Author: Stephen Thomason

God's Character Goals for Our Lives
Godly Sorrow
Intro:
1. Remember - The beatitudes are exclamations. "You are so fortunate when ... because .. !"
2. God is molding your character through the circumstances of your life.
a. God cares very much about the circumstances you experience. He feels deeply with you when you go through your trials.
b. BUT - He is more concerned about the molding process than He is about your circumstances because He sees you from His eternal perspective
3. These beatitudes are the character traits He is molding into you so you can experience the final results!
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
I. What Does "Those Who Mourn" Mean?
A. What does "Mourn" mean?
1. Mourn (πενθέω) = sorrow, grief for the dead, a passionate lament for a lost loved one, bringing an ache to the heart & unrestrained tears to the eyes.
2. Gen 37:34.35 - Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son." So his father wept for him.
3. ILL: Having to make death notifications as a chaplain.
B. What is this passage telling us?
1. This is godly sorrow. II Cor 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2. Some take this to mean sorrow for the world's condition.
a. Immorality in government & apathy about it by so many citizens.
b. Christian bashing by the media & political leaders the last few years.
c. More Christians were persecuted throughout the world in the last century than all the other centuries combined!
Slavery in Sudan.
Imprisonment in China.
Murder in Africa & Islamic countries.
d. We have a lot in our current world to mourn over. The comfort we get is from Rev 21:3.4 - And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
e. However, we also are having an immense world wide spiritual revival which started in the last century & is continuing! SO - it's a cause of rejoicing as well!
3. This probably means sorrow for your own personal sins!
a. ILL: Speeding & getting caught (II Cor 7:10.11). Worldly sorrow is sorrow that you got caught; godly sorrow is a genuine sorrow for doing something displeasing to the one who loved you enough to suffer & die for you!
b. How sorry are you about your sins? Do they grieve you as much as they grieve God? Probably not!
1. I don't think we make much out of sin today. Our society surely doesn't.
2. Morality today is relative - do whatever you want as long as it doesn't adversely affect others.
3. That's morality with God out of the picture! There doesn't seem to be a right or wrong!
c. How terrible is your sin to God? Terrible enough for Jesus to go to the cross!
1. Look at the cross! William Barclay: "Sin can take the loveliest life in all the world & smash it on a cross!"
2. Look at the cross! Open your eyes to the horror of sin. Those little sins you think are so unimportant - Lord Jesus had to suffer on the cross for those.
3. Look at the cross! Sin affects you, your Christian witness & the lives of those who look up to you as an example!
II. How Should You Respond?
A. Godly sorrow leads to repentance. II Cor 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation.
B. What's repentance?
1. Repentance (μετάνοια) = change your mind, decide to forsake one way of life for another.
2. Repent was the first thing we heard John the Baptist preaching (Matt 3:2).
3. Repent was the first thing we heard Lord Jesus preaching (Matt 4:17).
C. Where does repentance fit in? It's an important element in God's Plan of Salvation as progressive expressions of your faith!
1. Godly sorrow means that you are mourning over the way your lifestyle has displeased the One who loves you so much!
2. Repentance is your decision to leave the old life of the world & take up the lifestyle of Christ (Matt 16:24).
3. The Good Confession is your pledge of allegiance to Lord Jesus (I Tim 6:12-13).
4. Your baptism is your ceremonial identification with the Lord & His gospel (Rom 6:3-5).
5. Then - comes the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit into your life as the down payment on eternal life in heaven!
a. II Cor 1:21 - Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
b. Eph 1:13.14 - And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory.
That's where the comfort is!
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matt 5:4
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