WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.740 So, I was at the men's retreat this past weekend. 00:00:10.120 --> 00:00:11.140 Fantastic time. 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:18.140 If you've never been and you're a guy, I would strongly encourage you to prioritize 00:00:18.140 --> 00:00:18.800 it next year. 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:20.039 Fantastic time. 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:23.500 Some guys I see who are there, you made it back for church. 00:00:23.740 --> 00:00:27.039 I think a lot of our guys are still out there, but we had a great time. 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:29.600 Friday night, have a fantastic time. 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:34.640 I'm just catching up with people, eating great food, perfect weather, and then I lay down 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:39.520 to go to sleep that night, and about three o'clock in the morning, I wake up, and I'm 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:40.620 just filled with regret. 00:00:42.219 --> 00:00:43.600 Nothing to do with the men's retreat. 00:00:44.380 --> 00:00:51.640 I'm filled with regret over something that happened like 35 years ago in elementary school 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:57.079 in the fourth grade when some people were being mean to this kid, and I didn't do anything 00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:59.579 about it because I wanted them to think that I was cool. 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:03.079 And that's all I could think about at three o'clock in the morning. 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:11.140 I think when it comes to regret, there are basically two categories that we can fall into 00:01:11.140 --> 00:01:13.439 with how we deal with regret. 00:01:14.320 --> 00:01:20.960 Some people, maybe some of you are like me, you tend to feel lots of regret and lots of 00:01:20.960 --> 00:01:27.020 guilt, and ruminating at 3 a.m. about something in elementary school sounds familiar to you. 00:01:27.019 --> 00:01:31.659 I think there are other people who kind of lean in the opposite direction. 00:01:32.439 --> 00:01:39.479 There are people who tend to avoid or suppress feelings of regret when they arise. 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:48.439 There are 4.4 million posts on Instagram with the hashtag, no regrets, hashtag no regrets, 00:01:48.699 --> 00:01:50.340 which I always think is interesting. 00:01:50.340 --> 00:01:54.420 You know, I see that on a post, and I just think, I don't believe that person. 00:01:55.020 --> 00:01:57.719 You know, I don't think you're being honest, you know? 00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:03.159 I mean, because there's a word for people who genuinely live life with no regret, and it's 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:04.020 called a sociopath. 00:02:04.820 --> 00:02:12.319 So, unless that is you, you know, 1 in 25 people, so it could be, but unless that is you, then chances 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:17.579 are what that means really is that you're trying to avoid or you're trying to suppress your feelings 00:02:17.579 --> 00:02:20.280 of regret, but they're there. 00:02:20.599 --> 00:02:23.199 I mean, most people have to deal with regret. 00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:26.039 Most of us feel regret from time to time. 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:35.840 And no matter which category you fall into, neither one is actually recognizing regret for what it 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:36.259 is. 00:02:36.259 --> 00:02:38.699 And that's what I want to talk about this morning. 00:02:39.939 --> 00:02:41.439 Regret is actually a tool. 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:47.799 Understood correctly, regret can be a gift because regret is something that can actually 00:02:47.799 --> 00:02:50.359 help us become more truly human. 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:56.579 But in order to understand how regret works that way and how it can be a gift, we have 00:02:56.579 --> 00:03:00.939 to understand the way regret relates to godly grief. 00:03:00.939 --> 00:03:07.840 And we've been doing a series in 2 Corinthians, walking through Paul's amazing pastoral letter, 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:12.039 and we come to this section where he talks about godly grief. 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:16.099 And so, we're going to first look at what is godly grief, and then we're going to look 00:03:16.099 --> 00:03:19.159 at how this works, how this works. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.000 So, let's pray, and then we're going to dive in. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.659 Lord, we thank You for Your Word. 00:03:26.659 --> 00:03:30.579 Lord, we thank You for Your Holy Spirit that is present with us. 00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:35.960 We thank You for all of the ways that You minister to us, Lord, not only in the pleasure 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:39.780 and in the joy of our life, but also in the pain and in the struggle. 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:44.199 Lord, that in all of it, You're there, and in all of it, Your good purposes are at work 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:45.859 in us and through us. 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:50.519 And Lord, we pray that as we open Your Word this morning, You would speak, and that through 00:03:50.519 --> 00:03:54.419 Your written Word, we would come to see Your living Word, Jesus Christ, face to face. 00:03:54.419 --> 00:03:56.239 And it's in His name that we pray. 00:03:56.559 --> 00:03:56.799 Amen. 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:00.579 So, first of all, what is godly grief? 00:04:00.659 --> 00:04:04.379 I want to give you a little context about what's happening here in Corinth. 00:04:04.919 --> 00:04:06.739 There's conflict in the church in Corinth. 00:04:07.119 --> 00:04:12.419 We're not sure exactly what is going on, but the word that is used in verse 12 means injustice. 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:18.599 So, some form of injustice has been committed by one person or a group of people against 00:04:18.599 --> 00:04:19.519 another person. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:27.359 Paul, who's the founding pastor, has gotten involved, and as is often the case, now everybody's 00:04:27.359 --> 00:04:28.199 angry at Paul. 00:04:28.839 --> 00:04:37.519 And so, Paul is trying to clean this mess up, and he's written a very stern letter confronting 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:38.319 them in their sin. 00:04:39.459 --> 00:04:40.560 So, he writes the letter. 00:04:40.659 --> 00:04:45.159 He most likely gives it to Titus, sends Titus off to deliver the letter, and then he's waiting 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:50.660 for Titus to return to tell him how the Corinthians responded to his letter. 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:55.320 And while he's waiting, he's plunged into a deep depression. 00:04:57.080 --> 00:04:59.840 Titus doesn't show, and he doesn't show, and he doesn't show. 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:06.160 And Paul is…he's heartbroken over the pain that he has caused these brothers and sisters 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:07.040 whom he loves. 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:12.120 He's worried that the letter is only going to alienate them further, that after this, they're 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:13.879 going to want to have nothing to do with him. 00:05:13.879 --> 00:05:16.959 And by the way, these are feelings that every pastor knows well. 00:05:17.540 --> 00:05:19.139 You know, was I too strong? 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:21.879 Did I come across too…was it too much? 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:25.300 You know, should I have said it differently or done it differently? 00:05:26.060 --> 00:05:31.899 So, he's wringing his hands, and then finally he finds Titus, and Titus tells him, actually, 00:05:32.019 --> 00:05:32.819 the letter worked. 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:35.159 The letter was successful. 00:05:35.620 --> 00:05:37.740 Many of the Corinthians are repenting. 00:05:38.139 --> 00:05:41.279 Their love and their zeal for you, Paul, has been restored. 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:44.359 And so, Paul writes in this letter, which is a follow-up, 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:51.860 for even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it, 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:56.480 for I see that the letter grieved you, though only for a while. 00:05:56.660 --> 00:06:01.960 As it is, I rejoice not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. 00:06:02.580 --> 00:06:06.480 For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:12.939 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:14.960 grief produces death. 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:20.180 So, Paul's overjoyed because his letter did its job. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:25.460 It provoked them to feel godly grief over their sin. 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:27.780 You ask, well, what is godly grief? 00:06:27.779 --> 00:06:35.419 I think the Heidelberg Catechism, question 89, actually gives a pretty good definition. 00:06:35.659 --> 00:06:42.159 It says, to be genuinely sorry for sin and more and more to hate and run away from it. 00:06:42.179 --> 00:06:44.199 That's a pretty good definition of godly grief. 00:06:44.619 --> 00:06:46.359 But there's something I want us to see here. 00:06:47.719 --> 00:06:51.259 The opposite of godly grief is not no grief. 00:06:51.719 --> 00:06:53.239 It's not no regret. 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:59.639 The opposite of godly grief, according to Paul, is actually something that he calls worldly 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:00.579 grief. 00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:03.639 You have godly grief and you have worldly grief. 00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:05.000 And this is very important to understand. 00:07:05.379 --> 00:07:13.100 It is possible to feel regret, to feel remorse, to feel guilt, to feel grief, but in a worldly 00:07:13.100 --> 00:07:16.800 way that doesn't actually lead to life and salvation. 00:07:16.920 --> 00:07:19.379 It actually leads, as he says, to death. 00:07:19.379 --> 00:07:25.079 So, what's the difference between godly grief and worldly grief? 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:26.920 I'll suggest a few differences. 00:07:27.159 --> 00:07:31.959 First, worldly grief tends to be me-centered. 00:07:33.600 --> 00:07:36.740 Worldly grief over sin is grieving that I got caught. 00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:39.680 It's grieving that I've been found out. 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:43.480 It's grieving the public embarrassment that I now have to face. 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:45.680 It's grieving the blow to my ego. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:50.980 It's grieving the consequences that I now have to face because people are on to me. 00:07:52.980 --> 00:07:56.439 Godly grief, by contrast, is God-centered. 00:07:57.660 --> 00:07:58.720 It's God-centered. 00:07:59.960 --> 00:08:05.000 Godly grief recognizes that all sin we commit is ultimately not simply sin against ourselves 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.899 or other people, but it's sin that we commit against God. 00:08:07.899 --> 00:08:15.399 That God is the ultimate one that we are offending. 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:18.139 As David says to God in Psalm 51, he says, 00:08:18.779 --> 00:08:23.399 against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. 00:08:23.879 --> 00:08:26.599 So, godly grief shares God's hatred of sin. 00:08:26.679 --> 00:08:28.419 It hates sin for God's sake. 00:08:29.379 --> 00:08:30.219 That's the first difference. 00:08:30.220 --> 00:08:39.200 Second difference, worldly grief tends to avoid or minimize personal responsibility. 00:08:40.920 --> 00:08:44.040 So, worldly grief tends to play the victim. 00:08:44.300 --> 00:08:47.080 Worldly grief tends to blame other people. 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:49.899 It tends to blame outside circumstances. 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:53.220 It tends to blame parents, government, church. 00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:57.200 It tends to say, yeah, I was in the wrong, but it was really this person's fault. 00:08:57.279 --> 00:08:58.340 It was really your fault. 00:08:58.340 --> 00:09:00.060 It was really their fault. 00:09:00.220 --> 00:09:06.040 Godly grief, by contrast, is willing to take full responsibility for sin. 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:10.660 For those of you who were at the vigil, we looked at the story of Jonah and how Jonah, 00:09:10.779 --> 00:09:16.340 when he looks at the storm and realizes that all of this, the storm and the terrified sailors, 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:24.800 that it's all because of him, he says, I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you. 00:09:25.180 --> 00:09:26.440 He's not blaming anybody. 00:09:26.740 --> 00:09:27.740 He's not minimizing. 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:29.220 He's not making excuses. 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:33.639 He's saying, this is on me, and I deserve whatever I have coming toward me. 00:09:35.060 --> 00:09:36.160 That's the second difference. 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:39.220 Third difference between worldly grief and godly grief. 00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:46.519 Worldly grief tends to lead us into self-pity and bitterness and resentment, 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:53.139 things that carve us off from God and ultimately put us on a road that leads to spiritual death. 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:54.139 Godly grief. 00:09:54.139 --> 00:10:02.199 Whereas godly grief, according to Paul, by design, leads to repentance and then freedom. 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:05.240 Godly grief is designed as a catalyst. 00:10:06.080 --> 00:10:08.279 We are not meant to wallow in grief. 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:10.720 We're not meant to wallow in guilt and remorse. 00:10:10.819 --> 00:10:17.120 It is meant to wake us up and spur us to action, to get us moving in the right direction. 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:20.560 So that's what godly grief is. 00:10:20.560 --> 00:10:25.460 Now, how does this work and how does it relate to regret at 3 a.m.? 00:10:25.460 --> 00:10:28.560 I want to kind of work this out with you. 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:36.379 Essentially, there's a kind of progression that we find ourselves following in our hearts, according to Paul. 00:10:36.379 --> 00:10:39.159 And here's how I would describe this progression. 00:10:39.980 --> 00:10:44.320 First, we need to listen to regret, attend to it. 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:48.080 Then we need to use that as a way of identifying sin. 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:51.059 And then we need to grieve that sin. 00:10:51.159 --> 00:10:53.399 And then we need to repent from that sin. 00:10:53.519 --> 00:10:56.399 And then we need to embrace God's forgiveness. 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:59.240 So let's just walk through that in more detail. 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:09.060 First of all, when you find yourself feeling regret, it could have been something that you did yesterday or something from 35 years ago. 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:17.320 But when that regret comes upon you, you need to recognize it for what it is. 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:25.899 You know, when you feel transient pain in your body, it's probably not a good idea to ignore that pain, especially if it keeps coming back. 00:11:25.899 --> 00:11:35.319 Right? Pain is meant to show us, it's a signal that there is some sort of physical issue that needs to be addressed. 00:11:36.199 --> 00:11:37.779 That's the whole reason we feel pain. 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:42.519 And it's the same with feelings like regret and remorse and guilt. 00:11:42.620 --> 00:11:50.100 If they recur again and again, they're signaling to us that there is a spiritual issue that needs to be addressed. 00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:53.919 So regret is to sin what pain is to injury. 00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:57.120 And we need to listen to it. 00:11:58.000 --> 00:11:58.099 Right? 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:03.379 No one likes to feel regret, but it is a necessary tool for spiritual health and growth. 00:12:03.539 --> 00:12:04.199 And I'll say this. 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:07.879 I believe that a sensitive conscience is a gift from the Lord. 00:12:09.139 --> 00:12:11.439 A sensitive conscience is a gift from the Lord. 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:14.039 I think it's one of the ways the Holy Spirit works in us. 00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:21.599 One of the ways that we experience sanctification is that our conscience becomes more and more sensitive to sin. 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:26.879 So if you find yourself awake at 3 o'clock in the morning ruminating over something that happened, 00:12:27.540 --> 00:12:34.139 it's very tempting if that keeps happening to go to a counselor and get some techniques to stay asleep 00:12:34.139 --> 00:12:36.800 or to maybe start taking Ambien or Zoloft. 00:12:37.220 --> 00:12:44.580 And I'm not knocking, you know, those approaches, but the first thing that you need to do is to lean into those feelings. 00:12:44.580 --> 00:12:48.540 Maybe not at 3 a.m., but write it down. 00:12:49.420 --> 00:12:51.900 And then the next day, lean into that. 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:54.020 Ask yourself, what's happening here? 00:12:54.400 --> 00:12:57.220 Is there a spiritual issue that I need to address here? 00:12:58.200 --> 00:12:59.060 That's the first thing. 00:12:59.460 --> 00:13:00.379 Listen to regret. 00:13:00.379 --> 00:13:08.419 Then once we begin to listen to our regret, we need to begin to try to identify underlying sin. 00:13:08.919 --> 00:13:10.519 It could be a pattern of sin. 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:13.899 It could be that the thing that you're remembering isn't itself the issue. 00:13:13.899 --> 00:13:20.039 It could be that that's a formative moment when you begin to participate in a pattern of sin 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:24.179 that you have continued to live out and replay again and again and again. 00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:26.899 And it could be that that is the issue that needs to be addressed. 00:13:26.899 --> 00:13:34.179 Pray in the words of Psalm 139, search me, O God, and know my heart. 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:40.939 Try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me into the way everlasting. 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:46.259 You sort of open yourself up and say, if there's anything that I need to see and address, then please show it to me, Lord. 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:51.419 Maybe you regret saying something or doing something that was hurtful to somebody. 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:53.480 Ask yourself, why did I do that? 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:54.639 Where was that coming from? 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:59.460 Have I been harboring resentment toward this person for a long time and it finally came out? 00:14:00.360 --> 00:14:04.500 Do I feel threatened by this person and diminishing them makes me feel bigger? 00:14:05.379 --> 00:14:07.419 Am I envious of this person? 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:09.139 Is it coming from a place of pride? 00:14:09.199 --> 00:14:10.759 I think I'm better than this person. 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:14.199 Whatever it is, ask yourself. 00:14:14.360 --> 00:14:16.799 Ask the Lord to reveal that issue to you. 00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:20.360 Maybe you regret marrying the person that you've married. 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:25.340 You wish you had been with that other person that you broke up with in high school. 00:14:25.580 --> 00:14:27.080 You wonder how your life would be different. 00:14:27.180 --> 00:14:33.180 Maybe you regret not pursuing some opportunity that would have led you in a completely different direction. 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:35.019 And you say, well, that's not sinful. 00:14:35.820 --> 00:14:36.820 Well, maybe not. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:40.399 But how often are you haunted by those feelings? 00:14:40.620 --> 00:14:41.940 Where's the sin in that? 00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:44.700 Are you sinning by failing to trust the Lord? 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:51.060 Are you sinning by failing to trust that God is always with you? 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:54.740 That God has the ability to work in and through your choices? 00:14:56.040 --> 00:15:00.240 That God's good purposes are always being worked out in your life? 00:15:00.340 --> 00:15:04.480 That God is not limited, limited by us when we make bad choices? 00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:08.639 He's not limited by our disobedience? 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:14.659 Is it a failure to trust that God is always with you in His providence and sovereignty? 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:16.500 Right? 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:20.259 Maybe you regret a time when you should have spoken up but didn't. 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:28.019 Is that a fear of man that still limits you? 00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:28.700 Right? 00:15:29.159 --> 00:15:31.460 Is that an idolatry of approval? 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:34.560 Is that something that you need to address? 00:15:34.660 --> 00:15:39.440 So whatever the case may be, whatever form of regret you feel, and there are different kinds of regret, 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:43.660 ask yourself, where's the underlying sin here? 00:15:43.820 --> 00:15:44.960 Lean into those feelings. 00:15:45.900 --> 00:15:51.620 And then once you have some sense of what it is, what the Spirit is trying to reveal to you, 00:15:51.820 --> 00:15:54.400 then you need to grieve that sin. 00:15:54.399 --> 00:16:02.439 And to grieve sin is to meditate on the fact that God hates sin in general, 00:16:02.539 --> 00:16:04.340 and God hates it when we sin. 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:06.319 God doesn't hate you. 00:16:06.439 --> 00:16:07.259 He doesn't hate me. 00:16:07.319 --> 00:16:09.500 But He hates our sin. 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:12.299 Our sin is an offense to Him. 00:16:12.360 --> 00:16:13.720 It's a slap in His face. 00:16:15.299 --> 00:16:18.860 And I think often it's very tempting to just sort of move past that. 00:16:18.860 --> 00:16:22.259 This is the step, I think, that we are most likely to skip. 00:16:23.279 --> 00:16:26.759 We want to jump straight from, yeah, I sinned too, but I know God forgives me. 00:16:27.779 --> 00:16:31.019 And I think that's an issue that this text is trying to draw out. 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:35.259 You know, about ten years ago, it's probably happening for longer than that, 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:39.560 but about ten years ago, I started noticing how our kind of culture of authenticity 00:16:39.560 --> 00:16:44.000 was making its way into the evangelical blogosphere. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:50.039 And so I began kind of reading people who would write in a kind of quasi-confessional tone 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:54.799 about how they are the very worst kind of Christian in this way or that way, 00:16:54.820 --> 00:16:57.820 and they would sort of confess certain socially acceptable sins, 00:16:57.940 --> 00:17:01.000 like how they haven't given their kids a bath in a week, 00:17:01.019 --> 00:17:02.700 and they're like, but the pool counts, right? 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:05.660 Or how they helped organize the church picnic, 00:17:05.799 --> 00:17:08.859 but they confess that they actually hate church picnics, you know, things like that. 00:17:08.859 --> 00:17:13.159 And, you know, certainly, if you are the kind of person who, you know, 00:17:13.439 --> 00:17:16.579 is highly perfectionistic, you're highly legalistic, 00:17:16.979 --> 00:17:19.679 then reading something like that could be incredibly liberating. 00:17:20.819 --> 00:17:26.099 But I recognize that there's something that comes with this sort of tone, 00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:31.979 and a lot of these writers share in common a distinct lack of grief over sin, 00:17:33.259 --> 00:17:37.419 you know, an almost cavalier attitude towards sin. 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:41.440 And I think it's easy to miss the danger in that. 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:47.900 And here's why godly grief, here's why taking sin seriously matters so much. 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:53.519 And I say this as somebody whose tendency is to read that kind of thing 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:55.900 and laugh at it and love it and appreciate it, 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:58.480 but I've recognized in my own heart the danger 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:01.420 when I began to take that kind of attitude toward sin. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:03.300 And here's the issue. 00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:05.460 When it comes to our experience, 00:18:06.419 --> 00:18:10.759 there's a distinct correlation between grief and grace. 00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:16.379 The more we experience grief over our sin, 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:20.619 the more we feel relief in light of God's grace. 00:18:21.659 --> 00:18:26.480 And this has absolutely been true in my own personal experience. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.460 If I don't actually grieve my sin, 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:32.500 then God's grace doesn't matter to me very much. 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:37.240 But when I actually feel the weight of my sin, 00:18:38.099 --> 00:18:42.299 you know, when I reflect on how truly offensive it is to God, 00:18:42.380 --> 00:18:44.940 the fact that I'm living in a body that God has given me, 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:46.240 in a world that God has made, 00:18:46.339 --> 00:18:49.640 and I'm completely denying Him with my actions, 00:18:50.120 --> 00:18:53.759 and how horribly offensive that is, 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:56.220 then when I turn my focus to God's forgiveness, 00:18:56.420 --> 00:18:58.500 it actually becomes substantial, 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:00.259 and I feel it. 00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:05.279 So our experience of grace is directly connected to 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:07.759 our willingness to grieve sin. 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:11.099 That's when grace ceases to be purely conceptual, 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:14.859 and it starts to become something that we inhabit. 00:19:16.440 --> 00:19:16.640 Right? 00:19:16.660 --> 00:19:17.859 So we need to grieve our sin. 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:22.379 And then fourthly, once we've grieved our sin, 00:19:22.380 --> 00:19:23.940 we're not meant to, as I said earlier, 00:19:24.100 --> 00:19:25.760 stay and wallow in that grief. 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:28.180 We're meant to actually take action. 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:30.100 We're meant to repent from sin. 00:19:30.800 --> 00:19:33.140 It's meant to move us into repentance. 00:19:33.580 --> 00:19:35.000 And as we've already said, 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:37.480 as important as it is for us to grieve our sin, 00:19:37.700 --> 00:19:40.120 it is equally important that we don't stay in that grief. 00:19:41.900 --> 00:19:43.240 Godly grief leads to repentance. 00:19:44.360 --> 00:19:46.160 I know this is kind of a cheesy reference, 00:19:46.360 --> 00:19:48.800 but it always comes to mind when I think about repentance. 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:50.460 So caveats aside, 00:19:50.579 --> 00:19:53.519 the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 00:19:54.460 --> 00:19:56.619 If you remember the end of that movie, 00:19:57.259 --> 00:19:59.579 a chasm has opened in the floor, 00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:00.519 and the grail, 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:02.839 this treasure that they've been after the whole movie, 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:06.220 is sort of balanced on the edge of this precipice, 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:07.440 and it's getting ready to fall. 00:20:07.980 --> 00:20:08.940 And Indy has, 00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:10.859 he's hanging over the edge, 00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:13.639 and he's reaching out across the chasm 00:20:13.639 --> 00:20:14.799 for this chalice. 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:16.779 And he keeps saying, 00:20:16.899 --> 00:20:17.899 I've almost got it. 00:20:18.159 --> 00:20:19.379 I've almost got it. 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:22.919 But his father has him by the other hand, 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:24.000 and his hand is slipping. 00:20:24.399 --> 00:20:25.980 And if he keeps reaching for it, 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:28.099 it's very clear that he's going to plummet to his death. 00:20:28.419 --> 00:20:29.759 And so he's reaching, 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:30.480 I've almost got it. 00:20:30.500 --> 00:20:31.240 I've almost got it. 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:32.480 And in a very calm voice, 00:20:32.539 --> 00:20:33.440 his father says, 00:20:34.299 --> 00:20:34.720 Indiana, 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:38.159 let it go. 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:40.799 And Indy turns. 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:43.339 He sees the voice of his father. 00:20:43.339 --> 00:20:45.599 He stops reaching for it. 00:20:45.679 --> 00:20:46.919 He turns his attention fully, 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:48.639 looks into the face of his father, 00:20:48.759 --> 00:20:49.500 takes his other hand, 00:20:49.619 --> 00:20:50.279 swings it up, 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:51.859 and his father pulls him out. 00:20:52.659 --> 00:20:53.799 And I, to this day, 00:20:53.899 --> 00:20:55.839 think that that's one of the most powerful visuals 00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:59.199 of repentance I've ever come across. 00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:01.579 Because every single one of us, 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:04.679 our sin is a symptom of the fact 00:21:04.679 --> 00:21:08.059 that we are reaching for something other than God. 00:21:08.419 --> 00:21:10.379 And we are striving for it, 00:21:10.519 --> 00:21:12.139 and we think that we can have both. 00:21:12.140 --> 00:21:14.180 We think I can have a little bit of my father, 00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:15.820 and I can have a little bit of this thing, 00:21:15.980 --> 00:21:16.820 and I want it all, 00:21:16.900 --> 00:21:17.660 and it's almost there. 00:21:17.740 --> 00:21:19.200 And if you just let me do this one more thing, 00:21:19.380 --> 00:21:20.060 then I can get it. 00:21:20.080 --> 00:21:20.800 And we're reaching for it. 00:21:20.800 --> 00:21:21.960 And it could be success, 00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:22.920 or comfort, 00:21:23.080 --> 00:21:23.500 or safety, 00:21:23.620 --> 00:21:24.080 or approval, 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:25.200 or any of the other things 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:28.320 that we elevate to God-like status in our lives. 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:29.840 But the more we reach, 00:21:29.860 --> 00:21:30.460 at some point, 00:21:30.500 --> 00:21:31.380 we're going to plummet 00:21:31.380 --> 00:21:34.540 to our own death. 00:21:35.020 --> 00:21:36.259 The things that we're reaching for 00:21:36.259 --> 00:21:37.820 are actually destroying us. 00:21:37.819 --> 00:21:39.099 And often, 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:40.419 they're very good things. 00:21:40.559 --> 00:21:40.659 You know, 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:42.240 they're after the Holy Grail, 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:42.899 for goodness sake. 00:21:44.319 --> 00:21:44.819 It's good, 00:21:44.919 --> 00:21:45.240 beautiful, 00:21:45.379 --> 00:21:46.919 amazing things that we should want, 00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:48.480 but not more than God. 00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:51.139 Right? 00:21:51.179 --> 00:21:51.399 And so, 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:52.319 repentance means 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:53.819 listening to the voice 00:21:53.819 --> 00:21:54.639 of your Father 00:21:54.639 --> 00:21:56.500 who is speaking your name 00:21:56.500 --> 00:21:57.500 into your life. 00:21:58.319 --> 00:21:59.299 And He is saying 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:00.579 in a clear voice, 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:01.859 let it go. 00:22:02.619 --> 00:22:03.579 Let it go. 00:22:03.579 --> 00:22:06.159 And it means 00:22:06.159 --> 00:22:07.079 turning around 00:22:07.079 --> 00:22:08.240 away from that thing, 00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:10.279 turning our back to it, 00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:12.079 and reaching with all of our might 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:12.799 toward our Father 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:14.419 who already has a hold of us, 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:16.980 and allowing Him 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:18.199 to pull us out of the chasm. 00:22:19.419 --> 00:22:19.799 And you know, 00:22:19.899 --> 00:22:20.699 repentance is really 00:22:20.699 --> 00:22:21.919 the key to the Christian life. 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:23.960 When Luther posted his theses 00:22:23.960 --> 00:22:26.559 on the Wittenberg door, 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:28.279 the very first thesis says 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:28.839 that repentance, 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:30.899 that Jesus calls Christians 00:22:30.899 --> 00:22:32.379 to a lifestyle of repentance. 00:22:33.579 --> 00:22:33.779 You know, 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:35.279 repentance is the entire life 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:35.759 of a Christian. 00:22:35.879 --> 00:22:36.500 It's not just something 00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:38.199 that we do here and there. 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:38.980 I love what 00:22:38.980 --> 00:22:40.679 Frederica Matthews Green 00:22:40.679 --> 00:22:42.019 writes about repentance. 00:22:42.179 --> 00:22:42.519 She says, 00:22:42.879 --> 00:22:44.279 the first time Jesus appears, 00:22:44.859 --> 00:22:45.939 in the first gospel, 00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:47.379 the first instruction 00:22:47.379 --> 00:22:48.799 He gives is repent. 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:50.339 From then on, 00:22:50.779 --> 00:22:52.960 it is His most consistent message. 00:22:53.379 --> 00:22:54.339 In all times 00:22:54.339 --> 00:22:55.559 and every situation, 00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:57.480 His advice is to repent. 00:22:57.859 --> 00:22:58.579 And here's the thing, 00:22:58.839 --> 00:23:00.319 not just the scribes 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:01.259 and Pharisees, 00:23:01.559 --> 00:23:02.839 not just the powerful, 00:23:02.839 --> 00:23:04.879 He tells even the poor 00:23:04.879 --> 00:23:05.639 and oppressed 00:23:05.639 --> 00:23:06.539 that repentance 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:07.579 is the key 00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:09.359 to eternal life, 00:23:09.579 --> 00:23:10.399 is the key 00:23:10.399 --> 00:23:11.359 to eternal life. 00:23:11.579 --> 00:23:12.679 And this is a radically 00:23:12.679 --> 00:23:13.879 countercultural message 00:23:13.879 --> 00:23:15.259 in our society 00:23:15.259 --> 00:23:16.519 where many people believe 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:18.319 that only certain kinds 00:23:18.319 --> 00:23:19.639 of people need to repent. 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:20.599 If you're privileged, 00:23:20.740 --> 00:23:21.519 if you're powerful, 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:22.959 then you need to repent, 00:23:23.740 --> 00:23:24.839 but not if you're poor 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:25.439 or oppressed. 00:23:26.379 --> 00:23:27.519 So this is radically 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:28.119 countercultural. 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:29.359 Jesus calls everyone, 00:23:29.459 --> 00:23:30.179 it doesn't matter 00:23:30.179 --> 00:23:30.899 your status, 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:31.899 your station in life, 00:23:31.900 --> 00:23:33.780 everyone needs to repent, 00:23:34.259 --> 00:23:34.960 rich and poor, 00:23:35.080 --> 00:23:35.960 powerful and powerless, 00:23:36.840 --> 00:23:38.000 and embrace a lifestyle 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:38.600 of repentance. 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:41.200 And the good news 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:41.820 of the gospel 00:23:41.820 --> 00:23:43.000 is that every single time 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:43.720 we repent, 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:45.660 God's grace and forgiveness 00:23:45.660 --> 00:23:47.820 is there waiting for us 00:23:47.820 --> 00:23:49.440 again and again 00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:50.300 and again. 00:23:50.440 --> 00:23:51.460 And so the last thing 00:23:51.460 --> 00:23:52.120 that we need to do 00:23:52.120 --> 00:23:53.060 once we have grieved 00:23:53.060 --> 00:23:54.140 and repented of our sin 00:23:54.140 --> 00:23:56.220 is embrace God's forgiveness. 00:23:56.740 --> 00:23:57.680 Jesus gave His life 00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:58.180 on the cross 00:23:58.180 --> 00:23:59.240 to atone for all 00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:00.220 the sins of the world, 00:24:00.220 --> 00:24:01.460 but we have to ask 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:02.440 for it in repentance. 00:24:02.600 --> 00:24:03.600 It's there for the taking, 00:24:03.880 --> 00:24:04.640 but we need to come 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:06.039 and we need to receive it. 00:24:06.660 --> 00:24:07.339 And then we need 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:08.920 to embrace that forgiveness. 00:24:09.180 --> 00:24:10.200 Paul says in verse 10, 00:24:10.620 --> 00:24:11.660 godly grief produces 00:24:11.660 --> 00:24:12.160 a repentance 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:13.640 that leads to salvation 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:15.200 without regret. 00:24:16.079 --> 00:24:16.860 Without regret. 00:24:18.039 --> 00:24:19.460 So the point of the gospel 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:20.700 is not that we wallow 00:24:20.700 --> 00:24:21.220 in regret 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:21.940 and walk around 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:23.180 in such a horrible person, 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:23.700 which, you know, 00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:24.600 a lot of Christians do. 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:25.579 I actually, frankly, 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:26.420 kind of grew up 00:24:26.420 --> 00:24:26.839 in a church 00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:27.960 where that was a kind of way 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:29.240 of exhibiting your holiness 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:30.500 was to just talk about 00:24:30.500 --> 00:24:31.420 how sinful you were 00:24:31.420 --> 00:24:31.860 all the time. 00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:32.640 That's not the way 00:24:32.640 --> 00:24:33.240 it's meant to be. 00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:34.160 We're meant to live life 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:35.079 free from regret. 00:24:35.660 --> 00:24:36.500 But the only way 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:37.200 to do that 00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:38.460 is to go through 00:24:38.460 --> 00:24:38.980 this process 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:39.579 of identifying, 00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:40.100 grieving, 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:40.960 repenting from, 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:42.460 and then accepting forgiveness. 00:24:44.059 --> 00:24:45.240 Once we do, though, 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:47.880 it sets us free. 00:24:48.120 --> 00:24:49.340 And this gives us a way 00:24:49.340 --> 00:24:50.259 to deal with regret 00:24:50.259 --> 00:24:51.299 and guilt and sin 00:24:51.299 --> 00:24:52.660 so that we can leave them 00:24:52.660 --> 00:24:53.319 in the past 00:24:53.319 --> 00:24:54.779 and truly move on 00:24:54.779 --> 00:24:55.779 with our lives 00:24:55.779 --> 00:24:56.400 and freedom. 00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:58.340 So if you're like me 00:24:58.340 --> 00:25:00.220 and you've gone through that 00:25:00.220 --> 00:25:01.380 and the regret continues 00:25:01.380 --> 00:25:02.680 to perhaps haunt you, 00:25:02.759 --> 00:25:03.960 as I think some of us are, 00:25:04.259 --> 00:25:05.720 then if we indulge 00:25:05.720 --> 00:25:06.340 that regret, 00:25:06.519 --> 00:25:07.240 if we continue 00:25:07.240 --> 00:25:08.280 to allow it to affect us, 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:09.220 we are in some ways 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:10.259 calling God a liar 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:12.240 because God has said, 00:25:12.320 --> 00:25:12.519 listen, 00:25:12.840 --> 00:25:13.840 I've forgiven you. 00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:15.800 So those of us 00:25:15.800 --> 00:25:16.440 who don't want to deal 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:17.000 with our regret, 00:25:17.100 --> 00:25:17.800 we need to deal with it. 00:25:17.840 --> 00:25:19.000 Those of us who continue 00:25:19.000 --> 00:25:19.900 to wallow in our regret, 00:25:20.060 --> 00:25:20.360 we need to, 00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:21.640 this is what we need to hear. 00:25:22.600 --> 00:25:23.440 If you've dealt with it, 00:25:23.460 --> 00:25:23.980 if you've repented, 00:25:24.080 --> 00:25:24.980 then embrace forgiveness. 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:26.660 Be free. 00:25:28.920 --> 00:25:30.240 So let me just apply this 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:30.980 in a couple of ways 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:34.039 before we close. 00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:36.319 First of all, 00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:38.180 there are times 00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:39.380 when it is necessary 00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:41.319 for us to cause 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:42.960 godly grief in others. 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:45.440 There are times 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.259 when it is necessary 00:25:46.259 --> 00:25:47.559 for us to cause 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:49.599 godly grief in others. 00:25:49.660 --> 00:25:51.140 There is a strong temptation 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:52.380 when somebody comes to you 00:25:52.380 --> 00:25:53.440 and talks about something 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:54.279 they've said or done 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:55.259 or something that they regret 00:25:55.259 --> 00:25:56.139 or feel guilty over. 00:25:56.539 --> 00:25:56.759 I mean, 00:25:56.980 --> 00:25:58.399 our instinct is to say, 00:25:58.539 --> 00:25:59.700 oh, I'm sure it's not 00:25:59.700 --> 00:26:00.639 that big a deal. 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:01.779 Oh, I'm sure it wasn't 00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:02.859 totally your fault. 00:26:02.980 --> 00:26:04.139 I'm sure you did everything 00:26:04.139 --> 00:26:04.680 that you could. 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:04.879 You know, 00:26:04.940 --> 00:26:06.720 we're all works in progress. 00:26:06.879 --> 00:26:07.000 I mean, 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:08.119 nobody's perfect 00:26:08.119 --> 00:26:09.139 and we're all sinners 00:26:09.139 --> 00:26:10.259 and my sin is just as bad 00:26:10.259 --> 00:26:10.799 as your sin. 00:26:10.839 --> 00:26:11.160 And you know, 00:26:11.240 --> 00:26:12.539 all of those things are true. 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:15.139 All of those things are true. 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:15.879 Right? 00:26:15.880 --> 00:26:18.200 But those are platitudes 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:21.260 that run the risk 00:26:21.260 --> 00:26:22.840 of robbing somebody 00:26:22.840 --> 00:26:25.000 of the opportunity 00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:26.880 to actually deal with something 00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:28.760 and experience true freedom. 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:31.640 We are confining people 00:26:31.640 --> 00:26:32.980 to a kind of false freedom 00:26:32.980 --> 00:26:35.120 when we do that. 00:26:36.560 --> 00:26:38.440 So what we should actually do 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:40.560 is to recognize 00:26:40.560 --> 00:26:41.580 that this is an opportunity 00:26:41.580 --> 00:26:42.100 for somebody 00:26:42.100 --> 00:26:43.440 to do business with Jesus. 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:45.840 And maybe our role 00:26:45.840 --> 00:26:47.039 is to help that happen. 00:26:48.519 --> 00:26:49.039 Right? 00:26:49.980 --> 00:26:51.460 That doesn't mean we enjoy it. 00:26:52.360 --> 00:26:54.019 There's a different sermon for you 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:55.340 if you enjoy doing 00:26:55.340 --> 00:26:56.120 that kind of thing. 00:26:58.980 --> 00:27:00.860 But it's sometimes necessary 00:27:00.860 --> 00:27:01.680 and it's sometimes 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:02.740 the most loving thing 00:27:02.740 --> 00:27:03.539 that we can do. 00:27:04.019 --> 00:27:05.799 It's extremely hard for Paul. 00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:06.460 Note that. 00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:07.720 Paul writes this letter 00:27:07.720 --> 00:27:09.000 and everything he says in it 00:27:09.000 --> 00:27:09.519 is true 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:10.820 and yet it plunges him 00:27:10.820 --> 00:27:11.460 into depression. 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:13.000 And he's wringing his hands, 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:14.559 have I destroyed my relationship? 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:16.160 Have you ever had that experience 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:16.920 with a close friend? 00:27:17.480 --> 00:27:18.940 You speak the hard truth, 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:20.079 you say the hard thing 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:21.440 and then you go to bed that night 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:22.220 and you can't sleep 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:24.079 because you're so terrified 00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:24.940 that you have destroyed 00:27:24.940 --> 00:27:25.599 the relationship. 00:27:27.460 --> 00:27:27.779 Right? 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:28.579 You're haunted by, 00:27:28.680 --> 00:27:28.960 oh my God, 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:29.799 did I go too far? 00:27:30.039 --> 00:27:30.880 Did I say too much? 00:27:31.640 --> 00:27:32.839 They're never going to talk to me again. 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:33.339 They're going to leave. 00:27:33.400 --> 00:27:34.220 I'm never going to see them again. 00:27:36.500 --> 00:27:37.460 It may very well be 00:27:37.460 --> 00:27:38.640 that that was the most loving thing 00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:39.160 that you've ever done 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:39.799 in that relationship. 00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:42.579 It doesn't mean we enjoy it 00:27:42.579 --> 00:27:44.119 but sometimes it's necessary. 00:27:44.399 --> 00:27:46.079 Sometimes that's what love looks like. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:48.659 And then there are many, many times, 00:27:49.819 --> 00:27:51.700 hopefully many more times, 00:27:52.019 --> 00:27:53.500 when it's necessary for us 00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:54.720 to feel godly grief. 00:27:55.720 --> 00:27:55.899 You know, 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:57.079 many, many Christians 00:27:57.079 --> 00:27:58.899 live their entire Christian life 00:27:58.899 --> 00:28:00.180 with a couple of things. 00:28:00.579 --> 00:28:01.480 On the one hand, 00:28:01.539 --> 00:28:03.220 they have kind of vague regrets 00:28:03.220 --> 00:28:04.539 and nagging guilt 00:28:04.539 --> 00:28:05.859 and on the other hand, 00:28:05.980 --> 00:28:07.839 grace remains purely conceptual. 00:28:07.839 --> 00:28:09.939 They never really deal 00:28:09.939 --> 00:28:10.759 with their sin and guilt. 00:28:10.859 --> 00:28:12.679 They never really experience grace 00:28:12.679 --> 00:28:14.539 beyond a kind of theological understanding 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:15.139 and the reason is 00:28:15.139 --> 00:28:16.019 they've never come together. 00:28:17.199 --> 00:28:18.220 They've never come together 00:28:18.220 --> 00:28:19.519 as they were meant to do. 00:28:20.359 --> 00:28:21.179 And so if you're a Christian 00:28:21.179 --> 00:28:22.980 and you've never really experienced grace, 00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:23.699 it could be because 00:28:23.699 --> 00:28:25.139 you've never really taken the time 00:28:25.139 --> 00:28:26.199 to grieve your sin 00:28:26.199 --> 00:28:28.599 and let it move you into repentance. 00:28:30.419 --> 00:28:31.939 Regret is a gift. 00:28:33.359 --> 00:28:35.379 And if we respond to regret, 00:28:35.380 --> 00:28:37.800 if we allow it to move us to repentance, 00:28:38.020 --> 00:28:39.420 if we allow it to set us free, 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:42.420 then we become more and more human. 00:28:44.220 --> 00:28:46.400 So when regret comes upon you, 00:28:46.740 --> 00:28:47.480 listen to it, 00:28:48.060 --> 00:28:49.400 allow it to lead you 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:50.640 into a fresh experience 00:28:50.640 --> 00:28:51.560 of God's grace, 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:53.640 and then for Jesus' sake, 00:28:53.760 --> 00:28:54.400 leave it behind. 00:28:55.320 --> 00:28:56.000 Let's pray. 00:28:56.000 --> 00:28:58.819 Lord, we thank you for your word, 00:28:59.319 --> 00:29:01.319 and we thank you for the work 00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:02.559 that you do in us. 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:04.359 And what we need now 00:29:04.359 --> 00:29:06.660 is not simply words and ideas, 00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:09.359 but we all need to do business with you. 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:10.880 We all need to come to you 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:13.099 with our regrets and our guilt. 00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:14.119 And Lord, I know that we 00:29:14.119 --> 00:29:16.440 have had an opportunity to do that 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:19.220 already by hearing your law 00:29:19.220 --> 00:29:22.160 and by crying out for your mercy, 00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:23.539 but Lord, we'll have an opportunity 00:29:23.539 --> 00:29:24.460 to do that again 00:29:24.460 --> 00:29:25.899 as we come together 00:29:25.899 --> 00:29:28.059 and confess our sin. 00:29:28.339 --> 00:29:29.799 And then as we hear the absolution, 00:29:29.940 --> 00:29:30.740 I pray that you would 00:29:30.740 --> 00:29:32.139 press the truth of it 00:29:32.139 --> 00:29:32.779 into our hearts. 00:29:33.059 --> 00:29:33.500 And then, Lord, 00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:34.539 as we come to your table 00:29:34.539 --> 00:29:35.399 and we pray again 00:29:35.399 --> 00:29:36.240 that we're not worthy 00:29:36.240 --> 00:29:37.279 even to gather up the crumbs 00:29:37.279 --> 00:29:38.059 from under this table, 00:29:38.119 --> 00:29:39.099 I pray that you would remind us 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:40.240 that it's because of your mercy, 00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:41.399 because your character 00:29:41.399 --> 00:29:42.619 is always to have mercy, 00:29:43.480 --> 00:29:44.639 that we come to this table. 00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:45.500 And then I pray that you would 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:47.639 feed us and nourish us 00:29:47.639 --> 00:29:49.220 and therein set us free. 00:29:49.819 --> 00:29:51.920 We pray this in your Son's holy name. 00:29:52.200 --> 00:29:52.399 Amen. 00:29:53.539 --> 00:29:54.539 Amen.