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Hearing His Voice Today
The Blessing of a Broken Heart

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Matt. 5:4 (KJV)
  1. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Many Christians believe that it is inconsistent for a Christian to mourn. Often believers will pretend that everything is fine, slap syrupy smiles on their face, and act as if their happy! Jesus teaches, however, that one of the characteristics of His children is that they "mourn".
  1. This mourning Jesus refers to is deep . . .
    The word mourn (pentheo) is the strongest word for grief in the Greek language.
    1. The disciples were "mourning and weeping" (Mark 16:10) after the death of Christ.
    2. When Jacob, the father of Israel died, "all of Israel mourned for 70 days" (Gen. 50:3).
    3. Jesus said of those who do not mourn in this life that they will one day mourn: "Woe to all you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25). We cannot soften the words of Jesus. The mark of God's favor is mourning.
  2. This mourning Jesus refers to is different . . .
    1. It is not natural mourning. The obvious example of this would be the death of a loved one. Other kinds of natural mourning include sorrow over the loss of a job, grief due to catastrophes, etc . . .
      There is no promise of blessedness in Scripture for natural mourning.
    2. It is not selfish mourning. Cain murdered his brother Abel and God banished him to the desert. Cain's response? "My punishment is more than I can bear" (Genesis 4:13-14). King Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard. When he could not obtain it "he lay on his bed sulking, refusing to eat" (I Kings 21:4).Judas, Amnon and others in Scripture exhibit a "worldly sorrow".
    3. It is a spiritual mourning (II Corinthians 7:10). This is a "godly" sorrow that is produced by the grace of God --- "weeping over sin." This mourning is active --- "Blessed are they who continue to mourn".
  3. This mourning Jesus refers to brings delight. . .Those who mourn will be "comforted" (parakaleo) which means "to call to one's side".
    1. God the Father will comfort -- "God gives encouragement (paraklesis)" (Rom. 15:5).
    2. God the Son will comfort . . . "He is our defense (parakletos)" (I John 2:2).
    3. God the Spirit will comfort . . . He is our "Counselor (parakletos)" (John 14:17).
    4. The Word of God will comfort . . . "the Scriptures of encouragement (paraklesis) bring us hope" (Romans 15:4).
    5. The faithful preaching of God;s word will comfort . . . those who preach "speak to men for their encouragement (paraklesis) and comfort" (I Corinthians 14:3).
    6. The fellowship of other Christians will comfort . . . "therefore encourage (parakaleo) one another and build each other up" (I Thessalonians 5:11).
    7. The certainty of Christ's return will comfort . . . Paul urges believers to "encourage one another with these words" (concerning Christ's return) (I Thessalonians 4:18).

Questions? Comments?
Pastor Wade

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