SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/9/2020
10:42 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-4 “Godly Mourning”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew 5:4
Message
of the verses: “4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted.’”
I have to
say that many times the Lord will speak to my heart in the early hours of the
morning and that is what happened this morning.
I was reminded of the seventh chapter of the book of Romans, a chapter
that I have mentioned in earlier SD’s. I
have mentioned that the great Apostle Paul was having trouble in his walk with
the Lord, doing the things that he did not want to do, and not doing the things
that he wanted to do. I was told in a
sermon by John MacArthur that because of the way the Greek verbs are in this
section that this continued in the life of the Apostle Paul. I have to say that I know what he was going
through and I would have to believe that this goes on with all true
believers. I don’t believe that Paul was
not mourning over the sins that he was struggling with but he was just having
trouble with certain sins. I have
mentioned that there are different “lists” found in the NT such as found in the
book of Galatians with different sins mentioned on these lists. I truly believe that in the lives of
believers that certain things on these lists can be a problem, and certain
things on these lists are not a problem.
I say all of this because of the difficulty that I have been having with
the section we are in about mourning, that is Godly mourning. We will now continue with this section at
this time.
I have to
admit that there are times, far too many times when I laugh at the world’s
crude and immoral jokes, but I don’t retell those jokes. MacArthur writes “when we are entertained by
sin even though we do not indulge in it, when we smile at ungodly talk even
though we don’t repeat the words” we know that this is not right in fact it is
sinful. “To joke about divorce to make
light of brutality, to be intrigued by sexual immorality is to rejoice when we
should be mourning, to be laughing when we should be crying. To ‘rejoice in the
perversity of evil’ is placed along side ‘delight in doing evil’ (Prov.
2:14). To take ‘pleasure in wickedness’
(2 Thess. 2:12) is to be a part of the wickedness, whether or not we commit the
specific sin.”
As
believers who belong to a Bible believing church we should never make fun of
the things that are taught in the church, especially to any unbelievers.
Proverbs
17:22 has something to say about how the Bible recognizes a proper sense of
humor, that is humor that is not at the expense of God’s name, God’s Word, God’s
church, or any person except perhaps ourselves: A joyful heart is good
medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.” “A cheerful disposition is good for your
health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired” (Message). “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a
broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (NLT).
The
following paragraph gives us several ways that we can react to our spiritual
bankruptcy. The Pharisees denied their
spiritual destitution and pretended that they were spiritually rich. Like monastics and advocates of moral
rearmament, we can admit our condition and try to change it our own way, in our
own power, by our own efforts. We can
admit our condition and then despair over it to such a degree that we try to
drown it perhaps in drink or perhaps using drugs, or perhaps by activity, or
give up completely and commit suicide like Judas did. MacArthur adds “Because they can find no
answer in themselves or in the world, these people conclude that there is no
answer. Or, like the prodigal son, we
can admit our condition, mourn over it, and turn to the heavenly Father to
remedy our poverty (Luke 15:11-32).”
Perhaps
this quote will help us with some answers:
“Mourn over sin is not being engulfed in despair. Even the person who has been severely
disciplined by the church should be forgiven, comforted, and loved, ‘lest
somehow such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow’ (2 Cor. 2:7-8). Nor is godly mourning wallowing in self-pity
and false humility, which are really badges of pride.
“True
mourning over sin does not focus on ourselves, not even on our sin. It focuses on God, who alone can forgive and
remove our sin. It is an attitude that
begins when we enter the kingdom and lasts as long as we are on earth. It is the attitude of Romans 7. Contrary to some popular interpretation, Paul
is not here speaking simply about his former condition. The problems of chapter 7 were not one-time
experiences that were completely replaced by the victories of chapter 8. The apostle clearly says, ‘For that which I
am doing I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do,
but am doing the very thing I hate’ (7:15).
Here he uses the present tense, as he does throughout the rest of the
chapter: ‘For I know that nothing good
dwells in me, that is, in my flesh;…for the good that I wish, I do not do; but
I practice the very evil that I do not wish’ (vv. 18-19); ‘I am!...So the, on
the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other,
with my flesh the law of sin’ (vv. 24-25).
“Paul
wrote those words at the height of his ministry. Yet righteousness and sin were still fighting
a battle in his life. As he acknowledges
in verse 25, the way of victory is ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord,’ but the
rest of the verse makes clear that, at that time, the victory was not yet
complete. He knew where the victory was,
and he had tasted the victory many times.
But he knew that, in this life, it is never a permanent victory. The presence of the flesh sees to that. Permanent victory is assured to us now, but
it is not given to us now.”
After
reading and quoting this section from John MacArthur I know where I heard this
truth from, as it was in the sermon that he had on this second beatitude. I am thankful to the Lord for bringing this
truth to my mind early this morning, and for reaffirming it with this
quotation. PTL.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I am thankful that God is not done with me
yet, and that permanent victory is assured to me now, but is not given to my
now.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to be taught humility, contentment,
and to have joy in my study of God’s Word.
4/9/2020 11:33 AM
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