Blessed Are Those Who Mourn_ Beatitudes (2)
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July 21, 2019 |
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 Senior Pastor Rev. Jaerock Lee
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."Matt. 5:4
There are many people who suffer from financial hardships or pains of sicknesses. Some are heart-broken because things don't go as they planned. Some others shed bitter tears because they are betrayed by others.
But the mourning for personal reasons is not in accordance with God's will. It is fleshly mourning coming from one's own evil and emotions, and these people can't be comforted by God. On the contrary, those who have faith can rejoice always in the Lord.
Some might ask how they can rejoice when they're going through hardships. However, God's children have received salvation and the promise of kingdom of heaven, and thus, they can rejoice and give thanks. Also, they believe that, if they pray with faith, God will cause all things to work for good.
What God wants is spiritual mourning. Matt. 5:4 says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Here, mourning should be for the kingdom and righteousness of God. Now, let us take a closer look at what spiritual mourning is.
1. 2nd Gateway to True Blessing: Those Who Mourn
1) Mourning of Repentance
When we believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Savior, we by the help of the Holy Spirit realize in our heart that He was crucified for our sins. When we feel His love, we shed tears with great repentance.
Repenting is to turn from the sinful ways completely and to live by God's word. If we mourn in repentance, the burden of sins will be taken away, and we will experience upspring of joy.
However, we're not perfect until we reach the full measure of faith. In the meantime, we commit sins and mourn with repentance. Those who love God will repent with many tears because they feel very sorry before God. The power to cast away sins comes down from above when we have such mourning.
Some believers commit the same sin again and again and repent repeatedly. It's either they're slow to change or they don't change at all. They think they mourn with repentance but they don't actually do it from the heart.
We shouldn't just mourn with words but we have to bear the fruit of repentance (Luke 3:8). Furthermore, as our faith matures and becomes a leader in the church, we shouldn't have to be mourning with repentance any longer. It means we should've cast away sins so that we won't have to mourn.
We mourn with repentance when we don't do our God-given duties. The important thing is that it might create a barrier against God if we don't repent, and God might not be able to protect us. But if we repent and mourn from the heart, God-given joy and peace will come upon us. We'll also gain the confidence and strength to do our duties. This is the comfort of God given to those who mourn.
2) Mourning for Brothers in Faith
Sometimes, brothers in faith commit sins and go the way of death. Those who have mercy will mourn for them, considering it their own business. They'll repent for them and pray with love so that they can act according to the truth. Such an act is possible only with love for the souls. God is pleased with such prayers of mourning and gives His comfort.
However, there are also those believers who pass judgment and hurt other people's feelings rather than praying for them with mourning. They spread other people's faults. Such acts are not right in the sight of God. We should just cover the fault of others and pray for them so that they won't commit sins.
In Acts chapter 7, Stephen was being stoned to death by the Jews and yet he prayed for those who were stoning him (Acts 7:59-60). Jesus was crucified receiving all kinds of mockeries, and He prayed for those who were crucifying Him (Luke 23:34). This shows the great and deep love of Jesus for the souls.
If we can pray for the forgiveness of other people's sins, it is pleasing in the sight of God.
3) Mourning for Winning the Souls
God's children should have the love toward those souls that are going the way of destruction in this sinful world. Today's generation is as evil as or more evil than Noah's generation that was punished by the flood and the Sodom and Gomorrah that were punished by fire from heaven. We should have the mourning for our family members, relatives, and neighbors who are not saved yet. We should mourn for our nations and churches and everything that hinders the kingdom of God.
The apostle Paul always had concerns and mourning for the kingdom of God and the souls. He was persecuted so much while spreading the gospel. He was put in jail. But rather, he praised God (Acts 16:25). But for the kingdom of God and the souls, he always mourned (Acts 20:31; 2 Cor. 11:28-29).
We should mourn when believers do not live by the word of God or when churches are not able to glorify God's name. If we are persecuted for the name of the Lord, we shouldn't fall into despair feeling it is hard but pray and mourn for those souls that are persecuting us.
Furthermore, as we see darkness covers the world more increasingly, we should pray more earnestly and with more mourning, for God's glory to be revealed and many souls to be saved.
2. Spiritual Mourning Calls for Spiritual Love
John 6:63 says "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing…" Only the kind of love that God acknowledges can give life and lead the souls to salvation. Therefore, in order to have spiritual mourning, we should first have spiritual love in our heart.
Love can be categorized into fleshly love and spiritual love. Fleshly love seeks one's own; it changes, perishes, and is meaningless, whereas spiritual love is never changing. It's the love within the word of God. It serves interest of others even by sacrificing oneself.
Spiritual love can't be possessed by human effort. It can be given only when we realize God's love and walk in the truth. God gives abundant blessings to those who have spiritual love with which they can love even their enemies and give life for them. These people will give life so that numerous souls will return to the Lord.
We can pray in mourning for the souls only when we have spiritual love in us. Then, we can give life and faith even to the souls with hardened heart, so that they will be changed.
When we have spiritual love, we will mourn spiritually for the kingdom and righteousness of God. Then, as Matt. 6:33 says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you," the souls will be transformed and God's kingdom will be accomplished.
3. Blessing for Those Who Spiritually Mourn
Matt. 5:4 writes, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." As written, those who spiritually mourn will be comforted by God.
The comfort of God is different from that of the world. 1 John 3:18 says, "Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." God's comfort is not just in words but very substantial.
He gives financial blessing to those who are poor. He gives healing to those who are sick. He answers those who pray to receive their hearts' desires.
He gives the strength to those who are not able to fulfill their church duties. If they mourn for the souls, God gives them fruits of evangelism and revival. Furthermore, to those who rend their heart and mourn to cast away sins, He gives them the grace of forgiveness. God blesses them to show the power of God like the apostle Paul to the extent that they become holy.
Moreover, God gives them comfort. God's comfort is unimaginable. He gives us what we need the most and abundantly. He gives us rewards in heaven, too. It is true blessing.
Rev. 21:4 says, "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." He gives us all the glory and rewards in heaven where there are no tears, sorrow, or pain.
Dear brothers and sisters, those who have spiritual love and seek the kingdom and righteousness of God can be comforted by God. Therefore, we should not mourn for the things of the world but to become a holy child of God. We should mourn spiritually for our brothers in faith and the dying souls. In so doing, may you receive God's answers and blessings and rewards in heaven, I pray this in the name of the Lord.
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