Beatitude #2: Those Who Mourn

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4)

The mourning referenced here refers to mourning over sin...it's a godly type sorrow that produces repentance leading to salvation without regrets.  

2 Corinthians 7:10 - "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death".

Godly sorrow refers to sorrow that is according to the will of God and produced by the Holy Spirit. True repentance cannot happen apart from such a genuine sorrow over one's sin. In the verse, 2 Cor. 7:10, the apostle Paul mentions "leading" saying that repentance belongs to the realm or sphere of salvation. Repentance is at the deepest part of the heart and proves one's salvation: Unbelievers repent of their sin initially when they are saved, and then as believers repent of their sins continually to keep the joy and blessing of their relationship to God.

Isaiah 40:1-2 mentions the comfort is the comfort of forgiveness and salvation.

Sorrow of the world produces death meaning human sorrow is unsanctified remorse and has no redemptive capability. All this sorrow is simply wounded pride of getting caught in one's sin and having one's lusts go unfulfilled. This sorrow leads only to guilt, shame, despair, depression, self-pity and hopelessness. "People can die from such sorrow" Matthew 27:3.

Continually, we need to practice godly sorrow. As I look inward at my sin I realize the need to maintain that constant, unbroken connection with the Father. When I "repent" is it Godly sorrow or is it worldly sorrow? Am I only asking for forgiveness because I got caught or am I truly burdened and broken over my sin. Today, be broken over sin and allow the Spirit to move your heart and refine it. When He tugs on you to remove a sin then take action to remove it from your life. Doing this will result in each day us being like Christ.

Beatitude #1: Poor in Spirit

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"

Ok...I'm not gonna lie when I was a teenager and first read this passage I didn't understand how God could want me to be any more poor than I already was. Growing up in a home where money wasn't there, living through most of high school with a single mom, not much in the name brands for clothing or other material things, and just barely getting by each month...all these led me to believe I was going to be poor forever...

Obviously, I wasn't spiritually deep at the point of reading this to understand what Jesus actually meant. I have now come to understand alot of the misunderstandings I had in Scripture through my training and education, mentors, ministry experience, life, and being more and more saturated with the Gospel. I now understand that Jesus was calling me to be poor but different that I had originally thought...

As Jesus sat on the mountain that day with His newly called disciples this first teacing (The Sermon on the Mount) starts out with the foundation of the Christian faith...being poor in spirit...To become poor in spirit and obtain the kingdom of heaven we have to come to the place of total and reckless abandonment to Christ. Poor refers not to some materialistic loss of things and possesions or money but of self, which may also require us to give up material things (Ex.: the rich young ruler). I have come to realize that when I think I have given me completely that there is more of me to give away so Christ can completly have me. 

Preaching today focuses too much on the person's strength of will or the beauty of our character - things so easily noticed. We have confused people with our preaching. "Make a decision for Christ" but do we see the message this sends? That statement places emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He nevers asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him - something very different.

"Poor in spirit" requires us to give up our rights and allow the Spirit to move and work mightily within us. The Reward: "...theirs is the kingdom of Heven." The first Christians at Antioch and the disciples in Acts understood this beatitude perfectly...giving of self. They gave of self so much they didn't pay attention to accomplishments or tangible things..."they were adding to their number daily"...touching lives and not knowing how their love may have touched the heart of another close by.

Many people have touched my heart and they may never know how much. This is the true characteristic of lovliness. Concious influence is a prideful thing and unchristian. The second we question being used by God is the second we lose the beauty and freshness of the Lord. The Israelites quesiton if God was with them while in the wilderness and wanted to return to bondage, but Moses quickly corrected them telling them to trust the Father and give of themselves to His cause...something they battled over and over again.

"He who believes in me...out of His heart will flow living water" (John 7:38). And if I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord. We always know Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring. Be "poor in spirit" and trust that because you have yielded to the Father He is faithful to use you.

Blessed: A series on the Beatitudes

I was recently told to read the Beatitudes as I pursue the next chapters in my life seeing as a lot is changing. There are few different reasons I am reading the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount...

1) To dig deeper into what Jesus was saying in the Beatitudes

2) To reflect these attitudes on my own heart and become more Christlike

3) To enable me to bring these into Bible studies or messages with those whom I minister to so as to present each one mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28-29)


So, to kick this blog series off I am going to give a little precursor and in later posts I will break down each Beattitude separately...


In Matthew 5:1-2 Jesus is retreating to the mountainside. He takes a sitting posture, the normal posture of a rabbi in His day. He then calls His disciples to Him...to invest in them, disciple them...as this was right after their calling by the Savior. These men drop their nets and follow Jesus...His first lesson to them was a set of characteristics, attitudes seen as essential to the faith that Christ would live out and the hope He would offer apart from sin.


"Blessed"...a word that literally means "happy, fortunate, blissful." This is character development in the Christian life...deeper than the surface emotions that normally arise in our Christian life. These attitudes call for Christlikeness! Ways, paths, roads, walks of life going opposite directions of worldly ways and values that lead to the pursuing happiness. Happiness found in materialism, abundance, leisure, riches, and things alike. The Beatitudes describe characteristics of true faith. They are practical and impacting. A deep study and reflection of them upon our hearts and actions will result in Christlikness...God's Word promises not to return void (Isaiah 55:11).


My prayer is that all who read these blogs and are a part of the Bible studies to follow will be led to a deeper understanding of not just this section of Scripture but a growing thirst and hunger for Christ, His Word and the life of giving of ourselves to spread the Gospel...a personal revival.