WEBVTT 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:06.600 Tonight, our reading is from Isaiah chapter 40, verses 1 through 5. 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:11.359 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 00:00:12.099 --> 00:00:17.620 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:25.780 that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:31.640 A voice of one calling, in the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord. 00:00:32.179 --> 00:00:35.660 Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:41.240 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low. 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:46.420 The rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 00:00:46.939 --> 00:00:52.320 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all the people will see it together, 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:55.159 for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 00:00:56.259 --> 00:01:01.480 And now Isaiah chapter 57, verses 14 through 21. 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:04.200 And it will be said, 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:11.519 Build up, build up, prepare the road, remove the obstacles out of the way of my people. 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:15.680 For this is what the high and exalted one says, 00:01:16.140 --> 00:01:19.659 he who lives forever, whose name is holy. 00:01:19.659 --> 00:01:27.340 I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.920 to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:37.740 I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry. 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:43.519 For then they would faint away because of me, the very people I have created. 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:47.099 I was enraged by their sinful greed. 00:01:47.659 --> 00:01:50.859 I punished them and hid my face in anger. 00:01:51.520 --> 00:01:54.099 Yet they kept on in their willful ways. 00:01:54.099 --> 00:01:57.780 I have seen their ways, but I will heal them. 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:04.659 I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel's mourners, creating praise on their lips. 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:11.680 Peace, peace to those far and near, says the Lord, and I will heal them. 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:19.800 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. 00:02:20.260 --> 00:02:23.780 There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:26.159 This is the word of the Lord. 00:02:28.420 --> 00:02:37.560 So our beatitude for this evening, as we think about these eight countercultural values of God's kingdom, is this. 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:44.740 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 00:02:45.379 --> 00:02:52.400 The beatitudes have always and will always challenge cultures, and ours is no different. 00:02:52.539 --> 00:02:59.580 The whole Sermon on the Mount is a call on the people of God to live as set-apart people. 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:04.500 After the beatitudes, Jesus says to those who are his followers, 00:03:04.500 --> 00:03:07.740 you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.500 you are supposed to bring life and have that preserving function, 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:19.280 you are supposed to reflect the glory of God, living differently to the glory of God. 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:26.979 And these beatitudes, then, are this call to revolution, to a different kind of culture, 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:33.879 to the values of life and community under the gracious rule of God. 00:03:34.500 --> 00:03:38.439 And these values, and I'm sure we'll see it as the weeks go by, 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:43.879 challenge us at the same time as they are vital for every Christian, 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:47.099 for those who are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus. 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:51.639 They are ideals, but they are not easy. 00:03:52.379 --> 00:03:56.020 They challenge our hearts and our behaviours in so many ways. 00:03:56.199 --> 00:03:58.920 And this one is no different. 00:03:58.919 --> 00:04:04.239 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:13.060 I want to suggest, as we begin, that there are two huge challenges for us in our cultural moment, 00:04:13.459 --> 00:04:17.539 here in the Western world, in the 21st century. 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:22.560 Two different, but connected challenges. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:27.600 The first is that we live in what's known as the age of distraction. 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:35.040 Before we go any further, I should say, if you want some helpful Christian commentary on this theme, 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:39.300 there's a man called Tony Reinka, R-E-I-N-K-E, 00:04:39.699 --> 00:04:42.819 who's written a couple of really helpful books on this topic. 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:48.980 But he, along with others, make the point that technology has effectively rewired our brains. 00:04:48.980 --> 00:04:54.340 Psychologists now talk about the new inner psychology of speed. 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:55.960 And what do they mean by that? 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:03.640 They mean that our brains are being changed because we're constantly being bombarded by so much information. 00:05:04.520 --> 00:05:08.620 When you think about your daily life, how many updates do you get? 00:05:08.720 --> 00:05:18.080 How many texts and emails and alerts and news feeds come across your eyes, your mind and your heart? 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:25.960 Our brains are having to process the sublime and the ridiculous. 00:05:26.700 --> 00:05:30.780 And maybe you have that WhatsApp group where the ridiculous reaches highly. 00:05:31.340 --> 00:05:33.900 We are seeing it almost at the same moment. 00:05:34.259 --> 00:05:37.160 Things of great beauty and moments of great tragedy. 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:42.740 The pointless and the poignant come crashing into our lives all at the same time. 00:05:42.740 --> 00:05:50.540 And the age of distraction gives us very little time for reflection. 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:58.560 So in that setting, how will we, as Jesus calls us to, mourn? 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:07.019 How will we mourn in particular for our sin and the effects of sin in our life and in the world? 00:06:07.019 --> 00:06:11.199 When, as a general rule, it's so hard to think deeply. 00:06:12.539 --> 00:06:14.459 So that's one challenge, the age of distraction. 00:06:14.599 --> 00:06:19.479 But another cultural challenge for us is that we also live, at the same time, in the age of entertainment. 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:30.319 So Ecclesiastes, that wonderfully realistic wisdom book of the Old Testament, says it's better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting. 00:06:30.319 --> 00:06:37.199 There, in that space of mourning, we are being reminded of things that matter. 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:41.740 Mortality, eternity, the reality of God. 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:49.459 But, we have a multi-billion pound entertainment industry pulling us in a completely different direction. 00:06:50.039 --> 00:06:53.219 Where it's geared for pleasure and fun and excitement and distraction. 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:55.339 And it's telling us this is the way to live. 00:06:55.339 --> 00:07:03.939 If you remember the parable Jesus told of the rich fool, take life easy, eat, drink and be merry. 00:07:05.119 --> 00:07:10.579 In some ways, that represents something of the entertainment industry. 00:07:10.739 --> 00:07:15.839 So Jesus, in his words, is challenging one of our cultural idols. 00:07:16.479 --> 00:07:19.479 And that's going to be a challenge, perhaps, to us personally. 00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:26.759 From the outset, there is this reminder from Jesus that, as the people of God, we need to be serious. 00:07:28.259 --> 00:07:33.220 Not that we are without joy or without humour, but we need to be serious about certain realities about God. 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:35.080 And about sin. 00:07:36.080 --> 00:07:37.040 And about eternity. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:44.860 And we also, at the same time, need to recognise where greatest and deepest pleasure is to be found. 00:07:44.860 --> 00:07:54.699 And not that we'd be content with the snacks of the entertainment industry, but we're looking for the banquet of joy found in and from God. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:57.360 Found in life with God, favour with God. 00:07:57.460 --> 00:08:04.340 And to get there, Jesus is saying we need to learn to mourn our sin so that we would enjoy his comfort. 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:11.100 So there are challenges for us to confront as we think about this beatitude and its implications. 00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:21.100 A question for us, as we think about this beatitude, what kind of mourning is in view? 00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:27.740 So we are still, as a nation, living with the effects of coronavirus. 00:08:28.180 --> 00:08:38.080 And while now our minds are pretty much on the restrictions, we think back a few months and we had that national reminder of our own mortality. 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:47.280 And even beyond that, our lives as we know them are surrounded by stories of grief and the loss of people we love. 00:08:48.680 --> 00:08:57.360 Now, while that's not the mourning that Jesus has in view here, it is true to say that God promises his presence. 00:08:58.420 --> 00:09:02.820 God offers comfort to his people as we mourn. 00:09:02.820 --> 00:09:08.020 And he invites you to seek him in and through your tears. 00:09:09.280 --> 00:09:13.000 But what's in view in Jesus' mind here is a particular type of mourning. 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:16.120 And it's a mourning that is God-directed. 00:09:16.220 --> 00:09:18.160 It's a spiritual mourning. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:20.800 It's the sorrow of repentance. 00:09:21.060 --> 00:09:24.820 It's a grief caused by sin and its effects. 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:29.980 And there are two main ways this works itself out in the life of a Christian believer. 00:09:29.980 --> 00:09:35.300 One, we mourn the presence of evil in the world. 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:44.100 It is right that our hearts should feel weight and sadness. 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:56.960 As we switch on our computers or our phones or our televisions and we see the cruelty and the injustice, the hate and the murder, the racism, the terrorism, the exploitation. 00:09:58.379 --> 00:10:06.460 Human misery caused by sin is a tragedy that we should mourn. 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:19.980 And also, when we think about the presence of evil in the world, we should also mourn the rejection of God that we see in our society, in our world. 00:10:21.280 --> 00:10:27.180 We see that in Paul's example as he travels to the great city of Athens in Acts 17. 00:10:27.179 --> 00:10:33.219 We're told he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 00:10:33.359 --> 00:10:38.120 And so he determined to proclaim to them the unknown God that they didn't know. 00:10:38.219 --> 00:10:40.159 The one who was creator of all. 00:10:40.459 --> 00:10:41.959 The one who would be judge of all. 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:46.679 And the one who had sent his son to be saviour for all. 00:10:46.679 --> 00:11:00.799 But as we consider evil and misery in our world, that is and should be a cause for lament in our hearts and our souls. 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:03.699 It should drive us to prayer. 00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:07.519 And where possible, lead us to action. 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:12.799 And so it is critical that we learn to slow down. 00:11:13.500 --> 00:11:18.559 So that we are seeing the connections between sin and misery. 00:11:18.879 --> 00:11:22.039 We're recognising the eternal consequences. 00:11:22.699 --> 00:11:29.220 So that we would respond in a way that would bring glory to God and that we'd love others well. 00:11:29.220 --> 00:11:38.200 So if we find ourselves feeling news fatigue, if we find ourselves growing numb to suffering, 00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:42.980 on the one hand, it perhaps reflects the fact that we're taking in too much information 00:11:42.980 --> 00:11:45.540 and we can't possibly carry all the burdens of the world. 00:11:46.160 --> 00:11:53.259 But on the other hand, it should make us pray to God that his spirit would help us to develop that compassion and sorrow 00:11:53.259 --> 00:11:56.200 for the sin and misery that we see. 00:11:56.200 --> 00:12:03.259 But there's another kind of mourning over sin and that's mourning over sin in our own lives. 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:05.860 Now we thought about it last Sunday morning. 00:12:06.400 --> 00:12:09.980 The theme of Psalm 32 was repentance. 00:12:10.280 --> 00:12:18.460 But David recognises and reflects very honestly on the evil in here, in the human heart. 00:12:19.460 --> 00:12:25.160 That rebellion, that protest movement that does not want God to rule. 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:27.100 Rather, we would rule. 00:12:27.699 --> 00:12:32.860 That falling short of God's perfect standard and falling short of God's glory. 00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:41.339 The way that, although there is a straight path for our lives to what we find crooked ways and our nature is twisted. 00:12:41.340 --> 00:12:50.340 Again, drawing from Paul's own experience in Romans chapter 7, as he reflects as a Christian, 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:58.960 we find him mourning the gap between his intention, what he wants to do, and the reality that he so often sees in his life. 00:13:00.300 --> 00:13:02.480 There's great honesty here when he says, 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:12.860 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. 00:13:13.700 --> 00:13:15.460 We mourn our sin. 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:19.940 We mourn the slow progress that we make in spiritual maturity. 00:13:19.940 --> 00:13:26.040 We lament our failure to be killing sin in our lives. 00:13:26.040 --> 00:13:33.760 And again, part of the way we're going to have to do that is by fighting against the pool of entertainment and distraction. 00:13:34.600 --> 00:13:38.380 To make time to examine your own heart. 00:13:39.180 --> 00:13:46.480 To have no deceit before God, but instead to allow our hearts and lives to lie open before God. 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:53.980 Because that kind of mourning, Jesus says, is the path to true comfort. 00:13:56.680 --> 00:14:02.680 To help us to see why we should mourn sin and its effects, we could usefully ask a question. 00:14:03.560 --> 00:14:04.779 What made Jesus weep? 00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:08.899 When you think about the Bible, where do we see Jesus weep? 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:11.159 Well, there are two places that come to mind. 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:17.379 In John chapter 11, as Jesus is standing before the tomb of Lazarus. 00:14:18.319 --> 00:14:24.159 He's seen the grief of Martha, the tears of Mary, the two sisters of Lazarus. 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:26.100 Hears the weeping around the tomb. 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:28.259 And Jesus weep. 00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:55.360 And then in Luke chapter 19, as Jesus is facing the cross, we find him again weeping. 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:58.159 This time weeping over Jerusalem. 00:14:58.320 --> 00:15:00.580 Why is he weeping over Jerusalem? 00:15:00.940 --> 00:15:03.620 Because of their sinful rejection of their Saviour. 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:11.279 And Jesus knows that judgment is certain to follow for that rejection, for that unbelief. 00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:15.600 And that causes Jesus to weep. 00:15:16.800 --> 00:15:20.980 So that's the kind of mourning that Jesus is calling us to. 00:15:21.159 --> 00:15:23.920 To mourn over sin and its effects. 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:29.279 To ask a different question, but a related question. 00:15:29.439 --> 00:15:32.099 What kind of mourning then brings comfort? 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:35.740 Now there's a flow to the beatitude. 00:15:35.939 --> 00:15:37.199 So our first beatitude. 00:15:38.039 --> 00:15:39.419 Blessed are the poor in spirit. 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:45.199 Those who recognise they are spiritually bankrupt before God and utterly dependent on his mercy. 00:15:45.200 --> 00:15:50.940 And flowing from that blessed are those who mourn that reality. 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:59.620 Because to those who mourn their sin and their spiritual inability, Jesus promises comfort. 00:15:59.620 --> 00:16:16.679 For Jesus' first hearers, as he pronounced this beatitude, in their minds they would be drawn back to the ministry of one of the great Old Testament prophets. 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:18.860 That of Isaiah. 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:23.940 So I want us very briefly to look at the book of Isaiah. 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:27.659 To use his ministry as a guide. 00:16:28.460 --> 00:16:31.460 To see where Jesus draws his teaching from. 00:16:32.180 --> 00:16:37.940 To see how there is this pointer to sin and misery, but hope and comfort. 00:16:37.940 --> 00:16:40.320 In the good news of the gospel. 00:16:41.220 --> 00:16:43.660 So Isaiah breaks down into two happy books. 00:16:43.660 --> 00:16:45.060 Big books, 66 chapters. 00:16:45.160 --> 00:16:46.480 The first 39 chapters. 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:49.040 A lot of messages of judgment. 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:52.020 Mixed with messages of hope. 00:16:52.640 --> 00:16:55.180 The promise of God's saviour. 00:16:55.660 --> 00:16:59.240 That God's covenant promises will not fail. 00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:10.539 But chapter 39 ends with the certainty that because of covenant breaking, because of sin, the people of God will go into exile. 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:19.579 But then Isaiah's focus shifts to a time in the future when restoration would come. 00:17:19.660 --> 00:17:21.640 So chapters 40 to 66. 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:25.500 The message of comfort and hope because of restoration dominate. 00:17:25.500 --> 00:17:32.859 To say to his hearers that after the exile, all God's promises would come true. 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:35.619 The people were faithless, absolutely, but God would remain faithful. 00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:39.000 The promised saviour king would come. 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:41.680 He would bring in the kingdom of God. 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:45.319 The servant of the Lord would come to redeem by sacrifice. 00:17:45.460 --> 00:17:50.519 That he would establish the great hope of the new heavens and the new earth for the people of God. 00:17:50.519 --> 00:17:54.440 All of that's there in the second half of Isaiah. 00:17:54.440 --> 00:18:00.980 So I want us to just dip into three short texts that help us to see what Jesus teaches. 00:18:02.019 --> 00:18:03.480 Keith read a couple of them for us. 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:06.220 First of all, from Isaiah chapter 40. 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:08.779 As that second half of Isaiah begins, 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:12.019 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 00:18:12.759 --> 00:18:18.320 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed. 00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:20.480 The exile is done. 00:18:20.980 --> 00:18:23.019 That her sin has been paid for. 00:18:23.019 --> 00:18:26.680 There is forgiveness through God's grace. 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:31.019 That she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:35.319 That though their sins were many, God's mercy would be more. 00:18:36.059 --> 00:18:37.519 A voice of one calling. 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:40.259 In the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord. 00:18:40.379 --> 00:18:42.920 Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:46.079 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed. 00:18:46.420 --> 00:18:49.460 Here's comfort because the Lord himself is coming. 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:54.500 The glory of the Lord would be with and among his people. 00:18:55.299 --> 00:19:01.279 And he would come to end their exile and to restore them to himself and to forgive their sins. 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:06.079 That's comfort, but it requires the people to mourn their sin. 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:11.919 And there's a couple of places in Isaiah where that theme really dominates. 00:19:12.139 --> 00:19:15.059 Isaiah 57 is helpful. 00:19:15.179 --> 00:19:16.639 And again, Keith read this for us. 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:18.899 A couple of verses from verse 15. 00:19:18.900 --> 00:19:38.920 Now there's a promise of comfort. 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:45.500 For those who will humble themselves and acknowledge their sin, this holy and exalted God will come and live with his people. 00:19:46.420 --> 00:19:50.180 I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry. 00:19:50.759 --> 00:19:53.360 I have seen their ways, but I will heal them. 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:59.300 I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel's mourners. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:07.160 To those who mourn the grief caused by their rebellion and their sin, God will bring healing. 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:10.279 He will not remain angry forever. 00:20:10.820 --> 00:20:18.600 There will be the comfort of forgiveness for those who trust in God and his promised salvation. 00:20:19.380 --> 00:20:21.160 And that brings us to Isaiah 61. 00:20:21.840 --> 00:20:24.180 Now Isaiah 61, we mentioned this last week. 00:20:24.759 --> 00:20:33.140 Jesus, one time when he went to the synagogue in Nazareth, his hometown, he opened the scroll to Isaiah 61. 00:20:33.140 --> 00:20:41.800 And there he read, the spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 00:20:42.259 --> 00:20:46.700 He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:52.180 And Jesus, after a time, closed the scroll and said, all of this is fulfilled in your hearing. 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:56.660 Jesus is the one who is anointed by the sovereign Lord. 00:20:56.740 --> 00:20:58.620 He is the one who is spirit filled. 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:04.860 He is the one who has come on this mission to proclaim the good news of God, 00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:10.600 that salvation has come, that healing and comfort has come for the brokenhearted. 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:12.860 He comes proclaiming the good news. 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:15.879 He announces that he himself is the good news. 00:21:17.639 --> 00:21:24.719 He is the living declaration of how God will act to save his people. 00:21:25.399 --> 00:21:32.379 In the coming of Jesus, in his death as a substitute, paying the price for sinners, 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:36.439 taking the wrath of God that we deserve, but taking it on himself. 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:43.600 In his resurrection, in victory and glory, there is forgiveness. 00:21:43.799 --> 00:21:44.700 There is eternal life. 00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:46.000 The kingdom comes in. 00:21:46.380 --> 00:21:48.340 We are adopted into the family of God. 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:50.000 Peace and joy are ours. 00:21:50.120 --> 00:21:56.980 There is comfort because the ultimate comforter, the saviour of the world, has come. 00:21:58.880 --> 00:22:03.440 It's this Jesus who is speaking to them in the Beatitudes. 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:11.820 So, let's bring this towards a conclusion by asking another question. 00:22:12.320 --> 00:22:16.440 Why should you and I choose to mourn? 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:25.180 Against the pull of amusing ourselves today, entertaining ourselves today. 00:22:25.180 --> 00:22:37.700 Against the temptation to brush off sin and its effects, to tread lightly in our own hearts and not really to reflect on how things are between us and our God. 00:22:37.700 --> 00:22:46.080 Why should we rather choose to mourn, to mourn our sin and its effects? 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:54.399 Because to do so is to receive the life that we were made for. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:58.819 There is another paradox here in this Beatitude. 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:04.839 It's only those who mourn in this way who can truly enjoy life to the full. 00:23:04.899 --> 00:23:08.519 Because after all, what is the life of blessing? 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:10.259 It's peace with God. 00:23:10.339 --> 00:23:12.980 It's knowing God's smile and favour. 00:23:12.980 --> 00:23:17.980 And so there are two promises attached within this Beatitude. 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:23.339 First of all, mourning promises salvation. 00:23:24.599 --> 00:23:29.579 Because this is comfort and truth from Jesus the Saviour. 00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:32.880 Blessed are those who mourn. 00:23:33.720 --> 00:23:35.539 They will be comforted. 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:42.500 This is the same Jesus who came announcing, I am the resurrection and the life. 00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:47.200 That to believe in Jesus is to live even though we die. 00:23:47.619 --> 00:23:50.839 That there is a comfort that is unbreakable in him. 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:53.759 Jesus announced, I am the good shepherd. 00:23:55.139 --> 00:23:57.339 He is our place of safety. 00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:03.200 He is the one with such love for us that he would die in our place to save us. 00:24:03.200 --> 00:24:08.059 And he is still on his mission of calling people into his flock. 00:24:08.220 --> 00:24:11.960 Again, a place of comfort and feeding and protection. 00:24:13.600 --> 00:24:19.640 So the faith that mourns sin and looks to Jesus. 00:24:20.580 --> 00:24:23.539 Not just feeling bad about sin but taking it to Jesus. 00:24:23.660 --> 00:24:24.480 Taking it to the cross. 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:28.480 Because we can know that we will be forgiven. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:29.740 That we are forgiven. 00:24:30.019 --> 00:24:31.140 That we are restored. 00:24:31.259 --> 00:24:33.079 That we are part of the family of God. 00:24:33.099 --> 00:24:36.799 Because he has won that victory for us. 00:24:39.180 --> 00:24:42.319 And again, attached to this is the promise. 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:46.980 That mourning promises future glory. 00:24:46.980 --> 00:24:51.400 So when we feel the weight of sin. 00:24:51.779 --> 00:24:54.700 When we feel its burden once again. 00:24:54.700 --> 00:24:58.839 As we look around and we lament the state of the world. 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:03.140 We are also encouraged in God's word to look forward. 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:06.620 To look forward to that coming day. 00:25:07.120 --> 00:25:08.819 When sin will be no more. 00:25:09.660 --> 00:25:11.819 When that burden of sin that we carry. 00:25:11.960 --> 00:25:14.180 That weighs us down so often will be gone forever. 00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:19.860 When our frustration over our inability and our failure will be done away with. 00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:23.779 When our shame will be decisively ended. 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:25.799 To return no more. 00:25:26.000 --> 00:25:26.980 When is that day? 00:25:28.220 --> 00:25:30.920 It's on that day when Jesus will return. 00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:33.180 When Jesus comes again. 00:25:33.380 --> 00:25:36.880 Satan and sin and death will be dealt with once and for all. 00:25:37.620 --> 00:25:39.360 And there will be no more grief. 00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:41.720 No more mourning then for the people of God. 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:43.460 But only comfort. 00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:47.680 If we have looked to Jesus now. 00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:48.880 In faith. 00:25:49.620 --> 00:25:50.420 For salvation. 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:55.900 So that we have this wonderful picture of comfort there at the end of the Bible. 00:25:56.019 --> 00:25:57.240 In Revelation 21. 00:25:58.240 --> 00:25:59.860 I saw the holy city. 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:03.500 The new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. 00:26:04.120 --> 00:26:05.420 Prepared as a bride. 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:07.700 Beautifully dressed for her husband. 00:26:07.700 --> 00:26:10.799 The church is that holy city. 00:26:10.799 --> 00:26:13.799 The bride of Christ. 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:16.519 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying. 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:16.980 Look. 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:19.980 God's dwelling place is now among the people. 00:26:20.059 --> 00:26:21.299 And he will dwell with them. 00:26:21.840 --> 00:26:23.000 They will be his people. 00:26:23.640 --> 00:26:25.580 And God himself will be with them. 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:26.980 And be their God. 00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:30.160 There's the comfort of his presence that is forever. 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:31.560 And then this. 00:26:32.200 --> 00:26:35.100 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. 00:26:35.740 --> 00:26:39.779 There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. 00:26:40.140 --> 00:26:44.340 For the old order of things has passed away. 00:26:44.339 --> 00:26:46.139 Mourning. 00:26:46.139 --> 00:26:46.179 Mourning. 00:26:46.899 --> 00:26:48.679 It's painful for her. 00:26:49.579 --> 00:26:53.419 To have our hearts and lives exposed can feel very raw. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:56.539 But Jesus promises true healing. 00:26:56.959 --> 00:27:00.179 And anticipates a day when there will be no more mourning. 00:27:01.959 --> 00:27:07.099 So we are encouraged to look deeply into our own hearts. 00:27:07.899 --> 00:27:10.359 And to mourn the sin that we find there. 00:27:10.439 --> 00:27:13.279 And to take it to the Lord for forgiveness. 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:18.519 And to look deeply into the heart of God. 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:23.339 That we see most clearly there at the cross. 00:27:24.779 --> 00:27:28.579 God loving us so much that while we were still sinners. 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:30.119 While we were his enemies. 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:32.339 Christ died for us. 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:34.619 And that we find comfort there. 00:27:35.180 --> 00:27:37.299 So we put our faith in Jesus. 00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:40.460 Now and always. 00:27:40.460 --> 00:27:45.059 Let's pray about that together. 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:48.700 Lord. 00:27:49.160 --> 00:27:50.140 Our God. 00:27:51.180 --> 00:27:52.819 As you have once again. 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:54.840 As a church brought us to that place. 00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:57.700 Where we are called to consider. 00:27:59.700 --> 00:28:01.220 Sin and its misery. 00:28:01.220 --> 00:28:04.200 We pray that you would make us. 00:28:04.440 --> 00:28:06.779 A people who would slow down. 00:28:07.460 --> 00:28:08.700 Who would reflect. 00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:11.200 Who would mourn over sin. 00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:13.500 And that sorrow over sin. 00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:15.160 Would lead us to repentance. 00:28:16.960 --> 00:28:19.079 And Lord we thank you for that promise. 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:21.120 That as we do mourn. 00:28:21.220 --> 00:28:22.960 We will find comfort. 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:23.960 We thank you for that. 00:28:23.960 --> 00:28:26.640 We thank you that because Jesus has come. 00:28:27.340 --> 00:28:29.319 And he has died for sin. 00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:32.840 And he has risen in victory over sin. 00:28:34.140 --> 00:28:36.140 And that he has triumphed over the grave. 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:38.960 That he has guaranteed resurrection life. 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:42.019 That we can have hope. 00:28:42.579 --> 00:28:43.340 And comfort. 00:28:44.059 --> 00:28:44.600 And peace. 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:45.420 And joy. 00:28:45.420 --> 00:28:48.200 Lord help us to abide. 00:28:48.800 --> 00:28:50.360 In those truths. 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:51.940 Help us to fight. 00:28:52.580 --> 00:28:54.860 The temptations towards distraction. 00:28:55.120 --> 00:28:55.840 And entertainment. 00:28:56.019 --> 00:28:57.019 That would keep us. 00:28:57.440 --> 00:28:59.580 From enjoying our life with you. 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:02.460 Help us to walk closely with you. 00:29:03.000 --> 00:29:04.279 In this week. 00:29:04.920 --> 00:29:06.220 Help us to be praying. 00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:07.259 To you. 00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:08.240 This week. 00:29:08.300 --> 00:29:09.400 As we see sin. 00:29:09.740 --> 00:29:10.740 And its effects. 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:12.240 And may we pray. 00:29:12.819 --> 00:29:14.380 That you Lord Jesus. 00:29:14.380 --> 00:29:15.200 Would come. 00:29:15.660 --> 00:29:16.400 In power. 00:29:16.839 --> 00:29:17.579 To bring healing. 00:29:17.700 --> 00:29:18.380 And transformation. 00:29:18.859 --> 00:29:19.279 To many. 00:29:19.920 --> 00:29:20.900 And you would cause us. 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:22.120 To await with hope. 00:29:22.220 --> 00:29:23.019 And expectation. 00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:24.799 Your second coming. 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:25.960 We pray. 00:29:26.220 --> 00:29:27.120 In Jesus name. 00:29:27.680 --> 00:29:28.099 Amen.