Sermon Notes
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
BEATITUDES – Part 2
October 12, 2025
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
Some Key Words and Ideas
- Blessed
- Mourn
- Comfort
A Messianic Connection
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:1-3
A Change of Heart
12 “Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
Joel 2:12-13
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up
James 4:8-10
Something To Do
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Small Group Discussion Questions for the Week of October 12, 2025.
Opening
If you could invent something to make life easier, what would it be?
Digging Deeper into the Scriptures
Read Matthew 5:4
1. Some people resist poverty of spirit and mourning because they fear that it will produce an unhealthy self-esteem
problem. The thought is that it will cause them to be paralyzed by a sense of guilt, unworthiness, or uselessness.
What does God give as the solution to this?
2. The promise of Matthew 5:4 is that mourners will be comforted.
What does “blessed are those who mourn” teach about God’s compassion for us?
Read Joel 2:12-13 and James 4:8-10
3. How do these passages describe the way that we are to come to God?
How do they describe God’s response to us when we come to Him?
4. How can mourning lead to deeper faith and spiritual growth in God?
Applying the Scriptures
1. What is your definition of “the good life”?
How much of your understanding of being “blessed” comes from Scripture, and how much comes from culture?
2. How can we be a source of comfort to others who are mourning, and what practical steps can we take to minister
to them?