Michael Continues: To come through the narrow gate and into the narrow way, Jesus Christ Himself, then come with a heart of humility. The second beatitude says, blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. The Psalmist said, weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning. The Greek word for “Mourn” means to grieve deeply, to passionately lament for a heartfelt loss, especially for the loss of a loved one who has died.
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
The comfort is in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. In John 14 Jesus said to his disciples, I have to leave you. The disciples were deeply grieved when Jesus said this. Then Jesus said, unless I leave the Comforter cannot come. The Comforter is the Holy Spirit, the one who will come alongside you ... He will be with you and within you. The indwelling Comforter will lead you to the all-truth.
There are certain life-lessons that we can only learn when our heart is broken. Love and hope are learned through the crucible and the furnace of trials and tribulation. The refiner’s fire is to prove what we’re really made of. It proves Christ’s character in us. For tribulation works patience and patience experience ... Experience is proven character, proven by the refiner’s fire. Proven character produces hope and the hope of eternal life makes us not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. God leads us and plants us where we need to be in order to prove the character of Christ in us. Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. This side of heaven there will be trials and tribulations. Remember, the Holy Spirit afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted.
Blessed are they that mourn for their hearts break for those who are suffering and downtrodden. Pain and suffering are inevitable in this fallen in sin world. When a person comes to the place that they realizes that they cannot overcome the darkness and oppression of this world, then they can lift their heart to God for deliverance. God is no respecter of persons. He is, however, a respecter of His Word. Repentance begins with sorrowing for our having broken God’s righteous standard according to His Word. When a person realizes that he has missed the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, then he can turn from the darkness of this sinful world and unto the light of Christ.
Remember that sin says, I’m my own god. The disposition of Sin says I’m self sufficient, self actualized, and a self made man... with the emphasis on self. The root of sin is pride ... worshipping myself instead of the one true God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sin prevents a person from coming to the Lord, for he that does evil hates the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought of God.
Sin is the nature of the god of this world, the devil. He is the deceiver and the accuser; His purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy ... to separate our hearts from God’s heart. Sin makes us fearful, inadequate, lonely, and separated from everything that is noble, virtuous, righteous and godly. Sin is full of doubt and worry and depression. It leads to a heart of darkness that seeks comfort in the things of this world ... the lust of the flesh, the pride of life and the lust of the eyes. A sinful heart seeks the wisdom of this God-rejecting world ... that which is earthly, sensual and devilish. Sin sets itself up against every righteous commandment: to love God above all, to show mercy, and to worship the One True God.
Sinful pride prevents me from approaching God’s throne of grace with a heart of meekness, humility, obeisance, and surrender to a holy, righteous, gracious, merciful, and loving God. Sins will be revealed by the light of the truth of the Word of God. Jesus Christ himself is the Word of God made flesh. In the light of Christ, all things will be revealed and the sin that lurks in darkness cannot hide.
Jesus Christ is the solution to sin. Repentance is to turn from sin and unto the Savior from sin. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved... thou shalt be made whole and holy before a righteous God. Even while we were yet sinners, God reached down to us sinners with the grip of His Son’s nail-pierced hands to rescue us from the dire consequences of sin. When we turned to Him ... when we confessed that Jesus is Lord and believed that God raised Him from the dead is when we relinquished the right to our selfish selves. Lord means owner ... Christianity is not who we are or what we do, but whose we are and a transformed heart.
Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. The mourning is for the sin that separated our hearts from God’s heart. The comfort is in God’s gift of Holy Spirit, Christ in us the hope of glory ... For my sinful self was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. This is the comfort of the Holy Spirit that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ, Michael
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