I. INT.
A. Jesus made many strange and unique statements
1. Certainly this is true of the 2nd beatitude
B. The world thinks this statement strange beyond words
1. “Happy are those that mourn”
a. How foolish can one be!
2. The one thing that the whole world agrees on is this!
a. Shun mourning
b. Forget your troubles-drown your sorrows-don’t face reality
c. Be as happy as you can!
C. BUT THE GOSPEL SAYS “HAPPY ARE THEY THAT MOURN”
1. The parallel in Lk. 6:21, 25 puts it this way
2. Thayer tells us that the word “mourn” means “to weep, to lament”
3. It literally means to “weep out loud” “to shed tears” “to cry as a child”
D. WE HAVE A MEANING HERE THAT IS SPIRITUAL
1. As was true of the 1st beatitude-“Blessed are the poor in spirit”-the “poor” did not refer to finances; rather to something Spiritual-poverty of spirit
2. He is not talking here about natural mourning-like that suffered in the loss of a loved one
III. WHO ARE THE BLESSED MOURNERS?
A. THE MOURNING AND COMFORTING OF THIS PASSAGE MUST BE TAKEN IN CONNECTION WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF JOHN CONCERNING THE MISSION OF CHRIST IN REFERENCE TO SIN-Jn. 1:29
1. It has no reference to personal bereavement, disappointments and losses
B. PARALLEL TO THIS BEATITUDE IS THE INVITATION OF MT. 11:28
1. There is no difference between the “mourning” of this Beatitude and the “heavy laden” of the invitation
2. There is no diff. Between the “comfort” and the “rest”
3. Both passages refer to Rem. of sins by the gospel of Christ
C. ‘GODLY SORROW”-2 Cor. 7:10
1. There must be a conviction before there can be conversion -Acts 2:37
2. There must be sorrow before there can be conversion
3. One of the real problems today is a lack of mourning over sin
a. We don’t take sin serious enough
b. We are to busy trying to make everybody happy instead of convicting one of sin
IV. CONSIDER THIS BEATITUDE AS SEEN IN THE LIFE OF JESUS
A. LET’S LOOK AT THE LIFE OF OUR LORD HIMSELF-HE IS THE ULTIMATE EXAMPLE
1. We have no record anywhere that He ever laughed
a. He was angry-Jn. 2:13; Mk. 3:5
b. He was hungry-Lk. 4:2
c. He was thirsty-Jn. 4:7
d. He may have laughed-but it is not recorded
2. Isa. 53:2,5, 7
3. Lk. 19:41-44 says-Why?
a. Compare this picture with what many think, should characterize the church today
b. Jesus did not come to make people feel good about themselves but to save
V. LOOK AT THE APOSLE PAUL-I Cor. 11:1
A. HEAR HIM IN ROMANS-Ro, 7:14-25
1. He was grief stricken about himself and cried in agony
a. All Christians should be like that
B. HEAR HIM AGAIN IN RM. 8:18
C. LISTEN AGAIN TO HIS WORDS IN - 2 Cor. 5:4, 2
D. LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT HE WROTE TO TIT.-Tit. 2:2,3,4, 6, 7
VI. WHAT DOES ALL THIS ADD UP TO?
A. THAT THOSE WHO MOURN ARE THOSE WHO GRIEVE OVER SIN
1. A sense of sin Must be experienced before the joy of salvation - Acts 3:19
B. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN IS ONE WHO DAILY SEES HIS UNHOLINESS
1. He cross-examines his life at the end of each day
a. What have I done? What have I said? What have I thought? How have I behaved?
b. If so, you will find many things to make you weep?
c. What makes me do things like that? Why do I harbor such unkindness, envious thoughts?
C. A TRUE CHSRISTIAN IS ONE WHO MOURNS ALSO AT THE SINS OF OTHERS
1. He is concerned about the state of the world
2. The world says “eat, drink, & be merry”-Don’t think about sin!
3. The true Christian constantly sees and mourns the sin in himself, in the world, in the church
VII. ‘THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED”
A. IN A PERSONAL SENSE, DAILY
1. Mourning produces repentance which draws us to Christ - 2 Cor. 7:9
B. IN A MORE GENERAL SENSE-Tit. 2:13; Rm. 8:23,18; Heb. 11:10; Rev. 21:1
VIII. CONCLUSION: