Week 2 - REPENTANT HEARTS - 2

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

Yesterday we talked a bit about the kinds of sorrow and grief which cause us to mourn: natural sorrow and unnatural sorrow. Today we want to talk about the type of grief that Jesus was primarily talking about in this verse - SUPERNATURAL SORROW.

Jesus was talking about people who mourn over their sin - He was talking about repentance - and repentance is a supernatural working of God in our lives.

"Sorrow that is according to the will of God" (as this verse states it) or "godly sorrow" (the way some other translations read) would be the logical result of the first Beatitude which we discussed last week. Remember that Jesus had said we will be blessed (happy) if we are "poor in spirit." We determined that being poor in spirit meant we have humble hearts. It means we recognize that we are spiritually bankrupt. We know that "Apart from Him we can do nothing." We recognize our total dependence upon Him. The logical progression of having a heart that is humbled before Him would be to see our sinfulness and mourn over it with godly sorrow. 2 Cor. 7:10 (above) assures us that godly sorrow will lead us to repentance.

It's the mourning of a repentant heart that God will comfort.

When we see our spiritual bankruptcy we can respond in one of several different ways. First, we can deny that it exists. We can put on our pious faces and pretend we're all we need to be spiritually just like the Pharisees of Jesus' day did. Or, we can admit it and try to change on our own. How does that usually work for you? I'll be the first to tell you - it has never worked for me! At least not in any way that lasted! Thirdly, we can admit it but so despair over it that we give up. Been there - done that! How about you? But, oh sweet sisters, that's the worldly sorrow Paul said leads to death! The final way of responding is the one God wants us to choose - that's to admit our spiritual bankruptcy and turn to HIM for what we need.

Judas saw that he was a sinner and went out and committed suicide. Peter saw that he was a sinner and wept bitterly. That's the difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow leads to repentance which leads to salvation - and that doesn't mean just our initial "salvation" experience of being born again - it means that when we repent, we are being continuously saved day by day from the strongholds of sin.

I think it's important in mourning over our sin for us to recognize the difference between repentance - remorse - and regret.

• When my consciousness of my sin rests only in my mind, it is regret.
• When it affects my mind AND my heart, it is remorse.
• But when my concern over my sin brings me to the place where I am willing to turn from it and obey God - when my concern affects my will as well as my mind and heart - then I have experienced repentance.

Believers with humble hearts (Matt.5:3) before God will mourn over their sin and repent of it. They will experience the comfort of God. (Matt.5:4)

There are two extremes to avoid in dealing with our sin. The first is being too EASY on ourselves. It was this surface dealing with sin that cost Saul his crown. You may remember the story in 1 Samuel 15. God had instructed Saul to go to war against the Amalekites and completely destroy that heathen nation leaving none, not even livestock, alive. But Saul and his soldiers took the Amalekite king alive and saved the best of the livestock.

When Samuel confronted Saul about his disobedience to God's command, Saul

• first, lied about his sin (v.13)
• then, made an excuse instead of a confession (v.15)
• even used religion to defend his sin saying he would use the animals as sacrifice
• finally, after admitting his sin, Saul still asked for favor (v.30) because he was more concerned about his reputation than his character. He was more concerned about what other people thought than what God thought.

God doesn't want us being EASY on ourselves about our sins. Oh. My. We have SUCH a tendency to do this. Jerry Bridges wrote a whole book on the topic - Respectable Sins.

The other extreme is to be too HARD on ourselves. That's just as bad. God doesn't want His children wallowing in self-reproach, shame and condemnation. That's where the accuser of the brethren wants us. He loves to remind us of our sins and make us miserable and ashamed. His greatest victories are when we give up. God simply wants us to repent of our sins, embrace His forgiveness and experience His sweet restoration - His comfort - His strengthening - His encouragement.

So what do we need to repent of? What do we need to "mourn"?

• First, we must mourn our SIN - not its consequences - we need to see the reality of what we have done; we need to see how our sin has hurt others (perhaps even poisoned a relationship); we need to understand how our sin has hurt the Father
• Next, we must mourn our SINFULNESS - not just what we do but what we are. We must open every part of ourselves to God's searchlight.
• We need to mourn what sin does in the world. God left man to be stewards of His good creation. Look at the effects of man's pride and sinfulness on our ecology.
• We need to mourn sin in the lives of others and be deeply compelled to intercede on their behalf and witness God's power to them when we have the opportunity.

Jesus promised us COMFORT when we mourn our sin, our sinfulness, sin's effects and sin in the lives of others. His comfort is a comfort that strengthens us and encourages us. Where does it come from? What is the source of our comfort?

(1) GOD - He is the "God of all comfort.." 2 Corinthians 1:3 He is our source!!

(2) SCRIPTURE - the same Word of God that reveals our sin also reveals the grace and forgiveness of God.

I know I used this picture in last week's lesson but it is such a powerful visual image of what the Word of God does in our lives that I just couldn't resist using it again. I remember so well a time, some years ago in my life, that I was greatly devastated over a personal loss. I was grieving so deeply that when I was reading in 2 Corinthians 4 I was almost arguing with God. He said: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed" and I would say, "but I am crushed, Lord" - "perplexed, but not in despair" - "yes, I am in despair, Lord" - "persecuted, but not abandoned" - "then why do I feel so abandoned, Lord?" - "struck down, but not destroyed" - "well, I sure feel destroyed!" And then I got to v.15 and the Word of God leaped from the pages, threw its arms around me, drew me close to the heart of God and whispered these words of comfort "All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." Suddenly I was strengthened with a peace I couldn't even understand. My turmoil was gone. Suddenly I was encouraged and knew I would not only survive this assault but be able to use it in a way that would glorify God. ONLY THE WORD OF GOD CAN DO THIS!!!!!

(3) the HOLY SPIRIT comforts us
John 14:16 literally calls Him "the Comforter"! He is the great encourager, the one who infuses us with strength. He lives in our hearts and opens up the scriptures so that His comfort floods into our lives.

(4) we receive comfort from FELLOW BELIEVERS

When we are going through a tough time, the support of a fellow believer who has walked through the same thing and come out victorious is a tremendous beacon of hope and encouragement. When God comforts us, it's not something we should hoard. We must share with fellow believers. "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

Blessed are we when we mourn over our sins for we are expressing godly sorrow that leads us to repentance. Nothing is so sweet as the grace and mercy of God. His forgiveness will comfort and restore you. He will lift you out of the slimy pit -from the mud and the mire and put your feet on a rock - a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:2

Do you have a repentant heart, my sister? If not, ask God to pour a spirit of repentance upon You. Ask Him to let you begin to see your sin the way He sees it. I can promise you - That's a prayer He will answer.