The Mourners

Matt 5:4

Introduction

--Warren Wiersbe in his book Live Like A King said ,

--"If you want to know a person's character, find out what makes them laugh."

--This test is not infallible, because we all have our weak moments

--What we laugh at and what we weep over indicate our values of life

IIlustration: Little children laugh at things that seem stupid to

us, and they will cry over the most trivial things. There was a bad train accident in England and a mother traveling with her child was killed. As they pulled the mother out of the wreckage, the baby laughed and played, but when they tried to take her candy away from her she broke into a terrible tamntrum of weeping and screaming. The fact that her mother was dead did not bother her, because she knew nothing about death, but she did know about candy.

--The higher we go in life the more vunerable you are to sorrow

--The only way to escape it is to isolate yourself from everyone

--But if you do that you will also be escaping joy, for the things that bring us the most joy are the things that can also cause sorrow

--Animals feel pain, and some even seem to show sorrow, but for the most part animals know nothing of a broken heart

--We are not willing to become animals just to avoid sorrow.

--Most children know nothing of the deep hurts that bring tears to adult eyes

--How many of us would be willing to become children just to escape the pains of adult life?

--Whenever we enter into an experience of joy we make ourselves a candidate for sorrow.

Sub-introduction

--Jesus never tried to escape the sorrows of life.

--He never denied there existence either.

--He did not tell His disciple to go out and look for it

--He did tell them he was able to transform their tears and bring them comfort

--Of itself sorrow never makes a person better, it can make them bitter

--But sorrow plus Jesus Christ can bring a transforming experience of power into the life of one who is mourning

--

I. People of mourning

1. Natural mourning

Arab proverb: "All sunshine makes a desert." --Sorrow is the spice of life. It makes us appreciate the good times. Makes us sensitive to others, sometimes brings men to God

2. Unnatural mourning

David's mourning over Absalom in 2 Sam 19:6

3. Supernatural mourning

Transition:

II. Purpose of mourning

1. To bring us to repentance, not regret, or remorse, but repentance.

Regret-when my consciousness of sin rests only in my mind

Remorse-when it affects my mind and heart it is a dangerous thing.

Repentance-when my concern for my sin brings me to the place I turn away from it and obey God. Repentance affcets the mind, the heart, and the will.

Repentance is more than just being sorry for sin, it is being sorry enough to quit.

a. Object of mourning.

1. My sin Psalm 38:18

a. Not just the consequences of my sin

2. Sin of others (1 Cor 5:2; Jer 9:1; Lamentations 1:16)

Transition: When you and I learn how to mourn, then we will have a deeper understanding of the sinfulness of sin and the graciousness of God and His promise of comfort to those who mourn.

III. Promise of mourning.

1. comfort is built from 2 words con fort which means with strength.

a deliverance from the penalty of sin

b deliverance from the present sin and it's power