Blessed are part 2

Blessed are, part 2

Matthew 5:4

Sunday, February 8^th, 2015- MRWC

            We are continuing on today in our new sermon series called “Blessed Are”. This new series focuses on Jesus’ first sermon, what we know as the Sermon on the Mount.

            Pastor Mike introduced this series last week by reminding us that God blesses those who are poor in spirit; the ones who depend on God instead of depending on themselves.

            This was good news to those who had gathered to listen to Jesus. Instead of their being an unattainable bar to get to God, Jesus was making it so everyday people could come in contact with God Almighty.

            One of the verses that he shared with us last week was Proverbs 3:5&6, a verse many of us have memorized:

            “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV84)

            The people God blesses are the ones who rely on Him for His wisdom, His strength; His timing; His defense and His wealth.

            “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3, NLT2)

            How did you do this past week of relying on God?  Great? Not so great? Thankfully, today is a new day and we can begin practicing being poor in spirit!

            This morning we are going to deal with the 2^nd beatitude, which, by the way, comes from the Latin word which means “Blessed”.

         We will be looking at “The one about those who mourn.”

            Our verse is found in Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (NIV84)

            This verse causes me to ask a few (obvious) questions. First of all, what does it mean to mourn? 

            The word in the Greek is “Panthēo”, and it means to lament, to be sad, to be sorrowful. Also included in this definition is to mourn the death of a friend.

            The second question I have about this verse is: Who—or more specifically—What do we mourn?

            There are at least 3 things that we can mourn.

1.     People.

ILLUSTRATION- I will never forget the date of March 29, 2013 for as long as I live. This was the day that my brother called me at 2 in the morning to tell me that my father had passed away because of the tumor on his brain.

            While my father and I didn’t always see eye to eye, he was my father and I loved and respected him. He and I were close and I wasn’t ready for him to die.

            Losing my father was one of the hardest things I had to endure up to that point.  I went through a period of mourning, and for the most part I have come to deal with the fact that my father is not here anymore.

            There are times, however, that I miss my father. I will be watching something on TV and the water works begin, and I’m mourning my father one more time.

        This happened again, last Sunday night.

            I was watching the Super Bowl, and one of the commercials did me in. As soon as it came on, I knew I was in for it. 

            I’m not completely sure what it was that did me in, the “I’m your dad”; or the NASCAR references, (which my dad loved) but this commercial reminded me that my dad is no longer here.

            Though I went through a season of mourning when my father died, I still tear up from time to time because he’s not here.

            Some of you are saddened at the loss of a loved one or a friend—they may not be dead, but they are not with you at this present time; you are enduring a season of mourning for them.

            This beatitude contains a promise for those who mourn…. And we’ll look at that promise in just a moment…

            The first way that we mourn is over people. We also mourn over our sin.

ILLUSTRATION- Evangelist Billy Graham tells the story of a mother in an African nation who came to faith in Jesus and grew strong in her commitment and devotion to the Lord.

            As so often happens, however, this alienated her from her husband and over the years he grew to despise her and her new devotion to the Lord.

            His anger and bitterness reached a climax when he decided to kill his wife and their two children, then himself, as he was unable to live with the self-inflicted misery. But he needed a motive.

            He decided that he would accuse her of stealing his keys. These were the keys to his house, his car and the bank he managed.

            Early one afternoon, he left his post at the bank and headed for the tavern. His route took him across a footbridge that extended over the headwaters of the Nile River.

He paused above the River and threw his keys into the water. He spent the rest of the afternoon drinking and carousing.

            Later that afternoon his wife went to the fish market to purchase the evening meal, a large Perch.

         As she was gutting and cleaning the fish, much to her surprise, in its belly were her husband’s keys.

            She had no idea how they got there, but she cleaned them up and put them on the hook.

            Sufficiently drunk, the young banker came home that night and pounded open the front door and shouted: “Woman, where are my keys?”

            Already in bed, his wife got up and picked up the keys off the hook and handed them to her husband.

            “When he saw the keys”, Billy Graham wrote, “By his own testimony, he immediately became sober and was instantly converted.

         He fell on his knees sobbing; asked for forgiveness and confessed Jesus Christ has his Lord and Saviour.” (From my files)  

            This story illustrates for us the meaning of Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:4.

         When we come to the understanding that our sin is wrongdoing before God, we should fall to our knees and repent. We should go through a period of mourning for our sins.

            King David did. When the Prophet Nathan confronted David after his affair with Bathsheba, and covering up her husband’s death, David went through a period of mourning for his sin.

            Some of the sweetest words in all of scripture can be found in Psalm 51, words that David wrote after his sin:

            “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

            2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 

3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.” (51:1-4a, NLT)

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7, NLT2)

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.” (51:10-12, NLT2)

“You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.

 ¹⁷ The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” (51:16-17, NLT2)

            David endured a period of mourning for his sin.

He admitted to God that what he did was wrong, and asked God to forgive him.

            While it’s good for us to mourn our sin, it’s not good for us to continually and constantly bring up sin that has been confessed and forgiven.

            Psalm 103 reminds us that “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” (103: 12, NLT2)

            Jesus said: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (Joh 8:36, NIV84)

            If you have been forgiven, you have been forgiven! There is no need to constantly bring up forgiven sin.

But if you haven’t been forgiven, then you need to be forgiven, and most of the time this includes a period of mourning over our sin.

            The third way that we mourn is over the sins of other people.

ILLUSTRATION- I remember the day I opened by email and read about one of my friends who was forced to leave the ministry because of an extra-marital affair.

            I had known this man for several years; we went to school together, I was a guest in his house several times, and I was a youth pastor to his children.

            This news broke my heart. A friend, a colleague, had fallen into temptation and was out of the ministry. I sat in my chair and wept for this

person and his family. I cried out to God for him and this situation.

            I saw this person a few years ago at Beulah Camp, and I had a chance to talk with him, and he told me that he was doing better and was taking steps to repair his broken world.

            I left that meeting still mourning for this former pastor, while he was doing better, my heart still broke for him and what was his “new normal.”

            Sometimes we have to endure seasons of mourning over wrongdoing--and even sin-- that other people have done.

        While we may not be the cause of their sin, it still affects us and we endure a season of mourning because of their sin.

            Jesus tells us that if we mourn the loss of a person; if we mourn over our sin; or even mourn over the sins of another; WE WILL BE COMFORTED.

            There is a terrific chunk of Scripture found in Isaiah 61. This is the same chunk of Scripture that Jesus read from early on in His ministry and said applied to Him.

            It reads like this: “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn…” (Is. 61:1-2, NIV84)

            When we mourn—either people, our sin or the sin of another—we have the promise of Scripture that God Himself will comfort us!

            The Greek word for comfort in Matthew 5:4 is Parakletō, and it means: to bring along side of, to aid, to encourage.

This Greek word is very closely related to Parakletōs, which is translated Comforter. This is another name for God’s Holy Spirit!

            When Jesus tells us that we will be comforted when we mourn, He is telling us that He Himself, through the power of His Holy Spirit, will surround us and bring the comfort that only God can deliver.

Do you need to spend some time in mourning today? Either for somebody that’s gone, or for your own sinfulness, or the sin that has affected someone else?

The words of Jesus remind us that if we mourn, we will be comforted.

The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 1: “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.

⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” (NLT2)

God Himself, through His Holy Spirit will comfort us, or God will use His people who have gone through a similar situation to bring comfort to those who mourn.

If you are mourning today, turn to God and seek His comfort. Seek out one or two Godly people who can help you get through this storm in your life. God will comfort those who mourn.

(BAND)

Isaiah 40:26 and on read like this: “Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.

²⁷ O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?

²⁸ Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary.  No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. ³⁰ Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.

³¹ But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Is. 40:26-31, NLT2)

            Strength will come to those who lean into God. Comfort will come to those who mourn.

            So here’s what I want you to do today:

            If you’re mourning—either someone who is lost, or because of some unconfessed sin you committed this week, or even at the sin of another, lean into God’s grace. He wants you to experience His comfort right now.

            Let Him bring strength to your world; let Him lift you up in His arms of love.

            I'm also asking you to Seek out another Christ follower who can help you get through your time of mourning, and lean into this promise from the mouth of the Master: “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4, NLT2)

            If, as we sing, you’d like to come to the alter and pray, feel free to come and pray. If you would like to remain where you are, ask someone close to you to pray for you.

        (repeat verse of the day)