Godly sorrow–a gift from the Spirit

Godly sorrow is the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Spurgeon preached,

“It is always a creation of the Holy Spirit. . . . There never was any real godly sorrow, such as worketh repentance acceptable unto God, except that which was the result of the Holy Spirit’s own work within the soul.”. . . Genuine mourning for sin comes as a gift of divine grace. . . Grace comes into the heart, and enlightens the understanding, so that the man understands what his criminallty is in the sight of God.  Then the grace of God operates upon the conscience so that the man sees the evil and the bitterness of the sin which he has committed against the thrice-holy Jehovah  Then the same grace affects the heart, so that the man beholds the infiinte graciousness and eternal love of Christ, and then begins to loathe himself to think that he should ever have treated Christ so ill.  So, by a work of grace upon the soul, and not by any other process, does the Spirit of God make men weep for sin so that they hate it, and turn away from it.”

So, we aren’t talking about Joe or Sally-generated sorrow over sin.  We are talking about a godly sorrow that is generated and gifted to one by the Holy Spirit.  So, repentance begins by saying, “Oh, God, your Spirit has pierced my heart with great conviction over my sin as I realize my sin pierced the body of Your Son.”  God graciously pours out this Spirit on those who seek Him.  Oh, that God would grant us repentance that leads to salvation.

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Looking on him whom they have pierced

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

I preached on this passage from Zechariah 12:10 this morning (audio and manuscript).  This passage speaks of Israel looking on the pierced Messiah and mourning for him.  John 19:37 records that Jesus was indeed pierced during his crucifixion, although not one bone of his body was broken–a fulfillment of Exodus 12:46 and Psalm 34:20.  This piercing made the fulfillment of Zechariah possible so that on the day that Messiah comes again as in Zechariah 12-14, they will see Him pierced and the Israelites at that time who are saved will mourn deeply, individually, and cross-societally (royalty and priests are mentioned for example in this text).  The salvation that comes to Israel on that day will be the fulfillment of Romans 11:26, “And in this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion. . . “

David Baron, whose commentary on Zechariah is still among the very best writes wisely,

The ultimate literal fulfillment of [these verses] lies yet in the future, in the day for which we watch and pray, when our Lord Jesus shall, according to his promise, appear in his glory and the Jewish nation shall literally look upon him whom they have pierced and be, as it were, ‘born in a day.” Bur there is a forestallment, so to say, in the fulfillment of this prophecy in the case of the individual even now. ‘And thus,’ to quote the words of an honored Hebrew Christian brother and true master of Israel, ‘every Jew who, by the grace of God since the Day of Pentecost, had been brought to Christ fulfills this prediction; he looks unto him whom he has pierced. It is the look of repentance; for only a sight of the crucified Jesus shows us our sin and grief. It is the look of supplication and faith; for he only can bless and save, and he saves all who believe. It is the look of peace and adoration; for his love is infinite, unchanging and omnipotent. It is the look which never ceases and never ends; for now the veil is taken away, . . . (Adolph Saphir)

“And as it is with the individual Jew, so it is with the individual Gentile. Yes, thanks be to God, as we all, whether Jew or Gentile, had our share in the guilt of Christ’s crucifixion because of our common sin, so also may all have their share in the salvation which comes through a penitent look of faith on him whom we have pierced.” –David Baron

Have you received salvation through a repentant look of faith on the crucified Lord Jesus Christ?

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How deep the Father’s love!

“How deep the Father’s love toward us!  How vast beyond all measure!”  God loves every believer deeply!

How does God display His love toward us?  Here are a few ways:

1. He has brought us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ! (John 3:16)
2. He has forgiven all the sins of his people (Psalm 32:1-2; Isaiah 38:17; 55:6-7; Ephesians 1:7-8)
3. He equips us to have victory over remaining sin in our lives (Romans 8:11; 6:14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16; 2 Peter 1:3)
4. He adopts us into His family, making us legitimate heirs of the kingdom and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:4-6; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 3:1)
5. He shares in our suffering as we share in His (Isaiah 63:9; Matthew 9:36; John 11:33-35; Hebrews 4:15)
6. He never forgets us or abandons us.  He is faithful (Isaiah 43:1-2; 4a, Isaiah 49:15-16; 54:10; Matthew 28:20; John 14:18; Hebrews 13:5)
7. He chastens and disciplines us (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Corinthians 4:16-17; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Hebrews 12:5-8,11; 1 Peter 4:12-13; Revelation 3:19)

Amazing love! How can it be?  That Thou My Lord Shouldst die for me?

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One petition worth signing

We are facing a cultural crisis if President-elect Obama brings into legislation the Freedom of Choice Act. This law, if enacted, would wipe away every restriction on abortion nationwide. The Fight FOCA website explains,

This would eradicate state and federal laws that the majority of Americans support, such as:

• Bans on Partial Birth Abortion
• Requirements that women be given information about the risks of getting an abortion
• Only licensed physicians can perform abortions
• Parents must be informed and give consent to their minor daughter’s abortion

FOCA would erase these laws and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.

There are also other things you need to be aware of about FOCA. It will allow taxpayer funding of abortion, and it will also force faith-based hospitals and health facilities to perform abortions or go out of business. It doesn’t matter what your political leanings are or who you voted for, if you are a Christian, it is your moral duty to oppose this. Go to the Fight FOCA website to read more, and click on the link to sign the petition. There were oer 150,000 signatures when I signed. Let’s make that number go into the millions.

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