06/10/2012
“Blessed Are They That Mourn”
Please open your Bible with me to the Book of Matthew chapter five.
Jesus must have been a simple man and a very sincere man as well. The beatitudes reflect that quite clearly. Today I’d like to have you consider with me Matthew five and verse four.
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
As you may already know, the beatitudes are better described as “The Blesseds” because the word “beatitude” isn’t found in the Bible.
And this term blessed, sometimes translated happy, is not a world-like happiness. It’s actually a Latin term first found in the Latin Vulgate Bible. The translators placed it as a heading for this section of the Sermon on the Mount. In the Vulgate it’s “Beatitudines.” And a beatitudine is “an abundant happiness, something that shows you are very fortunate and well-off spiritually; that you are spiritually prosperous.” It’s a happiness that comes from a simple and pure and open and honest relationship with God.
So, when Jesus uses the term “blessed,” He’s always referring to your condition as a child of God who is simply blessed by being in the family of Heaven; or, as Jesus says, in the Kingdom of God.
Are the qualities presented by Jesus here characteristics of your life? If so, then you can view yourself as a child of the kingdom.
Look with me at these eight blessed with me; verse three.
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
(5) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
(8) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (10) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
Today, “blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Now, initially, those who live in our modern day would ask “Why would anyone say this?” Or, “How can anyone be blessed and happy if they mourn?” But that’s because we have a misconception of the term “blessed.” In Jesus’ kind of happiness, such mourning are not incompatible.
Here’s why. The world sees mourning as a negative. The LORD sees it as a positive. The world sees it as the opposite of happiness. But the LORD sees them as one and the same.
Whenever you find your understanding of a thing is at odds with the Bible, guess who’s wrong? What you and I have got to constantly guard against is putting our ideas into the words and teachings of the Bible. This second beatitude is a classic example of this.
Well, just what does it mean to mourn and therefore be happy? My hope for today is this. I want you to see what the Bible teaches on this topic. And secondly I want for you not to read your own ideas into the words of the Bible.
First, mourning is grieving over a loss. When tragedy comes your way, or when disaster strikes, or when a very large downturn comes into your life, you can expect to experience mourning. For example, we know that death introduces a loss into our hearts. And the Bible includes many who mourned over the death of a loved one or friend.
Jesus must have been a simple man and a very sincere man as well. The beatitudes reflect that quite clearly. Today I’d like to have you consider with me Matthew five and verse four.
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
As you may already know, the beatitudes are better described as “The Blesseds” because the word “beatitude” isn’t found in the Bible.
And this term blessed, sometimes translated happy, is not a world-like happiness. It’s actually a Latin term first found in the Latin Vulgate Bible. The translators placed it as a heading for this section of the Sermon on the Mount. In the Vulgate it’s “Beatitudines.” And a beatitudine is “an abundant happiness, something that shows you are very fortunate and well-off spiritually; that you are spiritually prosperous.” It’s a happiness that comes from a simple and pure and open and honest relationship with God.
So, when Jesus uses the term “blessed,” He’s always referring to your condition as a child of God who is simply blessed by being in the family of Heaven; or, as Jesus says, in the Kingdom of God.
Are the qualities presented by Jesus here characteristics of your life? If so, then you can view yourself as a child of the kingdom.
Look with me at these eight blessed with me; verse three.
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
(5) Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
(8) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (10) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(11) Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”
Today, “blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Now, initially, those who live in our modern day would ask “Why would anyone say this?” Or, “How can anyone be blessed and happy if they mourn?” But that’s because we have a misconception of the term “blessed.” In Jesus’ kind of happiness, such mourning are not incompatible.
Here’s why. The world sees mourning as a negative. The LORD sees it as a positive. The world sees it as the opposite of happiness. But the LORD sees them as one and the same.
Whenever you find your understanding of a thing is at odds with the Bible, guess who’s wrong? What you and I have got to constantly guard against is putting our ideas into the words and teachings of the Bible. This second beatitude is a classic example of this.
Well, just what does it mean to mourn and therefore be happy? My hope for today is this. I want you to see what the Bible teaches on this topic. And secondly I want for you not to read your own ideas into the words of the Bible.
First, mourning is grieving over a loss. When tragedy comes your way, or when disaster strikes, or when a very large downturn comes into your life, you can expect to experience mourning. For example, we know that death introduces a loss into our hearts. And the Bible includes many who mourned over the death of a loved one or friend.