Matt 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Jesus ascended the mountain to teach words pertaining to heaven that concerned salvation. He who understands and accepts is a blessed man.

This links to when Moses ascended the mountain and received God’s commandments. In the Old Testament when God manifested Himself at Mount Sinai, the multitudes feared. However when Jesus presented Himself, He brought with Him grace and truth.

John 1:17
What grace did Jesus bring with Him? He entered amongst men to tell us what we ought to do if we want to enter into the Kingdom of God. He tells us the spirit of the law and what we ought to do. This can only be achieved through the help of the Lord Jesus; it’s impossible for man alone to uphold the law.

Therefore when Jesus walked amongst men and spread the gospel of salvation to the world, the disciples said, “and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39).

We are justified by faith, because the Bible says no man is righteous. That’s why Jesus came, to make us righteous.

Heb 2:15
Man fear death all their lives. We are slaves to sin and need freedom by Jesus.

Mourning refers to us being sorrowful because of the sins we have committed, and the sins others have committed. For example in 1 Cor 5:2. Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for not mourning when their brethren sinned. He wanted them to take action against him who had sinned. We should grieve over the sins committed by others. This goes to show we are sensitive to things that are unjust.

Ezra 10:6
Ezra returned to Jerusalem intending to rebuild the temple. But he was met with unrepentant people and that grieved him.

It’s important to mourn for the sins of others. Even more so is to mourn for the sins we have committed. A man who doesn’t mourn for his own sins has a heart that is numbed.

Neh 8:9
The people wept because they were grieved by their sins. It’s important for us to examine whether our hearts are sensitive to our sins.

Jas 4:8-9
Even if a person doesn’t repent but his heart is still sensitive, God can still move him to repentance.

2 Pet 2:7-8
Lot’s conscience wasn’t numbed; he lamented over the sins of the men in Sodom. But he lacked the will to depart from the city.

Gen 19:7
“Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!”
The words of Lot show that he still upheld righteousness.

Consider the sensitivity of Peter’s and Judas’ hearts. Both sinned. But while Peter repented, Judas’ heart remained numb, even as Jesus washed his feet.

Today, do we mourn over our sins and weaknesses? When we see others sin, do we sorrow/mourn for them? If we do, it’s a great help for our spiritual cultivation. On one hand when we are able to recognise our sin, we’re able to reach out to God. On the other hand when we see the sins of others, we have the motivation to bring them back.

Rom 7:24-25
Paul was a great apostle. Yet he was in great distress about being in sinful flesh. Before knowing Jesus, he thought the law saved him.

Some people mourn not for their sins but because they have faced calamities they can’t handle on their own. A person who mourns is one who is unable to find help. In his despair, he turns to God.

Why do Christians not know how to mourn when weak in faith? When they’re weak in faith, why are they disinterested in strengthening it?

Often we mourn because we can’t achieve things in the world. We hope Jesus will comfort us. Yet, we don’t know how to mourn when our faith is failing. How many of us kneel down to tell the Lord that we are weak in faith?

Blessed are those who mourn. Those who know how to mourn over their faith will be comforted by Jesus.

If you’re only allowed to live for 3 more days, what would you do?

Isa 38:1
If you were to die today, what would you ask the Lord for? Or what would you say to ‘bargain’ to extend your life?

Some may say, “I need more time to preach to my family! They haven’t accepted the gospel yet.” “I want to take care of my family first!”

Most Christians would seek something related to their faith. But if death wasn’t imminent, would you consider these matters?

When we are faced with death, what do we pursue after and what do we mourn over?

Actually we should be prepared in everything without taking death into consideration, especially in matters of faith.

What should we mourn over?

All of us will die. But one important question we should ask ourselves as we enter death, “What is the most significant/valuable thing in our lives?”

“I want to preach to others!”
“I want to strengthen my faith!”

We know these are the most significant because we want to meet our God.

But then when death doesn’t seem imminent, these things aren’t the most valuable to us.

In battle, a soldier was so petrified with fear, he wasn’t able to do anything. His superior officer told him, “The faster you accept the fact that you’re a dead man, the quicker you’ll fight like a real soldier in this battle.”

Paul acted swiftly in his faith because he deemed himself dead to the world. He saw that value doesn’t lie in this life.

Death is a grace from God. Of course, death is cruel; it’s unfeeling. But fear Holy Communion an also cause us to see the more important things in our faith.

No one wants to die. But sins causes death. Nonetheless, death let’s us see a better life ahead. We won’t want to linger on in this world; we won’t over pursue in this short life.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. All the things under the sun will come to nothing after we die.

May God help us make preparations for our faith and if we haven’t, to mourn; that we may be able to see the true value in our faith. If we’re clear in our vision, we won’t be reluctant to fight for our faith.

Death will surely come. But a Christian who faces death is not without hope. In despair, we see hope of more value - grace from God.