As we have looked at the Beatitudes, we have pointed out that the word translated “blessed” here literally means “happy.” The promises and principles laid out here by our Savior present us with a blueprint for experiencing true happiness in life - not the kind the world gives and can easily be taken away by changing circumstances - but the lasting happiness that only God can give - the kind contentment and satisfaction that changing circumstances can never take away.
We have also pointed out that they are progressive in nature; that one builds on the other. Last time we looked to verse three, where we are told that the journey that leads to experiencing happiness in this life as well as the next begins when we gain the proper perspective on salvation - when we acknowledge our spiritual poverty and appropriate God’s saving power through faith in Christ. Now today, I want us to look to verse four to notice the next step Jesus says we need to take in our journey to experiencing lasting happiness.
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It has been pointed out that what Jesus says here appears to be a tremendous paradox. To paraphrase this beatitude, Jesus says, “Happy are the sad.” How can the sad be happy? What kind of mourning results in greater happiness?
The fact that there are nine different verbs in the Greek language (all used in Scripture) to express the concept of grief indicates that there are all kinds of reasons to be sad. There is sorrow over discouragement, sorrow over death, sorrow over missed opportunity, sorrow over having been done wrong, sorrow over the hurt of another, and we could go on and on. But there is only one kind of sorrow which leads to true happiness - sorrow over sin.
But in thinking about sorrow over sin, we must be careful to distinguish between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. Paul spoke of this when writing to the Corinthians: Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while - 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. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” - 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 (NIV)
A. Worldly sorrow focuses its attention on self, while godly sorrow focuses its attention on God.
B. Worldly sorrow is sorrowfulness for having been caught, while godly sorrow is sorrowfulness for having sinned.
C. Worldly sorrow thinks in terms of appeasing one’s conscience, while godly sorrow thinks in terms of pleasing one’s God.
D. Worldly sorrow looks upon sin as something to be covered up, excused, or justified, while godly sorrow looks upon sin as something to be repudiated, confessed, and repented of.
Sorrow which leads to the happiness of which Jesus speaks is godly sorrow over sin. As we think today about gaining a proper perspective of godly sorrow over sin, there are two things we should consider.
1. The reason for godly sorrow - v. 4a
The reason for godly sorrow is sin. Not sin seen in the light of human imperfection, however. When we view our sin in light of human imperfection, we tend to excuse, justify, and cover it up.
“We wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” - 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT)
Godly sorrow comes, not from comparing myself to the human imperfection of others, but as a result of seeing our sin in light of God’s perfection. As we realize that God is pure, righteous, and holy, we likewise realize our sin is filthy, repugnant, and inexcusable. This produces godly sorrow for our sin. Consider some biblical examples:
A. Job - “I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You. Therefore I loathe [my words] and abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.” - Job 42:5-6 (Amplified)
B. Isaiah - "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." - Isaiah 6:5 (NIV)
C. Daniel - “So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.” - Daniel 10:8-9 (NLT)
D. Habakkuk - “I heard and my [whole inner self] trembled; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones and under me [down to my feet]; I tremble.” - Habakkuk 3:16 (Amplified)
E. Peter - When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" - Luke 5:8 (NIV)
F. Paul - “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them all.” - 1 Timothy 1:15 (NLT)
G. John - “His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” - Revelation 1:16-17 (NIV)
This is what produces godly sorrow. Seeing our sin in light of God’s perfection produces the kind of mourning for sin that these men of God experienced and which Jesus describes here in Matthew 5:4. In fact, the word that Jesus used here is a word in the Greek language that refers to the severest kind of grief - that of mourning for the dead.
Such should be our attitude toward our sin. We must see our sin in light of God’s perfection and realize that it is filthy, repugnant, and inexcusable. We must take sin seriously. It should cause us to grieve as if we had come in contact with death. For indeed we have.
Paul testifies to his awareness of the awfulness of sin in his life and his inability to overcome its deadly effects in Romans chapter 7.
Paul speaks of how he, as a Christian, could, nevertheless, find himself being a “slave to sin” (v. 14). He testified that, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing,” (vs. 18-19). Finally, he comes to this conclusion as he gives a graphic description of the Christian who finds themselves incapable of overcoming the deadly work of sin in their life: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” - Romans 7:24 (NIV).
“Roman emperors saw torture as a legitimate way to put muscle and teeth into their laws. They were known to bind the body of a murder victim to the back of his killer. Under penalty of death, no one was allowed to release the condemned criminal. This terrible practice calls to mind the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 7. It’s as if he felt that something dead was strapped to him and accompanied him wherever he went.” - M.R. DeHaan
If we who have come to into a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ are going to experience the victory over sin that our relationship with Christ makes possible, we must come to see our sin as God sees it. This is a place Paul had to come to and so must we.
God is aware of every sin we commit as His child - even the so called “secret sins.” - “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.” - Psalm 90:8 (NIV).
What He desires for us is that we become as sensitive about our sins as He is, that just as our sins are “set before Him” as soon as we commit them, that they would likewise be “set before us.” - “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” - Psalm 51:3 (NIV).
When we come to see the seriousness of our sin by viewing it in light of the perfection of God, we will mourn over our sin and experience godly sorrow over our sin.
It is not enough to love God. We must also come to hate sin if we are to make progress on the journey that leads to true happiness in life. - “You who love the LORD, hate evil!” - Psalm 97:10 (NLT).
As I develop godly sorrow over my sin - as I develop not only a love for God; but a hatred for evil - then I am well on the way to experiencing victory over sin can comfort for my sorrow.
2. The result of godly sorrow - v. 4b
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” - Matthew 5:4 (NIV)
When sin in our life is viewed in light of God’s perfection, then we will develop a godly sorrow, and godly sorrow results in true repentance, which leads to the comforting realization of the victory I have as a Christian over sin - “For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret.” - 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV).
It is important to note, however, that just as there is a sorrow that is godly and a sorrow that is not; there is also a repentance that is true and a repentance that is not. As we have already mentioned, worldly sorrow looks upon sin as something to be covered up, excused, or justified. It thinks in terms of appeasing one’s conscience, focuses its attention on self, and is sorrowfulness that results from having been caught. This kind of sorrow over sin leads to false repentance, that is, a type of repentance that does not result in meaningful life change.
That is because though a Christian may confess their sin and receive forgiveness, there is no corresponding change of attitude nor change in action to keep them from falling back into that sinful behavior.
Here is something we need to clarify: Confessing my sin is a part of repentance; but confessing my sin doesn’t mean I have repented.
What does it mean to repent? The Greek word is “metanoia,” which comes from two Greek words: “meta,” which means “change” and “nous” which means “mind.” Therefore, to repent means to change one’s mind or attitude. Within this context, Paul is telling us that if we truly repent of our sin, we change our attitude toward it, which will
result in our changing our actions regarding it. - “For as (a man) thinks in his heart, so is he.” - Proverbs 23:7 (Amplified).
True confession involves not only confession of sin once committed, but a change in one’s attitude toward that sin in the future. Make no mistake about it, if I confess my sin, I will receive forgiveness of it, even if it is the 1,000th time for me to confess it - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9 (NIV). Why?
A. God is faithful - He always forgives when I confess.
B. God is justified in doing so because of the cross.
God is our example in forgiving others - At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?" Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven. - Matthew 18:21-22 (The Message).
But if I not only want to be forgiven of my sin, but if I want to forsake my sin, I need to repent of my sin - change my attitude toward it and develop a godly hatred of it.
A Christian came to a crossroad in his life’s journey. He chose a path to take without consulting the Lord. To his dismay, the path lead to a hole (sin), and he fell in. He asked the Lord to help him get out of the hole (he confessed his sin). The Lord answered his prayer and pulled him out of the hole (forgave him).
The Christian again found himself back at the crossroad. Again, he chose a path without consulting the Lord. “Surely,” he thought, “I will be able to stay out of the hole this time.” “This time,” he thought, “I will walk around the hole.” But he fell into the hole (sin) again.
Again, he asked the Lord to help him get out of the hole (he confessed his sin). Again, the Lord answered his prayer and pulled him out of the hole (forgave him).
Once again, the Christian found himself at the same crossroad. Again, he chose a path without consulting the Lord. “I am confident that I will be able to stay out of the hole this time,” he said. “This time, I will jump over the hole.” But he just wasn’t strong enough to make it over the hole and fell in again (he sinned). Once again, he asked the Lord to help him get out of the hole (he confessed his sin). Once again, the Lord answered his prayer and pulled him out of the hole (forgave him).
Yet again, the Christian found himself at the same crossroad. He realized how foolish he had been. He hated falling into the hole over and over again and determined that he was going to change his approach (he repented). This time, he turned to the Lord for direction. The Lord sent him down a different path so that he might avoid the hole (sin) altogether. This time, instead of having to ask the Lord to pull him out of a hole, he experienced the victory made possible by Christ’s power.
“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” - Romans 7:25; 8:1 (NKJV)
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and
subjecting him to public disgrace.” - Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV)
It is commonly accepted that the book of Hebrews was written to believers residing in Jerusalem prior to the city’s destruction in 70 A.D. Apparently, in order to avoid persecution for their Christian faith, these believers were compromising their testimony by participating in the ritual sacrifices at the temple associated with the law of Moses.
The writer of Hebrews called on them to repent - to quit seeking to avoid persecution through participation in offering sacrifices that were no longer necessary because Christ had offering Himself as our ultimate sacrifice for sin. He declared that in offering sacrifices in the temple, they were “crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”
He called them to repent - to confess their sin and commit to change in their attitude and actions - pointing out that as long as they continued to offer sacrifices in the temple, there was no real repentance. Real repentance is impossible if there is no corresponding change in attitude and action.
It’s been pointed out that a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That’s where these believers were - they were insanely refusing to change, all the while wondering why they weren’t experiencing the abundant life Christ came to bring them. They were circling around the same sin again and again instead of moving down the road to experiencing the true happiness their relationship with Christ was designed to give.
That’s where too many Christians are on the road to experiencing true happiness in life that Christ came to give them. What they need to do to quit circling around the same sins again and again is to develop an attitude of real repentance.
Conclusion: It is interesting to note that the emphatic pronoun, “autoi” is used in our text, which gives the following emphasizes in translating Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are they who continue to mourn for they alone shall be comforted.”
The Christian must continually view sin in light of God’s perfection, so that he might recognize it quickly, confess it thoroughly, and allow God to change his attitude and his actions completely. It is only through the continued practice of real repentance that a Christian will be continually comforted with the joy of their salvation - “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” - James 4:8-10 (NLT).
