April 14, 2002
Service Theme – "God is Our Comforter"
Series Title – "Nine of the Toughest Things Jesus Ever Said"
Matthew 5:4
The God Who Cares
- Introduction
- Illustration – Jane E. Brody ("Mourning, a time when words often fail," The New York Times, December 7, 1999) wrote, When asked to avoid idle conversation and say only what is useful, we are often at a loss, particularly in moments of crisis. Consider the following examples: To a 60-year-old recent widow: "Don't worry. You're young and attractive; you'll find someone else." To a woman whose husband died of lung cancer: "You have to meet this man. His wife also died of lung cancer." To a man whose 26-year-old daughter died of AIDS: "If she hadn't been that way, God wouldn't have struck her dead with AIDS," and "It was just a purification thing." To a woman who suffered a miscarriage: "It is probably for the best." To a woman whose 25-year-old son was killed by a drunken driver: "At least you have four other children." To a man whose elderly mother died: "Oh, well, 79." To a young man whose 19-year-old brother died of cancer: "I know how you must feel losing a brother." And to the boy's mother: "I know it's not the same, but I really empathize because I lost my dog." To a woman whose husband committed suicide: "Are you going to get a dog now?"
- Context – In our society, we just don’t feel comfortable with loss. We’re not sure how to handle it ourselves, much less than when someone we know or care about suffers loss. We tend to be like the folks Jane Brody described, don’t we? I wish I could take back all the stupid things I’ve said in my life trying to say something significant. I think we’re all that way. And yet in the midst of our own foolishness and inability to cope with loss, a great Resource has come on the scene. He knows how to provide the comfort and hope all of us need. He knows the right words and the right actions to help us. His name is Jesus, and in Matthew 5:4 He offers us some of the strangest words we’ve ever heard about comfort.
- Scripture Passage
- Matthew 5:4 – Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- True Comfort
- How can someone who mourns be blessed? I know that whenever I mourn I definitely DO NOT feel blessed. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it? Considering yourself blessed when you mourn doesn’t jive with what our world tells us. Maybe one of the problems is that we still don’t understand what Jesus means by the word "blessed."
- As Jesus uses it, the word blessed isn’t based on any feelings or circumstances we can come up with. The situations we find ourselves in have absolutely nothing to do with whether or not we’re truly blessed. You see, the blessedness Jesus is talking about refers to loving God above all else. Loving God with all that we are and all that we have makes us blessed, no matter how bad things seem. Blessedness comes in close, personal relationship with God. He is our Blessedness. But how does that help us when we mourn, when our grief is so deep and so strong we can’t hide it?
- When we love God with all we have and are, and we’re in close, personal relationship with Him, we have His Spirit inside of our hearts to comfort us. The Greek used for "comfort" means "to be called to," "to be exhorted," "to be called for," "to encourage." In other words, we aren’t just left alone to try to figure out how to reach God in the midst of the pain of our loss. His Spirit is within us calling to us, encouraging us, inviting us into His presence. What a powerful comfort we have available to us if we will only open our hearts to Him in the midst of our grief!
- There’s an interesting word twist here. The Greek translated "comforted" in this verse contains the root of the word Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit in John 14:16. Let me read to you that passage, John 14:15-21. "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."