Matthew 5:4 Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

"“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. [Matthew 5:4 NASB]

Those who mourn are fortunate, because they will receive comfort. James tells us, "Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." [James 4:8-10 NASB]

Jesus told those arrogant men who thought themselves to be spiritual, “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep." [Luke 6:25 NASB]

It's not that God wants a bunch of sad people, constantly in mourning. But He wants us to mourn for our sinful state, that we may come to repentance. As we're told by Paul, "I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong!" [2 Corinthians 7:9-11 NASB]

Before we can come to God, we need to recognize our need for God. The nature of mankind is that we are fallen. We are born in sin. Paul tells us, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," [Romans 3:23 NASB] Also, "Through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" [Romans 5:12 NASB] And we are told in the Psalms, "God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there is anyone who understands, Who seeks after God. Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one." [Psalm 53:2-3 NASB]

Although we are expected to mourn for our sins, God has provided the remedy, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." [Romans 6:23 NASB] The wages of sin is death, but Jesus paid our debt, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." [Romans 5:8 NASB]

The gift of life is ours for the taking by faith. "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." [Romans 10:9-10 NASB]

So, mourn your sinful state for a short time, and allow the sorrow over your sins lead you to repentance and faith in God. It is not His will that you continue to mourn. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." [John 15:11 NASB]