How To Know If We Are Mourning as Christ Commands (Matt. 5:4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/14/2020 10:58 AM

My Worship Time                  Focus:  “How to Know if We Are Mourning as Christ Commands”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matthew 5:4

            Message of the verse:  “4 “How happy are those who know what sorrow means, for they will be given courage and comfort! (Philip)

            We began looking at this verse on the 2^nd of April and Lord willing we will complete our comments on this verse in today’s SD.  It is my desire to listen to the sermon that John MacArthur preached on verse five today in order to prepare my heart as we begin looking at our next verse in our next SD.

            We will try and answer the question that is posed for this SD and the first thing we need to ask ourselves if we are sensitive to sin.  Answering a question with a question is not really the normal way of getting and answer, but that is our first clue to answer this question which is posed for today’s SD.  Do we laugh at sin or take it lightly, or do we enjoy it, then we can be sure we are not mourning over it and are outside the sphere of God’s blessing.

            John MacArthur writes “The mock righteousness of hypocrites who make every effort to appear holy on the outside (see Matt. 6:1-18) has no sensitivity to sin, only sensitivity to personal prestige and reputation.  Nor does the mock gratitude of those who thank God they are better than other people (Luke 18:11).  Saul regretted that he had disobeyed God by not slaying King Agag and by sparing the best of the Amalekite animals.  But he was not repentant; he did not mourn over his sin.  He instead tried to excuse his actions by claiming that the animals were spared so that they could be sacrificed to God and that the people made him do what he did.” (Sounds like Aaron making the golden calf.)  “He twice admitted that he had sinned, and even asked Samuel for pardon.  But his real concern was not for the Lord’s honor but for his own.  ‘I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel’ (1 Sam. 15:30).  Saul had ungodly regret, not godly mourning.”

            A godly believer will have true sorrow over his sins and his first concern is for the harm his sin does to God’s glory, and not the harm it exposure might bring to his own reputation or his welfare. 

            We as believers are to morn over the sins that fellow believers fall into, along with the sins of the world.  Abortion certainly comes into play here as all true believers should mourn over the killing of babies before they have a chance to even be born.  We should all cry out to God to have this horrifying sin that not only is in the United States, but all around the world.  The Psalmist wrote in 119:136 “My eyes shed streams of water, because they do not keep Thy Law.  Jeremiah 9:1 writes “Oh that my head were waters And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain of the daughter of my people!”  He also wrote the following in Lam. 1:16 “"For these things I weep; My eyes run down with water; Because far from me is a comforter, One who restores my soul. My children are desolate Because the enemy has prevailed.’”  Ezekiel writes “The LORD said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations which are being committed in its midst.’”  Psalm 69:9 “9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.”

            John MacArthur writes “The second way to determine if we have genuine mourning over sin is to check our sense of God’s forgiveness.  Have we experienced the release and freedom of knowing our sins are forgiven?  Do we have His peace and joy in our life?  Can we point to true happiness He has given in response to our mourning?  Do we have the divine comfort He promises to shoes who have forgiven, cleansed, and purified lives?

            The godly mourners ‘who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.  He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him’ (Psalm 126:5-6).”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I desire to care about God cares about and not so much care about what I want to happen in my life that may not line up with what God desires for me to be doing.  I can say that this chapter has been very difficult for me to study and it probably will not get much better as we begin the next one.  I am learning a lot of what this sermon that Jesus preached at the beginning of His ministry here on earth means and there are some very deep meanings found in these verses.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  To continue to learn contentment, humility, and humility has much to do with the beatitudes, and then for the Spirit to give me joy as I study these very difficult passages I am going through.

4/14/2020 11:33 AM