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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ004120S
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00:27 It was November 22, 1873 in the dead of night a terrible
00:33 disaster unfolded in the middle of the Atlantic. 00:36 A ship carrying more than 200 people collided with another 00:41 and rapidly sank. 00:42 That night Horatio Spafford a prominent Chicago lawyer 00:47 lost his four young daughters. Not long after to commemorate 00:54 his loss, he wrote the famous hymn know all over the world 00:58 with the words of the chorus saying: 01:05 How could Horatio Spafford say that given the enormity 01:10 of his loss? Every one of us will face loss of some kind 01:16 in our lives, each one of us will have reason to mourn 01:20 Where will we find comfort when these times come? 01:24 Well, there is hope, and today we're going to discover 01:29 where to find it. 01:46 I'm here by the Sea of Galilee where Jesus gave us 01:49 the Beatitudes, the center of Jesus teachings about the 01:53 kingdom of God is the Sermon on the Mount. 01:56 And the very heart of the Sermon on the Mount are 02:00 the Beatitudes, so if we want to really know what it means 02:05 to be a follower of Jesus, and to live as a citizen 02:08 of the Kingdom of God, then we must understand Christ's 02:12 teaching in the Beatitudes. 02:14 But the Beatitudes aren't just spiritual principles for 02:18 Christians, they're arguably the body of principles 02:22 that has been most influential in shaping western civilization 02:27 as we know it today. 02:29 The word Beatitude is an old- fashioned religious-sounding 02:33 word that not many people will recognize today, 02:37 it refers to being blissfully happy. 02:41 When Jesus calls people blessed in the Beatitudes 02:45 that's literally what He means. He means that if you display 02:49 these qualities, you'll be blissfully happy 02:52 This is a happiness that belongs only to God and it can come 02:58 only from God. In other words, when in your life you display 03:03 the qualities Jesus displays in the Beatitudes 03:06 you will share in the joy of heaven here on earth. 03:10 It's the only way to truly live, if you're after hope 03:14 peace, and happiness, this is where you'll find it. 03:18 So Jesus sat on a hill here so the crowd could hear Him 03:24 and He taught the people the most radical and influential 03:28 set of principles for living that this world has ever heard. 03:31 Among the Beatitudes He said this in Matthew chapter 5:4: 03:43 Like each of the Beatitudes there is a great truth hidden 03:47 in this radical contradiction and this great truth 03:51 can be seen played out in the life of Horatio Spafford. 03:55 Although you may have not heard of his name 03:57 Spafford was the writer of the famous hymn 04:00 It Is Well With My Soul. Most Christians will have 04:06 heard this well-known hymn, the words say: 04:25 Those are impressive words of faith, 04:27 but when you know the back- story, the real story 04:30 behind these words, you'll be even more impressed. 04:36 Horatio Spafford was a prominent lawyer in the prosperous city 04:43 of Chicago in the mid-19th century, he was the 04:46 senior partner of the law firm that he had established 04:50 as a young man. Spafford was a devout Christian 04:54 who supported Christian ministries, he was for example 04:58 a big supporter of the work of evangelist Dwight L Moody. 05:03 Spafford had a Norwegian wife named Anna 05:07 and together they had five children, four girls, and a boy 05:12 Because of his success in business, Spafford had become 05:18 very wealthy and he had invested all of his fortune in 05:21 real estate throughout Chicago. 05:24 As they safe, safe as houses, what could possibly go wrong? 05:29 Well, it did. And what went wrong was the 05:36 Great Fire of Chicago in October, 1871 05:40 This fire was popularly believed to have been started 05:45 by Mrs. O'Leary's cow in a barn in the city 05:48 which while being milked by Irish Immigrant Katherine 05:51 O'Leary supposedly kicked over a lantern and started the 05:56 conflagration. The fire leapt across the city from one district 06:01 to another for three days destroying much of 06:05 Central Chicago, around 300 lives were lost. 06:09 The Spafford family didn't lose anyone to the fire 06:14 but the real estate Horatio Spafford had invested in was 06:18 gone and he was wiped out financially 06:21 But that wasn't the sum total of his woes up until that point 06:26 because not long before that terrible fire Spafford and 06:31 Anna's young son had died of pneumonia. 06:34 These set-backs would have defeated a lesser man 06:38 but not Spafford, Spafford's legal business soon recovered 06:43 and two years later, the Spafford's were planning a 06:46 family trip to Great Britain where their friend Dwight Moody 06:50 was to hold an Evangelistic Crusade. 06:53 Spafford wanted to go both to help his friend Moody with the 06:57 meetings and to give his family a restful break from their 07:01 recent misfortunes. 07:03 He had planned to go together with his family 07:06 but at the last moment an unexpected business matter came 07:10 and he had to stay in Chicago to resolve it. 07:14 Spafford told his wife he would join her and the children 07:17 in Europe a few days later. 07:19 And he sent her and their daughters ahead on the 07:22 French Ocean Liner "Ville Du Harve", four days later 07:27 in the North Atlantic at about 2 A.M. on November 22, 1873 07:33 their ship was sighted heading dangerously close to the bows 07:38 of the Scottish Clipper "Loch Earn." 07:41 The captain of the Loch Earn ordered a sharp turn but it was 07:45 too late, the Loch Earn rammed Ville Du Harve amid ships 07:50 nearly breaking it in two. 07:52 The collision obviously woke the passengers who quickly 07:57 came up on deck to find out what had happened 08:01 The passengers tried to push the lifeboats into the water 08:08 but the great majority of them were stuck fast to the deck. 08:13 Anna gathered her four daughters around her on the deck, 08:18 there was 11-year-old Anna named after her known as Annie, 08:23 Maggie age nine, Bessie who was five, and two-year-old Teneta. 08:28 She knelt there on the deck with them and prayed that 08:32 God would spare them if that was His will 08:35 or that He would make them willing to endure whatever 08:39 awaited them. 08:40 The Ville Du Harve sank in less than 12 minutes, 08:45 the Loch Earn was able to pick up 61 passengers and 26 crew 08:51 but 226 souls perished, including all four 08:57 Spafford children. Days later, a sailor who was rowing a boat 09:03 over the spot where the ship had gone down 09:06 spotted a woman floating on a piece of the wreckage 09:10 it was Anna, unconscious but still alive. 09:14 He pulled her into the boat and they were picked up by another 09:19 large vessel which nine days later landed them in 09:23 Cardiff, Whales. Another of the ships survivors recalled 09:29 Anna saying: 09:38 From Cardiff, Anna wired her husband a message which began 09:44 Save alone, what shall I do? 09:48 Mr. Spafford booked passage on the very next available ship 09:53 and left to join his grieving wife in England and bring her 09:57 home. When the ship he was on was about four days out 10:02 the captain called Spafford to his cabin and told him that 10:06 they were over the place where his children had drown. 10:09 Spafford had wrote to a relative on Thursday last we passed 10:15 over the spot where she went down in mid-ocean 10:18 the waters there are three miles deep. 10:21 Later to cope with his sorrow and commemorate with his 10:25 children, Spafford wrote the words to this famous hymn 10:29 "It Is Well With My Soul". They go like this. 10:59 Horatio and Anna actually went on to have three more 11:02 children after this tragedy, two daughters and a son 11:06 however, the Spaffords were to endure one more tragedy, 11:10 the youngest son who was also named Horatio later died 11:16 of scarlet fever. 11:17 The Spaffords were never defeated by their tragedies 11:22 instead, they responded by com- mitting to positively changing 11:27 their world and to doing good. 11:30 Eventually, they moved to Jerusalem where they founded 11:34 The American Colony which engaged in charitable work 11:38 without regard to religious preferences. 11:41 They simply wanted to help everyone in need regardless 11:46 of their color or creed. They worked with hospitals, 11:50 soup kitchens and orphanages and won great favor 11:54 with the people in the region. 11:57 Spafford died of Malaria in 1888 just days before his 12:03 60th birthday and was buried in the Protestant Cemetery 12:07 in Jerusalem. 12:15 Now after enduring so much tragedy and sorrow 12:19 Spafford understood the and experienced the concept, 12:22 the truth contained in the Beatitude, 12:31 This is perhaps one of the Beatitudes that seems to be 12:35 most contradictory, "Blessed are they that mourn?" 12:39 How can you be supremely happy or blessed 12:42 if you are mourning? 12:44 In the Greek language, the word that is used for mourning 12:48 here doesn't mean to be just a little bit sad 12:51 it's one of the strongest words for mourning in that language 12:55 it means to mourn for the dead with the greatest possible 13:00 sorrow and tears. Like most of what Jesus taught 13:04 they're layers of meaning to His teaching and there are 13:08 several ways to look at this Beatitude. 13:11 It's true for example that many greatest discoveries of life 13:16 are found through the depths of sorrow 13:19 it is through sorrow for example that we can often see 13:24 the meaning of true friendship or true love 13:28 William Butler tells the story of the great composer 13:32 Elwood Elgar who once listened to a young lady sing, 13:35 her voice was beautiful and her technique was flawless 13:40 yet there was something missing. The composer said 13:50 Many can testify, that is true, that is when you come to 13:54 bottom that you find God. The Beatitude is also true 13:59 in a sense that in the kingdom of God, those whom mourn today 14:04 will rejoice tomorrow, often we have to go through 14:08 suffering in order to win the victory. 14:11 Too many people want to reach the destination 14:16 without going on the journey. But as the life of Jesus 14:20 illustrates, the cross comes before the crown 14:24 and that reality remains true for every follower of Jesus. 14:29 You have to accept the cross if you wish to be victorious 14:33 in the end. Barclay again says that 15:09 At the most spiritual level when Jesus said 15:13 Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted 15:17 He is also referring to the deep sorrow that everyone 15:21 who wishes to follow God will feel for their own sin. 15:25 The beginning of eternal life has to be an utter 15:29 dissatisfaction with this life otherwise, why would anyone 15:34 seek God. It is only when fully realize our own flaws 15:39 and our own sin that we will sorrow for our own sin and 15:43 this mourning will cause us to repent which means 15:46 to turn away from sin. 15:49 You see, those who mourn in this way will receive the 15:54 blessing which is to be comforted, they will find the 15:58 comfort and peace and joy that is only found in the salvation 16:02 that God provides. 16:04 The apostle Paul tells us this in Romans chapter 5, verse one. 16:20 We usually think of all mourning as being bad but that isn't 16:24 the case at all, you see, there is a mourning 16:28 and a sorrow that brings happiness as the 16:31 Apostle Paul also says 16:43 But this doesn't mean that the follower of Jesus lives in 16:47 perpetual sorrow, not at all, but the Beatitude 16:51 does not end there, it continues 16:58 What Jesus is saying is that it is those who sorrow 17:02 for sin, they are the ones who are supremely happy 17:06 comfort soothes sorrow, comfort allows joy to come. 17:12 There is never a time or a situation in which we are 17:16 not able to comfort in God. 17:18 As the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthian 1:3-4. 17:36 You see, what Jesus is really saying is that when a person 17:40 goes to God in Godly sorrow for their sin, they will receive 17:45 the full welcome and comfort of God but it gets even better 17:49 than this, the Greek word that Jesus used for being comforted 17:54 is also used in the context of inviting someone to a banquet. 17:59 God treats those who sorrow as His honored guests 18:03 and there is no room for sorrow at a banquet is there? 18:06 This is an image of how God's comfort turns our sorrow 18:12 into happiness, He will fill our lives with good 18:16 while we will also be able to look forward to the great 18:20 banquet that He is preparing in heaven. 18:24 Let's go back to the real-life story on the Spafford's 18:29 and their loss. It's tempting to think of the Spafford's 18:33 as people whose lives were marked by tragedy 18:36 but that wouldn't have been how they wanted to be remembered 18:40 it wouldn't be an accurate reflection of their experience. 18:44 Horatio Spafford certainly was a man who knew what it was 18:48 to go through loss and mourning but he was a man who through it 18:53 was able to find comfort and overcome. 18:56 He went on to lead a positive and productive life 18:59 of great achievement and that's how Horatio Spafford 19:03 should be remembered. 19:05 The words of the hymn which he wrote It Is Well With My Soul 19:09 aren't a denial of pain, the words recognize that we all 19:14 go through mourning and loss. They say 19:31 The peace that God can give in any situation 19:35 is a supernatural one, that's why the Apostle Paul says this 19:39 in Philippians 4:7 19:53 I know that there are many who are experiencing the 19:56 pain and loss of mourning right now and if you want 20:00 you can be sure that you will. Many of us in our lives 20:04 have experienced what He meant when He said 20:12 You see, in Jesus there's life fulfilled and here right now 20:18 and more importantly the assurance of eternal life. 20:23 Notice what it says in John 3:16. 20:39 Eternal life is a gift from God the grave is not the end 20:45 isn't it comforting to know that? 20:47 Here's what the Bible says in 1Thessolonians chapter 4. 21:23 Isn't that comforting? to know that we will be reunited with 21:27 our loved ones again? 21:29 When Paul wanted to comfort loved ones of those who had 21:33 died in Christ, when he wanted to comfort those who mourn 21:36 he pointed them to the eternal life we have in Jesus 21:40 that will become a reality at the resurrection when He returns. 21:45 This is the Bible hope, the blessed hope, 21:49 God's comfort to those who mourn. 21:52 We will be reunited with our loved ones again. 21:57 and we, together with many other followers of Jesus 22:01 are looking forward to the day when Jesus will return 22:05 just as He promised. 22:07 And then in the words of Revelation, the last book 22:10 of the Bible, there is this promise. 22:26 Do you have this hope? Have you experienced the 22:30 comfort and peace that only God can bring? 22:33 If you want to find out more, and experience this comfort, 22:37 and hope. Then, I'd like to recommend a free gift we have 22:40 for all our Incredible Journey viewer's today, 22:44 It's an easy to read booklet Finding Strengthen the Midst 22:49 of Pain. This small booklet will only take you a few minutes 22:53 to read but it could help bring you hope, comfort and 22:57 encouragement. This booklet is our gift to you and it's 23:02 absolutely free, I guarantee there are costs or obligations 23:06 whatsoever, So make sure you take this wonderful opportunity 23:10 to see the free gift we have for you today. 23:15 Phone or text us at 0436.333.555 in Australia or 020.422.2042 23:26 in New Zealand, or visit our website at TiJ.tv to request 23:31 today's free offer and we'll send it to you totally 23:34 free of charge and with no obligation. 23:37 Write to us at GPO Box 274, Sydney NSW 2001, Australia 23:44 or P.O. Box 76673, Manukau. Auckland 2241, New Zealand, 23:51 don't delay, call or text us now. 23:54 If you've enjoyed our journey to Galilee in Israel and our 24:00 reflections on the Beatitudes and on the promises of Jesus, 24:04 for those who mourn and are going through difficult times 24:07 then be sure to join us again next week when we will 24:11 another of life's journey's together. 24:14 Until then, may you find an experience that comfort and 24:18 peace that only God can provide. Let's pray. 24:23 Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for the teachings 24:27 of Jesus and the promise that when we mourn, you will 24:32 comfort us. We believe and trust that when Jesus comes 24:36 again, He will reunite us with our loved ones 24:39 and will restore joy and banish sorrow and mourning forever. 24:45 Until that day, lead us to find comfort and happiness 24:49 in you and teach us to be able to say in every circumstance 24:55 It Is Well With My Soul. 24:57 In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. |
Revised 2022-03-01