Those Who Mourn | The Beatitudes | Pastor Rodney Thrift
THE BEATITUDES
Those who mourn…
SOUL TATTOO Week 1: Follow Jesus, no matter what the cost.
SOUL TATTOO Week 2: I am POOR IN SPIRIT, when I recognize that I have an absolute need for God.
Matthew 5:1-4 (NIV) 1Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
THE DEFINITION:
Mourning: The expression of grief. The act of sorrow, weeping or crying. Grief gone public. Mourning can last for a specific period of time.
Grief: The feelings we feel after loss. Keen mental suffering or distress over loss or difficulty. Painful regret.
SOUL TATTOO: Mourning is not an event, it’s an expedition.
TWO TYPES OF MOURNING:
- Mourning for my sin and mourning for a loss.
MOURNING FOR MY SIN:
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (NIV) 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
- What grief is considered godly?
1 John 1:9 (ESV) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Pray and ask God to convict you of your sins.
MOURNING FOR A LOSS:
Psalm 34:18-19 (NLT) 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 (ESV) 4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…
- Jesus mourned.
- Jesus taught it.
Matthew 5:4 (NIV) 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Jesus modeled it.
John 11:33-36 (NKJV) 33Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
THE 3 N’s OF GRIEF:
Deuteronomy 34:8 (NLT) The people of Israel mourned thirty days for Moses on the plains of Moab, until the customary period of mourning was over.
- Grief is normal.
- Grief is natural.
- Grief is necessary.
John 11:35 (NKJV) 35Jesus wept.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I’M GRIEVING?
1. Embrace your grief.
Psalm 42:1–4 (NIV) As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.
2. Keep track of your blessings.
Psalms 42:6, 8 (NIV)My soul is downcast within me; therefore, I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar…By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
7 Proven Benefits of Gratitude:
- Gratitude opens the door to more relationships.
- Gratitude improves physical health
- Gratitude improves psychological health
- Gratitude enhances empathy and reduces aggression
- Grateful people sleep better.
- Gratitude improves self-esteem
- Gratitude increases mental strength
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
3. Trust God with the outcome.
Psalm 42:11 (NIV) Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
SOUL TATTOO: Mourning is not an event, it’s an expedition.