Mournful Comfort
The Gospel of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection:
One of the paradoxes of the Gospel is that: our experience of comfort increases in proportion to our experience of sorrow. The deeper the sorrow, the sweeter the comfort. However, because we have such a low view of sin and sorrow, we also have a low experience of joy and comfort.
“The Church today has a defective sense of sin and defective doctrine of sin. Coupled with that, of course, is a failure to understand the true nature of Christian joy. There is a double failure [on our part].” - MLJ
Because we don’t know how to mourn and weep over our sin with tears of deep repentance—we know very little of the divine comfort and unspeakable joy of God’s grace! He whom is forgiven much, loves much!
Need:
We need to grow in sorrow, to enjoy Christ’s comfort—now, but ultimately when Jesus returns to make all things new!
Theme:
Mournful Comfort
Purpose:
To explain what it means to mourn as a disciple, to exhort us to grow in the depth of our sorrow over sin, and to assure us in the Gospel comfort that is for those in Christ.
Turn to Text:
Matt. 5:4 NKJV
Recap:
This morning we looked at the first beatitude, the beginning of the Christian life, describing those who truly belong to Jesus—they are poor in spirit, spiritually bankrupt, entirely helpless, and completely dependent upon the sovereign grace and free promises of the Gospel.
They don’t give anything to God—they can only receive his grace upon grace. Only those who are poor in spirit are rich in heaven. And so we continue this morning with the second Beatitude. And we come to see this afternoon that true Christians are not only spiritually poor—they also experience godly sorrow over sin.
Read Text:
Matt. 5:4 NKJV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
(1) Blessed Mourning - v. 4a
(1) Blessed Mourning - v. 4a
Blessed are those who mourn
(1) Blessed Mourning - v. 4a
(1) Blessed Mourning - v. 4a
What is it to be blessed by Jesus Christ in the Gospel?
As we established this morning, our running definition of blessedness in the Beatitudes, of (Μακάριος), is to be joyfully lavished with God’s saving goodness. It is to be lavished with his promises of grace, to be brought into relationship with God through faith and repentance, to be adopted into the family of God by the work of the Son, and to be granted the presence of the Spirit to apply Christ’s saving benefits to your soul. It’s the reason why the Psalmist cries out of old:
What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
And it’s crucial to remember that only true disciples, or regenerate Christians, are actually blessed by God in this way. Not all in the visible church possess these graces. Only those who have the Spirit of Christ within them, through the new birth, possess the spiritual blessings of the Gospel, Covenant, & Kingdom of God. Only the invisible church of the elect are blessed as such.
The Beatitudes, then, describe who such people are (and by their fruits we can know them). This morning we saw that those who are truly blessed by God are poor in spirit. But here they are also known as those who mourn. But is it a general mourning that shows that we are blessed by God? No. There is a specific kind of mourning that is peculiar to Christians as disciples of Jesus. To know what it is, we must first know what it isn’t:
What kind of mourning isn’t blessed by God?
Watson says: [There are] 5 kinds of false mourning: (1) a despairing kind of mourning like Judas, (2) a hypocritical mourning like Saul, (3) a forced mourning like Cain, (4) an external mourning like the Pharisees, and (5) a vain mourning as the damned in hell.
To mourn over your sin but to remain in it, is not true Gospel mourning and is no sign that you are blessed in Christ. To have the appearance of sorrow over sin for the sake of saving your own reputation, is no sign that you are blessed in Christ. To come under the temporal judgment of God and to be forced into a sense of anguish, is no sign that you are blessed in Christ. To put on an outward show of weeping and fasting for the sake of personal gain, is no sign that you are blessed in Christ. To be weeping under the wrath of God and the agony of his fury, is no sign that you are blessed in Christ.
Judas fell into despair and suicide, King Saul made a show to save his skin, Cain lamented the consequences of his murder, the Pharisees put on a public display of vain-repentance, and the wicked will cry out forever in hell. This is not the mourning that indicates that you are blessed by God in the Gospel. This is not godly sorrow over sin, this is not righteous mourning in the Spirit—this is worldly grief that anyone can naturally engage in, as those devoid of the Spirit.
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Worldly grief, worldly sorrow, worldly mourning that doesn’t lead to true repentance—is not blessed by God in the Gospel. And this following principle in the Beatitudes is crucial: if the unbeliever can do it without the Spirit—then it’s not what Jesus is talking about. So what is Jesus talking about then?
What is Gospel mourning that is blessed by God?
Gospel mourning is weeping over sin and it’s fruits, because it grieves the heart of the God that you love—and this godly grief leads to continued repentance, turning from sin, trusting in Christ, and seeking to please Him in all that you do. This is Spirit-wrought mourning that only a true Christian can experience. It is done out of faith in Jesus, by the power of the Spirit of God, for the purpose of honouring our Father who is in heaven. It is a childlike mourning due to sinning against our Triune God who is worthy of our love. This is Gospel mourning that is blessed by God.
Judas wept because his sin pierced his reputation—Peter wept because his sin pierced the heart of Christ. Worldly grief is self-centered—Gospel grief is God-centered. True mourning over sin, with tears in the eyes and heart, is a sorrow for sinning against your faithful and loving Father who is in heaven. It crushes you, because it grieves him. James describes this godly mourning:
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
The paradox of this Beatitude, and of every genuine Christian, is that they are most happy in Jesus, when they are most sorrowful over sin. Matthew Henry says: “Those that mourn are happy [indeed].” As Solomon says, “it is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting” (Eccl. 7:2).
Do you know what it is to mourn over sin? The test case is our personal prayer life. Do we know what it is to cry out before God in the agony of our hearts because of our sin and rebellion? Do you know what it is to hate your sin, to hate your heart, to repent in dust and ashes? Do you know what it is to shed tears over your own foolishness? Your idolatry, your false-worship, your taking his name in vain, your profaning the Lord’s Day, your dishonoring of authority, your murderous anger in the heart, your lustful adultery in your eye, your craving to steal what isn’t yours, your speediness to lie in open sight, and your covetous desires for selfish gain. Do you know what it is to cry out to God, confessing your sin, mourning over it with hatred, because you have broken the heart of God who given you grace upon grace? Can you say with the Apostle Paul:
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
This is what is means to mourn over sin—with a godly grief, true repentance, pure hatred, and utter sorrow. Oh beloved, do you not know that our sins separate us from the enjoyment of our God? And when God causes the light of his face to be hidden from one of his children, it is a deeper sorrow than losing the greatest earthly treasure. How long, O Lord?—is the cry of one who mourns the distance of his God.
But this Gospel mourning also includes a lamenting over the fruits of sin—lamenting the sin of others, crying out in the vanity of the world, and feeling the weight of this cursed earth with sin, sickness, sorrow, and sadness abounding. He who has no sorrow for others—has no sorrow that is blessed by God. See the example of Jesus:
Jesus wept.
See how Jesus wept over the pain and sting of death that had just struck down Lazarus his friend. See how Jesus wept over the agony that Mary must have been experiencing. Jesus wept over the pain of life in a fallen world, with compassion and pity, he mourned not over his own sin—but over the sin of man and the havoc it has wreaked on his good creation. So too ought we to weep over the corruption around us, from mental health, to chronic disease, to the pain of death and disaster. But we ought to especially weep for those who don’t know Christ. See Paul’s example of this Gospel mourning over others:
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,
Paul laboured in great sorrow, unceasing anguish, deep mourning over his fellow Jews. He lamented their condemnation. He lamented the judgment coming upon them. He lamented their rejection of Jesus Christ. He mourned over their apostasy. He weeped over their self-righteousness. He could have even wished to have been accursed and placed under the wrath of God, if it meant that some of his kinsmen could be saved.
I wonder if we even know anything of what this is like, to mourn over lost sinners—to weep over the men and women around us who are running head first into the fury of God Almighty, in the eternal judgment of hell. Oh it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! And therefore it must be a deep sorrow in our hearts to see them fattening up for the slaughter.
There is an urgent need of Jesus Christ—because there is a wrath that is coming! We must weep over the lost. Only then will we find the compassion and motivation needed to fish for souls, by sharing the Gospel of God’s grace, that we might see sinners saved by sov. grace!
Do we know what it is to mourn over lost sinners, to shed a tear over those on the edge of damnation, to mourn over our neighbours, our family and friends, and those who might be sitting here but don’t know the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ? Do we know what it is to mourn over sinners because they are bringing dishonour upon the name of our beloved King and Lord? Sin hurts the saints b/c sin stains the name of Jesus, whose name is precious to us.
Hendrickson: It grieves saints, that God, their own God whom they love, is being dishonored. This type of grief “to the glory of God” is also strikingly expressed in Ps. 119:136, “Streams of water run down my eyes because they do not observe thy law.”
Oh God help us to mourn over our own sin, help us to mourn over the fruits of sin in the world, help us to mourn over sinners, and help us to mourn because your law and majesty is despised. Blessed are those who mourn—and here we learn from Jesus that only those who mourn are savingly blessed by God in the Covenant of Grace.
How can we grow into this blessed mourning?
Very simply, we go to the Cross. We go to Calvary. We go to Golgotha. We go to the place where the Son of God was slain for sinners. We go to the place where the Christ was Crucified, that we might be forgiven. We go to the place where sin was atoned for, where peace was purchased, where mercy was secured. We go to the place where the wrath of God was satisfied for all those who believe! We go to the place where the Church of Jesus Christ was ransomed by her Husband. We go to the place where Jesus loved us, and gave himself for us! Notice the words of the prophet:
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
It is by looking on him whom we have pierced with our own sin, that we will find true growth into this blessed mourning, by looking to Calvary’s Cross in sincere faith, godly sorrow, and true repentance. We grow into this blessed mourning by seeing how Jesus died a dreadful death under the judgment of God, that we might live a delightful life under the mercy of God. By gazing on the Man of Sorrows, who bore our grief and shame, we can grow to mourn over sin with sorrow and joy in Jesus. For:
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
Only the Man of Sorrows can lead us into the blessedness of Gospel Mourning. Then, and only then, will we be able to sing with tears and faith:
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
To grow into the blessedness of Gospel mourning, we must plead with God to show us the depths of our own sins, to feel the weight of their evil, and to cry out for fresh mercies in Jesus, fresh cleansing in the Spirit, and broken hearts before our Father. God help us to grow into the blessedness of mourning over sin.
And if only those who mourn are blessed in the Gospel of Christ… then a warning is due for those whose hearts are hard as a solid rock in the flesh.
How should we be warned about hard-hearts?
Simply put: if you don’t mourn over sin, you aren’t cleansed by the blood. If you don’t mourn over sin, you aren’t born again by the Spirit. If you don’t mourn over sin, you aren’t a spiritual man.
Just as a newborn baby cries in pain after it’s born, so too those who are born again immediately learn to cry after their sin. There is no trust in Christ, where there is no turning from sin:
“Now, therefore,” says the Lord,
“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
Let no one presume upon forgiveness, who doesn’t have repentance. Let no one presume upon cleansing, who doesn’t have a new heart. Let no one presume upon blessedness of salvation, who doesn’t have sorrow over their sinfulness.
Watson: Hell is full of hard hearts, there is not one soft heart there. … But when a man comes weeping in prayer and smites on his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner’ (Luke 18:13), this melts God’s heart towards him. Prayer (says Jerome) inclines God to shew mercy; tears compel him. God seals his pardons upon melting hearts.
(1) Blessed Mourning - v. 4a
And oh what gracious gifts God has for those who mourn over sin! Those who have tears to shed over sin, will have tears wiped away by Jesus. This leads us to our second point of:
(2) Gospel Comfort - v. 4b
(2) Gospel Comfort - v. 4b
For they shall be comforted.
(2) Gospel Comfort - v. 4b
(2) Gospel Comfort - v. 4b
What kind of comfort is Jesus speaking about?
Just as the mourning being spoken of wasn’t a general or worldly mourning—but a specific and godly mourning over sin—so too the comfort being spoken of here isn’t a general or worldly comfort—but a specific and spiritual comfort for brokenhearted saints, who are looking unto Jesus. This is Gospel comfort—salvation—peace—assurance—and hope. This is the experience of enjoying the free grace of God in Jesus Christ. This is the flowering of faith into assurance and confidence. This is a resting in the promises of our Redeemer. This is the promise that our sorrows won’t last forever. Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning! As Christ came:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
This is not a comfort that you can buy at the store. This is not a comfort that you will find through self help. This is not a comfort that secular psychology can offer unto you. This is spiritual comfort, in the Saviour of sinners, that brings a peace that transcends understanding! So…
How can we grow into a deeper sense of this Gospel comfort?
By a deeper conviction of sin, a deeper mourning over sin, and a deeper sorrow in light of sin. The comfort of the Spirit can be enjoyed now, through abiding in the Prince of peace, and drawing near to our Father of mercies. The deeper our mourning, the sweeter our comfort.
Spurgeon: The way to rise in the kingdom is to sink [deep down]. These disciples are grieved by sin, and tried by the evils of the times; but for them a future of rest and rejoicing is provided. Those who laugh shall lament, but those who sorrow shall sing. How great a blessing is sorrow, since it gives room for the Lord to administer comfort! Our griefs are blessed, for they are our points of contact with the divine Comforter. The beatitude reads like a paradox, but it is true, as some of us know full well. Our mourning hours have brought us more comfort than our days of joy.
So let us take captive each opportunity to look unto Jesus, in his sufferings and glory—let us confess our sin to find healing and comfort:
I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. And another way to translate blessed is an abiding joy and happiness in God. And so the comfort that comes to those who mourn is a happy-joy indeed—even in the midst of pain and struggle—the Paradox of the Kingdom of God is that His disciples can know a happiness that is deeper than their circumstances. Those who follow Jesus can and will find fullness of joy!
Watson: The root on which these comforts grow is the blessed Spirit. He is called ‘the Comforter’ (John 14:26), and comfort is said to be a ‘fruit of the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:22). Christ purchased peace, and the Spirit speaks peace … When the Spirit of God has been a spirit of conviction, then He becomes a spirit of consolation. When the plough of the law has gone upon the heart and broken up the fallow ground, now God sows the seed of Gospel comfort.
We can enjoy this comfort now as we walk in faith and repentance—but we won’t enjoy it fully until Jesus comes to overturn the curse on creation.
The comfort of the Gospel is found in the rich promises of God.
Those who mourn and repent, can rest in Gospel promises. True disciples are coheirs with Christ! They can savingly claim God’s promises in Jesus:
Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
If you know what it is to mourn over sin, and to groan in the Spirit, then you are in Christ, a true disciple indeed, and all the promises of God in this life, and the life to come will be yours. As surely as Christ has risen from the dead, is your hope secured for you by the promises of our God who cannot lie! But more than this…
The comfort of the Gospel leads to the peaceful presence of God.
Take comfort in the eternal presence of God in heaven that is secure for his true disciples:
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
The deeper the sorrow, the sweeter the comfort. We can experience this in part now, but not fully until King Jesus returns. For when he returns he will bring us fully into…
The comfort of the Gospel, which is eternal life!
True Christians who mourn over sin, have eternal glory to long for. When we will be freed from sin completely, raised in a perfected body & soul, given an eternal Kingdom, lavished with eternal joy and pleasure in God, as we reign forever and ever with all the saints!
There is no abortion there, there is no death, there is no injustice, there is no abuse, there is no MAID, there is no depression, there is no despair, there is no cancer, there is no chronic disease, there is no decay, there is no destruction, there is no loss, there is no family division, there is no war or conflict, there is no disappointment, there is no sorrow! And beloved, there there will be no more mourning! Oh lift up your hearts, weary ones! Your King is coming again to make all things new! This is living hope indeed. This is true comfort forevermore! As the prophet proclaims:
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
God’s people have eternal Gospel comfort coming their way, because Christ won’t be satisfied until his Bride is perfectly washed from the stains of sin, and welcomed to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb where we shall feast forevermore.
So whatever hardship, sorrow, grief, and pain you are enduring through by faith! Remember the words of the Apostle:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
Indeed this is:
(2) Gospel Comfort - v. 4b
Do you possess this Gospel comfort and hope? Are you trusting in Him for salvation from sin and wrath? And turning from your sin in godly grief and sorrow? If not, come to Him, seek the Lord while he may be found, wrestle with Him for His Gospel blessings on all who run to Jesus—and take heart, for those who come to Him mourning over their sin, find Him with Gospel comfort ready to meet them! Hear now the conclusion from our text for those who are not only poor in spirit, but who also mourn in the Spirit:
(C) True Disciples: Mourn in the Spirit, are Blessed by God, and will be Comforted by Christ.
(C) True Disciples: Mourn in the Spirit, are Blessed by God, and will be Comforted by Christ.
Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.
Comfort, comfort ye my people,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God.
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning neath their sorrows' load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them,
Tell her that her sins I cover,
And her warfare now is over.
Yes, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved his anger
He will no more see nor heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.
Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
(C) True Disciples: Mourn in the Spirit, are Blessed by God, and will be Comforted by Christ.
(C) True Disciples: Mourn in the Spirit, are Blessed by God, and will be Comforted by Christ.
Amen? Let’s pray.
Discussion Questions:
(1) How does the 2nd Beatitude build upon the 1st one? What is the order and relationship between them?
(2) What kind of mourning does Jesus say indicates that someone is blessed? And how can someone be happy in their mourning?
(3) What can we do to grow into a deeper sense of mourning for sin, by the power of the Spirit of God?
(4) How does God comfort those who mourn over sin? And what is the experience like of enjoying this blessing?
(5) When and how will we be perfectly comforted to never mourn again? And why won’t we ever need to mourn again?
