Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Matthew 5:1-4
October 4, 2020
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Christian life is full of sadness and sorrow. But here in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord tells us that we are blessed even though we mourn.

There are many reasons why Christians mourn. First, we grieve because of our sins and our sinfulness. Even though we know that our sins are fully forgiven, we still grieve over them because we know how terrible our sins are against God and against other people.

Second, we lament because of our suffering for Jesus. When we receive persecution from an unbelieving world, we lament. It hurts when people are against us. It hurts to see non-believers go against the Lord Jesus Christ.

Third, we weep because of the misery and suffering that comes with the curse of the fall. When we know of things such as natural disasters, miscarriage, racism or divorce, we weep because of the fallenness of this world.

Fourth, we cry because of death. Even though we know that we have eternal life in Christ, we still cry at funerals.

The Christian life is indeed full of sadness and sorrow. We grieve. We lament. We weep. We cry.

But we do not grieve or lament like the world does. We do not weep or cry in the same way as those who do not know the Lord. Instead, when we weep and cry, we do so as people united with Christ. And when we grieve and lament, we do so as our Lord did.

Our God was grieved in his heart in Genesis 6, when he saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually. Our King lamented over Jerusalem in Luke 19, when he considered how they would not know the time of their visitation and judgment. Our Lord wept in John 11, when he saw Lazarus dead and Mary heartbroken. And above all, our Savior was the man of sorrows… at Gethsemane, at the denial of Peter, at the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, and at the cross.

This is truly amazing. Our God is a God who mourns. Therefore, when we grieve and lament, we grieve and lament as believers who are united with Christ. When we weep and cry, we follow after Christ and weep and cry after his tears, after his sadness and sorrow.

But our Good Shepherd does not leave us in our sadness and sorrow. This is the power and the glory of toda’s passage. Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

When we mourn on this old and fading earth, we will be comforted by the Lord. And when the Lord returns in power and in glory, our mourning will stop. Our tears will be wiped away. Our sadness will be swallowed up. Our sorrows will be turned into joy. Jesus promises us all of this. He promises us that we will be comforted. He gives us two comforts: an anticipatory comfort in this world, and an ultimate comfort in the world that is to come.

There is a comfort that can be had in life and in death. But it is not a comfort that can come from the world. The world offers many counterfeit comforts. But what is our only comfort in life and in death? The answer is this:

That we are not our own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to our faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all our sins with his precious blood, and has set us free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves us in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from our heads; indeed, all things must work together for our salvation. He also assures me, by his Holy Spirit, of eternal life and makes me heartily and willing and ready from now on to live for him (Heidelberg Catechism, Q1).

This is our comfort in life and in death.

And we will have an ultimate comfort when Christ returns in power and in glory, when he ushers in his kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. On that day, he will dwell with us, and we will be his people, and God himself will be with us as our God. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:1-4).

This is our ultimate comfort in the world that is to come.

Brothers and sisters, let us cling to all of this good news. And let us continue to have hope. Even though we mourn now, we know that we are blessed. We know that we will be comforted.

Jesus does not want us to grieve as those without hope. We are different from the world. The world does not rejoice in the Lord when there is suffering. But we do.

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

There is so much to be sad about. Are you sad over your wretchedness? Are you sad because someone you care about deeply is hostile to the gospel of Christ? Are you sad to see your parents grow old and weak? Are you sad because you are afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck down?

If so, I tell you the truth: Blessed are you who mourn, for you shall be comforted. The Lord has spoken. The Lord has given his promise. The Lord ministers to you now. And the Lord will return and bring you ultimate comfort.

I would like to close now with a few points of application.

First, if we will be comforted by Christ, then let us comfort others with his comfort. Do not think that you are the only one who is mourning in life. Do not forget that there are other brothers and sisters around you who mourn. Let us comfort one another in Christ as we mourn together in Christ. For it is written in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

Second, may your heart grow close to the heart of God. Remember that our God lamented. Know his heart. This is a huge part of our sanctification. Learn how to grieve as God grieves. Learn how to love as God loves.

Third, remember that it is okay to cry. It is easy to be ashamed to cry. We prefer to hold it in. We do not know how to cry. But Christians can mourn.

Fourth, understand that we who believe in Christ are therefore the saddest and the happiest people on earth at the same time. The beloved Scottish Reformed theologian and pastor Sinclair Ferguson once put it like this:

“The child of the kingdom knows higher joys as well as deeper sorrows, more sensitive mourning, but also more profound comfort, now that he is the Lord’s. His emotional sensitivity becomes greater - not less.”

This does not mean that we are most bipolar. This means that we are most blessed. We walk in the valley of the shadow of death. But we also walk by faith and not by sight.

Dear Highland, there are many things that we can mourn about in our lives. And if we do not mourn now, we will. For that is the way of the kingdom of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ said so. But the kingdom of God is not one of endless mourning. The kingdom of God is one of ultimate comfort and blessedness.

So wait upon the Lord. Keep upright and remain enduring. Prepare for the Day of the Lord. He is coming soon.

Soli Deo Gloria