|
Home |
|
|
|
EdgemereBC |
|
|
Sermon Notes |
|
|
Oct 12 '08 |
|
|
|
Oct 05 '08 |
|
|
|
Sep 28 '08 |
|
|
|
Sep 21 '08 |
|
|
|
Sep 14 '08 |
|
|
|
Sep 07 '08 |
|
|
|
Aug 31 '08 |
|
|
|
Aug 24 '08 |
|
|
|
Aug 17 '08 |
|
|
|
Evening Sermons |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||
|
|
|
| ||
Oct 12 '08
(A Series of Sermons on the Beatitudes)
Rev. Erik O. Garthe, Pastor - Edgemere Baptist Church
Message #3 ... October 12, 2008
“Beatitudes – Those Who Mourn”
Matthew 5:4
Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel died on November 30, 2007 at the age of 69. The motorcycle daredevil captured national acclaim during 1968 when he crash-landed after making a widely publicized jump over the fountains at Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas. Knievel had a late-in-life conversion to Christianity and spoke about it publicly. Of his experience, Knievel stated, "I don't know why I fought [God] so hard. I just did." Like Knievel, we must stop resisting God before we can discover the joy that accompanies true repentance. [Christianity Today, February 2008, p.14]
Read Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”
The pattern of the beatitudes: (1) condition of the heart; and (2) promise in response.
i.e. poor in spirit … kingdom of heaven
meek … inherit the earth
hunger and thirst for righteousness … filled
• In our text … the condition – “mourn” and the promise – “comfort”
“Mourn” is pentheo, “to grieve for the dead” … spiritually, to grieve for the spiritually dead—mourning over sin; our own and that of others. Without sorrow there can be no comfort. See James 4:8-10
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
God responds to the humbling of hearts.
Sin must be seen as exceedingly sinful. The size of the offense doesn’t matter to God – it’s all disobedience:
o The bite of a fruit brought death to all men by Adam
o Striking a rock kept Moses out of the Promised Land
o Murder prevented David from building the temple
o The smallest sin required the blood of Jesus Christ
Christians must mourn over their own sin and over the sin of others … as one would mourn the loss of a loved one.
• Sorrow about losing worldly things … fortune, fame, friends … can bring bitterness and desperation, particularly for the one without Christ.
• Sorrow about spiritual loss … sin … can lead to repentance and restoration.
We can see this principle in 2 Corinthians 7:2-12
His words explain the benefits of godly sorrow … mourning over spiritual matters.
In this passage, Paul is reflecting on a previous incident in the church at Corinth: See 1 Corinthians 5:1-5
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
The text reveals at least three benefits of godly sorrow:
I. Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance, V. 8-10
8 For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Explain “my letter” in verse 8 … refer to 2 Corinthians 2:1-8
1 But I determined this within myself, that I would not come again to you in sorrow. 2 For if I make you sorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? 3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you. 5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.
Sorrow only lasts a while; it’s the results that are important:
Godly Sorrow (repentance)
… versus …
Worldly Sorrow (death)
i.e. loss of worldly possessions (fortune, fame, friends) brings about desperation. … even death.
Mourning over personal sin brings confession and repentance …
An amazing event occurred at Jersey Village Baptist Church in Houston, Texas on February 26, 1995. The congregation began their evening service at 6:30 p.m. expecting a routine worship service. During the invitation, a young girl walked the aisle, confessed her sin, sought the Lord's forgiveness, and sought encouragement from the church. After her response to God, other members started coming forward and confessing their sins. Around 9:00 p.m., some members relieved a couple working in the nursery so the workers could experience what God was doing. That couple went to the altar and asked for prayer. Their son had run away four months before because he wanted the freedom to live his life as he desired. While this church was praying, that young man was at Mardi Gras in Galveston. He felt God telling him to go home. He made the ninety-minute drive home, only to find a dark house. He wondered why his parents would still be at church, but he drove to the church anyway. A deacon recognized him at the door and pointed him to his parents, who were still kneeling at the altar. The son tapped them on the shoulder. In a tearful embrace he told of his desire to come home and recommit his life to Christ. What if that young girl had not been obedient to repent of her sins? That worship service may have just lasted the usual hour rather than going until 11:00 p.m., and one family might still be distant from each other and the Lord. [Leadership, Nov. 1995, p. 2]
II. Godly Sorrow Produces Growth, Vv. 11-12
11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. 12 Therefore, although I wrote to you, I did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you.
How does mourning over sin produce growth? It is by the character it develops … we need to focus on the benefit now, instead of what happened:
Gary Richmond gained an interesting perspective on snakes while working with a snake handler at a zoo. The curator was joined by Richmond and three other professionals as they milked the venom of a king cobra. The tension was high because of the deadly potential. The man noted that in Africa, several elephants die every year as a result of the king cobra. While clenching the snake’s neck, the curator explained the need for milking the cobra as quickly as possible because “no man could ever survive a bite from a full load of venom.” The snake’s venom glands contain enough poison to kill one thousand adults. Once the rags were saturated with the lethal venom and they were ready to release the snake, this skilled curator gave a profound warning. He cautioned the others and said, “More people are bitten trying to let go of snakes than when they grab them.” When it comes to repenting of our sins, we frequently find the greatest struggle occurs after the repentance instead of before. This lesson about snakes helps us understand why. When we try to turn loose of Satan he will quickly lunge at us with a full load of venom. [God’s Vitamin “C” for the Spirit, Kathy Miller, 1996, p. 31–32]
III. Godly Sorrow Produces Encouragement, [Vv. 2-7]
o Paul encouraged the Corinthians – verses 2-3
2 Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.
o Paul was encouraged by them – verses 6-7
6 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.
o And … that encouragement came a critical moment, verses 4-5
4 Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation. 5 For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.
i.e. the repentance of Ray Pelletier (we all rejoiced)
Note: Ray went to be with the Lord in 2005.
How do we ‘mourn’ over our sins? By self-examination …
See 1 Corinthians 11:31-32
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal sins not confessed. See Hosea 10:12
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
Explain “fallow ground”
A man continually rededicated his life and always prayed the same prayer, "Lord, take the cobwebs out of my life." His pastor had heard this prayer more times than he cared to remember. Finally, when the man uttered that prayer into his pastor's ear at the altar, the pastor responded with a prayer of his own, "Lord, kill the spider!" Repentance requires change in both our attitudes and our behavior. [Our Daily Bread, March 19, 1992]
Confess and receive forgiveness of sins: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Invitation …
| Site Tools |
|
|
|
|
|
Verse of the Day |
|
|
