Title: Why do Disciples mourn?

Text: Matt 5:1-12

Date: 7-05-09.am

Introduction:

This morning we look at the second of the beatitudes from Matt 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (NAS) I said last week every disciple of Jesus, every true believer is to display each one of these beatitudes in their lives. I'm sure I will probably repeat that again and again as we go through this study. These describe what a Christian should look like. It's not an easy task. It is a lofty goal. A goal only possible by the grace of God at work not only in bringing salvation but also in guidance in day to day living, day to day decision making.

Last week I said blessed means more than just emotional happiness it means an inward contentedness that isn't affected by outward circumstances. Through our relationship to God in Christ we are blessed and are in the place to receive blessings from Him in our life. The great thing is that even when we fall short God continues to bless us. But, don't mistake that to mean we can live any way we choose and still be blessed by God. Intentional, willful disobedience, disregard for God's commandments and the teachings of God's word brings wrath and not blessing. God is loving and forgiving but also holy and just. As Paul wrote to the Galatian church in Gal 6:7: Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. NASB Sin has consequences and we can not willfully sin against God without suffering those consequences. But, God wants us to understand how much more is ours when we strive to become complete disciples, surrendering our will to His.

As we look at the second beatitude this morning we want ask two questions: first why are disciples mourning and second how are they comforted.

I. Why do disciples mourn?

The word mourn means to express sorrow. The word translated mourn in this passaged is the strongest Greek word that can be used to describe mourning. It expresses the idea of deep inner agony. Jesus is not simply referring to the external ritual mourning, the loud wailing and other outward expressions that were and still are customary in that part of the world. He was talking about genuine grief and sorrow.

Mourning is an escape valve for emotional health and well being, it is a good thing. There are many legitimate situations common to all mankind where mourning is an appropriate response. It is like cleansing a wound, it helps us heal. Of course, it can become a bad thing if we allow it to consume us and poison us rather than heal us.

The Bible speaks of many different occasions that lead to mourning. In the LXX (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture the same word is used in Gen 23:2 where the Bible tells us that Abraham mourned the death of Sarah. I think we all can all understand how the death of a loved one is a cause for mourning. We have all probably experienced that kind of gut wrenching pain and sorrow.

Concern over the spiritual welfare of the Ephesian church produced such sorrow in Paul and caused him to mourn and weep in Acts 20:31. Defeat and discouragement can also cause us to mourn. There are many situations where mourning is an appropriate response. But none of these is what Jesus is talking about.

Jesus is talking about the genuine heartfelt agony over sin. Agony over personal sin is foremost in mind. Mourning over the fact that we are less than what God wants us to be because of the ugliness of sin in our lives. Mourning over the recognition of the destructive nature of personal sin.

When we stand bankrupt before God, recognizing our spiritual poverty apart from Him, we see how sin works to deceive and to destroy. It destroys marriages, it destroys homes; it destroys lives. It also destroys fellowship with God and with one another.

The prime example of sin's destructiveness is seen in Gen 3. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden and sin became a part of their lives, they hid from God. They hid from the one whom they had freely and openly and honestly walked with and had fellowship with. The one who brought them into existence, the one who loved them and cared for them and cherished them. Because of sin they were now afraid of Him. It's also clearly seen in the life of King David. His sin with Bathsheba had terrible consequences throughout the rest of his life. That's what sin does to us.

The true disciple of Christ recognizes not just their former condition, lost in sin, but realize they are still engaged in spiritual warfare against the power of sin. The mark of the mature believer is not sinlessness, but a continual and growing awareness of sinfulness in their lives. To grow in grace is to grow in awareness of sin. You see our problem is we are always aware of the sins of others but we never look honestly in the mirror at ourselves. To be poor in spirit requires us focus on our own sin rather than always focusing on the sins of someone else. It leads us to the growing awareness of our own personal sin. What is it in my life that God sees and knows is sinful? Is it my attitude, my actions, my thoughts, my words? What is it that others see? Do others see Jesus in me or someone or something else?

This growing awareness leads the disciple ( again by disciple we're talking about a genuine follower of Jesus Christ not a Sunday morning Christian or a casual Christian - one who follows Christ when it's convenient. I'm talking about a person who has given their heart and life to Christ. There is no such thing as a part time Christian. If you can be a part time Christian without conviction from the Spirit if God you better be checking up on your salvation experience. If you have trust Christ there will be a growing awareness of sin in your life.) This growing awareness leads to a tremendous sense of inner sorrow which results in genuine mourning.

This inner sorrow over sin and the mourning produces does not mean being overcome with discouragement and hopelessness. It is not wallowing in self-pity and false humility. True mourning over sin recognizes sinfulness, but focuses on God, who alone forgives, cleanses and restores. This kind of sorrow and mourning leads to repentance and confession. As John wrote in 1 Jn 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NAS)

Not only does the disciple mourn for their own sin, however, they also mourn for the sin of others. What we recognize as true in our own lives we recognize is true in the lives of others. We've been there and understand how sin easily besets the world. We recognize not only the physically destructive power of sin we also see the eternally destructive power of sin. We understand the truth that the wages of sin is death (Rom 3:23). Spiritual death that separates men and women eternally from a loving and gracious God. And, we understand at least to some extent, what sin means to God. He hates it because He is holy and righteous and it grieves Him to see His creation wallow in its filth. Yet at the same time God loves the sinner. "Jesus' harsh denunciations of sin show that sin cannot be overlooked. It must be confronted, unpleasant as that may be (Matt 18:15-20; Luke 17:3-4). Otherwise, the unrepentant sinner dies in his sins (John 8:24; cf. James 5:19-20)." (from Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Copyright © 1996 by Baker Books. All rights reserved. Used by permission.) It is even more clearly seen in the fact that God came in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ to atone for sin, to save sinners and to reconcile all of creation. (Lk 19:10; Jn 3:16; Rom 5:8; Col 1:19-21; 1 Tim 1:15;

Today there seems to be a lack of this kind of sorrow and mourning within the church. I read a story some time back about a young boy who caught a sparrow. He wanted his sparrow to sound more like a canary so he put the bird in the cage with his canary. When he was asked later if the sparrow was sounding more like a canary he looked dismayed and said no but the canary is sounding more like the sparrow.

Unfortunately that is what's happening in the church. We have tried to become more like the world. Rather than have godly sorrow and grief over sin we have decided that it's not too bad after all. We have brought the world into our cage and instead of the world looking and sounding more like the church, the church is looking and sounding more and more like the world.

Not only has the church and Christians compromised on the more visible or recognizable sin, but also on sin in general. The church, and I'm speaking in very general terms here when referring to the church and Christians those in the church have not only compromised on the issues of abortion and homosexuality, we have also compromised on the issues of gambling, alcohol, adultery, and sexual promiscuity until all of these things are as common among believers as they are among non-believers and this should never be.

We are no longer shocked and bothered by sin. We simply accept it and instead of standing on the Word of God we want to mellow it out and make it more palatable and acceptable so the world won't think we are strange or different, as though being different would somehow be wrong. That's the great attraction of Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church in Houston. He doesn't talk about sin.

A number of years ago Pastor Gene Scott had a program on late night or early morning TV. He was given to use vulgar language and did not have a good reputation especially among evangelicals. Today one of the most widely followed pastors among young evangelicals, Mark Driscoll, is known for doing much the same thing and being very worldly in the presentation of his sermons and teachings. The Bott radio network, a Christian radio network, recently pulled his show off the air recently because of that. We seem to have reached a place where we no longer mourn over sin we embrace it. Heaven help the church, heaven help the Christian that has developed that kind of an attitude towards sin. Paul talks about that kind of attitude in Rom 1May God never allow you to come to such a point in your faith where sin is acceptable.

This kind of attitude by the church has become something more than just indifference. The picture that comes to my mind is a house fire with people inside, indifference would be just standing around doing nothing watching the fire. But what has happened with the church and with Christians is not just indifference, by compromising the teachings of our Lord, being willing to accept sin rather than stand against it, is like taking marshmallows and hotdogs to that fire and instead of just watching and doing nothing cooking hotdogs and toasting marshmallows rather than trying to put out the fire and rescue the family. That's a terrible image, it's incomprehensible that anyone would ever do such a thing. But when we no longer call sin, sin, when we are no longer alarmed by it, when we no longer mourn because of it that's exactly what we are doing.

As believers, disciples of Jesus, we must allow the Holy spirit to again bring us to that place where we mourn over sin - our sin and the sin of others. We must come to the place of David when he cried out in Ps 51:1-4

51 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. ESV

Matt 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, (in this way) for they shall be comforted. (NAS)

II. How are they comforted?

The second question is how are those who mourn comforted? The word comforted literally means called near. God loves his children. His children are those who have trusted Him and placed their faith in Jesus Christ. When God's children mourn because of sin they find comfort in Him and from Him as He calls them close to himself. Like a mother or father hugging a child who has had an accident or something. They bring them close and hug them and assure them everything is going to be alright. That's the sense of what Jesus says is true for the disciple who mourns for sin. It's a two fold comforting; they shall be comforted in the present but more completely in the future.

First, those who mourn because of sin find comfort in the present through the forgiveness of sin. True mourning over sin does not lead to continuing in sun but leads to confession repentance of sin, which in turn leads to the forgiveness of sin which brings comfort. But the fact that we are forgiven also brings the comfort of true joy. Joy of sins forgiven, joy of restoration and reconciliation, joy of knowing that when we had forsaken Him and walked away He had not forsaken us, and also the joy of hope, the anticipation of the glory of heaven and eternal life.

We are also comforted through the peace of God which comes through experiencing forgiveness. Peace of God, peace from God, peace with God, peace beyond comprehension, that calm assurance of God's care and God authority and God's control of every situation of life good and bad..

We are comforted by the assurance that God's will, will not be thwarted. Things may not happen according to our plans or our time schedule but when we mourn over sin we are assured that even though the world continues to flee from the light, men and women, boys and girls continue to be born into the kingdom of God through our witness and the witness of others who continue to be concerned and heart broken over sin.

Not only are we comforted in the present, we shall be comforted in the future. When God's kingdom is completed, when it is consummated, when everything that needs to be fulfilled is fulfilled and time as we know it will be no more, God Himself will wipe every tear from our eyes, bind our broken hearts and there will be no more sin, then we will truly know what it means to be brought close to God.

Are you broken hearted over sin, or are you unconcerned, uncaring and indifferent? May we as believers always be sorrowful over our sin and the sins of others and over the fact those without Christ are perishing. May we always realize that people need the Lord.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (NAS)