What Mourning Teaches the Living

"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity" (Eccl. 7:2-6). Now these are NOT things that you will hear preached in today's please-all Christian religious system, but the truth of God remains what it is, regardless of man adding to and taking away from it as he pleases (II Pet. 3:16). And I know by personal experience that when you DO preach sobering truth like this, it simply is not well received. Not at all. The first thing some naysayer will come up with is the traditional "God doesn't expect us to go around with a long face." Huh. Why won't someone come out and say it: They just don't believe the scriptures. Why bother with ridiculous, weak excuses that cannot be confirmed by the Bible? Let's see now, What did Jesus say about this matter? "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Mat. 5:4). And once more: "Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh... Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep" (Lk. 6:21-25). It seems to me that we should trust his words, don't you think? But let's not stop there. The prophets had something to say about it as well: "I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a BURDEN" (Zeph. 3:18). And again: "Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!" (Jer. 9:1). And Ezekiel really brought it home with the vision that the Lord showed him about Jerusalem: "And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that SIGH AND CRY for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house" (Ezek. 9:4-6). It is evident from this account that there will be nobody saved that doesn't have this kind of spirit about them.

Friend, there is no mistaking the absolute reality that the way of Christ is not the cheery, comfy religion that masquerades in his name today. Now don't get me, or the scriptures, wrong. The sorrowful nature of the heart and soul that is after Christ is NOT a weak, downtrodden, despaired sorrow. In other words it is not a sorrow for one's self, but rather for those who are missing the mark of the true righteousness of God. The scriptures in prophesy plainly said of Jesus, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief... Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows" (Isa. 53:3,4). No, the grief that is borne by those who truly continue to follow after the same Spirit of God that Jesus followed after, is a thing of great strength, and is the greatest of all confidences. "In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence" (Prov. 14:26). And there is also a deep sorrow derived from being truly rejected for the Lord's sake, and that sorrow is NOT self-pity. It is the pain of being truly identified with Jesus, who was rejected likewise: "Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none" (Psm. 69:20). Those are the word of Jesus, and there is no self-pity there, I assure you. About now someone is ready to ask, Do you believe in ANY JOY??!! OF COURSE I DO!! "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice" (Philip. 4:4). And the same apostle told us again, "Rejoice evermore" (I Thess. 5:16). But the same apostle also said in another place; "Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day WITH TEARS" (Acts 20:31). And in yet another place he said; "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (Philip. 3:18). And lest we should get the idea that the joy of the Lord is some lighthearted, cheery thing, the Psalmist keeps us in check: "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Psm. 2:11). Truth is, I have experienced on multiple occasions the sorrow of having God's people people turn away and scorn the liberty that was demonstrated and offered to them; and at the same time have the rejoicing that Jesus told us to have in such case: "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets" (Lk. 6:22,23). Well, I think that's all I have to say on the matter today, but actually these have not been my words. As always, it is just consistent, irrefutable truth of the scriptures. And once again it is just a question of whether we believe the scriptures, or whether we choose to believe the lolly-pop traditions and doctrines of men. Amen.