This past Sunday evening, our fellowship studied the second Beatitude, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt 5:4).

1. Godly Sorrow is NOT Unhappiness. It’s hard enough for the secular, unbelieving mind to imagine that humility and happiness can coexist, but sorrow and happiness? That just seems totally illogical! However, the believer’s happiness is not totally contained in this life, therefore, the events of this life cannot totally obliterate it. In addition, the believer, unlike the unbeliever, never faces great times of sorrow alone. This is never more evident than at the graveside.
2. The comfort, or blessing, of godly sorrow is found in spiritual truths that a believer knows and cherishes. First, that while the world around him may be in turmoil, God is sovereign and in control. Second, that while everything around him seems against him, God is good. Third, that while it seems as though it is him against the world, God is with him! A believer, then, enters into mourning from God’s perspective, not the world’s philosophy of life. Worldly wisdom and false religion labeled as “Christianity” teach that life can be lived as a fairly tale. True Christianity teaches this life is short and full of trouble. Worldly wisdom and false “Christianity” live in a dream world where if bad things happen to good people then either God is not all-powerful or not loving, for surely if he were loving and all-powerful he would not allow the horrible events to occur that occur every single day. True Christianity, however, knows that we live in a fallen world filled with fallen sinners, and the horrible is to be expected, its the times of ease and comfort that are the exception when everything and everyone around you is in sin!
3. The Believer’s Mourning and Joy. It seems odd to say, but a true believer actually has more to mourn over than an unbeliever! Mourning is actually a sign of true belief! A true believer will mourn over his own sin (2 Cor 7:5-11), the sin of brothers and sisters in Christ (1 Cor 5:1-2), the sins of his society (Isaiah 6), and the indifference to the Gospel (Rom 10:1) *these four areas noted from Daniel Doriani.

Psalm 126:5-6 says that those who sow in tears will reap in joy! Could it be that tears are the missing element in our fight against sin and our evangelism efforts? The question is not about the happiness in godly sorrow, the question is where is our godly sorrow?