Latest / Chapel Talks / Blessed Are Those Who Mourn | Matthew 5:1-12 | Vaughan Roberts

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Blessed Are Those Who Mourn | Matthew 5:1-12 | Vaughan Roberts · Chapel Talks

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It's very good to be here. I realized, I think
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it was yesterday, that I'd given this passage,
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and as I was thinking again about this particular
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passage and this particular sermon, I realized
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that a number of you would have heard me speak
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on this very subject just a few weeks ago. And
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there was an immediate sense of panic, and then
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I thought, actually, as I'm looking at this again,
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boy, I need this. Have I done it? And there'll
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be nothing that I say today that will be new
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for any of you. You might not have ever heard
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me preach before on any passage, but there'll
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be nothing here that is new. And the real test
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is not so much have I heard this before, but
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have I taken to heart? And am I living in the
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light of it? So let me pray with that in mind.
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Loving Father, may we... Be those who not only
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hear your word, but take it to heart and live
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it out. For Jesus' sake. Amen. Just one of the
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Beatitudes. The second one, blessed are those
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who mourn, for they will be comforted. Do you
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know what it is? to experience mourning. A deep,
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gut -wrenching grief. The works of literature
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express it powerfully. I can still remember when
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I was a kid first encountering Lord Tennyson's
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poem written after the death of his young friend
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Arthur Hallam, died at the age of 22. Break,
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break, break on thy cold grey stones, O sea.
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and I would that my tongue could utter the thoughts
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that arise in me. Well, many have seen the film
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Four Weddings and a Funeral, and you'll know
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Stop All the Clocks, very movingly read before
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the grave of a friend in that film. Or for me,
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the play that has gone under my skin, and actually,
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now I think of it, was The Lord Used Towards
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My Conversion. King Lear, which raises all the
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big issues of life and what it means to be human.
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And I've seen King Lear countless times. And
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every time, Lear comes in at the end holding
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the limp body of his daughter, Cordelia, and
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crying out, Howl, howl, howl. I find I can hardly
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watch him. And when, before I was converted,
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I was asked, What's your favorite bit of the
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Bible? It sounds weird because it didn't bring
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me joy, but it moved me even as a kid listening
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to the words of David mourning the loss of Absalom.
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I heard it first in the authorized version. Oh,
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Absalom, my son, my son, my son, Absalom. Would
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God I had died for thee. Oh, Absalom, my son,
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my son. Of course, many of us, perhaps most of
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us, Don't need literature to give us a sense
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of what it feels like to mourn because we mourn
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the loss of a loved one. Think of one dear church
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member. I was there within five minutes of her
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husband's death and she said to me a day or two
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afterwards, it feels like I've lost a limb. You've
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lost a loved one, family member, friend. Or you
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think of a broken relationship and you've grieved
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over that, maybe parental divorce. And although
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you've kind of moved on and no one would see,
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the wounds go very deep and you bear them every
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day. There's no emotion like grief. At its most
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intense, it is all -encompassing and it shrouds
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every day, even bright, sunny days. with a heavy,
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dark canopy. Well, if we've experienced grief,
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the words of Jesus are very hard to fathom. Blessed
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are those who mourn. One translation has it,
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happy are the sad, which of course is an absolute
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nonsense. The sad are not happy. And in a period
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of grief, Happiness is not a word you'd use to
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describe that. So what's going on here? It is,
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of course, the beginning of the Beatitudes, and
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Jesus, at the end of chapter 4, we're told, has
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just begun proclaiming the good news of the kingdom.
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And the Sermon on the Mount is all about the
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kingdom, what it looks like to live in the kingdom,
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and what are the qualities that mark those who
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are in God's kingdom, now that Christ has come
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as king, who are those who are going to receive
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the blessings of this salvation. And you get
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the verbal inclusio, the brackets at the beginning
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in the first beatitude, blessed are the poor
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in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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And at the end of verse 10, blessed are those
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persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs
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is the kingdom of heaven. And these beatitudes
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are describing those for whom the kingdom is
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theirs. In other words, these are the qualities
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that mark those who belong to the kingdom. The
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first, of course, is the poor in spirit. Those
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who recognize their absolute dependence on God.
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That without him, we're naked, destitute, unclean,
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completely unfit for his presence. And the second,
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the one we're thinking about now, blessed are
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those who mourn. I take it that's the emotional
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counterpart of the first. What does it feel like
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to be poor in spirit? Well, it feels like grief.
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It's expressed in grieving over sin and over
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God's judgment against sin. And as with all the
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Beatitudes, the background is the Old Testament.
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The prophets had warned, if there's no repentance,
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there will be judgment. And judgment came. And
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by the rivers of Babylon there, we sat down and
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wept. And they're not just homesick. The problem
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is not just that they're a long way from Jerusalem.
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More profoundly, they're a long way from God.
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They're under his judgment. Jeremiah is the prophet
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of exile, preaching leading up to exile. He's
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known as the weeping prophet because he wept
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so much. Jeremiah 9 verse 1, O that my head were
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a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears.
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I would weep day and night for the slain of my
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people. And if we're right to take it, the lamentations
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written by Jeremiah, there is him, as it were,
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weeping day and night. How deserted lies the
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city. Once so full of people, bitterly she weeps
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at night. Tears are on her cheeks, the roads
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to Zion mourn. Of course, not all wept at the
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time of exile or leading up to it. Some were
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complacent. They didn't face up to the horror
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of sin. And in their complacency, they compromised.
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So in exile, they adapted to Babylonian ways,
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they adopted Babylonian gods. Well, they could
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only expect the Lord's continued displeasure.
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But to those who, like Jeremiah, mourned... Well,
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they're the ones who receive the comfort of the
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gospel, the promise of salvation. Jeremiah 31,
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God says, I will turn their mourning into gladness.
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I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
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Famously, Isaiah 40, if you're familiar with
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Handel's Messiah, you want to sing these words,
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comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your
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God. That's the comfort of the gospel to those
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who mourn. Well, then came return from exile,
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70 years in Babylon. They went home and there
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was some measure rejoicing, but the godly continued
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to mourn because they recognized that this isn't
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it. And you remember the weeping of the oldies
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as they saw the new temple where the youngsters
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are cheering, but the oldies are weeping because
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they know this is not it. This is great, but
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this isn't the Ezekiel 40 to 48 temple. This
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is not salvation. They're still mourning, still
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looking forward to the promised Savior. And Simeon,
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of course, is the model of that. In his old age,
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still, we're told by Luke, waiting for the consolation
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of Israel. And then, of course, he received amazing
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divine comfort as he held in his own hands the
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Savior. Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace.
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I'm ready to die now. The disciples hearing these
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words would have known the Old Testament background.
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They would have known that the poor in spirit
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are not simply the materially poor, but those
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who recognize their dependence on God and his
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grace. And that poverty of spirit is not simply,
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as it were, an intellectual tick of a doctrine.
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And we can tick the doctrine. We know we are
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perverse sinners who deserve nothing but the
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judgment of God. But it's not just what I think
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in my head. Mourning speaks of what's going on
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in the heart. So I might believe that I'm a terrible
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sinner. Do I mourn over my sin? There's the question.
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I love the prayer book, and I was brought up,
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in fact, pre -evangelized, I would say, by the
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prayer book. Day after day, in some period of
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my life, certainly week after week, it was before
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1980 when the alternative service book came in,
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it was prayer book. And week after week, I heard
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these famous words of Cranmer, his confession
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in the context of the communion service. This
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is the spirit of mourning. Almighty God. Father
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of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things,
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judge of all men, we acknowledge and bewail our
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manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time
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to time most grievously have committed by thought,
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word, and deed. Against thy divine majesty, provoking
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most justly thy wrath and indignation against
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us, we do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry
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for these our misdoings. The remembrance of them
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is grievous unto us. The burden of them is intolerable.
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Have mercy upon us. Old -fashioned language,
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isn't it? And too often old -fashioned theology,
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even in evangelical churches. Here's John Stott.
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He said, I fear that we evangelical Christians,
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by making much of grace, make light of sin. And
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I think there's something in that. We're so quick
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to remind others and ourselves of grace that
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at times we don't dwell enough on the horror
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of our sin. We don't care enough to really fight
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against it and to kill it. David Brainerd, the
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18th century missionary to Native Americans,
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wrote these words in his journal. In my morning
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devotions, my soul was melted and I bitterly
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mourned over my exceeding sinfulness and vileness.
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When I read those words, it made me think, when
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was I last deeply convicted of sin? And when
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I was, what did I do about it? Did I repent?
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Or did I bury the feeling? Too often, I apply
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the gospel to myself very quickly. And so quickly
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that I perhaps don't dwell on my sin and don't
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determine that must stop. I need to root it out.
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I care about my self -image. And that can stop
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me dwelling on my sin. I certainly care about
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what you think. And there are some sins that
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I find impossible to root out on my own. So I
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need to confess. And I need to say, brother,
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sister, would you pray for me in this? Would
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you keep me accountable? Will you keep reminding
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me of these truths? And by the way, shame prevents
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so often a real engagement with sin. And it's
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much worse for Christian leaders because the
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shame is higher. Because the moment you're a
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Christian leader, even at a theological college,
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kind of people put you in a different plane.
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Someone even said to me once when I was a young
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curate, oh, of course, you're never tempted in
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that kind of way. As if somehow getting ordained
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prevented temptation. I kind of thought each
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stage of the Christian life might be easier.
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When I get to college, it'll be a bit easier.
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When I get ordained, it'll be easier. When I
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stop being a curate, no, it doesn't, because
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I bring the same sinful heart with me wherever
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I go. But what makes it harder, very often, is
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that sense that you've got to be this perfect
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public Christian. It makes it much harder to
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say, brother, sister, would you pray for me?
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And much more important than I do. And now's
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the time to start. Jesus said, if your hand caused
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you to sin, cut it off. If your eyes caused you
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to sin, gouge them out. When I face sin in the
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church and the world, how do I respond? And boy,
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there's a lot about, isn't there? I mean, there's
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always been. But now it's exposed as never before.
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And it's very ugly. And we've seen some horrific
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sins exposed within churches, amongst church
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leaders. Day by day we're seeing horrific sins
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exposed in the public world from very public
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figures. Now how do I respond? Sometimes it is
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absolutely right to be angry. And perhaps we're
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not angry enough at sin. But I wonder whether
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my first instinct should not be so much anger
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at that other person but my first instinct rather
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than the wagging finger of condemnation is to
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look within with tears of contrition for the
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sins of my own heart that might be similar might
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not have gone that far thank the lord for that
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but it's only by god's grace but those sins are
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within me in embryo form and have I been fighting
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against them? Or if those sins aren't in me,
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what about my other sins? Tears of contrition,
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tears of grief for the pain of those who suffer
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as a result of the sin of others. And above all,
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tears at the offense to God. We follow a master
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who was a man of sorrows and acquainted with
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grief. As he approached Jerusalem, he saw the
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city and we're told he wept over it. Well, think
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of Paul, very well educated, a man of culture.
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And he came to Athens, which of course was the
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cultural center of the world. And you can imagine
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a man of such culture getting excited to be able
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to see these beautiful works of architecture,
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maybe to engage with some of the greatest minds
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of the day. But how did he respond when he went
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to Athens? Acts 17, Luke tells us, he was greatly
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distressed to see the city was full of idols.
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Grieved that God was so dishonored that these
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brilliant people ignored him and worshipped other
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gods. Do I recognize at least something of that
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feeling of grief? My own sin, sins in the church,
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sins... In the world. The offense. To God. I
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think all of us would say. No not enough. But
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by the spirit. Yes. Something. May even now.
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A deeper sense. That's the spirit's work in us.
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And let's listen. To the encouragement. Blessed
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are those who mourn. For they will be comforted.
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Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They're the
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ones who receive the benefits of Christ's salvation.
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Some of us don't mourn enough. Some Christian
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cultures don't mourn enough. Other people don't
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rejoice enough. It might be Christian cultures
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don't rejoice enough. Yes, there's a time to
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weep. There's a time to laugh. There's a time
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to mourn. And there's a time. to dance. And having
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spoken that word of confession, deep confession,
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then comes the comfort. Grandma says, hear what
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comfortable words our Savior Christ says to all
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that truly turn to him. Come unto me. All that
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travail and are heavy laden and I will refresh
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you. God so loved the world he gave his one and
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only son that whoever, whoever, Comes to him.
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Will not perish, but have eternal life. This
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is the true saying, worthy of full acceptance,
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that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
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sinners. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate
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with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,
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and he is the propitiation for our sins. That
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should get the heart throbbing. Maybe there's
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a sin that is lurking. in our consciousness,
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and we can't quite forgive ourselves. I think
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two occasions I can remember when someone said
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to me, they want to confess something and they've
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come to see me, and in both cases I can see them
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because they're in exactly the same chair in
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my study, and both cases they couldn't get a
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single word out. So deeply ashamed. And both
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times I said, would it help if you wrote it down?
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And through the tears... They nodded and each
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wrote a different sin, obviously. And I was then
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able to ask, do you believe that Jesus Christ
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came into the world to save sinners? Do you believe
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that he died on the cross for every sin of those
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who trust in him? Even that sin? Yes. And then
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because I remember a vague memory of an illustration
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where someone had said this has happened, I just
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thought about it. And I happened to have some
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matches in the next door room. And I went and
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got some matches. And I lit the bits of paper.
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And as they were being consumed, I quoted scripture.
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The blood of Jesus, God's son, purifies us from
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all sin. And in both cases, they were hugely
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encouraged. One started crying again. But it's
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a very different kind of tears. Just tears of
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joy. He knew that to be true. But he'd never
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really connected Christ's forgiveness with that
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sin. Brothers and sisters, I don't know most
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of you, but I know a lot about you. Because I
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know my Bible. And you know quite a lot about
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me, even if you've never met me before. I know
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you're a terrible sinner. And I know you've done
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wicked things. And you're capable of much worse.
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But if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, if you've
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trusted in him, I also know that in his sight,
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you're completely clean and completely pure and
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justified. And that is an amazing truth. Oh,
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for a thousand tongues to sing our great Redeemer's.
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Praise Jesus, the name that charms our fears,
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that bids our sorrows cease. He speaks, and listening
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to his voice, new life the dead receive, the
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mournful broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor
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believe. So receive this comfort, that God looks
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at you in Christ, not as a sinner, but as a saint.
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Sometimes I need to confess my sin and then get
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someone to tell me that truth. I know it. But
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only when someone tells it to me do I begin to
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believe it. That's why I need to hear preaching.
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That's why the Lord's Supper is such a comfort.
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Cranmer's words again, draw near with faith and
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take this Holy Communion to your comfort. And
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we know it in our heads, but here in tangible,
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physical form. We're being reminded of the wonder
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of the gospel. Of course, hardships continue
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in this life. We'll experience many sorrows.
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We'll continue to grieve over loved ones who
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we lose. Hopes dashed, bodies and minds broken,
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disintegrating. This is a veil of tears. But
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like Paul, if we grasp these truths, We may be
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sorrowful, yet we'll always be rejoicing because
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I'm a child of God, accepted, loved. And even
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the hard things in my life are overruled by him
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as he works all things for my good and my conformity
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to my Lord and my brother and my friend. And
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in the midst of it all, there's certain hope.
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Looking forward to the new creation. When there'll
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be no more of those awful S's. No sin, no Satan,
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no sickness, no suffering, no sadness. Every
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tear wiped away. Blessed are those who mourn,
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for they will be comforted. Just a moment of
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quiet and then I'll pray.