Turn with me back to Matthew
chapter 5. I've titled the message this morning, Blessed of God,
part 2. And we'll be looking specifically
at verse 4 in Matthew 5. We're going to resume today a
verse-by-verse study of the Sermon on the Mount that we began a
few weeks ago. So look with me in Matthew 5,
and let's just go back to verse 1, and we'll read down through
verse 4. And seeing the multitude, he went up into a mountain. And
when he was set, his disciples came unto him, and he opened
his mouth, and he taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are
they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Let me just bring
you back up to speed. If you'll recall in the first
message of this series, the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount, We
established that the sermon's central theme was the gospel
of the kingdom and the nature of the kingdom of heaven itself.
And that's what we're now covering here in these first verses in
Matthew 5. Keep in mind, it's not speaking of a kingdom, the
kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of his son,
all meaning the same thing. But it's not a kingdom with a
geographical border, but rather it speaks of a dominion or a
reign. It's a spiritual kingdom inhabited
by spiritual children. And it's a kingdom, as we saw
in the overview of the sermon, that most do not enter, as Christ
himself said in Matthew 6. Most are going the broad way
that leads to destruction. Then in the message just preceding
this one, Blessed God Part 1, you'll recall we spent most of
our time reviewing not just the prior verse there, verse 3, but
those things that are true of each of these verses, these verses
that are commonly known as the Beatitudes, these verses which
all begin, blessed are. So bear with me just a minute
and I'll quickly review what we found to be true of each of
these verses because it has bearing on the verse we'll be looking
at today. We saw how the persons that were described there as
blessed are certainly the redeemed ones. That is, we saw they were
given to Christ by God the Father and made blessed in the righteousness
of the Son. That is, they were justified
based on His obedience unto death, His perfect satisfaction in God's
law and justice. That's what we mean when we say
His righteousness. The satisfaction to the holy
demands of God's law, both in its precept, that is, what it
requires, the requirement of perfect obedience being fulfilled. You know, we saw in a previous
message that Christ said, that's what I came to do. I came to
fulfill the law. And its satisfaction to the law's
penal demands, that is, where there's a breaking of the law,
a transgression of the law, There must be the extraction of a sufficient
penalty, a sufficient payment for sin. And that took no less
than the precious, infinitely valuable blood of the God-man,
Jesus Christ. We shall see not only that these
were those who God, in His electing love, chose and gave to Christ,
who came in time and established a righteousness for them, but
thirdly, the blessed in these verses here in Matthew, also
are the ones whom, in each successive generation, they have already
been given spiritual life. They've been regenerated. They've
been born again. That is, they set apart in spiritual
birth and life so that they have this whole new, entirely different
frame of reference. by the power of God the Holy
Spirit. So with that new frame of reference they manifest to
various degrees these descriptions that we see in these verses,
these qualities or characteristics that are fruits of the Holy Spirit
purchased for them by the blood and righteousness of Christ.
You'll recall we looked at a parallel passage in Romans 4 verses 6
through 8 which deals with this blessedness. This blessed are
that Christ is speaking of in the Sermon on the Mount We read
there David. It says even as David also Describe
it the blessedness the blessedness of the man And what what is it
that describes one who is eternally blessed of God so as to enter
into this kingdom? Blessed is the man unto whom
God imputed righteousness without works That is that he charges
to them the merit of his obedience unto death without any works
on their part, with no contribution whatsoever for them. And he goes
on to say, blessed are, just like we read in Matthew in the
Sermon on the Mount, blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not, and here's that word again, impute. Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. He will not charge
them with their sins for he charged them to Christ who bore them
and satisfied God's justice on their behalf. So we see how that
these spoken of as blessed ones, they've discovered, see, Not
only did Christ finish and accomplish a work for them, but they have
discovered that. In other words, they have learned
that this was all made their own by imputation. That is, that
each and every one of their sins, their past sins, their present
sins, even sins they've yet to commit, that each of them were
laid upon Christ, charged or imputed to his account. and the
very perfect satisfaction that he made to God's law and justice,
his righteousness. Every time you hear that, righteousness,
as it relates to the requirement for those who would enter the
kingdom of heaven, think of that. Perfect satisfaction to God's
law and justice. He, that satisfaction he made,
his righteousness, is then freely imputed or charged to the sinner's
account, to each and every sinner who will enter into the kingdom
of heaven. You may recall that Christ here
is not describing nine different types of people. He's not talking
about, well first let me tell you about blessed are the poor
in spirit, and now let me tell you about they that mourn, and
now let me tell you about of the meek and so on. In other
words, he's not saying this group is different from this group,
but no, they're all one in the same. He's setting forth instead
nine different characteristics, excuse me, nine characteristics
or qualities, each of which applies in some measure, in some degree,
see, to each and every one who was justified at the cross of
Calvary and who has or will be, is brought to spiritual life. And these he speaks of here in
these Beatitudes, they have been brought to spiritual life because,
see, they experience in some measure that which is being described. In other words, they find that
in the sense meant here, they are poor in spirit, that they
mourn, that they are the meek. See, these qualities or characteristics,
poor in spirit, they that mourn, the meek, the peacemakers and
so on. They're not moral virtues, but
rather they are Christian graces. They're fruit of the Spirit that
was purchased for them by the work of Christ on the cross.
I know I shared with you that in growing up I was taught to
remember that these verses were called the Beatitudes because
they set forth the attitude that we ought to be. And I went on
to show you how nothing could be further from the truth because
that would be salvation by works. And God excludes that, you see.
In other words, he would be it's not that he's these things are
not characteristics that are set forth that we should strive
to manifest in order to be blessed of God. No, he's describing here
that which is found to be true of those who are the eternally
blessed ones of God. Because they have been blessed.
Because, see, as objects of God's eternal love, they were. Or this
crowd he's speaking to, he hasn't gone to the cross yet when he's
preaching this sermon. They would be justified at the
cross of Calvary by the very one who's preaching the sermon
to them. And as a result, see, of that justification, they were
given spiritual life. radically different frame of
reference that's manifested by these various descriptions. In
other words, they find then, based on the justification by
Christ, they're given as a fruit of the Spirit these qualities
that would be described as being poor in spirit or they that mourn
and so on. We reviewed how Christ doesn't
say blessed are some of those who are poor in spirit. He doesn't
say blessed are some of those who mourn. You see, he says,
blessed are they that mourn. And I believe that means that
everyone who is blessed of God mourns in the sense that is meant
here. And that's what we're going to
be looking at this morning. And I believe it also means that
everyone who falls in the category of they that mourn, in other
words, in the sense that's meant here, is blessed of God. So if we properly understand
this sense, of what Christ is meaning here, what it means in
this context to mourn, then we will have come to an understanding
so that it must be applied and it can only be applied to those
who have been redeemed by Christ as they're described in the whole
of scripture, in the gospel. Those who have been redeemed
and given life to look to Christ in his finished work alone. Well,
as I mentioned in the previous message, based on that, it's
incumbent upon us all individually to ask ourselves these questions.
Am I among the poor in spirit? In the sense in which it's understood
to be true and only true of those who are described in the scriptures
as eternally blessed of God, inhabitants of this kingdom of
heaven. In that sense, do I find myself likewise poor in spirit? And the same question should
be asked as we go through each of these verses that begin with
blessed are. And that is, am I among those
that mourn in the same sense in which it's understood to be
true and only true of those who are eternally blessed of God?
And so on as we go through the verses. So finally, then, in
Looking at the last message in Blessed of God, part one, verse
three, we saw how the poor in spirit cannot be referring to
the universal spiritual poverty of all, of all humanity. We know
that the Bible teaches that there's none righteous, no, not one,
that all are spiritually bankrupt. Well, but these are blessed.
people who will inhabit the kingdom. And they're not the majority,
according to what Christ teaches. So it has to be those who have
been brought by the life-giving power of God, the Holy Spirit,
to know it. You see, it's not just those
who are spiritually poor, but it's those who have been convinced
of their spiritual poverty. In other words, they know they
have nothing to pay. They've come to see that they
can merit or earn absolutely nothing from God. They've been
convinced by God the Holy Spirit, see, of sin. And listen, that's
not the sin that religions of all types and all colors out
here would portray to you as some code of ethics that is unique
to these who are blessed of God. You see, every religion has that.
Almost all religions will say murder's wrong or stealing's
wrong or lying's wrong or whatever. And these sins of immorality
are things that Most of us come into this world, it doesn't take
a work of grace for us to know that we're wrong. When that little
kid, that little baby reaches in the cookie jar and you say
no, and it gives you that little devious look, that kid's born,
see, with an innate sense of right and wrong. They know I'm
doing something wrong right now when they perceive there. That's
not the sin, see, that these have been convinced of. They've
been convinced of sin by God, the Holy Spirit, and they are
convinced that those things are sin, but it includes the sin
that would deceive us all, that does initially deceive us all. It's the sin that the Bible calls
the deceivableness, that's a long word for me to get out, deceivableness
of unrighteousness. In other words, it's thinking
that anything other than the imputed righteousness of Christ. That is, the merit of His obedience
unto death being charged to me is thinking that anything else
would satisfy this infinitely holy God so as to gain or even
contribute to our acceptance by Him. Now, with that backdrop,
let's look at verse 4. Blessed are they that mourn,
for they shall be comforted. Now, keeping in mind that those
who are called the blessed in these verses, they all partake,
see, in some measure of each of these qualities or characteristics
that are being described. So these blessed ones, blessed
are in each of these verses, they also share then in each
and every one of the various descriptions that accompany or
have something to do with the reward. The first verse said,
blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
And that's what I'm speaking of when I talk about some aspect
of the reward that is described in each of these. That is, then,
that poor in spirit also see they that mourn. Same group.
So they also, the poor in spirit, they, like those that mourn,
they shall be comforted. Likewise, they that mourn are
also the poor in spirit. So just as it says of the poor
in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It's true of they
that mourn. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
So by this, we see that if you're blessed of God, so much so that
it can be said of you that you not only shall be comforted,
comforted. I'm having a hard time with my
words this morning. But if it's if that can be said of you, Then
it also can be said of you that ye shall possess even now the
kingdom of heaven. Then if that's so, you are among
they that mourn. So what does that mean? Well,
I believe we can know something about who Christ is speaking
of here. The ones he describes as they that mourn by where these
who Christ calls now the blessed of God, where do they find their
comfort? You know, for physical infirmities,
we can usually know something about the nature of the illness,
at least as it's been diagnosed, by the prescribed cure that will
bring comfort and relief. If you take a Tylenol, I know
that you probably have a fever or a headache or a body ache,
for example. Well, the same is true here. In the gospel, and
as we studied in depth a couple of weeks ago, we know that those
who are blessed of God, the poor in spirit, They only find their
comfort and relief in Christ, based solely upon his perfect
satisfaction to God's justice, his obedience unto death. And
that, being imputed, are charged to them. They bring nothing,
see. They come with no money. They
come with no merit. Remember, they are poor in spirit. And since we're speaking of the
same group, those blessed of God, then the comfort, see, from
this morning described here, it must be derived from the very
same cure. So that means their comfort is
not derived from any blessing of God that might be presumed
to be a result or stem from any merit produced by them. That
is merit produced by them, or produced through them, or even
found in them. For they that mourn, see, are
also the ones who have been enlightened to their spiritual poverty. how
they are bankrupt and they're in need of mercy. It speaks,
see, of an acceptance by God that's derived from a source
totally outside of them. That's the religion of grace,
based upon no less than his blood and righteousness, the person
and work of none other than the God-man, Jesus Christ. To mourn
simply means to grieve. And we know that everyone, not
just the blessed of God, but all in any religion on this earth
that everyone grieves over various things for various reasons at
different times. But if we're going to understand
the sense meant here by Christ when he says, they that mourn,
we have to understand how it's only true of those who find comfort,
see, from that which will address the cause of their mourning.
You see, it should be obvious, then, that they that mourn, it
cannot refer to anyone who just experiences sadness for any particular
reason. If that were the case, then all
would be eternally blessed of God. Blessed are they that mourn. And we see throughout the Scriptures,
including, as I've already mentioned here in the Sermon on the Mount,
that that's not the case, that most are traveling the broad
way, the broad road that leads to destruction. not the straight
gate or the narrow way that leads to eternal life. But Christ said
so few go in there. So again, we have to interpret
this in light of other scripture or else we have to deny its validity. It'd be a contradiction. Christ
says here, not very many will enter this kingdom of heaven.
But here he says, blessed are every one of those that mourn.
So we that that shapes how we interpret what it means to be
among those that mourn. We see something of this, I think,
in the parallel passage over in Luke that corresponds with
these verses. There in Luke 6, in verse 21,
it puts it this way. Christ said, Blessed are ye that
weep now, for ye shall laugh. And then right below there in
verse 25, But woe unto you that laugh now, for ye shall mourn
and weep. So this morning, if you look
at that in the context of Luke, this morning, according to Luke,
that shall lead to laughter, in other words, meaning joy and
comfort, it would seem in the context that whatever that morning
is about, that it's the same thing that that those who would
laugh now, that is, they would experience comfort and joy from
whatever this is talking about, the same thing. that it's identical
to what causes others to mourn, the blessed of God to mourn now. And unfortunately, as we see
it, it shows that those that take comfort in that which the
blessed of God now mourn over, they shall ultimately mourn and
weep, as verse 25 says. I hope you're seeing how this
fits. If you recall in the introduction to this series, we reviewed Romans
14, 17. which says, and we're talking about the gospel of the
kingdom here in the Sermon on the Mount, and it says, for the
kingdom of God is not meat and drink. It's not physical, but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. You see, we're
talking here about the blessed, the citizens of the kingdom,
a kingdom which is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit, according to the scriptures. And I believe that this peace
and joy of the kingdom is the primary comfort that is spoken
of here. It's the laughter that is spoken
of here rather than any temporary comfort that we might enjoy or
relief that we may get over present or sad circumstances that commonly
would plague almost everyone in this life. I know of no one
who doesn't mourn in some way to some degree. Now the comfort
found in Christ Certainly can, and it does affect how we deal
with all sorts of grief. Because, look, we pointed out
the blessed spoken of here in these verses, they do possess
a new spiritual life, a whole new frame of reference based
upon having received spiritual life and the abiding presence
and comfort of the Holy Spirit. You know, Christ, when he told
his disciples, he said, I must go away. I'll send the comforter. That's what he's called. The
Holy Spirit is referred to in the scriptures as the comforter.
And you see, it's certainly true that the redeemed and regenerated
children of God, the inhabitants of this kingdom, they do and
they will gain comfort from all sorts of grief due to their vibrant
relationship and oneness with Christ. But is that what is meant
here? You see, keep in mind this, that
many religious people of all sorts of religious persuasions
many who call themselves Christian, but give evidence of remaining
on the broad way that leads to destruction, they also gain comfort
from a presumed relationship with Christ. You see, it reminds
me of what Karl Marx, the father of communism, said, though he
was an atheist and I find very little to agree with him on.
He said religion is the opiate of the people, and certainly
most of religion is. It has its psychological value,
you see, and it will bring some comfort to us. And when I talk
about those who are still on the broad way that leads to destruction,
I'm speaking of those who still ultimately base their hope of
salvation on something that proceeds from them, their faith, their
perseverance, whatever it is, something they presume distinguishes
them from others so as to merit their salvation. You see, if
they find something here, something done by them, in them, or through
them, that they think distinguishes them from those who are cursed
of a God, then they are not poor in spirit. You see, they're not
among those who have been convinced, I mean really convinced, by the
Holy Spirit of of spiritual destitution, I mean spiritually bankrupt,
spiritual poverty, so convinced that they see nothing but the
righteousness of God in Christ being charged to their account
will justify them. I'm speaking of those who will
still cling to the idea that some merit springs from them
so as to seal the deal, to gain God's blessing. They may be like
me in years past. We all know, all who call themselves
Christian and read this Bible, they know that the Word makes
it clear there's going to be a group that are cursed, that
end up in hell, and there's going to be a group that end up in
heaven. They're the blessed of God. And whatever makes the difference
between those two, that tells, that exposes who and what your
Savior is. So, like me in years past, I
have believed that Christ died for everyone, His accomplished
work was meant for everyone, but only applied to those who
did their part in believing. That is to not be poor in spirit. You see, because I could say
Jesus paid it all, and I really did sincerely believe that in
years past. That's what my hope was based
on. I blindly didn't know any differently. But I came to see
that, no, if Christ did the same thing for the people, if he did
it for everyone who ever lived, if he died for these people in
hell just as much as he died for the ones in heaven, then
something else had to make the difference. And I would have
said, oh, I believed. Do you see the audacity that
we would place something that proceeds from us in rivalry with the work of the
Son of God. You see what he came to accomplish? Those I'm speaking of, they cling
to the idea that some merit springs from them. And they may sing
the psalm, nothing but the blood, but they're a remedy, see? What
they presume will reconcile them unto God, it exposes that they
lack genuine God-given faith and repentance that would prove
they truly believe nothing but the blood is see they rest in
something what ultimately distinguishes the cursed from the blessed.
If they think it's something that appropriates or tops off
Christ's work so as to make it effectual to themselves then
then by doing that. Or they may even just think it's
something that merely appropriates God's blessing to them. In other
words, he really did it all, but I'm just passively receiving
it. But you see, that's what makes
the difference. It wasn't what Christ performed. It wasn't his
accomplished work. Often the condition that they
meet, that they would presume would ensure God's blessing unto
them, is just the same as mine once was. And that is, they do
their part by believing. Or it can be more subtle. And
maybe they just imagine that God looked down through time.
And maybe they have learned better in terms of Christ's work being
universal. Maybe they know that, no, if
he died for their sins, they've got to go to heaven. And they
may have learned that. But even at that, if they think
he looked down through time and he saw that, oh, you'll be a
little less obstinate. You're going to be more willing.
You know, in God's infinite wisdom, he said, since I know you're
going to be more objective, I'll make Christ work. I'll give you'll
be one of the ones I give to Christ. Look, any way you cut
it, that salvation is conditioned on something found in you that
you believe God even foresaw in some way. If it's conditioned
on you in some way or to any degree, that's salvation by works. That's a presumed way of salvation. But one, God says he will not
have. He says, for by grace, or you say through faith and
that faith, not of yourself. It's a gift of God, not of words,
lest any man should boast. So he will not share his glory.
Now, any who are so fooled and listen, there's no pride in saying
that. All are fooled initially, if
that weren't true. then there would be no need for
the scriptures to tell us of a need for repentance. It says,
except you repent, you'll perish. And that repentance is not talking
about a change in course in terms of a life of immorality. to a
life of morality, although that's certainly a good thing. And it's
not talking about changing a course from just being indifferent about
religion to now I'm real serious about it, although that's a good
thing. No, it's talking about what you think will recommend
you to God, what makes the ultimate difference in your salvation.
Where any who are so fooled, as I said, as all of us are initially,
they often presume that all good fortune all reversal of circumstances
that might cause grief or mourning, that such good fortunes are comforts
from God. And that's understandable. We
know that people who read this Bible, they read Romans 8, 28,
where it says all things do work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. And
since they presume themselves to be of that number, They apply
that to themselves as well. And I just as I did when I was
lost and what gave evidence of my being lost while I was ignorant
and not submitted to the only thing that would justify me before
God, the imputed righteousness of God in Christ. You know, I
grew up and never had even heard of anything about a righteousness
being imputed. So you see, these do receive
a comfort of sorts in their minds from things over which they mourn.
And I think that's what Luke was referring to when he wrote,
Woe unto you that laugh now. Woe unto you that take comfort
in this thing, for ye shall mourn and weep. See, they're happy. They're comforted now over that
which the very same thing that the truly blessed of God mourn
over. You see, when God gives one of
his sheep eyes to see, that's the way the Scriptures describe
the new birth, eyes to see and ears to hear, hearts and minds
to understand something that's totally foreign to all of us,
that we naturally wouldn't receive, that requires a miraculous work
of God the Holy Spirit. When he gives one those eyes
to see, what they come to see is they are confronted with sorrow
Yes, over their immorality or over their indifference or over
all sorts of sin. But primarily, what's new is
they're sorry and mourn over the fact that they would dare
to approach God, believing that they could be saved based on
something that comes from them because they believed, because
they received Christ. The truly blessed of God, it
says, they that mourn now, they mourn for what they find there,
see, in this wretched body of death, as Paul calls it. And
the only thing that can come from them, they being convinced
of sin, see, they know that all they can produce is that which
deserves death. Romans 6, 23, the wages of sin,
what you can earn is death. And that's why I believe that
Christ here is referring to those who mourn over their spiritual
poverty. In other words, whose hearts
do melt over their wretchedness before God. And specifically,
in sorrow over having ever dared approach God, thinking that salvation
could be conditioned ultimately on something done by me or through
me. They find comfort, see, in Christ. And as we heard in the 10 o'clock
hour, nothing else. Nowhere else. being convinced
of sin by God the Holy Spirit, see, in that absolute abject
spiritual poverty, they receive no comfort whatsoever, see, in
falling for the popular suggestion of religion that Christ has done
it all and you'll be blessed if, if you do your part, if you
believe, Fill in the blank. If you'll receive Him, if you'll
walk an aisle and publicly profess Him before men, if you'll say
this sinner's prayer with me, if you meet some condition or
find something within yourself, even your willingness to be more
compliant, less obstinate, whatever it is, the suggestion is that
you'll be among those that Christ refers to as eternally blessed,
heirs of the kingdom of heaven. No. The blessed of God, they
mourn over such a suggestion. You see, they know that won't,
that remedy won't work for their condition. They see their wretchedness. They know they've been brought
low. They know that if not for pure, unadulterated, sovereign
grace and mercy in Christ, that is based upon the fulfillment
of all that's required, that they would have no hope. So the
very thing that some laugh over, In other words, and that's not
meant in a negative light, I think that laughing over means they
find their comfort and joy in. They who find their comfort and
joy from those sorts of suggestions. Oh yeah, I receive Jesus as my
Savior. You see, something that proceeds
from them. These blessed ones mourn over that. That's what
they become convinced of. They say, oh, how dare I approach
an infinitely holy God with the suggestion that what comes from
me could rival that which only my Savior could produce. But
sadly, those who derive their comfort, their comfort now, there's
going to be a morning after. And that morning is spelled with
a U. That's why Paul says, As Paul says, knowing the terror
of the Lord, we try to persuade man. Look, it won't be because
of any eloquence of any man standing up here preaching or talking
to you that any are saved. It won't be because of their
persuasiveness. But God does tell us in His Word
that He uses His Word. He uses the Gospel. He uses those
means. And if He does work, then they
shall be citizens of this kingdom. As Luke says, shall, these who
take comfort in those things, shall mourn and weep. But those
who mourn over that which they find concerning themselves, wretched
sinners, destitute before God, nothing to offer up the creek
without a paddle, they shall be comforted. Or as Luke put
it, blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh. Ye shall
find joy and comfort. You see, those who mourn over
their sin, in the light of seeing how desperately they need mercy,
They do continue to mourn over their sin as they walk through
this life, but they only find comfort for that mourning, that
sorrow over sin. They only find it in the same
place they found it initially. As they shamefully grow in their
appreciation of their sinfulness before God, of their unworthiness,
in remorse and in repentance over their daily sins, their
thoughts are always turned back to the same exact place for comfort.
to their blessedness in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians
1, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sin, according to the riches of His grace. And being so blessed
in Christ, they do mourn in godly sorrow over sin, but they do
so without any fear of punishment. You see, they've been redeemed
through His blood. Their sins are forgiven. Some
commentators suggest that what's unique about the mourning described
here of those who are blessed of God, that it's derived from
its intensity. They're suggesting that born
again believers, they just they truly mourn and languish and
grieve more deeply over their sins. But, you know, even believers,
if we're honest, described here as the blessed of God, we must
admit And the Bible gives us evidence of believers that we
don't constantly mourn and languish over our sins, ever mindful of
the evil affront before an infinitely holy God. Listen, if you ever
get to thinking that you are truly, truly sorrow in terms
of your intensity and the intensity that you grieve over your sin,
then just consider whether it's commensurate with the truth that
that very sin before God the Father was so evil in His sight
that if you are one of the redeemed ones, that when it was charged
to Christ, Christ said, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken
Me? He couldn't even look on it,
and He killed Him for it. Now, if you think you grieve
commensurate with that sense of sin, then you're deceived. Consider King David. He was a
man, the scripture says, after God's own heart. And we know
from reading Psalms 51, he was devastated in his anguish and
his grief over his sin. But you know, before that, when
he was committing his sin, when he was fooling around with Bathsheba,
and he even arranged premeditatedly the murder, he had time to think
about it. This wasn't some sin of passion of the moment. He
premeditated the murder of Uriah, her husband. Well, he wasn't
languishing. This man, after God's own heart,
see, he's still a sinner. You see, a sinner's hope stays
there at the cross, in the blood of the Lamb, in His righteousness,
not based on anything that's ever going to come from them.
They'll even sing that in glory, worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Not what I've been made, OK?
But no, David wasn't languishing in grief And and over his sin
when he was committing it, not until the prophet Nathan came
and made him aware of it, at least. Well, like me, you may
also have ran run across some very religious, but lost or unregenerate
folks. And I say that based on this,
the solid evidence of scripture that says they're still ignorant
or not in submission. to the only, to the sole valid
ground of salvation, the righteousness of God in Christ, His perfect
satisfaction, the law and justice. In running across some like this,
you may have seen some that while in that very state, they major
on and they gain some sense of assurance from dwelling upon
their sense of unworthiness. In other words, They are determined
to wallow in continual sorrow. And they take some sort of twisted
comfort, not from the source of relief for the morning, see,
but rather from just being beat up on about the shortcomings.
They kind of remind you of the husband or wife, the masochistic
husband or wife that says, you can beat me more. And they even
seem to compete, see, for who can describe themselves in the
lowest, most despicable terms regarding the worms that they
are. and all the while seeming to take a twisted sort of pride
in having arrived at this quote humility humility they're actually
taking pride in. You see it's not that either.
I believe that I do believe that it is this morning is over our
wretched sinful condition. That's what is the cause or the
cause of our grief or mourning for those who are blessed of
God. But It's not from the degree or intensity of that grief, but
rather from the reason for the mourning. I think they that mourn
refers to those who mourn over their sins, as do the poor in
spirit. That is, they recognize they
have nothing to commend themselves unto God. It isn't the degree
of their mourning, see, that distinguishes them from others,
but what they mourn over in finding themselves unfit spiritually
bankrupt and in sorrow over having ever approached God based on
something that proceeds from them. That both initially and
continually. They now mourn over something,
see, that before being given life was totally foreign to them. Remember, they'd been blessed
to see something that would bring on repentance, a total change
of mind and affections and will. That's the heart. A total change
of heart with regards to the gospel. How God saves sinners. They are comforted and uniquely
so in the mercy seat. That's Christ who's called our
mercy seat in scripture. That is based upon His person
and His finished work. His perfect satisfaction to God,
see. And they can find no comfort
for this morning anywhere else. I want you to turn with me to
Isaiah chapter 61 real quickly. This is a great passage, I think,
that parallels what Christ is teaching here in the Sermon on
the Mount in Matthew 5. It speaks both to the morning
and the comfort that He speaks of. In verse 1 here, we see Christ
is speaking through the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 61. where it reads, The Spirit of
the Lord God is upon me. Because the Lord hath anointed
me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our
God, to comfort all that mourn. to appoint unto them that mourn
in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for
mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting
of the Lord, that he might be glorified." Stay with me here
in Isaiah 61 and consider these verses. Christ is speaking here
through the prophet Isaiah. And he says he's been anointed,
he's been commissioned by God the Father to preach good tidings
to the meek. That is, good tidings. That's
what the word gospel means, good news. He's to preach the good
news, the gospel, the same gospel of the kingdom that Christ is
preaching in his Sermon on the Mount. He's to preach this to
the meek. It's interesting, the next verse
in the Beatitudes there is, blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth. In other words, blessed are those
the ones God has humbled by showing them their sins. See how it all
fits together. Their spiritual poverty so that
they submit unto the righteousness of God in Christ and ascribe
all, every bit of their blessing to the mercy and grace of God.
Christ says there in Isaiah 61, He sent to bind up the brokenhearted. You see, those cut to the heart
by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. The word that's
described in this book is sharper than any two-edged sword that'll
cut the heart asunder. See, the ones whose hearts he's
binding up here, they've been wounded with great cause to mourn. They've been made low. They found
themselves broken. What they thought would gain
them acceptance before God, suddenly they've been enlightened that
that won't get the job done. They have nothing to please,
see, before God but mercy. Remember, they're poor in spirit.
But Christ binds their wounds by speaking words of comfort
to them, words of the gospel. Verse 2 says He's been anointed
to comfort all that mourn in that sense. So this morning is
one, see, that's alleviated by His good tidings, this message
of comfort, this proclamation of what He has done as commissioned
by the Father to proclaim to them their liberty and the freedom
in Christ, see, whereas they were captive, servants of sin. Now they're free to serve, servants
of righteousness. They were captive to Satan, to
the law, and they were prisoners to them. They were held fast
there with no way to rescue themselves. You see, they come to find out
that my doing anything won't work. They have no prospect of
escape the truth that sets His people free. They're enlightened
thereby, and they find that they are freed then from the curse
of the law. Galatians 3.10 says, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in the book of the law to do
them. That is, from the cradle to the
grave, if you've ever had the least anger toward your worst
enemy, guess what? Cursed is what's put on you. But these who are the blessed
of God, they that mourn, they discover that requirement has
been met for them by a substitute. Jesus Christ who was made under
the law to fulfill it perfectly as we read before Every jot and
tittle that means he dotted every irony crossed every T. He even
suffered sinlessly He said he offered himself without spot
and the merit of that Being charged or imputed to their account you
see by spirit Christ puts comfort in them who through unbelief
and We refuse to be comforted. That's why the scriptures say
He has to make us willing in the day of His power. We won't
have anything to do with it apart from that. We foolishly will
cling to the bondage of the law. Look, everyone who's confronted
with and gets serious about, I need to figure out if I'm going
to go to heaven someday, what's the first thing we all naturally
ask ourselves, what would I have to do? You see? And that's what
we'll cling to, is what can I do to get myself saved? He says
here he's appointed a fixed time when he will have mercy on Zion,
his church, all those who will inhabit his kingdom. Remember, his kingdom is righteousness. You wonder why we preach righteousness
here so much. It's because that's what his
kingdom is. It's righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit. So Christ comforts them by bringing
them life through His gospel, where they discover pardoning
grace and mercy. Verse 3 says, He appoints unto
them who mourn in Zion, His church, to give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness. Look what a picture for those
that mourn. In times of mourning, it was
customary for them to put on sackcloth and ashes, and I imagine
that's not a very pretty picture. But instead of that, Christ gives
his mourners the beautiful garments of salvation. See, it's a beauty. It's a garment. It's a beauty
that's not natural to them, not found in them. It's one that
is of grace. It's not acquired, but it's given. And it's not make-believe. It's
not fictitious. It's real. And it's a beauty
that is perfect, and it's complete, and it's lasting, and it's durable.
It's an eternal blessing. See, blessed indeed are these
that mourn. To these, it says, Christ gives
the oil of joy for mourning. That oil of joy speaks of that
which was poured on people's heads at times of celebration
and rejoicing. They did it at festivals and
wedding feasts and so forth. See, yeah, they that weep shall
laugh, as Luke put it. He clothes them with the robe
of righteousness. In other words, a garment of
praise, he calls it, of praise. It's one that's preferable to
all others. And most notably, it's a garment
suitable to their circumstances, to the spirit of heaviness, as
one who is poor in spirit with nothing of their own to offer,
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting
of the Lord, that he might be glorified. You see, they stand
tall. They've been made low. They have
no hope. And he makes them stand tall
in righteousness, in full confidence, comforted, whose root, see, is
in Christ. That is, they're made so by the
imputation of Christ's righteousness, the planning of the Lord. And
there's where he's glorified. Look with me. running out of
time, but quickly look back at Isaiah chapter 40. These verses
that we just looked at in Isaiah 61 tell us that Christ was anointed
or commissioned to preach the gospel, the good tidings that
would comfort all those that mourn. And I'm here to tell you,
and we'll see here in Isaiah 40, that this is precisely what
all who would preach God's gospel, the very gospel of the kingdom
that Christ preaches in the Sermon on the Mount concerning Himself,
this is what they too will preach. Look with me at God's command
given through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 40, verse 1. There
it reads, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem. and cry unto her," what? Where
are they going to get the comfort? "...that her warfare is accomplished,
that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the
Lord's hand double for all her sins." See, he points his servants
to speak comfortably to heavenly Jerusalem, spiritual Jerusalem,
those who will inhabit his kingdom. And what is the message that
they were to preach to give them comfort? It's the gospel message. Christ finished work on the cross. wherein they see that the warfare
for them has been accomplished." That's what Christ said when
He hung on the cross. He said, it is finished. It's accomplished. It's not merely initiated. It's
not merely something that makes you savable if you'll do your
part, but it's an accomplishment. It has been accomplished, and
their iniquity, their sins for which they would mourn are pardoned.
And on what basis? She, heavenly Jerusalem, hath
received of the Lord's hand, that means of Christ's work alone,
his hand, double for all our sins. You see, that's the gospel
wherein they find comfort for they have the double cure. As
the songwriter put it, they're saved from wrath and made pure. In other words, that speaks of
Christ's accomplishment in fulfilling the law by his obedience unto
death. He walked on this earth and perfectly
fulfilled the law without sin, suffering sinlessly. He was purity. That's part of his righteousness. And then in perfectly satisfying
the justice of God by bearing the sins of all of God's sheep
and paying the debt that they owed, he bore the wrath of God. You see, they do have the double
cure in him. That is, it speaks of the righteousness,
the scepter of His kingdom, that which is revealed in the gospel
and which speaks comfortably to God's people. You see, there
they have all they need in Christ. So in this sense, blessed are
they that mourn.