Cry out to him

I hope you guys enjoyed yourselves tonight

What did we talk about last week

I have a question for you tonight

Yes tension forms us

What are the signs of a mature Christian?

have three students answer

reaffirm the true one’s

I think one thing we often miss when we think about being a mature Christian is being broken-hearted, or mourning

What, I thought you said Christians should be joyful

Yes, that is true too, it's a tension as we talked about last week

A mature Christian will have joy for the things God has joy for and will be broken-hearted for the things God mourns for.

lets read psalm 119:129-152

Psalm 119:129–152 ESV

Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name. Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law. Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules. You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness. My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words. Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live. With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O Lord, according to your justice give me life. They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law. But you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true. Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever.

lets pray

Maturity as a Christ follower comes with mourning for the lost

This probably seems odd, it hasn’t been talked about much

But tonight we will see how maturity in Christ will lead us to be broken-hearted for others, not because we are “soft” but because we understand God’s justice, but we will end with the one hope that comforts us

Broken-hearted 136; 145-147

So what do we say we should be broken-hearted for let read 136

Psalm 119:136 “My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.”

So we see here, simple but profound, the psalmist crying because others do not follow the word of the Lord

But not just a little teary eye, no, he says, streams

being genuinly broken hearted that others do not know God

What was the last time you were brokenhearted

so i use to not understand scriptures like this why is it good to be sad

other passages like Matthew 5:4 ““Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

i use to thing well i just should be sad a guess

Have you ever met people who are all ways down in the dump

life is horriable, we have no hope

yes these people are in church to

so should we all be like that?

No thats not why we should morn

no the psalmist is clear the reason for his tears is others do not follow God’s word

So why should we morn, we morn for others who do not follow God

When you know the sweet sound of the gospel you wanbt others to know it

it makes you greived when others do not

Is this “soft”

so i know some of you are thinking, yeahyeah your are just a soft Chirstian

You know whats right ater that in the beatitudes, Matthew 5:6 ““Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

So there you go let’s go so people some justice

This reminds me of a book of the Bible that is hardly read now days habakuk

i will now paraphrase it as fast as possiable

BAssicaly Habaukuk is a phrophit

and is just feed up with the Israliets and ask God hye why have you not shown justice on them yet

Then God says well im about to, and guess what what you thought the ISraelits needed to be corrected, what im about to do to them is send the babyloians to judge them

bassical habukuk freaks out and then accepts this is God’s will

If you at all felt a kind of “yeah thats what we should be like as Chirstians, go show God judment” you will exerince just like habbukuk

his Judmemnts will be so much harsher then what you thought that person you didn’t like dessered

you do not understand or have a “soft view” the holiness of God and his justice

Let’s see Romans 12:19 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.””

Why does GOd have vengeance, becuase he is HOly

literall zero sin can be in his pressence, not a once

God never looks at a sin and says no biggy

nothing

not even the smallest what we call harmless light a

little lie

God sees that and say i will jugde that is wrong

Sin has a punishment

it must be paid for

either by us in hell

or by Christ sacfic on the cross if we follow him

The wrath of God here is what hell is concoius divine punishment

i know this is hard stuff

That’s why we should morn for those who do not follow God’s law

because we know they will exerince enternal councoius punishment in hell

we should weap over this

BUt what gets worse is we relize we derse the same thing

This is the gospel we are saved from that by the grace of Christ

if you want out of this punishment it can only be replaced by having a love for Christ

let’s read our next section 147-149

Psalm 119:145–147 ESV

With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words.

This has to be our respones we need to cry out to God for him to save us, there is no other way

sin’s penielty must be paid

but Christ gave himself for those who accept him on the cross

i like what this really really old guy says

Such prayers are rare among the many, frequent among the few Augustine of Hippo,

We must be this few that understands that we our liable to judment

and that those who do not follow the word of the Lord our liable to jugement

and that should break our heart

thjey are lost

if you have read or watch the Lord of the rings

there is this seen in the fellowship of the Ring

When frodo sees gollum for the first time and thinks a pitty that bilio did not kill him and that Gollum deserves death But Gandolf resopneds saying

“Deserves it! I dare say he does. Many that live deserve death and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be so eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the wise cannot see all ends”

This is from the book, in the movie gandolf says that it is pitty that keeps Bilbo from striking gollum

We know that GOd is in controll and will judge, perfectly,

we should have pitty to others, even if we see someone like a nasty creaute like gollum

that person you do not like you should show grace to, even mourn for

To get every real with you guys

There are time I leave youth group, and am really greived

sometimes i just that we missed it hear, we did not understand the gospel

to be honest, I am burdens somtimes becaause im not sure who is following Christ or not

it litgitmantly greives me,

when worship is not imporant to you

when a person trys to just get attention

when someone finds joy in mocking

I leave here and i have to wonder if they have accepted Chirst

I greive when a person shows no grace to others

Thinks as thmes sleves as better

doesnt understand they also derseve hell

like eveyone here

that makes me greave

guys my greid over this is nothing in comparison to God’s greif over it

but he is also just

and will serve justice

Guys to be very real, if you have never had grace or mounred for another person, either do not know Chirst or you are a very very very young CHirstian, oyunger than you thought

If you think that you can get to heaven just because you are “good”

YOU are lost and liable to jumgment

so this is heavy, so what is our hope

Our hope 151

Psalm 119:151 “But you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true.”

OUr hope is that God is near

immanuel God with us

Chirst came and took on our punishment

so that we can have life with him

We can known this as he gave us his word

that is true forgivness

that is the real gospel

the tentiosn

that we are all worse than we could image and our liable to divine jugment

but at the same time we are more love and accepted by God than we could ever image

This will lead us to mourn for the lost and cry out to God in honest prayer

Take aways

If you do not know Chirst cry out to him

If you do have mercy and mourn for the lost

God’s jugment is very real

but so is his love

you need to cry out to him if you don’t know him

IF you do know Chirst

his love and justice are still very real

this should lead us to have mercy grace, and yes even mourn for the lost

Be Comforted

I know this was a hard message, put know that the comfort for all our sorrow s are found in Chirst

so i want to end with a comforting passage for those who know him. Matthew 11:28–30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”” IF you do not know Chirst he is waiting to comfort you

if you do know Chirst he is still is there to comfot you

but he want’s to change you

to also be gentle and lowly

let’s pray