Those Who Mourn
Notes
Transcript
There are two ways that we can mourn. We mourn over something or someone that has passed. This is the most common way that we think of when it comes to mourning. All of us have probably lost a loved one in our life. Maybe it was a grandparent, a parent, a spouse, a child or some other type of friend or relative.
Most recently I’ve lost three of my uncles in the past 3 years, two this year. We mourn over their deaths we think about the good times we had. We try to block out the bad times. We go through a period of mourning. We find ways for comfort. We find ways to go on with our life without them. That is a mourning process.
Another way of mourning is what our text is referring to today. We mourn over our sin.
Has anyone ever had a colonoscopy? I haven’t had one but I am at that age that the clinic is bothering me about having one. I am officially old.
A colonoscopy, I’ve heard, is one of the worst medical tests you can take. It is one of the worst tests known to man. It’s not so much the test; it’s the stuff you have to drink to get ready for the test. They say it is some of the nastiest stuff you have ever tasted in your life. And now they have added flavor. So, it is nasty and flavored. So, it’s nasty flavored.
But there is a reason they have you drink this stuff. It is designed to help the doctor keep you healthy. The nasty stuff cleans out the colon, so that the doctor can see clearly when he looks into the body for any signs of cancer or polyps. That nasty stuff helps him to do his job. When you have to undergo this procedure, you have to drink the nasty stuff so that he can do his best to make sure that you are in good health.
If we don’t take the time to cleanse from sin, the risks of the polyps and cancer of sin and the consequences of sin only loom larger. When you mourn over your sin for a while, it is not a pleasant experience. Sometimes it is downright nasty. It’s all good, though. God’s ultimate desire is our spiritual health. We must do what is necessary, deal with our sin, so that we can stay in good spiritual health.
Let’s look at what Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:4
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
I believe that it is not only mourning for your own sin, but it is mourning for the sin of others. Let me ask you some questions.
Do you mourn over your sin?
Do you mourn over your sin?
Do you mourn over your friend’s sin?
Do you mourn over your friend’s sin?
Do you mourn over the sins of your neighbor?
Do you mourn over the sins of your neighbor?
Do you mourn over the sins of the nation?
Do you mourn over the sins of the nation?
Do you see sin being done and you mourn for those that are committing the sin?
41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
Jesus, knowing that the people and their leaders expect a political Savior and will ultimately reject him as God’s promised Messiah, weeps in pity for the people who will soon suffer terrible judgment. The word “wept” in Greek means more than shedding tears. It suggests deep sorrow, the heavy sobbing of a soul in agony. Jesus, as God, reveals not only His own feelings, but also His Father’s broken heart over the spiritual lostness of the human race and its refusal to turn to God and accept His gift of salvation.
9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The term “Hosanna” means “O, save,” but the crowd had a different idea about the meaning of salvation than Jesus meant. The crowd believed that the Messiah would be a social activist and political leader who would finally restore Israel nationally and rule the nations. They failed to understand the purpose that Jesus expressed about His coming into the world—to bring spiritual salvation and to establish His kingdom and rule in people’s hearts. When Jesus did not fulfill their misguided expectations, the crowd would turn against Him shouting, “Crucify Him!”
Today, we are faced with a nation that does not fully understand why Jesus came to earth. They believe He was a good man, that did good things, but they don’t treat Him as Savior. Does your heart mourn over those that are lost in sin? Do you mourn over your own sin?
The term christian means “to be Christ-like”. Are you a Christian? Meaning are you trying to live a life that is Christ-like. Not just coming to church on Sunday morning, but are you living the christian life during the week? Are you serving God even when you don’t feel like it? Are you serving God not just on Sundays, not just in front of your christian peers, but are you living a Christ-like lifestyle when no one is watching? If you are then sin should grieve you. When you watch sin on the news, it should grieve you. When you read it or see how people act on social media, it should grieve you.
Do you mourn?
Do you mourn?
Because there is a promise that follows that statement. Look at verse 4 again.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Whether we as believers mourn for sin or in suffering, God’s promise is sure that they will be comforted. Only God can take away sorrow for sin; only God can forgive and erase it. Only God can give comfort to those who suffer for His sake because they know their reward in the Kingdom.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
Those who mourn over sin and its effect on people’s lives and commit themselves to helping rescue people from evil are comforted by receiving from God’s “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
That is the job that we are to do as christians. We are in the rescuing business.
I like boats. I like riding on boats. I like swimming. I like being on the water and in the water. When I was a kid I spent all summer in the water. I learned water safety. I learned how to rescue someone that was drowning. I learned how to survive myself if I was stranded in a body of water until someone came to my rescue.
If you have ever been on a boat or at a pool you know that there are several items that you can use to rescue people that are in risk of drowning. There is a ring that you can toss to a person to help them stay afloat while you are trying to bring them to land. In pools there is a pole with a hook on it that you can use to place the hook around someone and pull them to shore. And if you are riding a boat you have a life jacket that you can wear and if you fall into the water, the life jacket will keep you from sinking.
Look around you. In your neighborhoods, in the stores that you go to, in your schools, your government officials, people that you come in contact with every single day, they are drowning in their sin and the question is do you mourn enough to toss them a life preserver? Do you mourn enough to tell them about a rescuer that can save them?
One of the most popular movies of the late 90’s was Titanic. Many of you have probably seen it. If you have read your history books you know what happened to the titanic. The movie is mostly about the love story between Jack and Rose. But if you know your history you know that the boat sinks. History tells us that of the 2,240 passengers on the titanic over 1,500 of them died.
The main reason for so many deaths on the titanic was because there were only 20 lifeboats. Most of the lifeboats left only being half full. And if every boat was full still there was only enough room for half the people to be saved. It was a great tragedy that might could have been prevented if they had planned.
An even greater tragedy is the amount of people that are drowning in their sin every single day. People are searching for answers. They are looking for people that will share with them the love of Jesus. You have the life preserver. His name is Jesus. You need to rescue those that are drowning.
I want to show you a clip from the movie Titanic. It is a very disturbing clip. Please listen real close to what is being said.
Play Titanic clip
Did you catch what He says?
He says, “we waited too long.”
This is a heart breaking scene. You mourn for those that lost their life and you don’t even know those people. But you understand because of history that this was a tragedy that could have turned out better. So you mourn for those that have lost their lives.
Today, we look at a sea of people in our neighborhoods, our schools, our nation, our world and even our own homes and we mourn for the sin that has taken their lives. Don’t be looking at those individuals and saying we waited too long. Mourn over their sin and move to action. The time is now to do something.
2 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
We can’t wait for someone else to tell everyone about Jesus. I know you can’t tell everyone but you can tell one at a time. We have to do something and do something now. Time is short.
One of the reason that I am always talking about missions is that is one way we can do our part. We may not can go on a trip this year, but we can send someone else. We may not live in large cities where the people are drowning but we can help to send people to those cities. We may not have all the answers for our city but we can do our part to reach our city. You may not can reach every person that is drowning in your neighborhood but you can reach the neighbor next door. You can reach the family member that is drowning.
How?
Begin with prayer. Ask your neighbor how you can pray for them. When having a conversation with your neighbor and they tell you about something that is happening in their life stop right then and pray.
When you hear about the drowning souls happening in our nation and around the world, give to those that are going to them.
We can no longer be selfish. We can not only think about ourselves. We need to mourn for the sin of those that are dying. We need to sound the alarm.
Ezekiel talks about the watchman’s job. The watchman’s job was to be on look out. If the enemy was coming towards the camp, then the watchman would sound the alarm to warn the people that the enemy was coming. Look at what Ezekiel says if the watchman didn’t sound the alarm.
6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.
8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
It is our job to be watchmen and sound the alarm.
Some day I will stand before God and I want His words to me to be, “well done.”
And that is the promise that the second beatitude gives us.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
As we mourn over unfaithfulness, immorality, and cruelty we are comforted.
We will be comforted in the life that follows this one when God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
We do all our mourning in this life. And this grief on earth moves us to action. We move to action so that we can all we joined together with the father some day.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
I’m working today, to be comforted tomorrow. Will you join me?
Let’s pray.