Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth fourth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126:5-6 KJV

Oswald Chambers says that in proclaiming the word to people we get pretty much the response we aim for. If you have the right technique and you aim at getting people to cry you can make them cry. They will cry, but their lives haven't changed. If you want some emotion, if you want to get them running down to the altar rail, you can aim for this and get it ... you've got the emotional response but their lives haven't changed.

On the other hand, if we aim at getting a genuine re­pentance, a genuine

change of heart, we may not reach as many, but those who are tender to

the Spirit of God will repent and change their lives.

This principle applies not only to preaching to a con­gregation

or to a large evangelistic gathering, it

applies to our day-in-and-day-out dealing with people

in the name of the Lord---one-to-one. When we play

with people's emotions we get emotions but no real

change takes place in their lives ... it's no different

than crying at the movies.

So, we have to speak not only to people's emotions,

but to the mind, the heart, and the will, Otherwise we

could work our­selves up into a good-cry every Sunday

and still never change.

But while it may be true that weeping in church is

often no more significant than weeping at the movies,

there is a kind of weeping that not only changes us,

it moves God.

- There is a kind of weeping that breaks our

pride and prepares the way for the coming

of the Spirit of God into our lives afresh.

- There is a kind of weeping that causes us to

forget all about ourselves and drives us to

cry out to God to visit Zion and heal it.

This weeping is desperately needed in the Body of Christ

at this hour. It's a gift straight from the Lamb of God

(who did his share of weeping and still does). And we

need to be careful not to stifle or hinder this kind of

weeping when it comes to us.

How many times we've heard people say,

"I can't come to fellowship right now because

I'm afraid that if I did all I'd do is sit

there and weep."

...So come and weep.

Or someone says,

"I'm afraid to really open my heart to God

because every time I open my heart to God

I start to cry. "

Then open your heart and cry.

"I can't even pray these days," says another.

"Every time I start to pray the tears come,"

... Is that a sin? Let them come.

Don't stifle this precious gift.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall

be comforted." Matthew 5:4

....Blessed are those who mourn.

Soon afterward he went to a city called Nain,

and his disciples-and a great crowd went with

him. As he drew near to the gate of the city,

behold, a man who had died was being carried

out, the only son of his mother, and she was

a widow; and a large crowd from the city was

with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had

compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

And he came and touched the bier, and the

bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man,

I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up,

and began to speak. And he gave him to his

mother. Fear seized them all; and they glorified

God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among

us!" and "God has visited his people!"

Luke 7:11-16

On the human side, the key to this resurrection sign of

the kingdom is the weeping woman.

...And when the Lord saw her he had compassion

on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

...And he said, "Young man, I say to you arise."

And the dead man sat up and began to speak,

- Life comes to the dead man.

- Revival comes to Israel.

- New life comes to the church......

through the tears of this weeping woman. She was a

sign of the Lord himself. She was weeping over her

dead son ... like Jesus was weeping over his dead nation.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing

precious seed, shall doubtless come again

with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Most of us, however, at the present moment do not have

this gift of weeping, or if we have it we've been

stifling it. But if Jesus says,

"Blessed are those who mourn,"

this kind of mourning must be something worth pursuing.

1. It's worth pursuing the weeping of true repentance.

How shall we ever know the peace of God until we allow

our hearts to really break open to God in true re­pentance?

And when the repentance comes, how can we not weep?

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him,

and he went into the Pharisee's house, and took

his place at table. And behold, a woman of the

city, who was a sinner, when she learned that

he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought

an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing

behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to

wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them

with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet,

and anointed them with the ointment.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it,

he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet,

he would have known who and what sort of woman

this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."

And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have

something to say to you." And he answered, "What

is it, Teacher?" "A certain creditor had two debtors;

one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

When they could not pay, he forgave them both.

Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon answered,

"The one, I suppose to whom he forgave more."

And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon,

"Do you see this woman? I entered your house,

you gave me no water for my feet, but she has

wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with

her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the

time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my

feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but

she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore,

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth fourth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126:5-6 KJV

Oswald Chambers says that in proclaiming the word to people we get pretty much the response we aim for. If you have the right technique and you aim at getting people to cry you can make them cry. They will cry, but their lives haven't changed. If you want some emotion, if you want to get them running down to the altar rail, you can aim for this and get it ... you've got the emotional response but their lives haven't changed.

On the other hand, if we aim at getting a genuine re­pentance, a genuine

change of heart, we may not reach as many, but those who are tender to

the Spirit of God will repent and change their lives.

This principle applies not only to preaching to a con­gregation

or to a large evangelistic gathering, it

applies to our day-in-and-day-out dealing with people

in the name of the Lord---one-to-one. When we play

with people's emotions we get emotions but no real

change takes place in their lives ... it's no different

than crying at the movies.

So, we have to speak not only to people's emotions,

but to the mind, the heart, and the will, Otherwise we

could work our­selves up into a good-cry every Sunday

and still never change.

But while it may be true that weeping in church is

often no more significant than weeping at the movies,

there is a kind of weeping that not only changes us,

it moves God.

- There is a kind of weeping that breaks our

pride and prepares the way for the coming

of the Spirit of God into our lives afresh.

- There is a kind of weeping that causes us to

forget all about ourselves and drives us to

cry out to God to visit Zion and heal it.

This weeping is desperately needed in the Body of Christ

at this hour. It's a gift straight from the Lamb of God

(who did his share of weeping and still does). And we

need to be careful not to stifle or hinder this kind of

weeping when it comes to us.

How many times we've heard people say,

"I can't come to fellowship right now because

I'm afraid that if I did all I'd do is sit

there and weep."

...So come and weep.

Or someone says,

"I'm afraid to really open my heart to God

because every time I open my heart to God

I start to cry. "

Then open your heart and cry.

"I can't even pray these days," says another.

"Every time I start to pray the tears come,"

... Is that a sin? Let them come.

Don't stifle this precious gift.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall

be comforted." Matthew 5:4

....Blessed are those who mourn.

Soon afterward he went to a city called Nain,

and his disciples-and a great crowd went with

him. As he drew near to the gate of the city,

behold, a man who had died was being carried

out, the only son of his mother, and she was

a widow; and a large crowd from the city was

with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had

compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

And he came and touched the bier, and the

bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man,

I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up,

and began to speak. And he gave him to his

mother. Fear seized them all; and they glorified

God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among

us!" and "God has visited his people!"

Luke 7:11-16

On the human side, the key to this resurrection sign of

the kingdom is the weeping woman.

...And when the Lord saw her he had compassion

on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

...And he said, "Young man, I say to you arise."

And the dead man sat up and began to speak,

- Life comes to the dead man.

- Revival comes to Israel.

- New life comes to the church......

through the tears of this weeping woman. She was a

sign of the Lord himself. She was weeping over her

dead son ... like Jesus was weeping over his dead nation.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing

precious seed, shall doubtless come again

with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Most of us, however, at the present moment do not have

this gift of weeping, or if we have it we've been

stifling it. But if Jesus says,

"Blessed are those who mourn,"

this kind of mourning must be something worth pursuing.

1. It's worth pursuing the weeping of true repentance.

How shall we ever know the peace of God until we allow

our hearts to really break open to God in true re­pentance?

And when the repentance comes, how can we not weep?

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him,

and he went into the Pharisee's house, and took

his place at table. And behold, a woman of the

city, who was a sinner, when she learned that

he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought

an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing

behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to

wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them

with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet,

and anointed them with the ointment.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it,

he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet,

he would have known who and what sort of woman

this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."

And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have

something to say to you." And he answered, "What

is it, Teacher?" "A certain creditor had two debtors;

one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

When they could not pay, he forgave them both.

Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon answered,

"The one, I suppose to whom he forgave more."

And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon,

"Do you see this woman? I entered your house,

you gave me no water for my feet, but she has

wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with

her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the

time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my

feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but

she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore,

I tell you, her sins, which are many, are

forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is

forgiven little, loves little." And he said

to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

Luke 7:36-48

Notice that in this entire episode this woman doesn't

utter a single word. All she does is weep as she

kisses Jesus' feet and anoints them with ointment. From

her broken heart flow two pure streams.

- Pure repentance.

- Pure love.

If you say, "But I was never the kind of sinner that woman was.

I don't have as much to repent of,"

it's only because your heart hasn't broken yet. When

our hearts break in repentance for what we are, for

our hardness, our pride,

our hypocrisy, we'll be right there at that woman's side

weeping and somehow showing our appreciation, our love,

to the One who took our sin upon himself.

"In those days and in that time, says the Lord,

the people of Israel and the people of Judah

shall come together, weeping as they come; and

they shall seek the Lord their God. They shall

ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward

it, saying, 'Come, let us join ourselves to the

Lord in an everlasting covenant which will

never be forgotten."'

Jeremiah 50:4-5

The revival of Israel and the revival of the Church

begin with the weeping of repentance. May God give

us such weeping. May God pour out upon us such a

spirit of repentance that he may raise us from the

dead and make us alive in him.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they

shall be comforted."

2. It's worth pursuing the weeping of vision.

People who are given vision to see some glimpse of

God as he really is and to see the Body of Christ

as it really is, are so overwhelmed with the discrepancy

between the goodness of God and our hardness

of heart in the Body that they are driven to weeping.

Jesus is riding the donkey down into Jerusalem on

Palm Sunday ... the multitudes have been shouting his

praises.

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name

of the Lord!"

Jesus gets to a certain point, looks out over the

city, and starts weeping As if his heart is going

to break, saying,

"Would that even today you knew the things

that make for peace! But now they are hid

from your eyes. For the days shall come

upon you, when your enemies will cast up a

bank about you and surround you, and hem

you in on every side, and dash you to the

ground, you and your children within you,

and they will not leave one stone upon

another in you; because you did not know

the time of your visitation."

Luke 19-42-44

Jesus sees the Father's hand stretched out in love

toward the city, and the people pushing that hand

away to go on about their own affairs. And as he

weeps Jesus is joining his heart to the heart of the

father who also weeps for Jerusalem.

Which brings us to the most important weeping of all....

the weeping of intercession.

3. It's worth pursuing the weeping of intercession.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

How do we sow in tears? By praying for those who have

drifted from the Father's house.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing

precious seed,

- the seed of prayer,

- the seed of intercession,

shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,

bringing his sheaves with him.

My grief is beyond healing,

my heart is sick within me.

Hark, the cry of the daughter of my people

from the length and breadth of the land:

"Is the Lord not in Zion?

Is her King not in her?"

"Why have they provoked me to anger

with their graven images,

and with their foreign idols?"

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended,

and we are not saved."

For the wound of the daughter of my people

is my heart wounded,

I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.

Is there no balm in Gilead?

Is there no physician there?

Why then has the health of the daughter of my people

not been restored?

0 that my head were waters,

and my eyes a fountain of tears,

that I might weep day and night

for the slain o£ the daughter of my people!

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

This kind of brokenhearted weeping for the Body, for the

suffering race, is not natural to us. It has to come

from God as the Spirit of the Lord moves our hearts

to intercede.

And every time this spirit of mourning intercession

begins to move upon the Body of Christ the outcome is

some kind of revival.

The widow wept...her son was raised from the dead.

Jesus wept ...Lazarus was raised from the dead.

John wept ... the Lamb took the scroll and began

to break the seven seals.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall

be comforted."

There is a spirit of weeping which comes straight from

heaven, which the Father has been trying to give us

for a long time.

- We've been afraid to receive it.

- We've been afraid to let it take hold of our hearts.

If this spirit of weeping should begin to move upon

us, may God help us not to be afraid or embarassed or

self-conscious.

This weeping is the gift of God that will open our

hearts to heaven and will, in a wonderful way, open

heaven to our prayers and to those for whom we pray.

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing

precious seed, shall doubtless come again

with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted"