The Heart of Worship 05 - Sorrow-full Worship

Reading: Psalm 51
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17 (NIV)

I.   Go to Him in your Grief

     A.  Entrust God with your Pain

           1.  When we suffer the loss of a loved one we feel pain — it hurts.

                 a.  Love creates ties between people.

                 b.  It’s OK to hurt when the ties are broken.

           2.  We are tempted to stay with our grief, as if to let it go, would dishonor our loss.

                 a.  A part of us wants to hold onto our grief

                 b.  We nurse our grief, as if not hurting would disrespect our loved one.

           3.  Pour out your hearts like water, in the presence of the Lord (Lam.2:19b)

                 a.  Go to God with the pain of your grief.

                 b.  God wants to share and heal your hurt

     B.  Trust God for His Comfort

           1.  In our grief we can reach out to any thin strand of comfort.

                 a.  Some look to psychics, or Ouija boards

                 b.  Sometimes we hold onto a thing or a memory as our main source of comfort.

           2.  As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:13 (NIV)

                 a.  Go to God for Comfort.

                 b.  His comfort is real, certain and effective

     C.  Grieve with Hope

           1.  Our grief is not a grief of despair.

                 a.  We don’t wail as if all is lost.

                 b.  Those who die in the Lord are with Christ (Phil 1:23)

           2.  We grieve with hope because we know our loss is not permanent.

                 a.  Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 1Thes.4:13

           3.  Death, or final enemy will be defeated!

                 a.  For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1Cor.15:25-26)

                 b.  Go to God in hope born faith.

II.  Cry out to Him about Injustice

     A.  Put Your mistreatment in His hands

           1.  The psalms are full of cries to God because the psalmists have been mistreated.

                 a.  Psalm 41:9-14

                 b.  The God’s people cry out to him for help when they are mistreated.

           2.  Entrust God with our mistreatment.

                 a.  Go to God in the sorrow of abuse.

                 b.  Let God judge those who mistreat us.

                 c.  We can find freedom in forgiving them

     B.  Plead for His justice for Others

           1.  When we see someone else mistreated, it is our duty to bring do something about it

                 a.  Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Prov.31:8 -write, speak, etc.

                 b.  Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. Pr.24:11

           2.  The best we can ever do is bring it to God

                 a.  God is the final judge

                 b.  And God hears His people’s cry for help

           3.  As our fellow believers around the world are killed and imprisoned, let’s pray!

                 a.  Go to God in our sorrow over injustice

                 b.  Let’s join our prayers with action.

     C.  Be Confident in His Love

           1.  God’s love drives His justice.

                 a.  God’s justice is rooted in His love

                 b.  Because God loves so fiercely, we can be confident that His justice will rule.

           2.  Though his justice seems slow, wait for it

                 a.  The Israelites waited 400 years in Egypt

                 b.  Some won’t see any justice until the final judgement.

                 c.  Go to God in confidence of His love.

III. Bow before Him in Sorrow for your Sins

     A.  Confess you sin in True sorrow

           1.  True sorrow for one’s sin is an acceptable sacrifice (51:17)

                 a.  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret (2Cor. 7:10a)

                 b.  Luke 18:9-15

           2.  False sorrow has the form of sorrow, but the heart of complacency.

                 a.  The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. Pr.15:8

                 b.  God won’t accept our acts of worship, if we aren’t sorry for our sin

           3.  We come to God in True sorrow

                 a.  Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Ps. 51:6

                 b.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24 (NIV)

     B.  Wait for His Forgiveness

           1.  Our sorrow for sin is not about explaining to God why he should excuse us.

                 a.  It’s not about avoiding responsibility

                 b.  Sorrow for sin is the pain of knowing that we have no excuse.

           2.  We can’t earn God’s forgiveness, we can only receive it.

                 a.  We don’t earn forgiveness by our sorrow, repentance or confession

                 b.  Our sorrow is evidence we know we must depend on God’s grace.

                 c.  God forgives those who trust in Jesus.

           3.  Go to God with your sorrow for your sin.

                 a.  Don’t make up sorrow for forgiven sins

                 b.  When you are sorry, don’t hide. Go!

     C.  Embrace His Reconciliation

           1.  God lifts up the sorrowful.

                 a.  He will lift you up! (Is. 57:14-21)

           2.  God’s forgiveness is complete.

                 a.  HC Q&A 60

           3.  God forgives to restore our relationship with Him.

                 a.  That’s the whole point of forgiveness

                 b.  God wants to share in your sorrow: in your grief, injustice or in repentance.

The Bottom Line:

R#436 For Those Tears I Died v.1

Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 60

How are you right with God?
Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.1 Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments and of never having kept any of them,2 and even though I am still inclined toward all evil,3 nevertheless, without my deserving it at all,4 out of sheer grace,5 God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ,6 as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me.7

1 Rom. 3:21-28; Gal. 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; Phil 3:8-11

2 Rom 3:9-10

3 Rom 7:23

4 Tit 3:4-5

5 Rom 3:24; Eph 2:8

6 Rom 4:3-5 (Gen 15:6); 2Cor 5:17-19; & 1John 2:1-2

7 John 3:18; Acts 16:30-31

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