Matthew 5:4 -  "Blessed are those who mourn.." To mourn - to grieve; to have sorrow..   How is this a characteristic of the Kingdom?  The poor in spirit have acknowledged their poverty and helplessness and have been promised the kingdom of heaven... and when this truth truly fills the heart.. there is great sorrow for their sins and for the sins of others.  

The promise of Matthew 5:4 is the coming of comfort.  Isaiah wrote this about the Messiah... "The Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.. "  Jesus told His disciples "Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy."  ( John 16:20)  There is a day coming when "God shall wipe every tear from their eyes." ( Rev. 7:17)

Jesus was called a "man of sorrow".. but He came to bring us the "fulness of joy"!  Mourning will be turned into dancing!  Grief lasts for the night, the Word tells us, but joy will come in the morning.  If a  person  says he has come to Christ but is  without sorrow for his sins..has he really entered the Kingdom?  Has the Kingdom really come to live in him?  More so... if we have no sorrow for our sins is there any need for comfort?

This step in the progress of kingdom life is vital. This is God's plan and we need to meditate on the Truth that Jesus gives to us here in His teaching of the "good news of the kingdom".

When Jesus approached Jerusalem on the day of His triumphal entrance before the crucifixion .. "He saw the city and wept over it." ( Luke 19:41)  In the Garden.. He was "grieved and distressed".  He wept at the tomb of Lazarus. ( John 11:35)  He knew sorrow first hand and He knows our sorrows intimately.  Paul wrote.. " ... I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord..  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings... "  (Philippians 3:7-10 )  Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus, "who for the joy set before Him endured the cross.. " Likewise.. we fix our eyes on what is ahead.. the joy that He sets before us!  Yes, we mourn.. but we will be comforted.  It is a promise to all who come into His Kingdom!  Hallelujah! 

Father in heaven, give us ears to hear and hearts to receive the truth of Your Word. Examine our hearts and bring comfort as we acknowledge and confess our sin.. as we mourn our own sins and as we grieve for the sin of this world.  Let the joy of the gospel of Christ fill us and fill this land, we pray.  In the name of Jesus we ask this. Amen.