Community Group Study Guide
A Comfortable Sorrow Matthew 5.4
Overview Mourn means to Mourn for Sin • We have to understand the context of this passage in order to know what is meant by “mourn” (Mourn for what?) o Matthew 4.17: Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand o Matthew 5.3: Christ means to call attention to the thing that makes one “poor” which is our sin o Matthew 5.4: Mourning is understood, then, to be mourning for the thing that makes us “poor in spirit”…mourning for sin § James 4.1-10 illustrates the use of “mourning” for sin § Ezekiel 9.4 also illustrates the use of “mourning” for sin • Sin is hostility/war/treason/rebellion towards the God that made us for Himself What Mourning is not: • Despair that is not coupled with repentance: o Judas was clearly in despair for his sin, but there was no sin of repentance § We see the same in Saul (Samuel) o Despair connotes sadness, but not repentance • Hypocritical Mourning: o If someone seeks to gain from their “mourning” for sin Christ does not hold out comfort o If someone mourns more for what they may miss out on or the rules they broke, Christ does not hold out comfort o If someone does not bear fruit in keeping with repentance, Christ does not hold comfort What does Mourning look like? • The understanding and living out of realizing, NOT that you broke Gods rules, but that they broke Gods heart • There is repentant fruitfulness: o Repentant: Turning away from that particular sin and therefore turning to Christ o Fruitfulness: Life has more ‘fruit’ that looks like Jesus and less like the world Why does Christ offer comfort to those that are sad? • Because repentant fruitfulness is evidence of Gods work in a sinner, therefore Christ can say “blessed” because He knows that God is at work in one of His people What is the comfort that is being offered? • Comfort is the release of the thing that causes the mourning (sin) • The Gospel gives us comfort in that it takes away the guilt of our sin • The Gospel brings comfort because it promises a world without sin
Questions Discussion Starter: Why is it sin is so difficult to talk about? Why would a church (don’t name names) not want to talk much about sin? 1. Read Matthew 5;1-12. Remind people of what “Blessed” means. Happy/Favor of God/Life. Given the context, can you see how “mourning” would mean mourning for sin? 2. Why would Christ say “Happy are those that are sad for their sin”? 3. What does it mourning NOT look like? 4. What does mourning look like? 5. What is the comfort that Jesus gives to those that mourn for sin? 6. What kind of encouragement does that give you/us to mourn for sin? 7. What keeps us from mourning for sin? Accountability Question: What are some sins that the Lord is calling you to mourn? Encourage others, who you have seen mourning for sin, with the comfort of the cross and hope of new creation.
