The Blessing of mourning

Matthew 5:4

April 7, 2002

 

Frivolity, amusement, laughter, mirth, and jest all describe the commonplace atmosphere in our nation. Whether on radio talk shows or television programs, amusement and jest comprise most of the substance. The people that seem to be admired most in the world are those that can make people laugh. This is not just restricted to the world at large, but it's also a large part of the Christian community. I was talking with a lady recently who commented on a minister in her church that had responsibility in directing services. She said, "He's one of the funniest people I know!" She went on to speak of his involvement in preaching. Somehow I wondered how the funny man would be able to deliver serious expositions of God's Word, or at least be taken seriously.

 

By no means would I imply that Christians must take on a morose appearance in life. Don Carson told about the little girl that saw a horse and said that it must be a Christian because of its long face! This Beatitude is not counsel for developing a long face, but rather understanding the seriousness of life, of God, of sin, and of eternity [The Sermon on the Mount, 18].

 

Yet standing in sharp contrast to this life of frivolity and amusement is the second Beatitude, a paradoxical statement of comfort in mourning. Think of the words, and how strange they sound in our culture. John Stott says that it can almost be translated, "Happy are the unhappy" [The Bible Speaks Today: Christian Counter Culture, 40]. The words have been applied in all manner of situations, yet often applied in ways not intended by Jesus Christ. To understand this Beatitude we must not lose focus on what Jesus was doing, setting forth in the Beatitudes a description of the radical character of those who are part of his kingdom. Here is Christianity expressed in simple, yet profound terms. This Beatitude exposes much about the reality of our hearts. As Kent Hughes asks, "In our hearts, what do we weep about? What do we laugh about?" Then he asserts, "True Christianity manifests itself in what we cry over and what we laugh about" [The Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom, 29]. Spiritual mourning sets the heart aright in crying and laughter.

 

Spiritual mourning naturally follows poverty in spirit. As one faces the reality of his own spiritual bankruptcy he becomes overwhelmed by his own offense toward God. Like Isaiah, he cries, "Woe is me! For I am undone!" And like Paul, he laments, "Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?"  Spiritual mourning discovers deep comfort as it turns the heart and passion from sin in true repentance, and dependence upon God's mercy and grace through Christ. Do you know the blessing of mourning?

 

I. Delusions of spiritual mourning

 

The term that is used, "Blessed are those who mourn," is one of a number of words in the Greek language for mourning. This particular one implies lamenting or grieving. It was used for those mourning the loss of someone to death. The expression of grief is not a simple pain in the bosom, but it so takes possession of the whole being that it cannot be hidden; it is evident in the whole of life [Rienecker & Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, 12]. But this verse has often been used improperly to assure people of temporal comfort in all kinds of situations.

 

1. Loss

 

This is a favorite verse at funerals, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," as the assurance that in the time of bereavement and loss, they can be certain that God will give comfort. But this verse is not speaking to that issue.

 

Others suppose that it is the assurance of comfort for some deprivation in life or some loss of perceived privilege. You have been treated in ill fashion or have been duped in a business deal or have been denied liberties because of your identification with a particular culture or race or ethnicity, so you appeal to this verse for comfort. But that is not its focus. I recall attending the service in an African-American Baptist church in which the guest preacher's theme was "Hold on!" He endlessly whooped the phrase, "Hold on," as the congregation swayed rhythmically to his intonations, and the preacher drenched himself in sweat. His entire thesis was 'hold on because things will eventually get better'. That kind of talk could be given at a civic club meeting or a Unitarian church. That's not what this Beatitude is about!

 

Some mourn because of being caught in a sin or deed that brings about certain consequences of great discomfort. So they comfort themselves that as they mourn they will eventually be comforted from this time of distress. They mourn over the penalty not over the deed. As the Puritan pastor in London, Thomas Watson, penned, "To mourn only for fear of hell is like a thief that weeps for the penalty rather than the offense" [The Beatitudes, 62]. There is no promise of comfort in this situation.

 

Some mourn due to hurt feelings or perceived wrongs or personal injustices or the inability to accomplish personal goals, but that is not the type of mourning spoken of in this text.

 

2. Habit

 

Mourning also has nothing to do with the habits of our lives. Some people are naturally melancholy so that they can easily weep or easily feel pity over a situation or quickly shed tears for a loss. But this is not a promise of blessing for a particular type of personality. Some have a habitually morose countenance, the long-faced horse look that might be called the blessing of mourning. But that just happens to be their disposition that can change on a whim, not a spiritual quality. Spiritual mourning does not mean that you are able to best everyone else at a grimacing look. This Beatitude does not laud a sour disposition. It also does not commend the tongue that continually complains in woeful tones. If this were the case then the most comforted group on the face of the earth would be political action groups of all stripes that lead the pack of perpetual complaining!

 

To sum it up in one phrase, "It is not the sorrow of bereavement to which Christ refers, but the sorrow of repentance" [John Stott, 40-41].

 

II. Descriptions of spiritual mourning

 

So what is spiritual mourning? "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Watson tells us, "Mourning is put here for repentance" [59]. And so we learn that it has nothing to do with worldly comforts but with our relationship to God in regard to our sin and enmity with God. It flows out of spiritual poverty. As our recognition of personal bankruptcy in worth and merit before God seizes us, we grieve that we have offended God. We lament our sin. We mourn over the loss of clear vision of God's holiness and faithful obedience to God's law. It begins inwardly then continues by adding an outward focus and dimension.

 

1. Inward focus

 

By inward focus I am implying that spiritual mourning does not begin by pointing at everyone else's sins and shortcomings. It starts with me. And it does not begin because of some kind of morbid introspection but it is prompted when we begin to see God. Take for instance that famous scene of Isaiah's encounter with God in Isaiah chapter six. For the first five chapters he had been pronouncing woes upon everyone else. Then in the sixth chapter, Isaiah got his own glimpse of God. It stunned him! In words now familiar to all of us he explained,

In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said,


"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory."

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

The scene of God's holiness overwhelmed the prophet. He thought upon the majesty of God and saw his own lowliness. He thought of Yahweh's holiness and saw his own uncleanness. He thought upon the Lord's glory and saw his own sullied character and conversation. He thought upon the beauty and dignity of the Lord, and then saw his own ugliness and blackness of soul. Not even the Seraphim that live continually in the glory of the Lord's presence could gaze upon Him. Isaiah's response is recognition of his spiritual poverty and the vocal expression of his spiritual mourning:

Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts [6:1-5].


Martyn Lloyd-Jones noted, "The way to become poor in spirit is to look at God," and I would add, that is the way to spiritual mourning as well [Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 52]. Isaiah is a clear example, as is Paul when confronted by the holiness of God's law expressing that same sense of inward anguish of soul, sounded a cry of desperation at his own sin in light of God's holiness: "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Rom 7:24). How does this deep, inward spiritual mourning develop and continue in our lives?

1. It results from seeing God as holy. Sinclair Ferguson concurs, "It is this-his sight of God-that has made him mourn. Paradoxically, it is the same sight of God that will bring him comfort" [The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World, 19]. Where do we see God? We look into the pages of God's Word, that infallible revelation of God. We meditate upon Scripture. We contemplate the Lord; see how he has worked in creation and most of all, in redemption. We look at the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, to his perfectly holy life, and then to the cross. Gaze upon Him who is so utterly holy that for Him to forgive just one sinner, it required that He pour out the vials of His wrath upon His own Son in a propitiatory fashion.

2. It is the apprehension of the nature of sin. David's penitential Psalm 51 expressed this so clearly: "'for I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when you speak and blameless when You judge" (Ps 51:3-4). Sin is ultimately an offense against God and his holy law. Thomas Watson adds, "David, that he might be a mourner, kept his eye full upon sin. See what sin is, and then tell me if there will be not enough in it to draw forth tears" [87]. It is God who is offended by our sin! It is God the Creator who lovingly sustains us, who even restrains us from following headlong after our own lusts, who tenderly places roadblocks in our way lest we face more of his judgment-it is this God against whom we sin!

3. It is the comprehension of sin as the source of our enmity with God, and consequently our hopelessness to change our own hearts. That produces spiritual mourning as we see the heavy toll requited for our sin: enemies of God; dead in trespasses and sins; children of wrath.

4. Spiritual mourning focuses upon sins in particular and not just general. It is not terribly difficult for a person to join the crowd by saying, "I'm a sinner," for he generally adds, "I'm a sinner like everyone else." But to get more specific, to address our own deeds, our thoughts, our attitudes, our tongue, our mistreatment of others, our neglect of spiritual disciplines, our ingratitude, our lusts, our impure thoughts, our disobedience to parents, our greed, our self-centeredness, our pride, and our arrogance, will bring us to the shocking reality of our sinfulness. Watson wrote, "A wicked man will say he is a sinner, but a child of God says, I have done this evil" [64].

5. Spiritual mourning produces hatred for sin and a repentant heart that desires to be holy.    The American myth of Christianity without holiness knows nothing of spiritual mourning. When the sins of the world are just as prevalent within the church as outside the church, it tells us that true spiritual mourning-this character of true conversion-has not been near as widespread as statistics would state. Spiritual mourning targets sin, applies the cross of Christ, pleads with the Lord for deliverance, and exercises the spiritual disciplines that will help to shape the believer in conduct and character like that of Jesus Christ. He takes seriously Paul's exhortation to the Ephesians, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Eph 5:1).

Do you know something of this spiritual mourning as a reality in your life? My friend, without it there will be no repentance, and without repentance there is no life (Luke 13:3).

2. Outward focus

There is a natural consequence to our inward focus of spiritual mourning. We are affected outwardly as well. Like the Psalmist we cry, "My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Your law" (119:136). We realize that the kingdom of God encompasses the globe, and we desire to see the glory of the Lord cover the earth as the waters covers the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted," projects the prayers, proclamations, witnesses, gospel-conversations, courageous stands, sacrificial offering of lives into the desire to see God's glory throughout the world.

I was reminded of this vividly last Thursday evening as I joined some of our folks and others in the community at a Pro-Life Rally held at Riveroaks Reformed Presbyterian Church. Carol Everett, a former abortion provider, spoke of how she oversaw hundreds and thousands of murders of the unborn. She had even had an abortion herself, and in an effort to assuage the guilt she threw herself into the work of convincing others that abortion was an appropriate action. She was even involved in going into schools, and teaching 5th and 6th graders to distrust their parents and trust her as a sex educator, so that later they would turn to her clinics for abortions. But a church prayed for her, and reached out to her with the mercy of God in the gospel. She testified that the Lord came after her and saved her right in the midst of that despicable career. A group of believers mourned over the sin that had engulfed this lady until they all were comforted by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are countless areas that ought to lead us into mourning, and mourning into sanctified action for the glory of God.

III. Dimensions of spiritual mourning

Spiritual mourning is not just an isolated or limited act in life. It is a continual part of the believer's life. The present tense of the participle, "Blessed are those who mourn," shows that spiritual mourning has lasting dimensions in the life of the Christian.

1. In conversion

Spiritual mourning begins in conversion; it is the pathway to repentance. It comes as a gift of God's grace that enables us to see our sin as an offense against God, and to understand the judgment of God that weighs against us. This is where the promise, "for they shall be comforted," shines. When a person faces his own lost condition before God, and sees his unworthiness of forgiveness, and yet God in His mercy saves him, then you can be assured that he is "comforted!" The word implies that God comes near to him with great consolations. It is not a comfort that leads to cockiness as though he deserved what God did, but a comfort that humbles him, that spills forth in continual gratitude as he is converted to Christ.

But perhaps some among us have not known that comfort that has followed spiritual mourning. There are some things that will hinder us along the way, things that we must recognize and turn from.

1. The love of sin "makes sin taste sweet and this sweetness in sin bewitches the heart" [Watson 81]. Your need is for grace to hate sin, to see how it has damned you before God, and to see how it is keeping you from knowing the Creator as your Redeemer.

2. The deceit of the smallness of sin, that attitude that causes you to think that sin is really no big deal, will inevitably keep you from spiritual mourning and conversion. Watson reminds us, "The least sin without repentance will be a lock and bolt to shut men out of heaven" [83].

3. Procrastination in dealing with sin or taking care of your soul or becoming earnest about your salvation will keep you from spiritual mourning and conversion. Delays do not make Christianity easier. The folly of taking your time when you stand under divine judgment makes less sense than purposely sleeping in a house that you know is on fire.

4. Mirth and music can keep you from knowing spiritual mourning and true conversion to Christ. Watson points out, "Many sing away sorrow and drown their tears in wine. The sweet waters of pleasure destroy the bitter waters of mourning" [86]. Some of you may be on that very path in which you pursue mirth, frivolity, and amusement with a vengeance because it keeps you from taking a good look at your soul. Would you cast away the day of salvation to follow the pleasures of the world for a moment?

2. In sanctification

Spiritual mourning continually operates in the life of the Christian. For as he sins it brings grief, and grief causes him to turn to Christ and the sufficiency of His death; then he is comforted again. "Whenever the Christian is conscious of his own sin," writes Ferguson, "he will be grieved by it" [20]. Grief leads to repentance, and comfort. Watson adds, "The soul of the Christian is most eased when it can vent itself by holy mourning" [76]. It was this same idea that Martin Luther put at the top of his Ninety-five Theses that he nailed to the church door at Wittenberg. "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." Jeremiah Burroughs, another Puritan, offers us great insight on why mourning is part of our sanctification.

As weeds grow very rank in summer time, now in the winter the frost nips the weeds and keeps them under; but if it be a long frost it kills them. And so doth a mournful condition; if it be sanctified, it kills the vermin, it kills our lusts, and is a special means of mortification in the soul; and therefore blessed are they that do mourn, and carry themselves graciously in a mourning condition [The Saints' Happiness, 38].


3. In glorification

You can easily see the progress, going from conversion-and the justification that takes place, to sanctification, and finally to glorification. It is not that spiritual mourning follows into glorification, but it is the pathway to it. For the ultimate comfort promised by Christ, "for they shall be comforted," has a future dimension that points to that time of glorification forever in the Lord's presence. It is that blessed hope of the Christian, that time in which the mortal shall put on immortality, death will no longer be in the pictured; sin and death will have long been put asunder as enemies under the feet of Christ. And who can describe the measure of Christ's eternal comfort? Not even the Apostle John could do it, so he wrote, "Beloved, now we are children of God, and as yet it has not appeared what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is" (I John 3:2). And that is comfort enough!

Conclusion

Have you mourned your sin? Have you been comforted by Jesus Christ in the sufficiency of His death for you? Or are you so steeped in frivolity that you dare not give attention to your sin, and you especially do not look at Christ? My friend, there will be no comfort for you for the ages of eternity apart from spiritual mourning that leads you to Christ. What hinders your spiritual mourning? Turn from it. Cry to God for mercy to see Him with eyes of repentance, and a heart of faith in Jesus Christ.

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