Blessed are they who Mourn

Text: Colossians 3:1-4; Matthew 5:3

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 

Colossians 3:1-4

Jesus didn’t just die for us; He died as us.  We have been crucified along with him.  We are dead to who we were and alive to who we are.  This is why we now live with a perspective shift.  We now are to see through the eyes of faith.   Faith is heaven’s perspective.  The encouragement Paul gives us in this verse is to maintain heaven’s focus in our circumstances, relationships and in our thoughts about ourselves.  Just in case we forgot he reiterates it again.  You have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  This is so that everything that you are is found in Christ.  We live in a world that tries to define us through all kinds of means; how we look, what we wear, who we love, where we go to church, what political party we support and on and on it goes.  Paul is encouraging us to only define ourselves one way, what does Jesus say about you?

I started with these scriptures today because as we look at the beatitudes it is important for us to realize that the values Jesus is outlining for us are made possible by what He has accomplished for us.  Many of us have grown up with a works mentality approach to spirituality.  We receive from God based on whether we perform well enough.  But Paul goes to great lengths to teach us that we receive from him through grace which is not earned it is given.  This is important as we look at the beatitudes.  If we live with a works mentality we will see what Jesus is teaching us as directives to be performed.   I choose to be poor in spirit therefore I will receive the kingdom because of my choice.  While there is some truth to that, the greater truth is that I can only choose that because Jesus chose me first.  I can be poor in spirit because of my relationship with Jesus.  It is a relationship that greatly influences my choices and because of that I receive what Jesus has freely given me.  

Posture and Promise

I want to suggest to you that each beatitude has a posture that the believer takes and the promise that results from that.  The first part of taking the posture is that my perspective is to always find myself in Him, what does Jesus say about me.  That will help me as I make choices in my life.  What does Jesus, the most influential person in my life think of me and what I’m facing.  That is the posture I take to ensure that live in the promise.

So let’s look at today’s beatitude…

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted NASB

What delight comes to you when you wait upon the Lord! For you will find what you long for. 

Matthew 5:4 (the Passion Translation)

On first glance these look like two different verses but the word for mourn in the greek and the word for wait in Hebrew are very similar in meaning. 

As translated from the Hebrew Matthew. (See also Ps. 27:14.) The Greek is “mourn (grieve).” The Hebrew word for “wait” and for “mourn” is almost identical.

(Wait for the Lord ; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord-Psalms 27:14)

Posture:

I go to Him for my needs.  Mourning would be included in that as well.  When I am in need He is my source.  He has everything I need.  

Promise: we will receive comfort; we will find what we are looking for.