BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN

Mat 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Several years ago, I began asking the Lord what He meant when Jesus uttered those words. Did He mean that we should go around with stooped shoulders and a sorrowful face, as though we were tired of life? Did He mean that we were committing an infraction of Christian “rules” to ever show that we were happy or enjoying life? And, was it indeed a sin to ever indulge in light talk or gaiety, as some were teaching? They would quote to us Pro 24:9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. It did serve its purpose, at least when we were around where those people were.

Down, deep inside of my spirit, I knew they didn’t have a proper understanding of the scripture nor the Christian Life. But I didn’t have a satisfactory answer either. I knew someone who did know the answer, however, and I went to Him, hoping He would tell me what I needed to know. He did. Listen while I tell you about it.

Adam and Eve had complete, unblemished fellowship with the Lord in the Garden until— Until, that is, they indulged in a little rebellion (disobedience) against what God had told them not to do. I use the term “rebellion” intentionally, for we must realize and admit that ALL forms of sin are REBELLION against the Holy Spirit of God. The word “Mistake” is a less offensive term, so we use it, but it is actually a “Chip off the old block”—same stuff in maybe a smaller chunk.

You and I were both born with the same spirit of REBELLION (hatred, irreconcilable enmity) toward God that other people have. It is the root cause of all the sin and wickedness there is in the world today, or ever has been. It (our sinful nature) is damning our souls to hell, if we do not come to Jesus for forgiveness of WHAT WE ARE. We are SINNERS by nature, rather than by WHAT WE DO.

We CANNOT help ourselves. It is PART OF US. Sensitivity training can help us control it, but it will NOT SOLVE the problem. The same is true of any and all training in etiquette, courtesy and good manners. They all help us to camouflage and sugar coat what we know exists under the cover that we have improvised for ourselves.

There is only ONE who can help us, but humanity has been a fugitive from Him since the disobedience (rebellion) in the Garden.

Luk 5:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

And that isn’t half of it. Even forgiveness does not ERADICATE the problem we brought into the world with us. Forgiveness will set us free from the CONSEQUENCES of our sinful nature, but we still HAVE THAT NATURE.

Oh, wretched man that I am, who will deliver me? Rom 7:24 Hear Paul crying. (Mourning) over the condition he finds himself in. He is assured (vs 25) that Jesus intends to deliver him from the nature of sin—someday, but that is of little help today. Today, he is lamenting the fact that he is still hindered from being a better man—the man he COULD BE if not for the downward pull of the nature of sin.

A little over 35 years ago, we attended a church that a couple of ladies had opened, and one of them, Gladys Wagner, taught some on the scripture Phi 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. She taught that Paul was writing about the Soul, or the Conscious Self, rather than the spirit. It was OUR RESPONSIBILITY to work on our SELF-LIFE, to being it into line with what God had done in our SPIRIT when He FORGAVE us. While she was teaching, my mind went back to our Bible School days when John Dearing taught us about STATE AND STANDING. He taught that Jesus gave us a perfect STANDING in God at Calvary, but we need to work on bringing up our STATE in the things of God.

I now realize that we MAY HAVE BEEN mixing Salvation teaching with Kingdom teaching and the results were contributing to confusion. WE MUST LEARN TO KEEP THEM SEPERATE. SALVATION IS FREE, BUT WE WORK FOR KINGDOM STATUS.

Jesus pronounced a special blessing on those who lament their inability to measure up to the Holiness of Jesus. He said, “They shall be comforted”. I am not sure just what that means, but I do know that the Holy Ghost is called “The Comforter”. I also know that “TRUE JOY can only be the fruit of sorrow”, as one writer has written. Paul mentioned “The God of all Comfort.” in 2 Cor 1:3

A word that comes to me just now is “Encouragement” Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would not break a bruised reed, nor quench a smoking flax (42:3) No matter how nobly we try to be like Jesus, we will probably continue to fail, and discouragement lurks in the shadows. It would be so easy to just “give up”—quit trying.

Last night, a dear friend of mine reminded me that if and when we embark on a project of drawing closer to the example set by Jesus (which is the essence of Kingdom Living), we will find that we have a “Helper” (One Alongside). We are not alone in our efforts. Our “Helper” is more anxious for us to be successful than we can ever be.

When I think about being blessed, my mind often goes to the account of Jacob on the way to meet his brother Esau, whom he had not seen since having taken away the birthright and the blessing some 20 or more years ago. He had been told by the Lord that it was time to return to his home land and to his brother, but he was afraid to do it. Listen to him talk to God:

Gen 32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
Gen 32:11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

He then divided his possessions, and sent them across the brook. When he was alone, and in a time of crisis, he became desperate with God. We often do the same.

Gen 32:23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
Gen 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

Jacob, while wrestling with the “man” (I believe it was God Himself) was forced to admit what his true nature was—Supplanter, Heel Grabber, Deceiver. To me, it is an excellent illustration of a man (a human being) WRESTLING with his maker for deliverance from and victory over, the NATURE of humans. WITH THE NAME CHANGE, THERE WAS ALSO A CHANGE OF NATURE.

Gen 32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. (Supplanter, Heel Grabber)
Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Gen 32:29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

In the case of King David—he loved the Lord with his whole heart. However, he was “tripped up” by his human flesh when he saw a young woman bathing at evening time. He “snapped” under the sudden, unexpected pressure it created in his body, and committed a sin that the Law of Moses COULD NOT FORGIVE. It demanded his REMOVAL from the office of Kingship, and his DEATH.

But David, in his prayer of MOURNING (Psalm 51), reached over into the time of the GRACE OF GOD (where we are living now), and left us a record of what real mourning over our inability to please God in our flesh sounds like. Listen.—

“ . Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Psa 51:10 CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. (emphasis added)


Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a NEW NAME written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

When we become ready to admit to God (though He already knows it) what our true nature is, and wrestle with Him for the Blessing that only He can give, He is ready, able and willing to bestow that Blessing upon us.

That is a very important part of achieving KINGDOM STATUS.