Happy Are Those Who Mourn

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When you think about the word “mourn,” what do you think of? When I think of this word, I think of all of the times I have paid my respects at a wake or a funeral, where family members and friends mourn the loss of someone who meant a lot to them. In some cases, the emotions of some overflow and there are loud crying and tears. There is a great sense of loss that serves as an acknowledgement that there is nothing that the person mourning can do to change what is in the process of taking place, and it can be a helpless feeling.

In the second of the Beatitudes taught in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, He pronounces a blessing on those who mourn over their sinful condition. The definition of a Beatitude is a characteristic that would clearly identify someone as having surrendered their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The word “Blessed” in the Greek means to be happy, or to have favor with God. The word “mourn” means to be in a state of grieving over the reality that, as a person born with an inherited nature to sin, that there is absolutely nothing that we can do to change our circumstances. The Apostle Paul, in writing to believers in the Church at Ephesus, writes of their condition before God drew them to Himself in Ephesians 2:1, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.”

Despite what Scripture clearly teaches here, the overwhelming majority of people that I have spoken with through the years believe that they are Heaven-Bound because of their church attendance, their charitable giving, or simply their estimation of themselves when compared to others, and not God's standard, based on their own self-imposed standards, which represents their “bible.” But it is not the true Living Word of God. As a result, not only is there no mourning over their sins, there is not even a minor concern. I have heard some say “I know that I sin, but what’s the big deal? So does everyone else.” Tragically, these folks, and perhaps even you, friend, are deceived, and I am asking you to sincerely consider Jesus’s word’s here. If those who mourn over their sins are blessed, they will one day stand before the Lord Jesus immediately after they die, and be comforted in Heaven.

The opposite of this blessing is a curse by God and eternal separation from God in Hell for those who did not see their sins as serious and never did surrender their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, by child-like faith. Jesus clearly said in John 3:3 that "Unless one is born-again, they will not see the Kingdom of God." This means a Spiritual birth from Heaven. How does this happen? It is when the Spirit of God graciously turns the mind of the sinner's mind like a channel of water to sincerely examine themselves under the x-ray light of the teachings of Scripture (Hebrews 4:12), and realizes that we all have fallen miserably short of God's standard of perfection; "For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The word "sin" is an archery term. If the bulls-eye on the target is the goal, then hitting anything else on that target is considered a sin, which means "to miss the mark."

Right now, as you read this, are you mourning over your sins? Have you realized that you and I have missed the mark of God's standard of perfection, and need to be rescued from our sins?

Please know that we are here to serve you. If you have any questions about our church, our beliefs, or would like to speak with our Pastor, Chris Pandolfi or myself about this Devotional, please call 631-294-4549. We are here to serve you, the members of our Community. May the Lord richly bless you!

Calvary Baptist Church

2981 Horseblock Road

Medford, NY 11763

Pastor Chris Pandolfi

(Dr. John Mac Arthur's)

Master's Seminary Graduate

Article written by Steve Visconti

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