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Colin Smith: One glimpse of the true love of Jesus Christ for you will do you more good in your struggle against sin than a hundred commitments and a hundred disciplines. Here you are, you've been sinning against God, and what does Jesus Christ do in relation to that sin? He bears it for you. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, and Colin, today we're kind of turning the corner a little bit in this topic on what it means to mourn. We've taken a few days and we've looked at mourning for our sin, but we can't stay there.

Steve Hiller: Yeah, that's right. Always important to remember that every Christian has an enemy of the soul. Satan is out to keep you from growing in the Christian life in any way that he possibly can, and the first strategy is always to make you shallow with regards to repentance. Just say sorry to God and move on. And never really change. If he fails there, as he does when you begin to really mourn your sin, then his next strategy, his fallback strategy is, well, keep you mourning. Just keep you mourning and never bring you to the place where you're comforted. And today we're going to look at how to find comfort when you really have come to mourn something that you've done before God and you've come to true repentance.

How do you come to peace? How do you come to comfort? That's of huge importance in terms of moving forward in the Christian life. Jesus says, blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Well, we're going to continue our message, Cultivating Godly Sorrow today. Obviously, as we look at the Beatitudes, we're in Matthew chapter 5, but today we're also drilling down on Psalm 51. May be helpful to have your Bible open to that passage as well. Here's Pastor Colin with Cultivating Godly Sorrow.

Colin Smith: We want to be able to see sins in order that we may enter into what Jesus is calling us to. Blessed are those who mourn, mourning over them, for they shall be comforted. Now the question obviously arises, how then do I mourn a sin once I have seen it? Let me give you four answers or steps in regard to that question. Number one, state your sin clearly, without excuse, and without evasion. By the way, this is very important. Spiritual mourning is always over particular sins. Sometimes the devil gets us down just with a general sense of our own failure. Has anyone ever experienced a struggle with just a general sense of your own failure?

Well, that's not spiritual mourning. It never moves you forward. How do you address a general sense of failure? The only thing that you can address are particular sins, which is why seeing is so important. The other thing is just generally feeling miserable, and there's nothing valuable about that. By the way, a hypocrite is often glad to admit that he or she is a sinner. No problem for the hypocrite to say, oh yes, yes, I'm a sinner. But what the hypocrite never does is get down to the point of being able to name a single personal sin. Because you see, then you're at the point where, what am I going to do about it?

The hypocrite always avoids that, so he keeps at this general level and never goes further. So mourning over sin in general is not what we're talking about here. That cannot move you forward. It just leaves you feeling miserable. Spiritual mourning has a clear focus. It is mourning over particular sins that are brought to your attention by God's word, God's spirit, and God's people, and therefore this process of mourning, this work of mourning sin, it begins by stating the sin clearly. Psalm 51, which was read for us, I hope you have it open in front of you because we'll be picking up from now on many things from it because this is David going into spiritual mourning.

Look at what he says in verse 4, against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Sure, there were others wounded by what David did, but at his heart, sin is an offense against God. And by the way, there is no such thing as a small sin against a great God. Cannot be. State your sin clearly, without excuse, without reservation. Then do this. Weigh what your this sin has done to you. David says in verse 3, my sin is ever before me. He's looking at its effect upon his own soul. That's important. Otherwise, you just say sorry and then go on pretty much unchanged. Think about the life of holiness that God has called you to pursue.

Think of where you might have been by now with Christ if this had not been holding you back so long. Consider how this sin has limited your usefulness to Christ. Look back and take in the full scope of its effect in your life. That's like pulling the thing up from the root, you see. Reflect on how this has dampened your worship over the years. Reflect on how it has dulled your testimony. Think about how it has kept you at a distance from God that you have become sort of used to. Think about the other sins that this one has led you into, sins of deception, sins of pretense. Look at what this sin is costing you and total up the bill.

Think of what your life could be if this sin was left behind. So state it clearly, name it, look at it in the face, and then seriously weigh what this sin has done to you. Third, recognize what this sin has done to others. Friend, nobody ever sins to himself or herself alone. The people God has placed around you are affected by all of your sins, even the ones that they don't know and may never know. Why? Because these sins have had an effect on you, and you are in relation to them. These sins have made you less than you would have been in relation to them, and therefore have robbed them of what they might otherwise have had from you.

But of course, most sins are obvious. Many of them are evident because they are committed against other people in our lives, other, our sins make us harder to live with, more difficult to work with, harder to love. Take an honest look at your sin. Look at its effect on yourself. Look at its effect on others, even on others who do not know, because you are made less by this. Fourth step, getting into what it means to mourn a thing spiritually now. Consider what your sin did to Christ and what Christ has done for you. We sometimes sing a line in one of the songs, break my heart for what breaks yours.

And our hearts begin to break for what breaks the heart of God when we see what it did for Christ and what Christ has done for us. Think of this, friend. Jesus Christ did not hang on the cross for sin in general, but for sins in particular. How do we know that? Because on the cross, he bore the punishment of sin. And God, being just, does not punish sin in general. What does he do? He punishes sins in particular. Therefore, the punishment that Jesus Christ bore on the cross is the aggregate punishment of all of our sins, of all of the people of God throughout all of history, and this sin that I am mourning now, that I have identified, and I've seen the effect in my own life, and I've seen the effect in the lives of other people as well, I am now to see and understand this, that this sin played its part in what Jesus Christ suffered in agony there on the cross.

This resentment was part of that. It needed dying for. There was a punishment for this that would have been upon me that was commuted to him. We've been asking the question, friend, how do you break the pattern of habitual sin? How can you get to the place where in your heart of hearts you really begin to hate what you once found very attractive and loved? How can you get to the place where you actually despise what you once often chose? The answer to that is that spiritual mourning happens at the cross. I'm reading at the moment the diary of Andrew Bonar, a godly pastor from the 19th century, who kept a journal of his own spiritual life.

And he struggled, especially in his early life, over how he could come to hate sin more. He saw patterns within his own life that he longed to be free from, and he struggled over this whole question, why do I go back to the same thing and so forth? How could he make more progress in overcoming? And he writes this in his journal, Thursday, May 7th, 1829. It has been much impressed upon me that if I am to be convinced of sin at all, I must be so by the view of it in Christ's love. And Andrew Bonar's story is very fascinating. There was a manifestation of the love of Christ. He glimpsed the love of Christ through the ministry of the Word.

He began to see in a way that he hadn't seen before the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ, just what Paul prays for, for you and for me and for every believer. And from that, he not only found that he began to make more progress in his Christian life, he found as a pastor that his life's work was to help people turn from sin by showing them the love of Christ. Friend, when you look at the cross, there's more to it than seeing what your sin did to Jesus. It's also about seeing what Jesus did there for you. At the cross, you will see how much you are loved. And if you do not have an overwhelming sense of the love of God streaming towards you in Jesus Christ, what you need is a glimpse of the cross, and that's where you're going to see the love of Christ.

Here you are, you've been sinning against God, and what does Jesus Christ do in relation to that sin? He bears it for you in love. One glimpse of the true love of Jesus Christ for you will do you more good in your struggle against sin than a hundred commitments and a hundred disciplines. That's why when we come together to worship, we want to get our eyes up on Christ. And for you to see how much you are loved. Because that and that alone is really going to break your heart over what breaks God, and that in turn is going to lead you into the joy that Jesus is speaking of here. Blessed are those who enter into this spiritual morning.

They're blessed. Why? They experience God's amazing coming.

Announcer: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called Cultivating Godly Sorrow. It's part of our series Momentum, How to Make Progress in Your Christian Life. Well, Open the Bible is a listener-supported program. It's through your generosity that we're able to bring you Pastor Colin's teaching each day, and as you give a gift of any amount this month, we'd love to send you a copy of the ESV Psalms Photography Edition. And Colin, this is a book of Psalms, but what makes it so special?

Steve Hiller: Well, two things. I mean, the first is that, of course, it is the word of God, and the living word of God always brings the most marvelous fruit in our lives, and that's why we want to drip feed it into everybody's life in every way possible. But the second thing that has really wowed me about this book is its sheer beauty. I mean, I love the fact that we're on radio, Steve, but just for this moment, I wish we were on video because if folks could just see every psalm laid out on its own page with a beautiful image beside. I mean, we're talking about rocks and rivers and waves and meadows and mountains.

It's absolutely gorgeous. It's a large format hardback book in its own designed sleeve. It's beautifully done. And so I think the ESV photography edition of the Book of Psalms is just a wonderful gift, I think, for any home, not only for, you as you pick it up and take in the Word of God in its beauty, but for others who may come to your home and appreciate it as well.

Announcer: Well, we want to send you a copy of this as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can find out more or give online at our website. Come to OpentheBible.org or call and give over the phone. Our number is 1-877-Open-365. That's 1-877-673-6365. Or again, our website is OpentheBible.org. Let's get back to the message. Here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: So we've looked at how to see, because what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over. we've looked at how to mourn very briefly then, and finally how to find comfort. And again, I want just to draw these things out from Psalm number 51. And this is all about asking God. You've come to see your sin, you've come to mourn over it. Now you're at a place where you can really ask God. And what does David ask God? Well, here's the first thing. Ask God for total forgiveness. Total forgiveness. Notice the emphasis on completeness here. Verse 1, have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love.

See what he's asking? I'm asking for mercy that's as comprehensive as your love. That's the mercy of God to you. Verse 1, according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Sins are blotted out by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and when they are blotted out, they are covered, never to be seen in God's presence again. Verse 9, hide your face from my sins, blot out all my iniquities. Friends, it's not as if God forgets your sin as if he had amnesia. No, that's not what the Bible tells us. God knows you. God knows everything you have done. That is what makes his love for us all the more remarkable, isn't it?

But here's what he says in his love. Your sins and your iniquities I will remember no more. Does God know my sins? Yes, every one of them. Are they on his mind when I come to him in the name of Jesus Christ? No, they are not. When I come and when you come to God in the name of Jesus Christ, you are to know this, that he is totally for you and that he is totally with you in love without reservation, no matter how many times you have come before and how many times you will come again. And remember, friend, that we are justified by Christ's blood, not by our tears. Forgiveness does not flow from the depth of your sorrow.

Forgiveness flows from the cleansing blood of Jesus. The question is never, have I become sorry enough to earn forgiveness? The question is, is the sacrifice of Jesus enough to release forgiveness? And the answer to that question is yes. The question is not, have I done enough in order to be forgiven? No, the question is, has Christ done enough in order for me to be forgiven? And the answer to that question is yes. So ask God for total forgiveness, and don't stop there. Ask God for a clean heart. See, sin not only brings guilt in the presence of God, which is why we need the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, it also brings pollution to the heart, which is why we need the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

And that's why David, when he has asked about forgiveness, then goes on, he doesn't stop there. He says, wash me, verse 2, from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Not just that you'll cover it in your presence, but more than that, this stuff has had effects in my life, in my mind, in my heart, how I think, how I feel. I want you to purge me, verse 7, with hyssop, and I shall be clean. I want you, verse 10, to create in me a clean heart. You see the focus of that prayer. David knew that it was his heart that had led him into sin, and he doesn't want to go down that same path again. So if he's not going to go down that same path again, what's going to make the difference?

Oh God, give me a changed heart. A heart that hates what I used to love and despises what I once chose. Third, ask God for a renewed spirit. A renewed spirit. We saw last time that spiritual mourning, if it's spiritual mourning, it is always marked by and infused with hope. And one thing that you will notice is this: when you really get serious about mourning your sins, Satan will switch his tactics on you in a moment. Because as long as you're not taking your sins seriously, he's quite happy just to leave the dark basement with the door closed and all the junk's still there. You're not bothered about it, and neither is he, because nothing's changing.

But the moment you're going in there and the Holy Spirit is shining the light, well, then Satan has to begin to switch tactics. And what will he do at that point? He'll do something like this. He'll say, look at all the junk. Boy, it's more than you ever thought. And there ain't any hope for you. I mean, look at the mess. When Satan tempts you to sin, he's always saying, there's no harm in it. And when you come to see your sin, he says, there's no hope for you because of it. Remember, he's a liar both times. And when he says you cannot overcome this, you cannot make progress, where are you going to go with this mess?

You look to your Savior Jesus Christ and remember that who holds the light that has just shown this to you? The Holy Spirit of God, who is at your right hand. And that's why David, you see, prays about his spirit. Restore to me the joy of my salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. Don't let me be crushed by this, O God. That's a good prayer. Verse 11, cast me not away from your presence. Don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Verse 8, let me hear joy and gladness, and let the bones that you have broken rejoice. So, so ask God, ask God for total forgiveness, for a clean heart. Watch out for the snares of Satan who just wants you to be crushed.

No, give me a willing spirit, renew my spirit. And then here's the very last thing, ask God for a useful life. The Bible tells us that God works for good in all things for those who love him. Now, all things in which God works for good has to include, therefore, your sins and your failures. And you may just find that God's greatest work in your life begins from the point of your greatest failure. Satan tempted you and wanted to destroy you through it, but God can use it for your everlasting good, and that's what redeeming love looks like, and it's focused to a point at the cross. So don't waste your failure.

Don't waste your sin. You say, what good can come out of it? Verse 13, genuine testimony. I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you when you see the grace of God in your own life. You're going to have something to share with others. And heartfelt worship, verse 15, O God, open my lips, and my mouth will speak forth your praise. The one who has been forgiven much loves much. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. At the end of our journey through the First Beatitude, we said Christians are people who know their own poverty, poor in spirit. They look to Jesus for what they do not have, and they know that in him they have all that they need.

And as we conclude our reflection on this second beatitude, I summarize it here. Christians are people who know their own sin. They look to Jesus Christ for mercy, and they find joy in pursuing a holy life. Is that you?

Announcer: What a great question to wrap up with. Is that you? Are you that kind of Christian? Or first of all, are you a Christian? Do you have that relationship with Jesus Christ that Pastor Colin so often talks about? And if so, then are you pursuing him and doing the things that we've been looking at in today's program, cultivating godly sorrow? But let's back up to that first question for just a moment. If you don't know Jesus, but you'd like to, or you'd like to learn more or begin that relationship with him today, I hope you'll contact us here today at Open the Bible. Our toll-free number is 1-877-Open-365.

That's 1-877-673-6365. Well, Colin, it's Friday and the weekend's coming.

Steve Hiller: And I want to encourage you to get to church on Sunday. If you live in the Chicago area and you don't have a church home, I'd love for you to join us at The Orchard. There are 6 locations in the northwest suburbs. For more information, go to theorchard.church. That's theorchard.church. Well, thank you, Colin, and thanks for listening. I'm Steve Hiller, and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible. Who in your life needs to know the God of the Bible and might be willing to open the Bible with you if you ask them? Most people can think of someone, and many are finding that someone in their life is open to this invitation.

Would you be interested in opening the Bible with me? Fly Through the Bible is a short, simple, and shareable book that will help you open the Bible with a friend, a neighbor, or a loved one who needs to know Jesus. It's also freely available online. Fly Through the Bible has 15 short sections, each with 5 discussable questions that will open conversations around the Word of God. For more information, visit openthebible.org/fly. That's openthebible.org/fly.