HOW TO BE HAPPY HAPPY ARE THEY THAT MOURN Matthew 5:4 Cooper P Abrams III

INTRODUCTION: Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, was presenting Himself as the Messiah and the principles by which men will live in the Millennium. These statements of the Lord are promises to Christians in various situations. Contextually, it was addressed to the Jews who were a conquered and oppressed nation, but more specifically it is a promise of the happiness that will be found in the coming Millennial Kingdom.

These qualities of a person’s like will mark the faithful child of God in the coming Millennium, and also today.

1. Psalm 55:6-8 "Oh, that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest, Lo then would I wonder far off, and remain in the wilderness. I would hasten by escape from the windy storm and tempest"

2. Each of us experience disappointments and sorrows in life. If only I could escape from my problems and rest. The deeper the pain the more elusive comfort is.

3. Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted."

4. This is contrary to human experience. Society is pleasure mad. Most of life is spent trying to avoid sorrow and pain.

Jesus used the word “mourn” is “penteo” which is a strong word meaning to wail in lamenting over something. This mourning is one who is in great distress who is feeling deep sorrow or regret. But this mourning is specifically saying that the progress to happiness, begins with godly sorrow in one's heart over sin.

ILLUS: A husband in an unguarded moment makes a statement to his wife that is cruel and hurting. He immediately knows he's wrong and because of his love for his wife is grieved that he has hurt her. His spirit is down and he wishes he had not made the statement. He mourns in his spirit over his wrong doing. He then with deep humility goes to the love of his life and asks for forgiveness. The godly wife, then freely gives forgiveness because of her love for her husband. Then comes reconciliation and peace. Think for a moment what if the husband or wife would allow pride to keep them from asking for or giving forgiveness. There would be no peace or happiness. You see the mourning over a wrong that was committed brought happiness. Both repentance and giving forgiveness can bring happiness, that overcomes some sin or wrongdoing.

5. The world makes light of honest sorrow and seeks instead to laugh at everything and put forth a false face. Luke 6:25, "Woe unto you that laugh now! For ye shall mourn and weep"

Jesus promises that those who apply His principles will overcome the sorrows caused by sin. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” (John 16:20) Jesus was speaking of those who put their faith and trust in Him and apply His principles to their lives. This is a sure promise of God to the believer.

6. Jesus condemned the superficial laughter of the world who scoff at those who mourn.

7. It is certainly true that the gospel only can give true comfort to those in affliction. Only those who know the reality of the penalty of sin can appreciate what it means to be forgiven. Only those who are truly repentant and sorrowful can experience the comfort of God. Only those who with spiritual eyes can understand the destructiveness of sin in one's life and truly be thankful for deliverance.

The world offers a shallow expression of consolation, but they do not reach the deep sorrows of the soul. The world says be happy, make little of sin, laugh, joke do whatever feels good. One needs only to turn on the television and see the many comedies that make jokes about sin to see what the world offers to make people laugh.

These may blunt the sensibilities of the mind; they may produce a sullen and reluctant submission to what we cannot help; but they do not point to the true source of comfort. In the God of mercy only; in the Savior; is the peace that flows from the assurance of deliverance.

There can be no true joy without true sorrow. This is what the Lord is teaching us here.

A. There are nine Greek words in the New Testament to speak of grief. The word use in the passage is the is the strongest and most intense.

B. What kind of blessedness and mourning is Christ talking about?

1. General Sorrow: Weeping and mourning are a part of human life. Did you know the ability to cry and shed tears is a gift of God? Crying cleans on emotionally. People weep when they lose loved ones. It is normal and helps us deal with the grief.

a. Psalm 42:1-3, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say unto me,

Where is thy God?”

b. 2 Timothy 1:3-4. Timothy was weeping because of terrible discouragements and defeat in his ministry.

"I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy."

c. Jeremiah 9:1, God called the prophet to preach judgement. He preached in tears.

"Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!"

d. Acts 20:31, Paul was concerned for the Ephesians church. He warned them of the "grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." With tears he warned them of the false teachers and those that would destroy this church.

Paul loved the churches and cried over them.

"Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with."

e. Mark 9:23-24, Father of a demon possessed child cried for his son.

f. Psalm 126:5-6, Earnest love for souls makes one weep.

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.."

g. Luke 7:37-38, The sinner forgiven by the Lord Jesus will weep in thanksgiving for redemption and forgiveness of sin.

"And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment."

h. The Bible says that Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus because he loved him. John 11:35.

g. Tears are a God given way to cope with sorrow, loneliness and hurt.

Ecclesiastes 3:4, says there is a time, a time to weep and a time to laugh.

2. There is weeping that is wrong and harmful.

a. Unwillingness to let go grief can be excessive. One can lose a loved one or husband or wife and grieve themselves to death or ill health.

It is not right to be so possessive. In some cases it is selfish. I heard the testimony of a mother who lost her son. She had three other children. She grieved so, they were not taken care of. Relatives had to come and take them and care for them. For 18 months she grieved. Finally, she truly, in trust turned to the Lord. She realized it was in His hands, and she had to simply trust in that. She could do nothing. She then realized she had a responsibility to her husband and family. She saw that her excessive grief was not a good testimony of her faith and dependence on God.

b. Guilt can cause excessive sorrow. Some people overdo sorrow because of guilt. David grieved excessively when his rebellious son Absalom was killed. He grieved because he had been a terrible father and grieved at his failure.

3. Someone wrote a poem that says:

"I walked a mile with Pleasure,

She chatted all the way,

But left me none the wiser,

For all she had to say.

I walked a while with Sorrow,

And ne'er a word said she,

But, oh, the things I learned from her

When Sorrow walked with me.

Proper sorrow, mourning and tears to build strength in a person. But Jesus was not necessarily talking about feeling better because of crying.

He is talking of godly sorrow in faith, turning to the Lord and overcoming sorrow. What a joy we should have at being forgiven. Not a casual joy, but a joy that comes from being at peace with our Savior.

B. The Definition of godly sorrow.

1. It is sorrow over sin. II Cor. 7:10. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worked death." Godly sorrow over sin brings repentance and life. Jesus was not saying “Blessed are those that are lonely or discouraged.” He was saying, Blessed are those who are sorry about their sinfulness.

2. It begins with poverty of spirit. The first principle is in Verse 3, Blessed are the poor in spirit, there is the kingdom of heaven.

A person first must become poor in spirit, seeing themselves as they are, without pride, totally in need of help.

Happy is the man who realizes he is spiritually destitute.

Some of my classmates in college, three of them formed a church of intellectuals for professors doctors and lawyers. Their reason was they said was that these people could never be saved and come to Christ, in most churches because they upper class people. They saw themselves as superior to other pastors and Christians. How looked down and the rest of their class mates and pastors. It was rotten pride. I will not mention the details, but one of them treated me very badly, and never thought a thing of it.

Yet, the Bible teaches that all men who are truly saved, start on ground zero! All on the same plane. All who come to Jesus come one way... confessing themselves as the sinners they are....

3. It involves internal agony. The word "mourn" is the strongest in the Greek. It refers to the of deepest of sorrow. This is more than a shedding tears and external sorrow.

David was a gross sinner. Guilty of adultery of murder, lying. Yet, what redeemed him was that he was his sorrow for sin.

Psalm 51:10-12. “Create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew in me a right spirit.”

Psalm 32:1 ". . . Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven, whose sin is covered."

4. True sorrow results in forgiveness.

To think of yourself as superior to others simply means God cannot help you. He only helps the sorrowful, the repentant and humble sinner. He helps those who humbly realize their need and unrighteousness before God, and come to Him seeking His help.

Folks try to bottle up your sins and it will ruin you. You may be successful enough to not let it bother you too much. What happens is you harden your heart.

When you become broken hearted over your sin,, then only then will God comfort you.

Christians today do not mourn over sin. The Bible says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." (Prov. 17:22)

But today we are out of balance. The emphasis is on being happy.... the little yellow smiley faces you see everywhere. Yes, it is good to be happy, but true happiness cannot be found if one's sin is denied, hidden and not confessed. Sorrow of over sin opens the way to peace and happiness..

You can't be happy till you are forgiven! READ 1 John 1:9

II. How can one become a true mourner?

A. Recognize hindrances.

1. Love of sin.

2. Despair... giving up on God.

3. Conceit... I not that bad,

4. Procrastination. Putting it off.

5. Excessive merriment... Living in a false world of parties and good times... joking etc.

B. Remove the hindrances.

1. Look at the cross..! It was a place of suffering, yet it brought salvation.

Christina Rosetitti wrote:

Am I a stone, and not a sheep,
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath thy cross,
To number drop by drop Thy Blood's slow loss,
And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon--
I, only I.

Yet give not o'er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock.

What does the last sentence mean? It expresses the deep concern that we become like a rock, unemotional, unfeeling of Christ's suffering for us. It means:

"Smite my hardened soul and give to me that everlasting water that quenches the soul that thirsts after God, and is comforted and filled at the fountain of God's forgiveness.”

2. Pray for a contrite heart. Confess your sin and ask God to forgive you.

Conclusion:

The world certainly knows nothing of the happiness that can come from sadness. God lifts up those that mourn over sin.

Those that grieve over sin and sorrow that they have committed it, and are afflicted and wounded that they have offended God, shall find comfort in the gospel that gives the full assurance of salvation, forgiveness and peace with God.

Peace with God brings inward purpose, and satisfaction to our hearts. Therefore the person who mourns in his spirit, seeks God, will find the true happiness.

Blessed and happy are those that mourn.

Many people are lost in sin, and yet they refuse to admit their plight. They laugh it off. I heard a man recently say he probably was going to hell, but it would not be so bad because all his friends would be there too. What a serious error to make light of hell rather than mourn over one's sin and ask God for forgiveness. The Lord promises to forgive, but He cannot if we don't from our hearts ask.


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