Boy, is that contrary to what we like to think about and read about? That's the way God works. He's totally contrary to what we think. He does the opposite of what we want Him to do. But boy, when He does it, it is supernatural because that's the way God is. So the consequences of mourning over my sin is the comfort I receive from God because of the forgiveness and the joy that He gives. And then He gives me a spirit to comfort me as well, knowing that I need Him inside of me because as I open the Word of God, the spirit illumines my mind that my life will respond to the things that are there.

And every once in a while, God will use other people in my life to come and bring comfort to me because down the road or before we hit down the road, God had comforted them with a certain kind of comfort that we might receive it amidst our affliction. Thirdly, detailing the characteristics.

What does a person look like who mourns? I want to give you four characteristics. You've got to ask yourself this question. Number one, are you confessing your sin?

That's the first characteristic of one who mourns. Are you confessing your sin? Remember 1 John 1 9? If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now listen very carefully. That verse does not say that if you confess your sins, God will forgive you your sins. That verse says, literally, if we are the ones continually confessing our sins, we are the ones giving evidence of being forgiven of our sins. That's literally what 1 John 1 9 says.

Why? Because you see, the believer is in the mode of confession. I don't confess my sins to receive forgiveness from God. God's already forgiven my sins, right? He's forgiven me all my sins. I confess my sins to God. Why? Because I need to restore the joy that was lost because of my sin. It was Thomas Watson who says this about sin. Commented on David's comment in Psalm 51 verse 3 when David said, My sin is ever before me. Remember that? My sin is ever before me. He says this, See what sin is and then tell me if there be not enough in it to draw forth tears.

I know not what name to give it bad enough. One calls it the devil's excrement. Sin is a complication of all evils. It is the spirits of mischief distilled. Sin dishonors God. It denies God's omissions. It derides His patience. It distrusts His faithfulness. Sin tramples upon God's law, slights His love, grieves His spirit. Sin wrongs us. Sin shames us. Sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14 34 Sin has made us naked. It has plucked off our robe and taken our crown from us. It has spoiled us of our glory.

Nay, it has not only made us naked, but impure. I saw thee polluted in thy blood. Ezekiel 16 6 Sin has not only taken off our cloth of gold, but it has put upon us filthy garments. Zechariah 3 3 God made us after His likeness. Genesis 1 26 But sin has made us like the beasts that perish. Psalm 49 20 We are all become brutish in our affections. Nor has sin made us only like the beasts, but like the devil himself. John 8 44 Sin has drawn the devil's picture upon man's heart. Sin stabs us. The sinner, like the goaler, draws a sword to kill himself.

Acts 16 27 He is bereaved of his judgment, and like the man in the gospel possessed with the devil's, he cuts himself with stones. Mark 5 5 Though he has such a stone in his heart that he does not feel it. Every sin is a stroke at the soul. So many sins, so many wounds. Every blow given to the tree helps forward the felling of the tree. Every sin is an hewing and chopping down the soul for hellfire. If then there be all this evil and sin, if this forbidden fruit has such a bitter core, it may make us mourn.

Our hearts should be the spring and our eyes the rivers. End quote. Helping us to understand the ugliness of sin. The true child of God sees it for what it is. It's an abomination against God. Therefore, they are the ones who are continually confessing their sin, realizing that the joy has been lost. Isaiah said, Woe is me, I'm a cursed man. And Paul said, I am the chief of sinners. Are you confessing your sins? That's the characteristic of a mourner. Number two, are you certain of God's forgiveness?

Are you certain of God's forgiveness? You see, those who are continually confessing their sins are absolutely certain that God has forgiven all their sins. That's why they confess them. They realize the joy that comes through the forgiveness of God. Proverbs 28, verse number 13, He who conceals his transgressions shall not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them shall find compassion. Are you confessing your sins? Are you certain of God's forgiveness? And number three, hold on to your hats.

Are you even concerned about sin in your life? Are you concerned about sin in your life? Are you passive about your sin? Do you laugh at your sin? Do you take pleasure in your sin? Your reaction toward your sin shows whether you are a mourner or not. Are you like those in Proverbs 2, 14 who delight in the perverseness of the wicked? Are you like those in 2 Thessalonians 2, 12 who take pleasure in unrighteousness? Paul would say over in Ephesians 5, verse 3, Do not let immorality, impurity, or greed even be named among you.

No filthiness, no silly talk, no coarse jesting, which are not fitting, only the giving of thanks. Are you concerned about the sin in your life? What is your resolve? What do you do about the sin in your life? Are you concerned about it? Or do you just pass it off as no big thing? Some sins are not as bad as others. It's okay. A true mourner is concerned about the sin in his life. And number four, are you crying? Are you ready for this? Are you crying over the sins of the world? That's how you know you're a true mourner.

When I was studying this past week, trying to get a grip on what I wanted to share with you this evening, I realized that I'm not one who cries over the sins of the world. And I realized that when Jesus cried at the tomb of Lazarus, he didn't cry because Lazarus was dead. Overcoming death is no big thing for God. He knew he was going to raise them up. He made sure that Lazarus was dead so he could raise them up. He didn't cry because he lost a friend. He gave the friend right back. Why did he cry?

He cried because of the devastating results of sin in humanity. Sin brings death. Death brings separation from God Almighty. He wept. That's why Jesus wept, John 11, 35. He wept over the city of Jerusalem. Over in Matthew 23, verse number 37, he came into the city of peace as the prince of peace, and they rejected the peace that he offered. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if only, if only you would have received me. I would have gathered you together. I would have given you the comfort you needed. But you would not have me to be your king.

And so he wept over the city of Jerusalem. In the garden, he wept with strong crying and tears. Again, I believe he wasn't crying and weeping necessarily over the agony that he would face the next day. As excruciating as that might be, he was weeping over what sin had done to the world and how bad things really were. It would cause him to cry with such vehement that he would cry great drops of blood. Psalm 119, verse number 136, mark it down. Man, I want to get there. I'm not there yet. That's where I want to be.

Rivers of water running from my eyes because people don't keep the law of God. That's where I want to be. And I'll admit to you, I'm just not there yet. And I'm asking God to make me sensitive to the sin of the world. So where do we go from here? What is my course of action? That's our fourth main point. Three suggestions. Number one is this.

Realize your condition. God has declared, be holy, for I am holy. Do you realize that those who compare themselves among themselves, as Paul would say, just aren't wise. Compare yourself to God's standard. That's where you need to fall. And when you see God's standard, you say, God, I can't do that. He says, that's right, you can't. And you're like the man, Luke 18, the tax gatherer, who would beat upon his breast and say, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. And God says, I will.

Oh, that's so good. Recognize your condition. Number two, research. Research characters in the Bible and see how they sell themselves. Research men like David, a man after God's own heart. What made him a man after God's own heart? He was said to be a man after God's own heart even after his sin with Bathsheba and even after the murder of Uriah. How could he still be a man after God's own heart? It's because he continually confessed his sin. He knew what it meant to have a broken heart. See, you read men like David, read men like Isaiah and Jeremiah who would weep over the sins of his people.

Like Peter, when he would say, oh, depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man. Like Paul, when he realized that he was a chief of sinners and then say, do I measure up to even their standards as prophets and apostles? Answer, no, but that's not the standard. God has the ultimate standard. And lastly, request a contrite heart from God. Request a contrite heart from God. God will never, ever turn you down. Psalm 51, verse 17, a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise. Psalm 34, 18, the Lord is near to those who are of a broken heart and save us such as be of a contrite spirit.

In 1829, there was an American pastor who wrote these words about those who mourn over the sin. He says, when the heart has been renewed, when the soul, enlightened by the divine spirit, sees the beauty and the loveliness of the divine character, it cannot seriously reflect upon a life of sin without unfeigned grief. Though a sinner still, he cannot remain a sinner in the sense in which he was once a sinner. He manifests the desire to honor the God he has so long dishonored, to undo what he has done against the interest of his kingdom and repair the injury he has caused to the souls of men, end quote.

That, my friend, is one who is blessed because they have mourned over their sin. The greatest thing about this discussion this evening is the fact that God will never, ever turn down anyone who is of broken and a contrite heart. You see, the standard of God is so high that nobody can keep it. And that's a good thing. We could be like the scribes and Pharisees and lower the standard to make everybody think that we've kept the standard. But God says you can't do it.

You see, when the Sermon on the Mount was all over, all Jesus wanted his people to do was throw themselves upon him for mercy. That's all. So we can't do that. We lust, we're adulterers. We hate, we're murderers. We seek vengeance, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We're filthy on the inside. Nobody wanted to do that. Nobody wanted to humble themselves and say, God, be merciful unto me, a sinner. That's all God wants. And when you do that, that's when the true blessing comes. That's when the joy comes.

Because God, through the gift of his wonderful grace, freely forgives us of all the guilt of our sin, even the sin themselves. If you had not done that, God begs you this evening to throw yourself upon him in his mercy and he will bestow upon you not only the blessed life, but the comfort that comes from that because you have experienced true salvation with the Lord Jesus.