1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:02,760 Lord, we thank you for today, and we thank you, Lord, for all 2 00:00:02,760 --> 00:00:05,520 that you do. We are blessed to be able to be 3 00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:07,480 here this evening and study Your word together. 4 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,200 We thank You, Lord, for those who have come and they have 5 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:14,480 taken time out of their busy schedule to make time to hear 6 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,520 the word of the Lord and to grow in their walk with you. 7 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:19,240 We pray, Lord, that you bless them in a very special way 8 00:00:19,240 --> 00:00:22,480 because of the effort they have taken to be here, and pray that, 9 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,720 Lord, our time together this evening withdraws closer to Your 10 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,000 presence. We're so grateful for your word. 11 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,760 Our prayer, Lord, is that we would delight in your word more 12 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:35,000 so than thousands of pieces of gold and silver. 13 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:39,920 For your word is true and all that it contains is life and 14 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,560 godliness. And we are grateful in Jesus 15 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,360 name, Amen. Take your Bible and turn to the 16 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,000 greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher, whoever 17 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:54,440 lived Matthew, chapter 5-6 and seven, the Sermon on the Mount. 18 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:59,360 And notice how the Lord doesn't begin his sermon. 19 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,080 He doesn't begin with an opening illustration. 20 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:06,800 He doesn't begin with an antidote. 21 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:10,840 He doesn't even begin with an illustration that would cause 22 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:14,720 the audience to laugh. Think about that. 23 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:22,000 Our Lord just dives right into it because he's the King and the 24 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:27,400 King is presenting the Kingdom and he wants those who hear to 25 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,160 know how to get into the Kingdom and then how they can grow up in 26 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:35,440 the Kingdom. He gets right in or right down 27 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,640 to business. And, and what he says at the 28 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:45,080 very beginning is important because he offers joy, gladness, 29 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:50,240 He offers happiness and the very first word he uses, in fact, he 30 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:54,000 uses it nine times in the first few verses. 31 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:58,040 Blessed and the audience, of course, is Jewish. 32 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,960 So the Jewish audience would already be drawn to what their 33 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:09,960 scriptures say. And when Jesus would talk about 34 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:15,960 blessedness, they would think of things like Psalm chapter 33, 35 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:21,200 verse #12 which says blessed. Blessed is the nation whose God 36 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:26,440 is the Lord and the people whom He has chosen for his own 37 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,520 inheritance. And they would think, well 38 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,640 here's the king, and the king is coming to offer a blessing. 39 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:38,200 And we know that blessing comes to the nation whose God is Lord. 40 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,960 And we are that nation. We are the nation of of Israel. 41 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:47,440 And blessing comes to the people that God has for his own 42 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,200 inheritance. And we are those people. 43 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:56,000 We automatically have blessing, and they would be drawn to the 44 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:01,200 verse we used last week, Psalm 144 verse #15 how blessed are 45 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:05,360 the people whose God is the Lord? 46 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,800 And so they would think, well, we are the people of God and He 47 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:12,680 is our Lord. So we are a blessed people. 48 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,360 Israel, because of their inheritance, because they were 49 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,600 God's chosen people, already believed that they were the 50 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:25,360 blessed people. But when the king comes and the 51 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:29,160 king is offering his Kingdom, he takes it in a whole new, 52 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,640 different direction. The nation would even think of 53 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,760 verses like Psalm one where it says how blessed is the man who 54 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,920 does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the 55 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,600 path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers. 56 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:47,800 And they would think, well, we don't do that. 57 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:52,160 We don't stand with sinners, we don't walk with scoffers or sit 58 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,280 with them. We, we stay away from those kind 59 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,960 of people. We must be the blessed people. 60 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,520 Then the psalmist would say. But as the light is in the law 61 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:05,560 of the Lord, and in this law he meditates, stay and night, and 62 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,720 he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, 63 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,920 which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not 64 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:14,600 wither. And whatever he does, he 65 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:20,200 prospers. And they would think, yeah, I 66 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,760 delight in the law of the Lord, but I'm not so sure I'm 67 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,200 prospering. I'm not sure so I'm productive. 68 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,960 I'm not so sure that that what the psalmist says is happening 69 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:37,040 in my life. And they might even be drawn to 70 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:42,960 a verse like Psalm 119, verse #1 which reads as follows. 71 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:48,680 How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the 72 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,840 law of the Lord. How blessed are those who 73 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:57,320 observe his testimonies, who seek him with all their heart. 74 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:01,120 And on the one hand, they would think, wow, we are a blessed 75 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:02,960 people because we're God's chosen. 76 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,720 We are God's inheritance. And then he would think, well, 77 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:09,800 wait a minute, my delight really isn't in the law of the Lord and 78 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:14,120 my way really isn't blameless and, and I am not walking in the 79 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,040 ways of righteousness. And there was a reason for that. 80 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:24,720 And the reason simply was the fact that that Israel had a hard 81 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:26,560 time keeping the commands of God. 82 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:29,760 God would give them his commands. 83 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,160 The Bible says that the oracles of God were given to the Jewish 84 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:37,240 nation. Israel had the word of God. 85 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,640 The Gentiles nations didn't have that, but the nation of Israel, 86 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:49,000 they had God's word written down because they were given to his 87 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,600 people and they knew the requirements of the law. 88 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:57,360 They knew what God's Word said, but they also knew that the 89 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:01,320 standard was perfection and they couldn't keep that. 90 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:07,000 And so they got to a point where they just continue to rebel 91 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:09,320 against the authority of God's Word. 92 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:13,720 And God would send prophets and God would send kings and, and 93 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,280 God would send judges to draw them back in to repent from 94 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:19,440 their ways to understand the truth of the word of God. 95 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,440 He, he would plead with them through these prophets because 96 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,120 he wanted them to, to follow him and serve him and honor him. 97 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,800 Because they were the testimony to a Gentile world who had no 98 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:30,920 law. But Israel had the law. 99 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:34,360 And they if they don't obey it, they don't follow it. 100 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:39,040 How can they present the God of Israel to a lost world? 101 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:47,600 But Israel kept rebelling and disobeying the word of the 102 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:54,440 living God, so much so that that God sent them into into 103 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:58,400 captivity, into Babylonian captivity. 104 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,400 Things just got progressively worse. 105 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:07,680 Jeremiah the prophet Jeremiah's name means the Lord throws right 106 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:13,880 and and Jeremiah was thrown into Israel's disaster. 107 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:19,520 God took Jeremiah and threw him into the last few years right 108 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:24,480 before Israel in the captivity to plead with them to beg them 109 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:27,760 to turn from their ways. And so we had a 40 year ministry 110 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:32,040 where Israel never listened and never turned and never repented. 111 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:35,200 Nobody ever said Jeremiah. Great sermon. 112 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:36,640 I'm going to follow what you said. 113 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:42,480 Nope, nobody did that. In fact, Israel never turned and 114 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:47,160 Jeremiah would, would, would lead them to the truth of God's 115 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:51,440 word, but they never followed. They turned their back on the 116 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,120 Lord and they went into captivity just as it was 117 00:07:54,120 --> 00:08:00,440 prophesied by Isaiah and by Jeremiah as they went into 118 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:06,480 captivity and they were there for for 70 years, God gave them 119 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:10,080 another prophet, a man by the name of Ezekiel. 120 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:16,600 And Ezekiel would prophecy during their captivity, trying 121 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:20,000 them help them, help them to understand the promises of God 122 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:22,920 that that one day God would deliver his people. 123 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:30,680 And in the book of Ezekiel the the 36th chapter, Ezekiel 124 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:35,120 promises what God's going to do. And God's going to do something 125 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:40,799 for his own name sake. He's not going to do it for 126 00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:44,480 Israel's sake. He's going to do it for his own 127 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:46,760 name's sake. In fact, he says that in verse 128 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:53,840 22 of Ezekiel chapter 36 and verse #23 and verse #32 three 129 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:55,880 times. He says, I'm doing this not for 130 00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,880 your sake, but for My sake. I'm doing this because of My 131 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,960 word and My commitment and for My glory. 132 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,360 I'm doing this because I have made a promise. 133 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:12,120 And he tells them that in verse 25 he will sprinkle clean water 134 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,240 on them. And verse 26 they will have a 135 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,720 new heart and a new spirit. And in verse 27 says I will put 136 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:21,640 my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and 137 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:23,960 you will be careful to observe my ordinances. 138 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,720 He said, I'm going to, I'm going to give you my spirit because 139 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:29,840 you are unable to walk in my ordinances. 140 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:34,120 But once my spirit is within you, it will cause you to obey 141 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:38,040 me and follow me without exception because you're going 142 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,160 to love me and you're going to serve me. 143 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,720 And the nation of Israel would hear the words of Ezekiel the 144 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:49,720 prophet. And supposedly they would they 145 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:55,800 would long for that opportunity. But way before Ezekiel there was 146 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:01,320 there was Isaiah and I Isaiah said those very familiar words 147 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,760 that Isaiah 61 words that we read. 148 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:09,280 I believe it was last week about what the Lord would say in in 149 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:13,160 the synagogue in Nazareth and Luke 4 when he said the spirit 150 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:15,600 of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has an ordered 151 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,120 me to bring good news to the afflicted. 152 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:21,880 He he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim 153 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,320 liberty to captives and freedom of to prisoners, to proclaim the 154 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:28,360 favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God 155 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,920 and to comfort all those who mourn. 156 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:37,200 So when Messiah comes, he's going to restore sight to the 157 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,320 blind. He's going to preach the gospel 158 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:42,400 to those who are poor and afflicted. 159 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:47,160 He's going to release the captives, and they're thinking 160 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,640 physical captivity. They're thinking physical 161 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:56,080 poorness. They're thinking physical 162 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:00,040 comfort, joy. That's what they're thinking. 163 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:07,680 And notice what it says in verse #3 to grant those who mourn in 164 00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:12,440 Zion, giving them a Garland instead of ashes, the old of 165 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,480 gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of 166 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:19,800 a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of 167 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:26,080 righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be 168 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:30,640 glorified. Messiah is going to come, the 169 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:34,080 Redeemer, the Savior, and the Spirit of the Lord will be upon 170 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:37,400 him, and he's going to preach the gospel. 171 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,360 And those who are blind will be able to see, and those who are 172 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:48,520 poor, they'll be released from there their affliction. 173 00:11:49,560 --> 00:11:52,280 Those who are captive will be set free. 174 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:59,440 And comfort will come, and a crown of gladness will come to 175 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:06,840 you, and a mantle of praise. And you will be like thick, 176 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:11,640 strong oaks. You'll be immovable. 177 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,320 The problem with that is that Israel misread that. 178 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:23,640 They thought that, that their, their mourning would turn to 179 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:27,280 comfort their, their captivity, mourning their Babylonian 180 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:29,000 captivity where they, where they mourned. 181 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,600 And they wept and they, they cried because they had lost 182 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,920 their, their, their city and they had lost their, their, 183 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:37,960 their land. And they were taken into 184 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:39,920 captivity. And they thought that if they 185 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,520 mourn, they, they would be, they would be comforted. 186 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:50,680 We see Israel, they mourned because of their captivity, but 187 00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:55,200 they did not mourn because of their iniquity, that they 188 00:12:55,200 --> 00:13:01,120 mourned because of the consequences of sin, but they 189 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,560 did not mourn because of their sin. 190 00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:11,360 That was their problem and that was always their problem. 191 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:17,840 So you jump to the New Testament and the king has already 192 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:22,040 presented his credentials, saw that in Matthew chapter 4 where 193 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:25,200 he had already healed everybody. So the messianic credentials 194 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:31,040 have already been presented. So there's there should be no 195 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:34,080 doubt in people's mind that this is more than a prophet. 196 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,000 This is more than just another individual with some kind of 197 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:42,800 supernatural abilities, but this actually is the Messiah. 198 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:49,720 The Messiah has come, and then he begins to preach and present 199 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:54,160 the Kingdom, because he went throughout all Judea preaching 200 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:58,560 the gospel of the Kingdom, because he so desperately wants 201 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:00,160 people to be a part of his Kingdom. 202 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,200 That's why he came, came to seek and to say that which was lost. 203 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,520 As the King, He presents the Kingdom, wanting people to enter 204 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:10,480 into that Kingdom, to be children of the Kingdom, 205 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:15,360 children of the king. So he's going to give them the 206 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:21,040 opportunity to understand entrance into the Kingdom and 207 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,560 then how they grow up in that Kingdom. 208 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:32,080 And so he begins with blessed Macarioi, inner contentment, 209 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:36,360 joy, blissfulness. You want true joy, you want true 210 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,760 happiness, you want true contentment. 211 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,800 Not something that's affected in any way by that, which is 212 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,360 external because it's all internal. 213 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:52,440 We are so easily affected by our surroundings, right? 214 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:56,800 We, we, we are happy or sad dependent upon what's happening 215 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,600 around us, right? If my team wins, I'm happy. 216 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,440 If my team loses, I'm sad, right? 217 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,160 If I get a raise, I'm happy. If they take my job away, I'm 218 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,760 sad. Every everything around us is 219 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:12,400 built around the external. In crisis, I I want to give you 220 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:17,800 deep, true inner joy that's unaffected by any circumstance 221 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,000 because I want you to experience my joy. 222 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,720 Because the Kingdom of heaven is not eating and drinking. 223 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,720 It's not defined by your physicality. 224 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:33,240 It's defined by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy 225 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:36,280 Spirit. That's the Kingdom of heaven, 226 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:40,760 and those in the Kingdom, those who are children of the king, 227 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:46,760 have experienced his righteousness, because he who 228 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:50,040 knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the 229 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:53,920 righteousness of God in him. So those in the Kingdom 230 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:58,360 experienced his righteousness, and only those who are righteous 231 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:02,800 before him are truly at peace with Him, and only those at 232 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:06,080 peace with him experience the joy that he gives to them 233 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:08,560 because they've been forgiven of all their sins. 234 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:15,560 So Jesus comes and he begins to preach, Blessed are the poor in 235 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:19,080 spirit. Verse 3, for theirs, literally 236 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:23,520 the text says theirs and theirs only is the Kingdom of heaven. 237 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:30,720 And then he says, blessed are those who mourn, for they 238 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:35,240 emphatically they and they only will be comforted. 239 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:40,960 And a Jewish audience would be drawn right back to Isaiah 61, 240 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:45,240 knowing that when the Messiah came, he would comfort those who 241 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:49,880 mourn. But the question is, what kind 242 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:52,000 of mourning is Christ talking about? 243 00:16:54,720 --> 00:17:01,440 And what kind of comfort comes to what kind of mourning grief 244 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:04,200 is, is really natural to us, is it not? 245 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:10,359 We, we are, we are grieving people and, and in the midst of 246 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:14,760 our grief, we want comfort. Now I'm a parent and, and I, 247 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:19,359 I've got 8 kids and, and I've raised those kids along with my, 248 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:21,800 my wife, Lori. And there, there were times 249 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:29,400 where my kids would cry, right? They would mourn and they would 250 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,480 come to me for comfort. That was always a bad idea, 251 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:40,000 always a bad idea, because I would always say this, Is there 252 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,800 blood? No tears? 253 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,760 If there's no blood, is it broken? 254 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:48,840 No tears. Rub dirt on it. 255 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:52,320 Off you go. But my wife, on the other hand, 256 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:55,360 was the comforter. They would go to her and she 257 00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:58,320 would wrap her arms around them. She would kiss their Boo boos 258 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:00,720 and they would be all better because she would. 259 00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:06,720 She was the one of true comfort. But whenever we grieve, for 260 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:10,480 whatever reason, we are grieving, we would love to be 261 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:15,000 comforted. And so the question comes, what 262 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:19,720 kind of mourning receives the kind of comfort that the King is 263 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:23,720 offering? So we have before you an 264 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,960 outline, and hopefully you've received an outline and the four 265 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,960 main points of the same main points as were last week. 266 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:35,040 And they will be the four same main points every week. 267 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:42,720 Because we want to #1 define, define the condition of what it 268 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:46,760 means to mourn. And then we want to describe the 269 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:51,160 consequences to those who mourn. And then we'll detail the 270 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:56,120 characteristics and then we will simply determine our course of 271 00:18:56,120 --> 00:19:01,160 action from there. So first of all, let's define 272 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:07,320 the condition mourning. Blessed are those who mourn. 273 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:14,520 That there are 9 different Greek verbs to describe grief and 274 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:19,640 mourning in the New Testament. The one that's used here is the 275 00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:24,320 strongest of the 9:00. So that should tell us a little 276 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:28,560 bit about the kind of mourning that brings comfort. 277 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:36,400 If you recall the the book of Ecclesiastes, it was Solomon who 278 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:39,480 said these words in chapter 3 verse #1 There is an appointed 279 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:45,160 time for everything, and there is a time for every event under 280 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,800 heaven. He goes on to say that there is 281 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:51,760 a time to give birth and a time to die, a time to plant and a 282 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:55,400 time to uproot what is planted, a time to kill and a time to 283 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:58,160 heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up. 284 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:05,280 A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a 285 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:10,920 time to dance. Solomon knows that mourning and 286 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:15,680 grieving are. Are naturally appointed times 287 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:22,480 all throughout our lives, like dying and giving birth, like 288 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:25,840 planting and uprooting that which is planted? 289 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,200 There is an appointed time for every event under the sun. 290 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:35,400 And there is a time to mourn. There is a time to grieve. 291 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,320 There also is a time to laugh. Oh, interesting fact. 292 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:43,600 The Bible records no incident in which Jesus ever laughed. 293 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:49,520 Did you know that? Not one record of Jesus ever 294 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:54,960 laughing. We know he rejoiced, but never 295 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,520 did he laugh. Did he become angry? 296 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:02,080 You bet. Did he cry? 297 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:05,760 Absolutely. That's all recorded. 298 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:11,200 But there is no record of Jesus ever laughing. 299 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,840 It doesn't mean he never did. He might have, I don't know. 300 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:18,560 I wasn't there and it's not recorded in the scriptures. 301 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:25,800 And yet he did grieve. He grieved quite regularly. 302 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:34,200 Quite often he became angry. Angry at sin and those who 303 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:40,200 rebelled against him and those who would turned your back on 304 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:43,920 his Father. But never is there a record of 305 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:47,160 his laughing. I find that quite interesting 306 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:49,720 because we love to laugh, don't we? 307 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:55,960 We love comedies, we love sitcoms, we love to laugh 308 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:59,760 because it gives us some kind of freedom emotionally. 309 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:02,840 It's not a sin to laugh. It's not. 310 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,840 It's just quite interesting that there's no record of Jesus ever 311 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:09,560 laughing. Maybe he laughed when he created 312 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:10,280 you. I don't know. 313 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:12,080 Some of you are pretty funny looking, so I don't know. 314 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,640 Maybe he did. But the Bible doesn't tell us 315 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:18,600 that either. But the point being is that that 316 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:21,800 grief is, is natural to life. And we grieve for all kinds of 317 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,200 reasons. We, we grieve him. 318 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:28,760 It's tragedy, rightly so. Abraham grieved when Sarah, his 319 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:31,120 wife died. Well, you understand that, 320 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:32,920 right? You have a loved one who dies. 321 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:37,760 You grieve you. You realize that Jesus at the 322 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:42,120 tomb of Lazarus, he wept. Jesus wept. 323 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:47,480 John 11, shortest verse in the Bible and he wept. 324 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:50,400 He wept over the consequences of sin. 325 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,520 I mean, after all, He knows he's going to raise Lazarus from the 326 00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:54,800 dead. Why is he weeping? 327 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,320 He should be joyous because he's going to perform a resurrection, 328 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:03,920 then proclaim that He is the resurrection and the life, but 329 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:08,920 yet He weeps because of the consequences of sin and the 330 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,480 devastating effects upon mankind. 331 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:18,280 Even anticipating his death on Calvary for the sins of man, who 332 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:23,640 for the most part would reject his his sacrifice on Calvary, 333 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,920 but he wept. He wept of its tragedy. 334 00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:33,840 We we weep against or amidst calamities, and rightly so. 335 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:39,040 If there is a disaster causes great grief in people's lives. 336 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:42,960 Some people even grieve amidst their anxieties. 337 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,960 They get so overwhelmed, so anxious in their thoughts, so 338 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:48,920 anxious in what is going to happen next. 339 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:53,680 They can't help but just burst out in tears and grieve. 340 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:57,400 Some people weep because of their loneliness. 341 00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:01,960 They're all alone. Some people, Some people weep 342 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,640 for all the wrong reasons. Remember, Ahab in First Kings 21 343 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,680 wept because he was unable to obtain Nabos vineyard. 344 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:20,880 Even Ammon, he wept over his lustful desires for Tamar, A 345 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,360 very unhealthful, unhealthy weeping. 346 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:30,680 But the Bible records all kinds of incidences of people, people 347 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:35,480 weeping mothers who who lost their sons. 348 00:24:35,480 --> 00:24:42,000 The the the widow's son at Nain that widow, she, she wept for 349 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:47,960 the loss of her son. And Christ says to her, stop 350 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:52,320 weeping, stop crying. Now. 351 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:55,600 If you go to a funeral and your your son's dead, you're crying. 352 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:58,960 If I go up to you and say stop weeping, you're not going to 353 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,720 come back to church next week because you're going to think I 354 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:04,480 don't care about your life. I'm not going to say that to 355 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:06,280 you. But that's what Jesus said to 356 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:09,480 the widows, to the widow who lost her son at Nain. 357 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:17,040 But there are all kinds of reasons for us to grieve, and 358 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:25,080 yet none of that grieving brings the comfort that Christ is 359 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:32,320 speaking about in Matthew chapter 5 verse #4 It's a whole 360 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,600 different kind that those are. Those are natural kinds of 361 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:40,400 things which cause us to weep, natural things that cause us to 362 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:45,680 grieve. But what kind of sorrow is 363 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:51,640 Christ speaking about? Well, the answer is found very 364 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:58,240 simply in Second Corinthians Chapter 7 verse #10 which says 365 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:01,080 for the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces A 366 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:04,200 repentance without regret, leading to salvation. 367 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,080 But the sorrow of the world produces death. 368 00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:11,320 There's there's a sorrow that produces life. 369 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:17,720 It's a godly sorrow. It's a godly sorrow that leads 370 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:22,720 you to repentance. Well, what kind of repentance? 371 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:27,440 Well, he tells you, for behold, what, what earnest is this very 372 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:31,720 thing, this godly sorrow? There, there is a sincerity 373 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:34,720 behind it. There there was an earnestness 374 00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,040 for that which is righteous and true. 375 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:45,040 And that he says, what vindication this godly sorrow 376 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,360 brings a desire to be vindicated from all the things that you 377 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:55,120 have done in the past. What, what indignation, this 378 00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:57,400 godly sorrow? Well, what does that mean? 379 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:03,720 That there's a hatred for the sin that you committed that you 380 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:08,960 have to repent of? And then he says, what fear? 381 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,240 Godly sorrow produces fear. What kind of fear? 382 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:15,440 Fear of God. What longing? 383 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,400 What kind of longing? The kind of longing that 384 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,680 relationships would be restored, that were destroyed because of 385 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:26,240 your sin? What zeal, zeal for holiness, 386 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:29,880 what avenging of wrong in everything. 387 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,360 You demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 388 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:39,280 Ezekiel would speak about this way back in in Ezekiel chapter 389 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:45,440 20 when he talks about Israel's restoration before he ever gives 390 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:48,040 anything concerning the the new covenant promise. 391 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,760 He says this verse 43 of Ezekiel 20. 392 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,800 There you will remember your ways and all your deeds with 393 00:27:55,800 --> 00:28:00,800 which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe 394 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:09,280 yourself in your own sight for all the evil things that you 395 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:13,280 have done. You will loathe yourself. 396 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,720 This is a godly sorrow that leads you to repentance. 397 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:21,000 The problem is we love ourselves. 398 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:28,360 We don't loathe ourselves. And Ezekiel is giving a prophecy 399 00:28:28,360 --> 00:28:31,880 about Israel's restoration that they will come to a point that 400 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:37,560 they will learn to to weep and mourn because of the the 401 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:43,120 severity of their sin. In fact, he says these words in 402 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:48,960 the book of Zechariah. He talks about in Zechariah 12 403 00:28:48,960 --> 00:28:53,360 and Zechariah 13. Zechariah 14 he talks about in 404 00:28:53,440 --> 00:29:00,480 that day 17 times. In chapter 1314, 1213 and 14, he 405 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:05,320 used the phrase in that day. In that day is the day of the 406 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:08,520 Lord, in that day is the day of tribulation. 407 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:13,600 It's that day where Israel will be restored and Israel's enemies 408 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:18,440 will be destroyed. And in that day he says, verse 409 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,960 10, I will pour out in the House of David and on the habits of 410 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:25,640 Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of suffocation, so that they 411 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:28,000 will look on me whom they have pierced. 412 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:35,000 And they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son. 413 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:39,680 And they will weep bitterly over him, like the bitter weeping 414 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:44,640 over a first born in that day. There will be great mourning in 415 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:49,360 Jerusalem, like mourning of Haddadraman in the plain of 416 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:54,040 Megiddo, like Israel mourned over the death of King Josiah. 417 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,040 There will be weeping, there will be mourning, there will be 418 00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:02,520 bitter grieving over what? That they killed their Messiah. 419 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,640 They they will look on the one whom they pierced and they were 420 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:08,840 realized. What have we done? 421 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,160 He was already here. We missed him. 422 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:16,800 Now he's coming back. He's he's been pierced. 423 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:21,480 And now they begin to realize that they killed their Messiah, 424 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:26,000 and they begin to grieve. And it says this verse 12 The 425 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:30,400 land will mourn every family by itself, the family of the House 426 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:33,280 of David by itself and their wives by themselves. 427 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:36,720 The family of the House of Nathan by itself, and the wives 428 00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:40,560 of themselves by themselves. The family of the House of Levi 429 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:43,480 by itself and their wives by themselves. 430 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:47,520 The family of the Shemites by itself and their wives by 431 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:51,280 themselves, and all the families that remain, every family by 432 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:54,520 itself and their wives by themselves. 433 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:58,200 And then that day he says, I will pour out a fountain of 434 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:01,720 blessing. In that day, Israel will be 435 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:03,720 restored. In that day, Israel will be 436 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:04,440 saved. Why? 437 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:08,120 Because there will be a godly sorrow that leads them to 438 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:12,480 repentance, that leads them to have sorrow for the sin. 439 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:16,640 They will have loathed themselves to such a degree that 440 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:20,440 they can help but weep over their spiritual condition and 441 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:25,080 how they could ever crucify their Messiah. 442 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:30,280 That's the sorrow that Christ is talking about. 443 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:33,320 That's the morning that Jesus is speaking about. 444 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:38,320 It's the morning that comes because there's been poverty of 445 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:41,880 spirit. Verse three, that happens 446 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:50,080 intellectually, which leads you to mourning, which effects you 447 00:31:50,080 --> 00:31:55,000 emotionally. Now each of the the beatitudes 448 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:01,840 intertwine one with another. We are taking them one verse at 449 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,120 a time. We are tackling them one 450 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:08,280 beatitude at a time. But in reality, they all flow 451 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,320 together. They're all intertwined together 452 00:32:10,440 --> 00:32:13,480 because they all speak about entrance into the Kingdom and 453 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:19,040 how to grow up in that Kingdom. It's almost as if Jesus is 454 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:22,960 mapping out everything line by line for the people that are 455 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:25,160 listening. I want you to be a part of my 456 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:29,000 Kingdom, but it begins because you are utterly destitute. 457 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,720 You are poverty of spirit. You are so poor. 458 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,360 You are so bankrupt. You have nothing to offer me. 459 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:40,400 When you get to that point, the Kingdom of heaven is yours. 460 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:44,880 But when you get there, you will mourn profusely because of your 461 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:47,360 sin. You have nothing to offer 462 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:54,080 because all you have is sinful desires, sinful attitudes, 463 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:57,840 sinful actions, because all your righteousness, as Isaiah says, 464 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:04,400 is like filthy rags. All your righteousness is not 465 00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:07,720 worthy. And everything you want to offer 466 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,800 does nothing. And you'll begin to weep. 467 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:17,360 You'll begin to cry and grieve A godly sorrow that's demonstrated 468 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:21,760 by its zeal for holiness, It's indignation against sin. 469 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:27,400 It'll be it'll be characterized by your your wanting to avenge 470 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:29,320 all the wrongs that you've committed. 471 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:32,560 There's this great desire to heal broken relationships. 472 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:34,240 Why? Because you have you have 473 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:40,320 brought grief to the heart of God and you sinned against the 474 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,800 Holy One of Israel and he's the King. 475 00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:49,600 And because he's the king, you want to be a child of the king 476 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:54,280 and therefore you recognize the severity of your sin. 477 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:59,360 Those are the ones who receive comfort. 478 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:04,440 I love what Warren Weirsby says in his commentary. 479 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:12,840 He says we must distinguish between repentance, remorse and 480 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:17,800 regret. When my consciousness of sin 481 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:22,920 rest only in my mind, then it is regret. 482 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:28,600 When it affects my mind and my heart, it is remorse. 483 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,840 And remorse is a dangerous thing. 484 00:34:33,120 --> 00:34:37,040 But when my concern over my sin brings me to the place where I'm 485 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:42,679 willing to turn from it and obey God, when my concern effects my 486 00:34:42,679 --> 00:34:47,840 will as well as my mind and heart, then I've experienced 487 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:54,080 true repentance. Think about Judas. 488 00:34:55,239 --> 00:35:02,840 Judas had regret. Judas had remorse, but Judas had 489 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:07,320 no repentance, did not turn from his sin. 490 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:11,160 He went out and hung himself amidst all of his sin. 491 00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:17,040 Weirdsby goes down to say this. You may remember the story about 492 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,840 the Sunday school teacher who asked the pupil to define 493 00:35:19,840 --> 00:35:24,920 repentance, and the boy replied repentance means sorrow for sin. 494 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:29,640 That's right, said the teacher. But then a little girl spoke up. 495 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:35,200 She says excuse me, but it means being sorry enough to quit my 496 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:38,720 sin. She knew that repentance 497 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:43,800 involves not only a change in my feelings and thinking, but also 498 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,920 a change of the will. If a person truly changes his 499 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:57,360 mind about sin, then he will act completely different from here 500 00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:59,600 on. Now, isn't that interesting? 501 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:03,920 Have you ever got to a point where you repented of your sin 502 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:08,960 or you at the point where you just kind of regret what you did 503 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:13,280 and it might cause a little bit remorse because somebody's 504 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:19,640 feelings got hurt, but there's no turning away from your sin. 505 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:24,080 With the Church of Thessalonica. They turned to God from idols, 506 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:27,120 right? They turned their back on their 507 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:29,880 idolatry. They turned to God from their 508 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:34,160 sin. They waited expectantly for the 509 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:38,280 Lord's return. They understood true biblical 510 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:47,680 repentance. David in Psalm 51 after a sin 511 00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:56,760 with Bathsheba wailed because of a sin, and he said against thee, 512 00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:02,000 and the only have I sinned. He understood that his sin was 513 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:10,120 against God. Over in Psalm Psalm 32, the 514 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:20,040 psalmist says this in verse #1 Psalm 32 verse #1 psalmist says 515 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:25,960 blessed is the man. How blessed is he whose 516 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:31,280 transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered, How blessed is 517 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:34,000 the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in his 518 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,120 spirit there is no deceit. David says. 519 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:42,360 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my 520 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,280 groaning all day long for day and night your hand was heavy 521 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:48,640 upon me. My vitality was drained away as 522 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:52,840 with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledge my sin to you and 523 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:54,720 my iniquity. I did not hide. 524 00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:59,160 I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and 525 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:08,200 you forgave the guilt of my sin. David understood repentance, and 526 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:16,600 David was a major Sinner, but yet he was a man after God's own 527 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,080 heart. Why? 528 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:26,760 Because David, although he was a major Sinner, he was a major 529 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:32,240 repenter of a sin and knew what it meant to confess and turn 530 00:38:32,240 --> 00:38:35,520 from his sin. And that's why he was 531 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:39,200 characterized as a man after God's own heart, because he 532 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:43,600 truly wanted to rectify all that was done wrong, knowing that he 533 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:49,640 had sinned against his God and grieved his God and so God would 534 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:52,680 forgive him. That's why he says how blessed 535 00:38:52,680 --> 00:38:57,440 is a man whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are 536 00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:00,960 covered. Because when I wouldn't, I 537 00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:04,880 wouldn't confess my sin. God's hand was heavy upon me. 538 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:10,000 My own vitality was drained from my body. 539 00:39:12,240 --> 00:39:17,680 I would soak my bed with tears. Because you see, when you're a 540 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:23,920 child of the Lord, He does never allows His children to sin 541 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:30,840 successfully. He allows you to sin, and He 542 00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:34,520 never allows you to sin successfully and continually. 543 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:40,800 His hand will be heavy upon you, and you'll begin to weep and to 544 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:46,240 mourn because of your iniquity. And as Ezekiel says, you will 545 00:39:46,240 --> 00:39:51,120 loathe yourself. That's not a message people want 546 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:54,360 to preach today in church. Hey, come to church and learn to 547 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:57,440 loathe yourself. No, we want to go to church and 548 00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,920 learn to love ourselves, the loath. 549 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:05,160 Who wants to do that? But you see, those are the only 550 00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:10,680 ones who receive comfort, and that's the consequences. 551 00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:13,640 So let's describe the consequences to you. 552 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:16,360 How? How is the Lord going to comfort 553 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:18,040 you? How? 554 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:20,520 How does God bring comfort into your life? 555 00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:26,120 This is just so important. First of all, God himself is a 556 00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:29,120 comforter. Second is 1. 557 00:40:29,560 --> 00:40:33,320 Verse 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 558 00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:36,760 right? Blessed be the God who's the 559 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:44,000 Father of mercies, the God of all comfort, the God of all 560 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:47,760 comfort. Listen to what Isaiah says. 561 00:40:49,240 --> 00:40:56,080 Isaiah chapter 55, verse #6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, 562 00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:59,080 call upon him while he is near, Let the wicked forsake his way, 563 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:02,200 and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to 564 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:08,320 the Lord, and he God will have compassion on him and to our 565 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:12,400 God, and he will abundantly pardon. 566 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:23,520 Why are mourners comforted? Because they are the only ones 567 00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:26,920 who are truly forgiven of their sins. 568 00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:31,840 They are the only ones who experience the joy of of 569 00:41:31,840 --> 00:41:35,600 salvation. That's why they are blessed. 570 00:41:36,920 --> 00:41:39,000 The blessing doesn't come in the morning. 571 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:42,880 The blessing comes in what God does in response to your 572 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:45,240 morning. He brings you comfort, and with 573 00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:49,680 that comfort, He brings forgiveness. 574 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:54,080 He brings the cleansing from your sin. 575 00:41:55,720 --> 00:41:58,760 He cleanses away the guilt of your sin. 576 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:04,040 For once there is freedom, there is joy. 577 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:11,400 There's the opportunity now to to live a holy and in righteous 578 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:14,960 life before my holy and righteous God. 579 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:21,000 So first of all, God is a comforter #2 the Spirit of God 580 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:24,040 is a comforter. Remember John chapter 14? 581 00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:28,720 It says in verse 16, I will ask the Father, and He will give you 582 00:42:28,720 --> 00:42:30,920 another comforter, another helper. 583 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:33,320 The Spirit of God is a comforter. 584 00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:37,040 And the word for another is, alas, another of the same kind, 585 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:39,800 not heteros, another of a different kind. 586 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:43,480 In other words, Christ, I'm going to give you another just 587 00:42:43,480 --> 00:42:48,320 like me, identical to me. The Spirit of God is God, Jesus 588 00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:53,520 is God, and I'm going to give you another identical just like 589 00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:55,920 me. That will be your helper, that 590 00:42:55,920 --> 00:42:59,760 will be your comforter, that will be the one called alongside 591 00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:03,720 of you, the, as the Bible says, the paracletos, the one called 592 00:43:03,720 --> 00:43:06,640 alongside to bring comfort and joy. 593 00:43:07,720 --> 00:43:11,720 That's the Spirit of God that he may be with you forever. 594 00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:15,960 He goes on to say, verse 25, These things I have spoken to 595 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:19,280 you while abiding with you. But the Comforter, the Holy 596 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:22,400 Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach 597 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:25,440 you all things and bring to you remembrance all that I said to 598 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,120 you. Verse 26 to chapter 15, when the 599 00:43:28,240 --> 00:43:31,640 Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, 600 00:43:31,720 --> 00:43:36,080 that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He 601 00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:41,120 will testify about me. Verse #7 of chapter 16. 602 00:43:41,320 --> 00:43:45,320 But I will tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I 603 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:51,560 go away, for if I do not go away, the comforter will not 604 00:43:51,560 --> 00:43:58,360 come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 605 00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:04,040 The Spirit of God is a comforter, and the Spirit of God 606 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:07,360 produces joy. Galatians 5. 607 00:44:07,520 --> 00:44:13,360 The fruit of the Spirit is love for the Spirit is peace for the 608 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:17,680 Spirit is joy, self-control, gentleness, meekness. 609 00:44:17,920 --> 00:44:20,600 God's Spirit produces those things because he comes 610 00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:22,960 alongside of you. He dwells on the inside of you 611 00:44:23,240 --> 00:44:27,040 and produces nothing but the characteristics of Christ 612 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:31,440 himself in you because he's identical to the Christ. 613 00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:37,960 And so you have God who is the the shepherd, the Savior. 614 00:44:38,680 --> 00:44:46,400 And by the way, he says, David says in Psalm 2023, Thy rod and 615 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:54,000 thy staff shall comfort me. The shepherd, the God of Israel, 616 00:44:54,200 --> 00:45:00,040 carries a rod, which is that which is given to, to, to guard 617 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:03,280 you. And the staff is given to guide 618 00:45:03,280 --> 00:45:07,040 you because the staff would be used by the shepherd to move his 619 00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:10,920 sheep along and guide them in the right direction to make sure 620 00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:15,240 they didn't go off track. And so the Lord says, I'm your 621 00:45:15,240 --> 00:45:19,920 shepherd and, and I carry a, a rod and a staff because I'm into 622 00:45:19,920 --> 00:45:22,200 protecting you and watching over you so much. 623 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:26,960 So I go way beyond that and give you another helper, a comforter 624 00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:31,400 of the Spirit of God, who will actually dwell in you and bring 625 00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:34,920 you the joy and peace that you so desperately need because 626 00:45:34,920 --> 00:45:38,680 you've repented of your sin. Oh, by the way, then it's the 627 00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:42,760 Scriptures on top of that that bring comfort, because without 628 00:45:43,400 --> 00:45:47,480 the Lord giving us His Spirit to teach us the Scriptures, we 629 00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:49,880 would be absent when it comes to comfort. 630 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:55,320 So listen to what the psalmist says in Psalm 119, verse #50 631 00:45:55,800 --> 00:45:59,840 this is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has 632 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:05,000 revived me. Verse 28 Psalm 119 My soul weeps 633 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:08,840 because of grief. Strengthen me according to your 634 00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:11,400 word. Psalmist knew that when he 635 00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:16,320 grieved, the only strength that would come would come from the 636 00:46:16,480 --> 00:46:21,040 word of the living God. Because God's Spirit always 637 00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:25,120 works in conjunction with the Scriptures and the Savior gives 638 00:46:25,120 --> 00:46:29,040 us the Spirit, and the Spirit uses the scriptures to bring 639 00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:33,360 comfort into our lives. Look what it says over in verse 640 00:46:33,360 --> 00:46:42,640 #76 it says, Oh, may your loving kindness comfort me according to 641 00:46:42,640 --> 00:46:49,160 Your word to Your servant. May Your mercies comfort me 642 00:46:49,920 --> 00:46:54,480 according to as you've already spoken in Your word. 643 00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:56,880 In other words, Your word is true. 644 00:46:57,200 --> 00:47:01,000 I'm claiming the promise of Your word about the mercies that come 645 00:47:01,320 --> 00:47:04,240 and comfort me because of what Your word says. 646 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:08,160 And then over in verse #92 If Your law had not been my 647 00:47:08,160 --> 00:47:10,400 delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. 648 00:47:10,400 --> 00:47:12,520 Verse 93. I will never forget Your 649 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:15,880 precepts, for by them You have revived me. 650 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:19,000 Verse 107. I am exceedingly afflicted. 651 00:47:19,520 --> 00:47:24,480 Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. 652 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:30,120 So the psalmist new that amidst my affliction, amidst my grief, 653 00:47:30,320 --> 00:47:33,440 amidst the need to be strengthened, it comes one way, 654 00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:38,120 through the truth of God's Word. Remember, we've quoted it over 655 00:47:38,120 --> 00:47:43,080 and over again. 2nd Thessalians 213 that God's Word effectively 656 00:47:43,080 --> 00:47:47,200 works in those who believe. It doesn't work in those who 657 00:47:47,200 --> 00:47:50,920 don't believe, except when it comes to convicting them of the 658 00:47:50,920 --> 00:47:53,400 sin and bringing into a point of salvation. 659 00:47:54,560 --> 00:47:58,520 But for those who believe, God's Word is always at work in your 660 00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:00,600 heart. So when you read it, you study 661 00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:03,960 it, you memorize it, what happens amidst your grief, 662 00:48:03,960 --> 00:48:07,400 amidst your affliction, amidst your sorrow, amidst all the 663 00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:10,320 things that trouble you, God says, I will comfort you. 664 00:48:11,560 --> 00:48:13,360 I will let you understand the strength of my word. 665 00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:17,200 That's why Romans 15, four says these things in the earlier 666 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:20,960 times were written for your instruction, that through the 667 00:48:20,960 --> 00:48:26,080 encouragement and the perseverance of Scripture, you 668 00:48:26,080 --> 00:48:30,280 might have hope. God says I've written all this 669 00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:35,600 stuff down for you so that you can have hope, so you can read 670 00:48:35,760 --> 00:48:39,320 about the people who went through times of affliction and 671 00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:44,360 grief and know what it means to have my word to comfort you. 672 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:49,760 And then of course, outside of the Savior himself and outside 673 00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:52,840 of the Spirit himself and outside of the Scriptures 674 00:48:52,840 --> 00:49:00,840 itself, you have other Saints. And over in 2nd Corinthians 675 00:49:00,840 --> 00:49:08,360 chapter 1 it says these words in verse #3 Blessed be the God and 676 00:49:08,360 --> 00:49:11,400 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father of mercy is the God 677 00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:13,400 of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction. 678 00:49:14,640 --> 00:49:18,440 So we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction 679 00:49:19,200 --> 00:49:23,880 with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 680 00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:29,400 For just as a suffering through Christ our ours in abundance, so 681 00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:32,560 also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 682 00:49:34,000 --> 00:49:38,600 Paul says the reason you go through your affliction so the 683 00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:42,640 God of a comfort will comfort you, but it isn't in there. 684 00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:48,400 He comforts you so that you will be able to comfort those who go 685 00:49:48,400 --> 00:49:53,000 through similar afflictions. And so when someone mourns 686 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:55,840 because of the sin, and they grieve over the fact that they 687 00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:58,600 have turned their back against God, and they repent of their 688 00:49:58,600 --> 00:50:01,760 sins, other Saints come alongside of them and they 689 00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:05,520 comfort them by explaining to them what God did in their life. 690 00:50:05,520 --> 00:50:07,680 And God comforted them and it's their sin. 691 00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:11,040 When they turn from their sin and they're able to be 692 00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:15,200 encouraged because they see what God did in fellow believers, 693 00:50:15,200 --> 00:50:18,800 life can happen in their life as well. 694 00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:24,920 It's the God of all comfort who comforts those who mourn over 695 00:50:24,920 --> 00:50:30,800 their sin, which really is a true godly sorrow, a repentance 696 00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:39,400 from their sin #3 detail on the characteristics. 697 00:50:39,560 --> 00:50:41,200 Real quick. Are you confessing your sin? 698 00:50:42,720 --> 00:50:51,360 Are you confessing your sin? That's a characteristic of those 699 00:50:51,360 --> 00:50:55,560 who've mourned over the sin that they that there's this continual 700 00:50:55,560 --> 00:51:00,240 confession, not you just don't mourn at the point of salvation 701 00:51:00,280 --> 00:51:02,520 when you turn from your sin, there's always this 702 00:51:02,520 --> 00:51:08,440 consciousness of reoccurring sin and how it grieves my God that 703 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:11,720 I've sinned against him. And if we are the ones 704 00:51:11,720 --> 00:51:15,840 confessing our sins, verse John 19 says, then God is the one who 705 00:51:15,840 --> 00:51:17,800 is continually forgiving us our sins. 706 00:51:18,680 --> 00:51:23,120 We are completely aware of the fact that we sin against God. 707 00:51:23,120 --> 00:51:27,520 And so we ask ourselves, are we confessing our sins? 708 00:51:27,520 --> 00:51:34,600 It was Paul who said, O wretched man that I am because he knew 709 00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:37,600 that he was a Sinner. In fact the first ever 1 He says 710 00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:44,040 he was a chief of all sinners. He understood that confession 711 00:51:44,040 --> 00:51:48,120 was good for the soul. Ask yourself, are you confessing 712 00:51:48,120 --> 00:51:52,240 your sin number #2 are you certain of God's forgiveness of 713 00:51:52,240 --> 00:51:54,960 your sin? You should be. 714 00:51:56,760 --> 00:52:00,120 Why? Because God is a God of truth, 715 00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:06,560 and God pardons iniquity. God Forgives sin. 716 00:52:07,440 --> 00:52:11,080 Do you have the peace and joy that comes from forgiveness? 717 00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:17,080 You sense God's comfort when you go to Him and confess your sins. 718 00:52:18,360 --> 00:52:21,360 Remember Jesus said in Matthew 1128, Come unto me, all ye that 719 00:52:21,360 --> 00:52:24,200 labor and heavy laden, I will give you a rest. 720 00:52:25,640 --> 00:52:28,720 Take my yoke upon you. Learn from me. 721 00:52:29,560 --> 00:52:32,400 But all those of you who are weighed down because of your 722 00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:36,360 sin, you're carrying this burden around that you cannot do 723 00:52:36,360 --> 00:52:38,280 anything with. Come to me. 724 00:52:39,640 --> 00:52:46,840 My yoke is easy. It's light, it's kind, it's 725 00:52:46,840 --> 00:52:49,040 merciful. Come to me. 726 00:52:49,680 --> 00:52:54,120 I will forgive you. Our God is a forgiving God. 727 00:52:55,160 --> 00:53:00,080 God holds no grudges. God gives no paybacks. 728 00:53:01,160 --> 00:53:04,920 God's a forgiver. He is an avenger of the evil. 729 00:53:05,080 --> 00:53:06,960 Yes. And by the way, there is no 730 00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:09,160 peace for the wicked. We understand that. 731 00:53:09,960 --> 00:53:11,640 Isaiah is pretty clear about that. 732 00:53:12,880 --> 00:53:18,880 But for those who come to Christ in repent of sins, there is 733 00:53:18,880 --> 00:53:21,800 comfort. Are you confessing your sins? 734 00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:23,760 Are you certain of God's forgiveness? 735 00:53:23,960 --> 00:53:26,680 Or are you concerned about sin and even in your own life? 736 00:53:26,920 --> 00:53:31,120 That's number three. Are you concerned about sin even 737 00:53:31,120 --> 00:53:35,440 in your own life? That that is just so, so 738 00:53:35,440 --> 00:53:40,240 important. Why so many times we just 739 00:53:40,240 --> 00:53:42,120 Passover sin as if it doesn't matter. 740 00:53:42,120 --> 00:53:50,360 It's not that big a deal, but it is because it offends the true 741 00:53:50,360 --> 00:53:55,400 and living God and that should always grieve us. 742 00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:01,480 Psalm 97 verse #10 it says hate evil. 743 00:54:01,480 --> 00:54:07,360 You who love the Lord, do you hate evil enough to turn away 744 00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:11,240 from evil? And then lastly, are you, are 745 00:54:11,240 --> 00:54:14,520 you crying over the sins of the world? 746 00:54:16,200 --> 00:54:20,880 That's that's a, that's a characteristic of those who have 747 00:54:20,880 --> 00:54:24,840 truly mourned. They cry over the sins of the 748 00:54:24,840 --> 00:54:28,880 world. Isaiah 53 three says that our 749 00:54:28,880 --> 00:54:33,680 Lord was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. 750 00:54:35,280 --> 00:54:38,440 Not only did he weep at the tomb of Lazarus, he wept over the 751 00:54:38,440 --> 00:54:42,440 city of Jerusalem. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem. 752 00:54:43,840 --> 00:54:52,000 If only, only if you'd known on this day what had come to you, I 753 00:54:52,000 --> 00:54:54,360 would have gathered you together as a mother hidden gathers your 754 00:54:54,360 --> 00:54:58,720 chicks. But you were unwilling to come 755 00:54:58,720 --> 00:55:02,640 to me. It caused him to weep because 756 00:55:02,640 --> 00:55:06,920 they chose their sin over a Savior. 757 00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:12,760 They chose their rebellion over a Redeemer. 758 00:55:14,280 --> 00:55:15,720 That's how they live their lives. 759 00:55:16,600 --> 00:55:21,040 And it caused our Lord to weep over the city. 760 00:55:21,680 --> 00:55:30,760 This is Psalm one 19136 River, a river of waters ran down my eyes 761 00:55:31,680 --> 00:55:38,520 because they keep not by law and that's just amazing. 762 00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:44,400 When was the last time you cried because someone in your family 763 00:55:44,640 --> 00:55:50,480 didn't keep the law of God? When was the last time someone 764 00:55:50,480 --> 00:55:54,120 in your you cried because someone in your church decided 765 00:55:54,120 --> 00:56:01,600 to not follow the law of God? When was the last time you wept 766 00:56:03,280 --> 00:56:05,640 because you live in a country that doesn't follow the law of 767 00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:09,200 God? There's a reason Jeremiah was 768 00:56:09,200 --> 00:56:16,680 called the weeping prophet, because he wept profusely over 769 00:56:16,680 --> 00:56:23,840 the sins of Israel. They would not turn and follow 770 00:56:23,840 --> 00:56:28,600 their God. So point #4 determining my 771 00:56:28,600 --> 00:56:30,960 course, what's my course of action? 772 00:56:30,960 --> 00:56:34,560 Number one, realize your condition. 773 00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:46,840 Realize your condition, poverty of spirit and sorrow because of 774 00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:51,080 my sin and my condition. Have you realized that? 775 00:56:51,760 --> 00:56:54,320 Have you realized that your sins have separated you from your 776 00:56:54,320 --> 00:56:58,480 God? God hasn't been separated from 777 00:56:58,480 --> 00:57:00,720 you. Your sins have separated you 778 00:57:00,720 --> 00:57:06,440 from God, and therefore your sins are a barrier between you 779 00:57:06,440 --> 00:57:09,000 and your God. Have you recognized that? 780 00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:12,600 Do you realize that? Have you come to a place where 781 00:57:12,600 --> 00:57:15,240 you you, you've mourned over your sin that that your 782 00:57:15,240 --> 00:57:21,640 condition is is ugly, destitute. I, I have nothing to offer my 783 00:57:21,640 --> 00:57:25,760 God, because I'm such a, a wretched Sinner and I cry out 784 00:57:25,760 --> 00:57:28,000 for mercy. Lord, have mercy upon me. 785 00:57:28,160 --> 00:57:33,880 Forgive me of my sin. And, and and that happens as as 786 00:57:33,880 --> 00:57:37,520 you enter into heaven, but it's something that is habitual with 787 00:57:37,520 --> 00:57:41,680 those who are Kingdom citizens that they, they still, they 788 00:57:41,680 --> 00:57:43,120 still don't think they're anything. 789 00:57:43,120 --> 00:57:46,960 They realize that they're nothing and and that that they 790 00:57:46,960 --> 00:57:50,960 are still sinners and they need to continually turn from their 791 00:57:50,960 --> 00:57:56,480 sin to follow the Lord. Have you realized your condition 792 00:57:56,480 --> 00:58:03,080 #2 research sin in the Scriptures. 793 00:58:03,760 --> 00:58:08,000 That's always a good way to to determine your course of action. 794 00:58:08,680 --> 00:58:12,120 Sometimes we don't recognize the severity of sin, but if you read 795 00:58:12,120 --> 00:58:16,560 about it in the Scriptures, read about David and Bathsheba, just 796 00:58:16,880 --> 00:58:20,800 understand what took place and everything that he lost because 797 00:58:20,800 --> 00:58:25,760 of his sin and how it affected his family so devastatingly that 798 00:58:25,760 --> 00:58:30,880 the sword never left his home. You see you, you. 799 00:58:31,000 --> 00:58:34,520 You don't mourn because of the consequences of your sin, you 800 00:58:34,520 --> 00:58:40,400 mourn because of the sin itself. Those who regret what they did, 801 00:58:40,400 --> 00:58:45,640 those who have remorse, do so because of the consequences, but 802 00:58:45,640 --> 00:58:49,760 those who repent, repent because of the sin itself. 803 00:58:50,880 --> 00:58:53,520 It offends the true and living God. 804 00:58:55,040 --> 00:59:02,600 Research sin in the scriptures from the guy this past week came 805 00:59:02,600 --> 00:59:07,920 to Christ 3 weeks ago and he came to Christ 3 weeks ago 806 00:59:07,920 --> 00:59:17,360 reading the book of Ezekiel the 36th chapter verses 2425 and 26 807 00:59:17,920 --> 00:59:23,200 about the New covenant. He read that he realized I need 808 00:59:23,200 --> 00:59:26,560 God's Spirit in me to follow the Lord. 809 00:59:28,440 --> 00:59:32,200 I need a cleansed heart. My heart's filthy. 810 00:59:33,680 --> 00:59:36,920 They got down on his knees in his bedroom and he cried out to 811 00:59:36,920 --> 00:59:46,280 God and God saved him. He didn't do anything but read 812 00:59:46,280 --> 00:59:49,440 what the Bible says, because the law of the Lord is perfect, 813 00:59:49,520 --> 00:59:54,520 converting the soul, right? Faith cometh by hearing hearing 814 00:59:54,520 --> 00:59:57,120 by about a word concerning the Christ. 815 00:59:57,360 --> 01:00:01,040 Romans 10/17. He read the scriptures and 816 01:00:01,040 --> 01:00:04,480 realized that he needed cleansing and that without that 817 01:00:04,480 --> 01:00:07,440 cleansing he would not have the Spirit, and without the Spirit 818 01:00:07,440 --> 01:00:12,160 he could not follow God. So he cried out to the Lord. 819 01:00:14,960 --> 01:00:22,000 Research sin in the scriptures. Read about Paul's life and the 820 01:00:22,000 --> 01:00:26,040 struggle that he had in Romans 7 because he struggled. 821 01:00:26,680 --> 01:00:30,440 Things I'm supposed to be doing. I'm not the things I shouldn't 822 01:00:30,440 --> 01:00:33,400 be doing. I am, O wretched man that I am, 823 01:00:33,760 --> 01:00:37,000 who will free me from this life of sin. 824 01:00:37,680 --> 01:00:43,120 He recognized his sin, and he was a great prophet of God, 825 01:00:43,800 --> 01:00:47,600 great apostle for the Lord, great preacher of the gospel, 826 01:00:48,280 --> 01:00:50,320 wrote 13 books of the New Testament. 827 01:00:51,440 --> 01:00:55,920 But he recognized how sinful he was and cried out to God. 828 01:00:57,720 --> 01:01:05,040 And lastly, request a contrite heart, Psalm 51. 829 01:01:05,040 --> 01:01:07,160 A broken and contrite heart God will not despise. 830 01:01:09,080 --> 01:01:13,960 Have you ever requested God to break your heart? 831 01:01:16,040 --> 01:01:24,080 The shatter the hardness that's there to break up all the the 832 01:01:24,080 --> 01:01:29,600 rocky soil that's there and shatter your inner man? 833 01:01:32,120 --> 01:01:41,400 Request a contrite heart because God promises blessing to those 834 01:01:41,400 --> 01:01:50,280 who mourn, joy to those who mourn because they and they only 835 01:01:50,920 --> 01:01:54,600 will be the ones who are truly comforted. 836 01:01:55,400 --> 01:02:00,360 Let's pray to God. Father, we thank you, Lord, for 837 01:02:01,600 --> 01:02:07,720 for tonight and for your word and but it means so much to to 838 01:02:07,720 --> 01:02:12,880 cover so little time to do it. But I pray for everyone in the 839 01:02:12,880 --> 01:02:16,200 room. I pray that Lord, you'd work in 840 01:02:16,200 --> 01:02:21,120 their hearts. Those who are here have never, 841 01:02:21,160 --> 01:02:25,520 never turned from their sin, never, never mourned over the 842 01:02:25,520 --> 01:02:29,840 sin of their lives because they are separated from you. 843 01:02:29,840 --> 01:02:35,120 Cause them, Lord, to see how their sin, it's only going to 844 01:02:35,120 --> 01:02:38,000 lead them to hell, not to heaven. 845 01:02:38,840 --> 01:02:42,320 They need a Savior, someone who will forgive them of their sin. 846 01:02:43,240 --> 01:02:47,520 That's what you do. You're a Savior, You're a 847 01:02:47,520 --> 01:02:49,880 Redeemer. You will deliver them from their 848 01:02:49,880 --> 01:02:52,920 sin. Cause them to cry out to you, 849 01:02:52,920 --> 01:02:56,480 Lord. And may all of us realize, Lord, 850 01:02:56,480 --> 01:03:03,200 that that turning from our sin, as Martin Luther said when he 851 01:03:03,200 --> 01:03:09,240 nailed those 95 theses on the Wittenberg door in Germany, that 852 01:03:09,240 --> 01:03:13,200 when God calls his people to repent, he means that it's a 853 01:03:13,200 --> 01:03:19,320 lifelong action of repentance. It's a constant turning from our 854 01:03:19,320 --> 01:03:23,920 sin. Maybe be that way Lord, that we 855 01:03:23,920 --> 01:03:27,000 might understand the true comfort that comes from the God 856 01:03:27,000 --> 01:03:29,440 of mercies, the God of all comfort. 857 01:03:31,280 --> 01:03:34,200 Pray in Jesus name, Amen.