Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

God's Word is our instruction manual. Just like every product has an instruction manual, God was kind to give mankind an instruction manual to tell us how to live, giving us very His teachings in the Old Testament, basically the Torah and the prophets, as it is commonly known. In the New Testament, it's expanded with the teachings of Christ and of the apostles. We know that Moses stated, or rather God inspired Moses and before Moses wrote, that it would be a prophet that would come like Moses. That's in the Deuteronomy 18.18. I'm not turning there. You may take a note to read it in more detail. And it says that you, as the people, are supposed to listen to, and if you don't listen to Him, I will require that of you, said God in that prophecy of Deuteronomy 18.18. And Acts 3, verse 22 expands that by saying that obviously was Christ, that is Christ, He was that prophet, and translates the word as that will be required of you as in a different way by saying you will utterly destroy you if you don't listen to Christ. Now, that puts us an awesome responsibility to listen to the instruction of God and with particularly focus to the, let's call it the amendments or the addendums, rather, by Christ, the expansion of the law, the teachings of Christ and of the apostles. And with that in mind, I did mention a few weeks back that I wanted to go through the teachings of Christ, and I did cover one of the Beatitudes, which is being poor in spirit, which is Matthew 5.3, and it says blessed are the ones that are poor in spirit because this is the kingdom of God, and basically mentioning that that is an attitude of humility, and in a sense, it's the first Christian attitude that we need to have, the one that builds upon others that follow, others that are a cumulative, oh, time twists enough, I'm sorry, a cumulative, a cumulative, you know what I mean, but it could be light on that word. So let's turn to Matthew 5, but we're going to read at the next Beatitude now, Matthew 5, Matthew 5, but verse 4, which is the next Beatitude. Matthew 5 verse 4, it says blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Now, what is meant by mourning? Is it just crying? Is it just just crying? The Greek word is translated a number of times as mourning, either as well or be well, but mourn, it's really to lament, to mourn, lament, or to be disappointed, or maybe even in common language, just to be serious about certain things, maybe even sad about certain things, but serious. So the question is, when Christ said that blessed are those who mourn, is it merely maybe, what do we mourn? What are we going to be serious about? What are we going to be lamenting? Is it just going to be death of one's relatives? And I'm not saying not to do that, I'm saying, but was Christ just referring to that? That's my point. Let's look at Luke chapter 23. Luke 23. Because now we have a situation where Christ was, verse 23, verse 27, Christ was being led away basically to his death. You could call it as if it was like a funeral march or a pre-funeral march, in a sense, you know. And it says here, verse 27, a great multitude of people followed him and women who also mourned and lamented him. So they were going behind him, and they were crying, they were mourning, and they were obviously sad about the situation.

And then Christ says in verse 28, but Jesus turning to them said daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, don't cry for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

But cry for yourselves and for your children. So God, and specifically Christ in his teaching, is actually talking about mourning, but it's just more than mourning just for the funeral or for somebody's death, but it's mourning for something else because he's saying weep for yourselves and for your children. So is it, therefore, just kind of weep for myself because, oh, poor me, I've got these problems, and therefore I'm weeping for myself. Is that what Christ meant? Now, surely Christ was looking for as the end result, his repentance. That is clearly that's what Christ is looking for. That's the end result. So mourning is not repentance, but mourning, put it very plainly, is godly sorrow which should lead to repentance. Defining it very plainly, mourning is godly sorrow which should lead to repentance. See, mourning is not repentance, but it is something that comes before that leads or should lead to repentance. And you and I should strive to have that godly sorrow, that godly mourning. And so, godly mourning is not just a feeling, an emotional feeling, but it actually is an attitude because it's one of the beatitudes, an attitude. And yes, it should lead to an action in a way to repentance. That's where it should lead.

So, today's purpose, brethren, is to actually look at this whole subject of mourning in more detail, to understand deeper what it's meant by true godly mourning, godly mourning, so that it may lead to the right action. And so that, in the end, you and I may be comforted, because that's what Christ said. So, there will be comforted. So, there will be comfort from that. So, I'm going to address three areas. The first one is going to be, we need to have true mourning, and so we'll look at that.

And the second one, we will get into it in a moment. Well, let's get into those. Basically, three areas. The first one, though, is to understand what is true mourning. And look with me, please, into Ecclesiastes chapter 7. Ecclesiastes chapter 7, some of you have probably have read it, maybe you don't remember it, but it's one of those that you read, and sometimes it sticks in your mind. And we're going to start in verse 2 through verse 6. It says, better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men, and the living will take her to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by said countenance the heart is made better.

We're actually talking about the heart.

You see, Christ is concerned with the heart. Christ's attitudes are about the heart, not just knowledge. Knowledge is important. And obviously, we need to know, as we clearly heard in the sermon, we need to know the truth so that we know how to do the correct the right things. And in fact, a lot of the teaching is knowledge. Knowledge is important. And that goes into the brain, into the mind. Knowledge is important. But we need to get the heart also conditioned the right way. So it's not just the mind, but it's the heart also. The two have to be hand in hand in sync together. That's why it says, love the Lord with all your might, with all your mind, and with all your heart. Because you've got to have your mind and your heart and then your whole energy behind it to do it. You see, it's two things. The mind, so it's knowledge. It's important. But the heart is equally important. It's regrets, regrettably. That many people know the truth, but the heart is not right. And so they may know the truth. They may know all the things, but if the heart is not right, it is sad because there's something missing and they can't see it.

And so Christ was focusing on the heart. And he says he wants us to have a better heart. And therefore, that's why he's talking about this beatitude, which leads to a heart which is made better. They're continuing, verse 4, the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. And so that is true wisdom. That is true godly wisdom that has a certain understanding of true mourning.

But the heart of fools is in the house of myrrh. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot. And you know, you make a little fire and you make it with thorns and twigs and things like that, and you put a pot like when you go out on a barbecue or something like that. You know, you might just do that, and you have these little thorns underneath the pot, correctly.

So just like the crackling of thorns in the pot, so is the laughter of a fool. A lot of noise, but nothing comes out of it. And so it says this is all sovereignty. So brethren, the point here is Christ and God is interested in both our minds being right, that is, the right knowledge, and in our hearts being right, being shaped with the right attitude. Turn with me to Titus, because yeah, we see in the letter to Titus the same thing being constructed by Paul when he wrote to Titus in Titus chapter 2 verse 6, the same sort of principle. And he says, Titus 2 verse 6, he says, likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, to be sober-minded. That's what, you know, when we are with this attitude of being sober, being serious, being in the house of mourning, it's not necessarily we're going around and crying and be wailing like that, but it means that we have some sobriety in us. We have some real capability of being serious when it's a time to be serious. And then he adds that in verse 11 and 12, and he says, for the grace of God that brings salvation as a spiritual man, teaching us that deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly. We should live in a way that is sober, that we are sober, that we are serious, that we take life seriously. It is a serious life that we are and that God has given us. And then he continues saying, righteous least and godly in the present age. So it is important to be sober. And then in 1 Peter, again we've got similar supporting instruction that Peter wrote. 1 Peter chapter 4, 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7. 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 7 says, that the end of all things is at hand.

In other words, we are in the end time. Things are really coming to a head. Therefore, be serious and watchful. In other words, be sober-minded. Let your mind be sober. Be serious. And watchful means look at things in a calm, collected way and look at what's happening. Be watchful. So being serious, being sober, this is important. And therefore, indeed, brethren, there's enough in the world going on to make a series. There's enough around us that we, you and I, can watch to make us really serious that we live in serious times. Now turn with me to Amos chapter 5. Amos chapter 5. Daniel, Isaiah, Amos, or the Diab. Amos chapter 5. I always like to say to myself, the names of the books, it kind of helps me to position them more or less, where are they in the Bible.

So Amos chapter 5. We're going to read verse 18 and 19. And it says, Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. Now that is a powerful statement. He says, Woe to you that desire the day of the Lord. Now do you and I understand what is the day of the Lord?

Now we've got a booklet, a study guide, about the book of Revelation. And using that study guide, you can help you to study and understand what it's meant by the day of the Lord.

Peripherizing it very simply, as the Bible explains it, the day of the Lord is that period just before Christ's coming towards the latter part of the Great Revelation.

That's the day of the Lord. Probably indications are it'll be for about one year. So in other words, the last year of the three and a half years of the Great Revelation. In other words, that period after the heavenly signs, when God is going to intervene in the world and just before Christ comes, that is the day of the Lord as. And so it says, Woe to you that desire the day of the Lord. For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion. Now think about it. There's no lions here, but I've been in areas where there is a lion. And fortunately, they were beyond the fence. But, you know, there's there's some real lions, you know, and I've been in a situation in which this is one of the brethren in the church has let's call it a lion breeding area and and there's little lions and then say three months old, they're about as big already. So they're quite big. But once they grow beyond that, he puts them into a big area. I mean, big fence and separates them, particularly the males. And there was this male. It was in this big area and there was a big fence. All it is just a wire fence. A wire fence. I mean, that lion could get onto that wire fence and just completely break and come to me. But before the wire fence, there's one little wire which is electric, you know, and and so he's tried it now and again, he's realized he knows. So he comes to that wire and stops like an inch away from that wire. Now I'm standing in there looking at it, and this lion gets crossed with me and he charges at me and he comes at me and he stops like this right there. I mean, the lion is right here like this and you kind of get a stretch as well. He's not going to come there, so you've got a bit of faith in the city. He just stand there and lie because it stops. But it's kind of a sensation to feel if that was not so and the lion was coming at you, you would be running away big time. Now you run away from the lion and you turn around and it says, and a bear meets him. So you run away from the lion. As you turn the corner, running away from the lion, there's a big bear coming at you. Now you're in deep trouble. I mean, there's a lion coming behind. This lion is the bear. Now you're in trouble. And fortunately, you're right by the door of your house. You open the door, get inside, close the door, and you put your hand on the wall and a snake bites you.

Well, that's what it says here. Look at it. It will be as though a man fled from a lion and a bear met him. Or as though you went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall and a serpent bit him. Tough times. I mean, you just can't get away from it. I mean, it sounds humorous when you explain it this way. And I don't mean to be humorous because really, what we're looking at is a very serious time. Very serious time. And then it goes on. It's not the day of the Lord and not light. It is not very dark with no brightness in it.

So the day of the Lord will be a tough time. But we know that beyond that, there will be the kingdom of God. Beyond that, it will be hoped for mankind. But as we build up towards that, there are a lot of troubles around the world that make us be serious. We just have to look in the last few years when we saw the Japan tsunami, crisis in the Middle East, our government is being disrespected around the world. Why?

Because there's no leadership. Really, there's no real leadership. We are getting into a horrendous debt. We see the situation in Greece. It's kind of a knife edge whether they're going to bail them out or not. They say they'll probably bail them out on Monday, but again, they're demanding some serious cutbacks, which means Europe is trying to get things into order.

On the other side, we just heard that the president of Germany is just resigned because they've had problems in Germany. And we hear of bloodshed all over the place. And the debt in this country as well, he just keeps ticking over.

And he's just bossing both to say, just spend more money. Where does it come from? I don't know. And that means our children, we are in for a serious time. So there's a lot, brethren. Troubles are coming. So in the same chapter where you are in Amos, if you just look at Amos chapter 6, verse 1 through 8, it says, "...woe to you, who art at ease in Zion, and trust in mount Samaria, woe to you that are, for instance, in today's society, and living reasonably well, and say, well, I'm okay, Jack.

I'm not worried about things are okay." And he says, "...notable persons in the chief nation to whom the house of Israel comes, to cover, go over, go over to Kome and see, and from there go to Hamath the Great, then go down to Geth of the Philistines. Are you better than those kingdoms?" In other words, are we today in today's nations, in today's society, better than some of those nations that were heavily punished? Are we better off than them? Are we better? Or is that territory greater than your territory?

Woe to you, who put far off the day of doom, who cause the seat of violence to come near, who lie on beds of ivory, stretch up on your couches, eat lambs from the flock, and calls from the midst of the stall, who sink idly to the sound of swinging instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David, who drink wine from both, and anoint yourselves as the best audience?" It was well to you that you're not taking the time seriously, because you're just kind of having a party, and everything is okay, Jack.

And it appears to be okay, but are not grieved for the afflictions that are going on. Therefore, and goes on, they shall now go captive as the first of the captives, and those who recline at the banquet shall be removed. The Lord God has sworn by himself. The Lord God of hosts says, I abhor the pride of this nation, of the people who have been in the swarm today.

And I hate their palaces. Therefore, I'll deliver. I'll deliver up the city, and all that is in it. That's why the Day of the Lord. God is not happy that people, for one, are not grateful for what they have, and two, for what they do, and how they behave. God is extremely upset, and he is going to do something about it. So we need to be serious. We live in serious times, and we need to be serious.

Now look again at Ezekiel chapter 9. Ezekiel chapter 9. Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel chapter 9.

And verse 4 through 9. Chapter 9 verse 4 through 9.

And the Lord said to him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem.

In other words, go through this wall today. Go through the cities today. I mean, let's expand it, just beyond the situation at that time. And put a mark on the forehead of the man, and obviously of the woman, who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it. In other words, put a mark on the people that sigh and cry for all the evil things that are being done in the world today, and in our nation, and in many other nations. I'm expanding it beyond America, because, you know, we need to look at it if the whole world is following the same sing and dost, quote-unquote, the same problems.

And then it continues. And he says, to the others he said in hearing, go after him through the city and kill. And do not let your eyes spare, nor have any pity.

Just go out and wipe everybody out. Wipe them out. And don't spare, don't have any pity, just wipe it out. Utterly slay all the young maidens and middle children and women. Just don't have any pity. Don't let your eyes take pity. Just go and wipe people out.

Brethren, we are in for serious time.

But, but, do not come near anyone on whom is a mark. Don't come on anyone that has that mark that they sigh and cry. So Brethren, mourning is a very important attitude for us to have in this society. And then he goes on. And begin at my sanctuary.

In plain layman's language, that means begin in the church of God. Begin amongst us. And so they began with the elders. So it's even more serious for the elders in the church who were before the temple. And then he said to them, they file the temple and fill the courts with the slack. Go out. Just wipe people out. Brethren, it is, it's a frightening statement. And they went out and killed in the city. And so it was that while they were killing them, I was left alone. And I fell on my face and I cried. That's mourning. That's mourning. That's real mourning for the people. And I said, Oh, Lord God, will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring your fury on Jerusalem? And brethren, God is equal to everybody. So as much as Israel, it would be the whole world. And he said to me, the iniquity of the houses of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. And the land is full of bloodshed. And the city full of perversity for thy side. The Lord has forsaken the land and the Lord does not see.

We can do it because God does not see us. And brethren, God does see us. God does see.

So we need to be mourning. We need to be mourning and particularly for God's church, because it says that's where it's going to start. Starting my sanctuary. Look at Ezra, chapter 9. Ezra, chapter 9.

Ezra, chapter 9. Ezra, chapter 9. Ezra, chapter 9. 9 verse 2. Oh, the setting yah was the Jews that just come back from Babylon. They've been taken as slaves to Babylon. Now some of them came back to the promised land.

And now as they came back to the promised land, just a few, it says what some of them did in verse 9. Some of them says, for they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons so that the holy seed is mixed with the peoples of those lands.

In other words, they had allowed, let's put it in today's language, people of faith to mix with people which are not of the faith. That's really what it says. The holy seed is mixed. In other words, the sons of God to be the children of God, potential children of God, identify that to be with the ones that are children of men, as you can read in the times before Noah.

So, yeah, we see the holy seed is mixed. You see, God is always the same. There's no difference. The same principle applies. And it applies to us today. It says, with the peoples of those lands, indeed, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this response. In other words, some of the very leaders of the nation are the guilty ones.

And so, God was not happy with that. And so, let's jump ahead in the story in chapter 10, and we start reading, and we just read verse 1 and 2. Now, while Ezra was praying, and while he was confessing, weeping and bowing before the house of God. So, he was weeping. He was mourning. He had this attitude of Christ of mourning. It was mourning and bowing before the house of God. A very large assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him with Israel for the people whipped very bitterly. And Shek and I, the son of Jehil, one of the sons of Elam, spoke up and said to Ezra, we have trespassed against our God and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land. Yet now, there is hope in Israel in spite of this. There is hope because we can repent.

You see, brethren, we need to be mourning for Israel. We need to be mourning for the Church of God. It is sad when people go astray. We've seen people go astray. We've seen many years back people that knew the truth and went astray from keeping the Sabbath. They knew how to keep the Sabbath, they went astray from God's principles and in many ways. And so, we need to weep for the world and also for what's happening to people.

You probably read, remember, the shortest verse in the Bible. It says, Jesus whipped.

And you don't have to turn there, but it was a situation of Lazarus. And he had told that scene John 11. But it was a situation of Lazarus. And then he knew that Lazarus was going to die and had died. He said, no, he's died. He said, no, he's asleep. He said, oh, he's just sleeping. He says, no, no, no, he's dead. And then he went and then he went to the woman and he said to them, now Lazarus will live. And he says, oh, now we know you're living the world tomorrow, you know. So now now we live. And they didn't believe him. And so he whipped for their unbelief.

He wasn't weeping because Lazarus had died or what was asleep. He knew he was going to resurrect him.

He was weeping for their unbelief. And so, this whole world, there's many things we can be sad and sorry for the world or serious or sober because we live in difficult times. And therefore, there's many things we can we can whip for them and concern for them. And we started by reading in Matthew 23. So let's go back to Matthew 23, please. Matthew 23. Matthew 23.

Sorry, it is Matthew 23, but we don't start reading there. Just Matthew 23 verse 34 says, Therefore, indeed, I sent you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify.

Why did Christ, in other words, God, sent to the nation prophets and scribes and wise men? Why did he do that? Why did he send prophets? Why is there prophecy? Is prophecy there just to say, well, there's bad news and whatever. And therefore, I'm God because I know what's going to happen. And you just I'm great because I know what the future is for. No, prophecy is there so that people would repent.

I mean, you know about the prophets that went to Nineveh, Jonah, and they said, I don't want to go and this and that. So God says, no, you go. And then the people repented.

And then the prophecy did not happen. So people say, oh, well, he's a false prophet. No, he was not a false prophet because the prophecy is there for people to repent.

God and YHAC Christ is saying, I said to you prophets, wise men and scribes.

Why? So that you would repent. Why? Because he cared for the people. He warned them. The end result. And instead of they repenting, what did they do? They killed the prophets. They killed the messenger. They didn't like the message. They killed the messenger. Instead of repenting, they killed the messenger. That's what they did. And it's the sum of them you will kill and crucify. And some of them you will scorch in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. So that was in the past and will be in the future as well. That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berakiah, whom you murdered between the temple and altar. As surely I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. Christ is looking for a change.

A change in people's attitude. That's what Christ wants. But he says here, verse 36, surely I say to you, all these things will surely come upon this generation. Then he continues, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who were sent to her.

How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen, gather the chicks under the wings, but you are not willing. How I love you? Basically saying mankind, men and women around the whole world. That's what God is. He loves mankind. He loves us. And now he wants us to go the right way. And that's why I say to prophets so that we go the right way. But no.

And he says, continue. But you're not willing. See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I say to you, you shall see me no more till you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

In other words, I've done my part. Now I'm going to punish you. And when I come back, you will be repentant and you will say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. When you see me again, your attitude will be changed because I will make sure that your attitude will be changed. That's what he's saying. That's what he's saying. Now, so Christ wants a change.

Now, we see that, for instance. That's the same message that Paul wants in people. Look at the example in 1 Corinthians. And as we are approaching the days of the Lamb and Bread, this is pertinent as well to that 1 Corinthians, because this was during written during the days of the Lamb and Bread.

And the situation being Chapter 5, as you well know, was about a man that is committing some sexual immorality, which was pretty disgusting. And he goes on saying, it is actually reporting that there is sexual immorality amongst you and sexual immorality, as is not even named amongst the Gentiles, that a man is his father's wife. And you are passed up. You are passed up. In other words, you are proud. What is the first beatitude? Poorly in spirit. What is that? The office stop being passed up, being humble. So once we humble, what is the next thing that we should have?

An attitude of mourning. And he goes on and says, you are passed up and have not rather mourned.

Can you see how the two tied together? You are passed up. You should be poor in spirit. And you should be mourning as the next step. They tied one with the other.

You should be lamenting. You should be humble. You should be saying, this should not happen in the Church of God. And you should correct that person. And you should send them out. And you should do X, Y, Z. As far as that person. And so they repented. They changed. They sent that person out of the Church. And then later on, we'll read that person repented and came back into the Church. And then you can see that story in 2nd Corinthians. But brethren, the point is, the point is, when we see things are not being done the way they should be, we should grieve. Whether they are in the Church or in a world or whatever it is, we should lament. We should be sober about it and pray to God for His Kingdom to come. And that His work may be done so that people may be warned because there's going to be a punishment. Or are we calloused and we just kind of take it over and go on doing what we're doing next. We must not be calloused because we must pay attention to these so that we are sighing and crying for these things.

And then God will give us a mark so that we'll be protected. Not because we're any better than others, because that's what He said. You know, He sigh and cry, put a mark on those that are doing that. And the others will be punished, but not those that have sigh and cry. It's an important attitude. So brethren, what should you and I do? What should we do? Brethren, we should ask God to teach us through Godly morning, because really we don't know. We should ask God to teach us there. Turn with me to James chapter 5. James chapter 5.

It says, Come now you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.

Obviously, it's not necessarily talking about the situation, yeah, but I'm talking about a principle that somebody that has something needs to be sober and in a right attitude, not being more important than others or whatever it is, because it says you're rich, weep and howl. So, if you think that you've got nothing to mourn about, then we need, maybe you're rich in that point of view, then maybe we need to ask God to teach us through morning, to teach us.

A good scripture about that is in Psalm 25. Turn with me to Psalm 25, please. Psalm 25 is a beautiful psalm, yeah, and we're just going to read two verses there, verse 4 and 5. Psalm 25, verse 4 and 5. It's actually one of the psalms we have in our hymnal, Psalm 25, and it says, verse 4 and 5, Shall we, O wise O Lord, teach me your paths, lead me in your truth, and teach me. And one thing we can ask God to teach us and to lead us is to lead us to have a true, godly attitude of mourning. So, the first step that I set out with cover is, let us understand a little bit more what is mourning. Mourning is not just crying for somebody that is, maybe, for instance, passed away. And I'm not saying that we don't do that. Please do not misunderstand. Please, that is important, and it's important to grieve for that and for the family. But what I'm saying is, as a spiritual mourning, it goes well beyond that. It's a much more broader topic than just that one narrow point. And we sometimes don't have it all, and we don't understand it fully. Therefore, you and I need to ask God. I need to ask God. We all need to ask God to help us to have the right, godly mourning the way that He would like us to have.

Because we may have some of it. I may have highlighted some points here, but I may have missed many others. And we all, as we, for instance, prepare for Passover and 11 bread, it is right to actually look at that as well, so that we're not fussed up. But we are mourning and asking God to help us to, through maybe prayer and casting, help us to see ourselves a little bit better so that we can mourn in a godly way that is more pleasant to God. Now, let me move on to the second point. And the second point is that mourning needs to lead to action. And in fact, the third point is the same thing. Mourning needs to lead to action. But the second point is, I'm talking about action to yourself and to myself. Mourning needs to lead to action to change myself and to change yourself.

Look at the text of Paul. Paul did certain things before he was converted, which were quite shocking. Turn with me to Acts chapter 26. Acts chapter 26. And we're going to read verse 9 through 11. Indeed, says Paul in Acts 26 verse 9, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I thought in good conscience, I was under the belief that I really needed to do things contrary or in opposition to what he thought to be a false prophet, Jesus. And so, this I also did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints are shut up in prison. I've put many true Christians in jail. I also received authority from the chief priests. In other words, I had a, let's put it a letter giving me authorization to do that.

And when they were put to death, I caused my vote against them. When they went into trial, are they going to die or not die? I voted for them to die, to be killed. And I punished them often in every synagogue. I mean, he went from synagogue to synagogue, and he went and looked for Christians, and he punished them, and compelled them to blaspheme.

And being excelling and raged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. I persecuted them to appoint them, and they were expelled out of the country.

Now, in Acts 9, if you just turn a few chapters before, that's the time when God took a little knob or a stick and hit him on the head, and said, I'll wake up for Saul, as he was, and in verse 3, Acts 9 verse 3, as he journeyed, and he came near to Damascus, because he was on a mission to go to Damascus to just do the same thing. So, when he came near to Damascus, so he's just about getting into Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. I mean, there was this sharp light, and he says, and he fell to the ground. I mean, all I can think of it is to give a type of analogy, like this amount of lightning, sharp, that may be even striking, and he's hitting down on the ground. I mean, doesn't say that, so I'm actually taking a bit of liberty, and forgive me, I'm just trying to put it in some terms that we understand, you know? But something really hit him, and hit him like a two-by-four, somewhere between our eyes, and says, boom! I wake up, Paul was Saul, and he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

And he was just saying, who are you? And then the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the gods. It is hard for you to go around, and so for you, there's a whole bunch of rocks behind the street, and imagine you take your foot, barefoot, and start kicking against the rocks. Man, you're going to hurt yourself. You're going to hurt yourself. And it's hard for you to hit against the gods. And obviously, it was not that, but it's just an example. It's hard for you to actually kick against the gods. It's hard for you to go against God, basically. So he trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what do you want me to do?

The Lord said to me, arise, go into the city, and you'll be told what you must do.

And so, he's been reading verse 9, we jump, and he says, And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Do you think he was mourning? I think he was deeply mourning what he did. He realized he had been killed. He had killed Stephen. You know that Stephen's clothes were thrown at his feet. He was there, says, stunning today. He realized he had been killing God's people. He thought he was doing God a favor, and he realized that he was wrong.

He mourned deeply for what he did.

But did it end there?

He repented. That's the point. It led to some action. He repented.

Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1.

We're going to read in verse 12 and 13.

And I thank God, I thank Jesus, Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me, because he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, Paul said, I was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor. I was an insolent man.

God hit me between eyes. I mourned, and then I repented. And upon repentance, God then comforted me and blessed him.

You see, you see, it goes on here, but it says, continue, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorant, ignorant, ignorantly, and in unbelief. I just did not know the reality. I mean, he thought he knew it all, but he just did not know it all. And the grace of our Lord, as was exceedingly abundant, God's grace is enormous. Now, think about, think about what he did, and compare that to what you and I have done. I mean, we all have done things wrong, but you kind of say, well, I didn't do it that degree. If God is merciful to Paul, can't he be merciful to me, to you and I?

And then he says, with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus, continue in verse 15. This is a faithful sign and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus, kindly to the world to save sinners, of whom I achieve. However, for this reason, I'll tell you mercy, mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long suffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him forever lost in life. It was just an example. If Christ is merciful to Paul after what he did, after he killed people, after he blasphemed, after he did what he did, as we saw, and he admitted it, God's going to be merciful to us.

Now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible to God, who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. The glory is to God. The glory is to God. So, Paul repented for what he did.

That's important to remember. He repented for what he did. But before repentance, he mourned. He had godly sorrow that led to repentance.

But you know, brethren, he did not only repent for what he did.

He did not only repent for what he did.

What else did he repent for?

Let's look in Romans chapter 7 verse 15. What else did Paul repent of?

Romans chapter 7 verse 15. For what I'm doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice. But I hate what I do. Look also in verse 19.

For the good that I will do, I will to do, I will not, I do not do.

But the evil that I will not to do, that I practice. Look also in verse 21. I find in the law that evil is present within me, the one who wills to do good.

He repented for what he was.

He repented not only for what he did, but he repented for what he was.

It's two things, two different things. Now, that does not mean that he was disobeying God, because you read a bit further down in chapter 8 verse 3. It says, For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did send his own son in the likeness of his sinful flesh, to account of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement, the righteous requirement, in other words, what the law requires us to do, the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. In other words, he was fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law.

Who, in other words, us, who we do not walk according to the flesh. In other words, we're not doing according to what we are, but we are walking according to the Spirit. We are practicing, we are living, because Christ is in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, and therefore through the power of the Holy Spirit, God, in his mercy, is changing us, so that we're not doing what our body by nature wants to do, but we're doing something else.

So he was not disobeying God, but what he's saying is that in his flesh there was this thing that wanted to go the wrong way, and he repented of that.

Reverend, you and I need God's Holy Spirit. So what is it that we should do? We need to change ourselves. We need to repent and strive to become perfect like Christ. Remember the story I read you earlier on about that man in Corinth that was committing these sexual sins, and he was kicked out of the church. Initially he had not been, and Paul criticized him for not kicking him out, but then they kicked him out. But then he repented and came back. Now look at the story in 2 Corinthians chapter 7. 2 Corinthians chapter 7. We break into that story when Paul says that I'm happy. Verse 9. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 9. I rejoice that you were not that you were made sorry. In other words, you were sorry for allowing that man in the church, but then you repented. You allowed him to go out. He also repented and came back in. And so now what do we have? We have quote-unquote a clean church where you've repented. He's repented altogether. So he says, so he rejoices not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. That is the point. The mourning needs to lead to repentance.

For you were made sorry in a godly manner. In other words, not just a human mourning of crying and just sorry, and then tomorrow go on the same way. It was a godly sorrow that there was a change. And he says, for you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss for us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation. Godly mourning produces repentance leading to salvation. It's like a progression.

You need to be humble in spirit. You need to be mourning. Mourning should lead to repentance, if it is godly, which then leads to salvation. Not to be recreated. But the sorrow of the world produces death. Why? Because it does not produce repentance. It's shallow.

Now observe this scene, verse 11. Now it's good to remember this scripture.

My son reminded me that it's actually 7-11, you know, chapter 7, verse 11. So think about 7-11, you know, the rest of the rock, 7-11. Anyway, anyway, so for observe this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner.

This brethren is probably the most concise definition of truly godly repentance. That you and I need to study this verse deeply, and understanding what each word of these means, so that you and I understand deeply what is true godly repentance. For what diligence? In other words, what carefulness, what how diligent you are, how spiritual alert you are, how careful you are, what diligence it produced in you. In other words, you're a lot more aware of situations. What clearing of yourselves?

In other words, clearing, removing evil, a change in getting a better reputation, clearing of yourselves, of putting the evil away. What indignation? What indignation? It was indignation against the sin. What indignation? That sin is so horrible. Oh yes, it appears so nice, but it's so horrible. It's the pickable before God. What fear? Yes, what fear to do wrong? What fear so that we don't sin again? The true fear of God. What fear? What vehement desire? In other words, what desire entails desire to change? Because I want to please God. What really intense desire to remove the sin, to change, to be different? What zeal? There was bezealous and repent as it says elsewhere. In other words, the great earnest zeal to actually remove the sin. And what vindication? In other words, what vengeance? What desire to put the sin away, repent and pull away and have the vengeance against the sin. It's vindication against it. It is a wonderful definition of true repentance, of a number of points. In fact, seven about true repentance. And so, brethren, the second point that I mentioned is work on changing yourself with the help of God. So the first point I mentioned is we need to understand what true mourning is and we need to ask God for that understanding. So we really understand the people. And the second point is that mourning needs to lead to action. Action to change ourselves because we pray for ourselves. In other words, we mourn for ourselves and we mourn for others. Like Christ said to the woman, says, mourn for yourselves and for the children. In other words, mourn for yourselves and for others. And so that is the third point. We need to mourn for others. And as I said, mourning needs to action. But you and I cannot change other people. So the action is not to try and change other people. So what is the action when we mourn for others?

The action, brethren, and as we read, for instance, the situation of Christ. Christ, he came to earth. In his first coming, he was a human being. He had been God, but he divested himself of all the powers of being God. He was a human being. He said, oh, myself, I couldn't do nothing. He's got to pray to the Father because he was a human being. During that period, he was not God. He did not have the powers of God. He was the Son of God. Do you understand what I mean? He was the Son of God. He was the Son of man, but he was fully a man. He was fully man. He came in the flesh. The doctrine of Antichrist is that he was not fully a flesh. He was flesh. So he was a man. So during that period, he had to pray and with tears and ask God in absolute faith to God the Father to heal him and to intervene for him and to sort things out and to have miracles, etc.

So, but during his first coming, he did not have the power to change other people.

So during his first coming, what did he do when he mourned for mankind? Because it says you can read in Isaiah 33, he was a man full of grief and sorrows. So what did he do? He suffered for mankind. He died for mankind. So mourning for others means needs to lead to action because you and I cannot change others. Our action needs to be to suffer like Christ did.

So let's look a little bit more about what Christ did in Hebrews chapter 5. Hebrews chapter 5, which basically summarizes it very nicely. So instead of going through all the details that you know, let's look at just in Hebrews chapter 5 starting in verse 1.

For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. Now, he, Christ, can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray since he himself is also subject to weakness. So, and we men as well, we are subject to weakness, but Christ was subject to weakness. So we have the situation here that Christ, and we read now in verse 7, that basically starting in verse 6, that he is a priest, that's talking about Christ obviously, he says in verse 7, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries, he cried, he mourned, and pierced to God. Christ is a human being, he cried for mankind. He was not crying for himself, he was crying for mankind, just like you and I need to have that same mourning attitude for others.

Obviously, Christ was praying to God, was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his godly fear.

But he knew what he was doing. He was doing it for mankind. He always had the big purpose in mind. What was the big purpose? The big purpose, what is God's objective? It's the kingdom of God. It's the Father's great pleasure to give you his kingdom. The objective is the kingdom of God for mankind, is to make us a ruling family of sons and daughters under dream. That is the objective.

To do that, it required mankind to have free moral agency, required mankind, therefore, to have the experience of knowing what wrong things are, and therefore required mankind to learn the hard way with the nose and the mouth, and therefore repent, and have the suffering and the sacrifice of Christ to atone for mankind, and therefore Christ to be able as a high priest to all the time to bring us up and help us through that. But it required that. And so Christ saw the big picture, and because he saw the big picture, he was prepared to suffer. We need to do the same thing.

So continue there in verse 8. Continue that. Though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Yes, he was the only begotten son of God, as a human being, he was the only one that is being begotten by God the Father. So he's the only begotten son of God, and he said, and having been perfected, it was suffering brings perfection. Suffering brings that extra deeper, special level of maturity, which rounds us up to a greater degree of maturity as human beings. And so Christ was also rounded up with certain maturity because he had the experience, the feeling, and he understood what suffering was. He went through it. And because of that, having been perfected, verse 9, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. In other words, because of that, he experienced he was able to show great compassion for us. He is able to show great compassion. And therefore, what is the lesson for us?

That we must suffer like Christ suffered. Turn with me to Colossians chapter 1, verse 24.

This is Paul talking obviously about himself, but applies to us as well. And Paul says, now I rejoice in my sufferings for you. And brethren, our attitude must be we need to rejoice in our difficulties and sufferings we may have for others. And fill up in my flesh, the sufferings that are full of in my flesh, and fill up in my flesh, what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ? Wow! What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ? You mean the afflictions of Christ are not complete? No! Because the body of Christ, of which we are the church, the church is the body of Christ, the full body has to go through certain sufferings. Christ never went through the suffering of understanding what it is the feeling of pain like some of you have maybe with your stomach. But you in the body of Christ, as the church, will have filled up that suffering.

Christ never suffered the same pain as those people have cancer. Yes, he suffered a lot of things.

He knows what suffering is. He understands pain. But in the world tomorrow, there will be people that are sons of God or daughters of God, that will be able to have compassion on other human beings that have the same problem as you have had and you'll be able to help them and help them to do the right things to heal them and have the right compassion. And so you and I, it says here, are filling up in our flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His body, which He's the Church. So what are we to do? For instance, we have to do is to love our enemies. Doesn't say, love your enemies, pray for them that persecute you and things like that. Doesn't it say, don't attribute evil for evil, but do good to those that do evil to you?

So obviously, we are called to suffer.

We are called to suffer. Did you know that?

Turn with me to 1st Peter chapter 3. 1st Peter chapter 3 verse 9.

1st Peter chapter 3 verse 9.

2nd Peter chapter 3 verse 9. Not rendering evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this.

We were called to this. We were called to suffer and to return blessing for evil. And look at Romans chapter right. Romans chapter right. We were waiting Romans a little while ago, but Romans chapter right.

Verse 17.

8 verse 17.

And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ, if, if, the smallest word in English, but probably the one of the biggest, or one of the biggest impacts, if indeed we suffer within, then we are called to suffer.

And so the point is we have to understand the objective.

You see, the objective is the kingdom of God.

The objective is we are called to do a work now.

Like Christ came to do a work.

We are called to do a work, yes, to prepare ourselves to rule in the world tomorrow, but at the same time to do a work.

Of preaching the gospel, it says in Matthew 28, 19, go out and make disciples. That's our mission. I mean, otherwise we could be called tomorrow in the world tomorrow, in the future.

We are called now to do a job, not to be sitting around and, and just have to keep the status of ourselves. We are called to back up and do a work. That's why.

But in the process of that, at the same time, we also to do this part of mourning for others so that by mourning for others, we are learning to suffer for others.

And that is a part of doing the work.

You see, we've got to look at the big picture. And so we've got three points here.

We need to understand what truly mourning is.

We need to understand what truly mourning is. But mourning needs to lead to action.

Action to ourselves for us to change, to repent.

And action for others, mourning for others, which action for others. And because we cannot change others, only God through His Spirit can change other people. We cannot change others. So our responsibility is to suffer like Christ suffered.

To suffer, to love our enemies, to pray for them, to bless them. And not to be fools, we're not saying to be foolish, but to have a mourning for others that leads to inaction because we want them to ultimately change as well.

And so we suffer for them.

And so, brethren, those that mourn as Christ want, wants us to mourn.

They see and know what true mourning is.

They fear and tremble at God's words, and therefore they know what true mourning is. And they understand that mourning leads to action. Action of repentance for ourselves in what's Godly sorrow, and action of suffering for others for the ultimate good of God's work, ultimately, in the end. And ultimately, God will reward us because He says He will comfort us.