But God Matthew 5:4 (KJV) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. There are some 9 verbs used in the New Testament that are translated mourn or grieve. The one that Jesus uses here is by far the most intense and is used in a continuous tense. The idea portrayed here is that those who are truly born again, have mourned, and continue to mourn over sin. They are not simply sorry for the consequences or for getting caught. Comfort comes to those who are sorry for and have turned away from sin. Mourning over sin is essential for spiritual health. Without an ongoing repulsion of the ways of this world the Christian becomes easy prey for the alluring schemes of the enemy. Man cannot serve two masters and in order to love God we must genuinely hate sin. Skillful orators can take us on an emotional ride and bring us to our knees. They can illuminate us with their examples and stories. They can move our hearts and make us cry. Responding to an impassioned plea and experiencing a momentary sorrow is not the mourning that Jesus laid before us. Crying out to God because we are snared in the trap of our sinful decisions and need a quick fix is not what Jesus was proposing. Blessed are they that have seen the vileness of sin, understand the sinful nature they were born in, and want to change forever. They will not go back to the vomit of sin like a dog returning to its own defilement, but they genuinely are sorry for and turn away from the world and its desires. This is the way to the New Life that Jesus was offering. This is the way to find the comfort of God’s forgiveness. However, if you are like me you might find that this changing of the mind and attitude doesn’t come natural to the sinful nature of man. How can man put away man? How can sin kill it owns nature? It can’t! Genuine mourning over sin requires a drawing by something infinitely more holy than we are. To mourn and continue mourning we must glimpse the holy and remain forever transfixed in its glory. Jesus told His disciples, “No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw Him…” (John 6:44) This seems to stand in stark contrast to Christ’s proclamation that “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37) but these two statements can both bring us to what we seek. When sinful man has found the emptiness and shallow promises of the world cannot satisfy the soul and he calls upon the Lord to save him, the Holy Spirit can begin a cleansing work in us. Our sin is revealed for what it is as we for the first time look at the perfect man – Jesus. We are drawn to Him by the Holy Spirit and as we renounce our sin and surrender to the loving, holiness of God we are changed. Biblically this is referred to as dying to self. How can self kill self? How can we die to self when its very nature is to preserve and pamper self? The only answer is to cry out to God for help. He will reach through the excuses and self love and pull you through the veil into a new life. In Ephesians chapter 2 Paul speaks of the sinful state and the helplessness of being the “children of wrath by nature” and then in verse 4 he declares, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are you saved;) and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” BUT GOD! He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End! And He come to bring you new life in Christ. Now that is true comfort!
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:42:03 +0000
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