WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.980 It's very good to be here. I realized, I think 00:00:03.980 --> 00:00:06.099 it was yesterday, that I'd given this passage, 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:08.939 and as I was thinking again about this particular 00:00:08.939 --> 00:00:10.660 passage and this particular sermon, I realized 00:00:10.660 --> 00:00:12.500 that a number of you would have heard me speak 00:00:12.500 --> 00:00:15.919 on this very subject just a few weeks ago. And 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:17.820 there was an immediate sense of panic, and then 00:00:17.820 --> 00:00:21.140 I thought, actually, as I'm looking at this again, 00:00:21.300 --> 00:00:27.260 boy, I need this. Have I done it? And there'll 00:00:27.260 --> 00:00:30.780 be nothing that I say today that will be new 00:00:30.780 --> 00:00:34.000 for any of you. You might not have ever heard 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:36.679 me preach before on any passage, but there'll 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:40.520 be nothing here that is new. And the real test 00:00:40.520 --> 00:00:43.780 is not so much have I heard this before, but 00:00:43.780 --> 00:00:47.780 have I taken to heart? And am I living in the 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:49.560 light of it? So let me pray with that in mind. 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:58.950 Loving Father, may we... Be those who not only 00:00:58.950 --> 00:01:04.329 hear your word, but take it to heart and live 00:01:04.329 --> 00:01:12.370 it out. For Jesus' sake. Amen. Just one of the 00:01:12.370 --> 00:01:15.430 Beatitudes. The second one, blessed are those 00:01:15.430 --> 00:01:23.069 who mourn, for they will be comforted. Do you 00:01:23.069 --> 00:01:28.180 know what it is? to experience mourning. A deep, 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:34.420 gut -wrenching grief. The works of literature 00:01:34.420 --> 00:01:38.920 express it powerfully. I can still remember when 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:41.540 I was a kid first encountering Lord Tennyson's 00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:44.519 poem written after the death of his young friend 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:47.540 Arthur Hallam, died at the age of 22. Break, 00:01:47.620 --> 00:01:52.200 break, break on thy cold grey stones, O sea. 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:56.459 and I would that my tongue could utter the thoughts 00:01:56.459 --> 00:02:01.120 that arise in me. Well, many have seen the film 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:02.799 Four Weddings and a Funeral, and you'll know 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:07.859 Stop All the Clocks, very movingly read before 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:13.020 the grave of a friend in that film. Or for me, 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:16.280 the play that has gone under my skin, and actually, 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:19.879 now I think of it, was The Lord Used Towards 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:23.349 My Conversion. King Lear, which raises all the 00:02:23.349 --> 00:02:25.610 big issues of life and what it means to be human. 00:02:26.229 --> 00:02:29.509 And I've seen King Lear countless times. And 00:02:29.509 --> 00:02:32.169 every time, Lear comes in at the end holding 00:02:32.169 --> 00:02:35.909 the limp body of his daughter, Cordelia, and 00:02:35.909 --> 00:02:41.770 crying out, Howl, howl, howl. I find I can hardly 00:02:41.770 --> 00:02:46.710 watch him. And when, before I was converted, 00:02:46.830 --> 00:02:49.009 I was asked, What's your favorite bit of the 00:02:49.009 --> 00:02:53.530 Bible? It sounds weird because it didn't bring 00:02:53.530 --> 00:02:56.250 me joy, but it moved me even as a kid listening 00:02:56.250 --> 00:03:01.530 to the words of David mourning the loss of Absalom. 00:03:01.650 --> 00:03:04.050 I heard it first in the authorized version. Oh, 00:03:04.090 --> 00:03:08.490 Absalom, my son, my son, my son, Absalom. Would 00:03:08.490 --> 00:03:13.349 God I had died for thee. Oh, Absalom, my son, 00:03:13.389 --> 00:03:19.629 my son. Of course, many of us, perhaps most of 00:03:19.629 --> 00:03:23.539 us, Don't need literature to give us a sense 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:27.020 of what it feels like to mourn because we mourn 00:03:27.020 --> 00:03:30.199 the loss of a loved one. Think of one dear church 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:34.599 member. I was there within five minutes of her 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:37.479 husband's death and she said to me a day or two 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:42.520 afterwards, it feels like I've lost a limb. You've 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:46.270 lost a loved one, family member, friend. Or you 00:03:46.270 --> 00:03:48.830 think of a broken relationship and you've grieved 00:03:48.830 --> 00:03:52.550 over that, maybe parental divorce. And although 00:03:52.550 --> 00:03:55.349 you've kind of moved on and no one would see, 00:03:55.469 --> 00:04:00.629 the wounds go very deep and you bear them every 00:04:00.629 --> 00:04:06.050 day. There's no emotion like grief. At its most 00:04:06.050 --> 00:04:10.490 intense, it is all -encompassing and it shrouds 00:04:10.490 --> 00:04:15.560 every day, even bright, sunny days. with a heavy, 00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:22.079 dark canopy. Well, if we've experienced grief, 00:04:22.360 --> 00:04:27.699 the words of Jesus are very hard to fathom. Blessed 00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:32.279 are those who mourn. One translation has it, 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:36.060 happy are the sad, which of course is an absolute 00:04:36.060 --> 00:04:42.360 nonsense. The sad are not happy. And in a period 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:45.279 of grief, Happiness is not a word you'd use to 00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:48.680 describe that. So what's going on here? It is, 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:50.779 of course, the beginning of the Beatitudes, and 00:04:50.779 --> 00:04:53.660 Jesus, at the end of chapter 4, we're told, has 00:04:53.660 --> 00:04:56.759 just begun proclaiming the good news of the kingdom. 00:04:57.879 --> 00:04:59.759 And the Sermon on the Mount is all about the 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:02.060 kingdom, what it looks like to live in the kingdom, 00:05:02.180 --> 00:05:04.779 and what are the qualities that mark those who 00:05:04.779 --> 00:05:07.100 are in God's kingdom, now that Christ has come 00:05:07.100 --> 00:05:08.819 as king, who are those who are going to receive 00:05:08.819 --> 00:05:11.680 the blessings of this salvation. And you get 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:14.060 the verbal inclusio, the brackets at the beginning 00:05:14.060 --> 00:05:16.779 in the first beatitude, blessed are the poor 00:05:16.779 --> 00:05:19.480 in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:22.120 And at the end of verse 10, blessed are those 00:05:22.120 --> 00:05:24.500 persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:26.540 is the kingdom of heaven. And these beatitudes 00:05:26.540 --> 00:05:31.079 are describing those for whom the kingdom is 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:33.860 theirs. In other words, these are the qualities 00:05:33.860 --> 00:05:37.279 that mark those who belong to the kingdom. The 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:41.889 first, of course, is the poor in spirit. Those 00:05:41.889 --> 00:05:45.810 who recognize their absolute dependence on God. 00:05:46.310 --> 00:05:50.709 That without him, we're naked, destitute, unclean, 00:05:50.709 --> 00:05:55.709 completely unfit for his presence. And the second, 00:05:55.829 --> 00:05:57.509 the one we're thinking about now, blessed are 00:05:57.509 --> 00:05:59.750 those who mourn. I take it that's the emotional 00:05:59.750 --> 00:06:02.750 counterpart of the first. What does it feel like 00:06:02.750 --> 00:06:07.490 to be poor in spirit? Well, it feels like grief. 00:06:08.430 --> 00:06:11.529 It's expressed in grieving over sin and over 00:06:11.529 --> 00:06:14.930 God's judgment against sin. And as with all the 00:06:14.930 --> 00:06:17.250 Beatitudes, the background is the Old Testament. 00:06:17.490 --> 00:06:20.550 The prophets had warned, if there's no repentance, 00:06:20.870 --> 00:06:25.829 there will be judgment. And judgment came. And 00:06:25.829 --> 00:06:28.850 by the rivers of Babylon there, we sat down and 00:06:28.850 --> 00:06:33.110 wept. And they're not just homesick. The problem 00:06:33.110 --> 00:06:35.250 is not just that they're a long way from Jerusalem. 00:06:36.329 --> 00:06:38.550 More profoundly, they're a long way from God. 00:06:39.129 --> 00:06:43.750 They're under his judgment. Jeremiah is the prophet 00:06:43.750 --> 00:06:47.089 of exile, preaching leading up to exile. He's 00:06:47.089 --> 00:06:49.410 known as the weeping prophet because he wept 00:06:49.410 --> 00:06:53.790 so much. Jeremiah 9 verse 1, O that my head were 00:06:53.790 --> 00:06:56.870 a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears. 00:06:57.029 --> 00:07:00.029 I would weep day and night for the slain of my 00:07:00.029 --> 00:07:04.660 people. And if we're right to take it, the lamentations 00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:06.819 written by Jeremiah, there is him, as it were, 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:10.480 weeping day and night. How deserted lies the 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:15.800 city. Once so full of people, bitterly she weeps 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:20.079 at night. Tears are on her cheeks, the roads 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:25.879 to Zion mourn. Of course, not all wept at the 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:29.480 time of exile or leading up to it. Some were 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:32.819 complacent. They didn't face up to the horror 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:38.199 of sin. And in their complacency, they compromised. 00:07:38.420 --> 00:07:41.060 So in exile, they adapted to Babylonian ways, 00:07:41.180 --> 00:07:45.540 they adopted Babylonian gods. Well, they could 00:07:45.540 --> 00:07:48.360 only expect the Lord's continued displeasure. 00:07:49.620 --> 00:07:53.990 But to those who, like Jeremiah, mourned... Well, 00:07:54.009 --> 00:07:55.829 they're the ones who receive the comfort of the 00:07:55.829 --> 00:07:58.350 gospel, the promise of salvation. Jeremiah 31, 00:07:58.629 --> 00:08:01.230 God says, I will turn their mourning into gladness. 00:08:01.389 --> 00:08:05.670 I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. 00:08:06.269 --> 00:08:09.089 Famously, Isaiah 40, if you're familiar with 00:08:09.089 --> 00:08:10.810 Handel's Messiah, you want to sing these words, 00:08:10.910 --> 00:08:14.149 comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your 00:08:14.149 --> 00:08:18.129 God. That's the comfort of the gospel to those 00:08:18.129 --> 00:08:22.360 who mourn. Well, then came return from exile, 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:26.000 70 years in Babylon. They went home and there 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.720 was some measure rejoicing, but the godly continued 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:32.360 to mourn because they recognized that this isn't 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:37.360 it. And you remember the weeping of the oldies 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:39.700 as they saw the new temple where the youngsters 00:08:39.700 --> 00:08:41.919 are cheering, but the oldies are weeping because 00:08:41.919 --> 00:08:44.779 they know this is not it. This is great, but 00:08:44.779 --> 00:08:47.759 this isn't the Ezekiel 40 to 48 temple. This 00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:52.149 is not salvation. They're still mourning, still 00:08:52.149 --> 00:08:55.929 looking forward to the promised Savior. And Simeon, 00:08:55.929 --> 00:08:59.250 of course, is the model of that. In his old age, 00:08:59.389 --> 00:09:03.149 still, we're told by Luke, waiting for the consolation 00:09:03.149 --> 00:09:06.830 of Israel. And then, of course, he received amazing 00:09:06.830 --> 00:09:10.629 divine comfort as he held in his own hands the 00:09:10.629 --> 00:09:14.070 Savior. Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace. 00:09:14.090 --> 00:09:18.860 I'm ready to die now. The disciples hearing these 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:20.879 words would have known the Old Testament background. 00:09:21.960 --> 00:09:23.899 They would have known that the poor in spirit 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:27.639 are not simply the materially poor, but those 00:09:27.639 --> 00:09:30.500 who recognize their dependence on God and his 00:09:30.500 --> 00:09:35.179 grace. And that poverty of spirit is not simply, 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:39.000 as it were, an intellectual tick of a doctrine. 00:09:40.100 --> 00:09:42.620 And we can tick the doctrine. We know we are 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:44.720 perverse sinners who deserve nothing but the 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:48.509 judgment of God. But it's not just what I think 00:09:48.509 --> 00:09:52.830 in my head. Mourning speaks of what's going on 00:09:52.830 --> 00:09:58.070 in the heart. So I might believe that I'm a terrible 00:09:58.070 --> 00:10:03.570 sinner. Do I mourn over my sin? There's the question. 00:10:06.870 --> 00:10:11.610 I love the prayer book, and I was brought up, 00:10:11.629 --> 00:10:14.169 in fact, pre -evangelized, I would say, by the 00:10:14.169 --> 00:10:17.179 prayer book. Day after day, in some period of 00:10:17.179 --> 00:10:19.399 my life, certainly week after week, it was before 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:22.240 1980 when the alternative service book came in, 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:26.279 it was prayer book. And week after week, I heard 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:29.820 these famous words of Cranmer, his confession 00:10:29.820 --> 00:10:33.279 in the context of the communion service. This 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:38.840 is the spirit of mourning. Almighty God. Father 00:10:38.840 --> 00:10:41.220 of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:45.220 judge of all men, we acknowledge and bewail our 00:10:45.220 --> 00:10:48.220 manifold sins and wickedness, which we from time 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:51.700 to time most grievously have committed by thought, 00:10:51.740 --> 00:10:55.799 word, and deed. Against thy divine majesty, provoking 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:59.539 most justly thy wrath and indignation against 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:04.440 us, we do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry 00:11:04.440 --> 00:11:07.139 for these our misdoings. The remembrance of them 00:11:07.139 --> 00:11:11.700 is grievous unto us. The burden of them is intolerable. 00:11:12.659 --> 00:11:17.960 Have mercy upon us. Old -fashioned language, 00:11:18.059 --> 00:11:23.539 isn't it? And too often old -fashioned theology, 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:30.700 even in evangelical churches. Here's John Stott. 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:33.080 He said, I fear that we evangelical Christians, 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:39.679 by making much of grace, make light of sin. And 00:11:39.679 --> 00:11:44.820 I think there's something in that. We're so quick 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:52.179 to remind others and ourselves of grace that 00:11:52.179 --> 00:11:53.960 at times we don't dwell enough on the horror 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:58.720 of our sin. We don't care enough to really fight 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:04.240 against it and to kill it. David Brainerd, the 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.440 18th century missionary to Native Americans, 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:09.620 wrote these words in his journal. In my morning 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:13.440 devotions, my soul was melted and I bitterly 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:17.360 mourned over my exceeding sinfulness and vileness. 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:22.399 When I read those words, it made me think, when 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:26.500 was I last deeply convicted of sin? And when 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:30.200 I was, what did I do about it? Did I repent? 00:12:32.169 --> 00:12:38.909 Or did I bury the feeling? Too often, I apply 00:12:38.909 --> 00:12:43.669 the gospel to myself very quickly. And so quickly 00:12:43.669 --> 00:12:47.730 that I perhaps don't dwell on my sin and don't 00:12:47.730 --> 00:12:51.450 determine that must stop. I need to root it out. 00:12:52.929 --> 00:12:57.570 I care about my self -image. And that can stop 00:12:57.570 --> 00:13:00.450 me dwelling on my sin. I certainly care about 00:13:00.450 --> 00:13:04.899 what you think. And there are some sins that 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:09.379 I find impossible to root out on my own. So I 00:13:09.379 --> 00:13:12.120 need to confess. And I need to say, brother, 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:14.960 sister, would you pray for me in this? Would 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:17.500 you keep me accountable? Will you keep reminding 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:25.200 me of these truths? And by the way, shame prevents 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:29.600 so often a real engagement with sin. And it's 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:31.940 much worse for Christian leaders because the 00:13:31.940 --> 00:13:35.000 shame is higher. Because the moment you're a 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.179 Christian leader, even at a theological college, 00:13:37.399 --> 00:13:39.019 kind of people put you in a different plane. 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:42.000 Someone even said to me once when I was a young 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:44.940 curate, oh, of course, you're never tempted in 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:48.539 that kind of way. As if somehow getting ordained 00:13:48.539 --> 00:13:53.799 prevented temptation. I kind of thought each 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:55.419 stage of the Christian life might be easier. 00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:57.360 When I get to college, it'll be a bit easier. 00:13:57.480 --> 00:13:59.019 When I get ordained, it'll be easier. When I 00:13:59.019 --> 00:14:00.899 stop being a curate, no, it doesn't, because 00:14:00.899 --> 00:14:04.039 I bring the same sinful heart with me wherever 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:08.019 I go. But what makes it harder, very often, is 00:14:08.019 --> 00:14:11.980 that sense that you've got to be this perfect 00:14:11.980 --> 00:14:15.539 public Christian. It makes it much harder to 00:14:15.539 --> 00:14:19.139 say, brother, sister, would you pray for me? 00:14:19.200 --> 00:14:22.559 And much more important than I do. And now's 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:28.980 the time to start. Jesus said, if your hand caused 00:14:28.980 --> 00:14:32.159 you to sin, cut it off. If your eyes caused you 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:38.419 to sin, gouge them out. When I face sin in the 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:43.360 church and the world, how do I respond? And boy, 00:14:43.460 --> 00:14:45.580 there's a lot about, isn't there? I mean, there's 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:48.980 always been. But now it's exposed as never before. 00:14:50.409 --> 00:14:53.389 And it's very ugly. And we've seen some horrific 00:14:53.389 --> 00:14:57.710 sins exposed within churches, amongst church 00:14:57.710 --> 00:15:01.830 leaders. Day by day we're seeing horrific sins 00:15:01.830 --> 00:15:05.610 exposed in the public world from very public 00:15:05.610 --> 00:15:10.269 figures. Now how do I respond? Sometimes it is 00:15:10.269 --> 00:15:14.950 absolutely right to be angry. And perhaps we're 00:15:14.950 --> 00:15:19.210 not angry enough at sin. But I wonder whether 00:15:19.210 --> 00:15:22.299 my first instinct should not be so much anger 00:15:22.299 --> 00:15:24.639 at that other person but my first instinct rather 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:26.840 than the wagging finger of condemnation is to 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:32.700 look within with tears of contrition for the 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:38.100 sins of my own heart that might be similar might 00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:40.440 not have gone that far thank the lord for that 00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:43.120 but it's only by god's grace but those sins are 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:46.299 within me in embryo form and have I been fighting 00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:48.379 against them? Or if those sins aren't in me, 00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:52.139 what about my other sins? Tears of contrition, 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:55.960 tears of grief for the pain of those who suffer 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:58.980 as a result of the sin of others. And above all, 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:05.399 tears at the offense to God. We follow a master 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:08.200 who was a man of sorrows and acquainted with 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:11.740 grief. As he approached Jerusalem, he saw the 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:15.740 city and we're told he wept over it. Well, think 00:16:15.740 --> 00:16:21.659 of Paul, very well educated, a man of culture. 00:16:22.940 --> 00:16:25.179 And he came to Athens, which of course was the 00:16:25.179 --> 00:16:27.360 cultural center of the world. And you can imagine 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:30.379 a man of such culture getting excited to be able 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:32.639 to see these beautiful works of architecture, 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:34.860 maybe to engage with some of the greatest minds 00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:37.860 of the day. But how did he respond when he went 00:16:37.860 --> 00:16:43.220 to Athens? Acts 17, Luke tells us, he was greatly 00:16:43.220 --> 00:16:47.740 distressed to see the city was full of idols. 00:16:50.019 --> 00:16:54.279 Grieved that God was so dishonored that these 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:57.259 brilliant people ignored him and worshipped other 00:16:57.259 --> 00:17:01.879 gods. Do I recognize at least something of that 00:17:01.879 --> 00:17:06.700 feeling of grief? My own sin, sins in the church, 00:17:06.779 --> 00:17:10.940 sins... In the world. The offense. To God. I 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:15.079 think all of us would say. No not enough. But 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:21.480 by the spirit. Yes. Something. May even now. 00:17:22.160 --> 00:17:25.440 A deeper sense. That's the spirit's work in us. 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:31.279 And let's listen. To the encouragement. Blessed 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:34.759 are those who mourn. For they will be comforted. 00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:37.599 Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They're the 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:40.359 ones who receive the benefits of Christ's salvation. 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:46.240 Some of us don't mourn enough. Some Christian 00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:52.500 cultures don't mourn enough. Other people don't 00:17:52.500 --> 00:17:55.460 rejoice enough. It might be Christian cultures 00:17:55.460 --> 00:18:00.220 don't rejoice enough. Yes, there's a time to 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:03.920 weep. There's a time to laugh. There's a time 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:10.750 to mourn. And there's a time. to dance. And having 00:18:10.750 --> 00:18:15.390 spoken that word of confession, deep confession, 00:18:15.690 --> 00:18:19.609 then comes the comfort. Grandma says, hear what 00:18:19.609 --> 00:18:22.450 comfortable words our Savior Christ says to all 00:18:22.450 --> 00:18:27.269 that truly turn to him. Come unto me. All that 00:18:27.269 --> 00:18:30.390 travail and are heavy laden and I will refresh 00:18:30.390 --> 00:18:32.670 you. God so loved the world he gave his one and 00:18:32.670 --> 00:18:36.650 only son that whoever, whoever, Comes to him. 00:18:38.349 --> 00:18:41.230 Will not perish, but have eternal life. This 00:18:41.230 --> 00:18:43.150 is the true saying, worthy of full acceptance, 00:18:43.250 --> 00:18:45.809 that Christ Jesus came into the world to save 00:18:45.809 --> 00:18:49.349 sinners. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate 00:18:49.349 --> 00:18:51.730 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, 00:18:51.970 --> 00:18:57.190 and he is the propitiation for our sins. That 00:18:57.190 --> 00:19:02.450 should get the heart throbbing. Maybe there's 00:19:02.450 --> 00:19:05.740 a sin that is lurking. in our consciousness, 00:19:06.059 --> 00:19:10.819 and we can't quite forgive ourselves. I think 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:13.339 two occasions I can remember when someone said 00:19:13.339 --> 00:19:16.279 to me, they want to confess something and they've 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:19.940 come to see me, and in both cases I can see them 00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:21.299 because they're in exactly the same chair in 00:19:21.299 --> 00:19:24.000 my study, and both cases they couldn't get a 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:28.740 single word out. So deeply ashamed. And both 00:19:28.740 --> 00:19:30.640 times I said, would it help if you wrote it down? 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:35.559 And through the tears... They nodded and each 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:41.619 wrote a different sin, obviously. And I was then 00:19:41.619 --> 00:19:44.680 able to ask, do you believe that Jesus Christ 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:49.740 came into the world to save sinners? Do you believe 00:19:49.740 --> 00:19:53.839 that he died on the cross for every sin of those 00:19:53.839 --> 00:20:00.960 who trust in him? Even that sin? Yes. And then 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:03.559 because I remember a vague memory of an illustration 00:20:03.559 --> 00:20:07.519 where someone had said this has happened, I just 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:09.039 thought about it. And I happened to have some 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:10.480 matches in the next door room. And I went and 00:20:10.480 --> 00:20:13.740 got some matches. And I lit the bits of paper. 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:17.640 And as they were being consumed, I quoted scripture. 00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:21.220 The blood of Jesus, God's son, purifies us from 00:20:21.220 --> 00:20:25.900 all sin. And in both cases, they were hugely 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:29.589 encouraged. One started crying again. But it's 00:20:29.589 --> 00:20:32.190 a very different kind of tears. Just tears of 00:20:32.190 --> 00:20:36.630 joy. He knew that to be true. But he'd never 00:20:36.630 --> 00:20:39.730 really connected Christ's forgiveness with that 00:20:39.730 --> 00:20:45.349 sin. Brothers and sisters, I don't know most 00:20:45.349 --> 00:20:49.190 of you, but I know a lot about you. Because I 00:20:49.190 --> 00:20:53.250 know my Bible. And you know quite a lot about 00:20:53.250 --> 00:20:55.549 me, even if you've never met me before. I know 00:20:55.549 --> 00:20:58.240 you're a terrible sinner. And I know you've done 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:01.119 wicked things. And you're capable of much worse. 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:06.299 But if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, if you've 00:21:06.299 --> 00:21:09.359 trusted in him, I also know that in his sight, 00:21:09.500 --> 00:21:13.960 you're completely clean and completely pure and 00:21:13.960 --> 00:21:20.019 justified. And that is an amazing truth. Oh, 00:21:20.019 --> 00:21:24.200 for a thousand tongues to sing our great Redeemer's. 00:21:24.509 --> 00:21:26.829 Praise Jesus, the name that charms our fears, 00:21:26.869 --> 00:21:32.390 that bids our sorrows cease. He speaks, and listening 00:21:32.390 --> 00:21:36.289 to his voice, new life the dead receive, the 00:21:36.289 --> 00:21:40.369 mournful broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor 00:21:40.369 --> 00:21:47.230 believe. So receive this comfort, that God looks 00:21:47.230 --> 00:21:52.529 at you in Christ, not as a sinner, but as a saint. 00:21:55.079 --> 00:21:59.259 Sometimes I need to confess my sin and then get 00:21:59.259 --> 00:22:02.519 someone to tell me that truth. I know it. But 00:22:02.519 --> 00:22:05.539 only when someone tells it to me do I begin to 00:22:05.539 --> 00:22:07.180 believe it. That's why I need to hear preaching. 00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:12.500 That's why the Lord's Supper is such a comfort. 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:15.700 Cranmer's words again, draw near with faith and 00:22:15.700 --> 00:22:20.140 take this Holy Communion to your comfort. And 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:22.720 we know it in our heads, but here in tangible, 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:27.460 physical form. We're being reminded of the wonder 00:22:27.460 --> 00:22:31.559 of the gospel. Of course, hardships continue 00:22:31.559 --> 00:22:35.599 in this life. We'll experience many sorrows. 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:39.039 We'll continue to grieve over loved ones who 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:43.839 we lose. Hopes dashed, bodies and minds broken, 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:48.920 disintegrating. This is a veil of tears. But 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:53.329 like Paul, if we grasp these truths, We may be 00:22:53.329 --> 00:22:56.970 sorrowful, yet we'll always be rejoicing because 00:22:56.970 --> 00:23:01.049 I'm a child of God, accepted, loved. And even 00:23:01.049 --> 00:23:03.849 the hard things in my life are overruled by him 00:23:03.849 --> 00:23:07.450 as he works all things for my good and my conformity 00:23:07.450 --> 00:23:12.809 to my Lord and my brother and my friend. And 00:23:12.809 --> 00:23:16.710 in the midst of it all, there's certain hope. 00:23:18.089 --> 00:23:21.380 Looking forward to the new creation. When there'll 00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:26.680 be no more of those awful S's. No sin, no Satan, 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:30.599 no sickness, no suffering, no sadness. Every 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:35.539 tear wiped away. Blessed are those who mourn, 00:23:35.539 --> 00:23:41.839 for they will be comforted. Just a moment of 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:42.980 quiet and then I'll pray.