Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

1. Read Isaiah 6:1-7. What does this heavenly vision reveal about the nature and character of God? How does Isaiah respond to this revelation? What happens when he recognizes and mourns his ‘unclean lips’?

2. Read Matthew 5:4 and 2 Corinthians 7:10. How does Isaiah’s experience in the previous passage relate to Jesus’ second beatitude about mourning? How does it relate to Paul’s teaching on godly grief?

3. In the message today, Robb showed the ‘Growing Cross Diagram’ (below). Take a moment and review the diagram together. What is the relationship between our willingness to acknowledge faults and our capacity to see Jesus clearly?

4. In the message today, Robb mentioned a number of strategies we can implement to avoid mourning our sin: hiding, hustling, flaunting, accusing, and shrugging our shoulders. Can you think of any other strategies people use to ‘manage’ their sin, instead of confessing and repenting in godly sorrow? What is your own faulty sin-management strategy? What would happen if you stopped depending on faulty strategies?

5. Reflect on Jesus’ examples of mourning in John 11:35 and Luke 19:41. How does his grief over our sin and brokenness differ from the way we often respond when we encounter sin in others?

• Click here to see the article in Christianity Today that Robb mentioned in today’s sermon.