Well, this morning I invite you to turn with me to Psalm 51. Psalm 51, we sang a versification of that with number 94 a little earlier. We'll read verses 1 through 13 of Psalm 51, and also 2 Corinthians 7. As we read verses 2 through 12 of 2 Corinthians chapter 7, with our attention being given to verse 10. And that in connection with the catechism, where we'll turn in a few moments after we read the Scripture. And we'll turn to Lord's Day 33. Psalm 51, to begin, beginning at verse 1 through verse 13. Hear now the Word of God. This is David's prayer after having committed adultery with Bathsheba, and we know of being confronted by Nathan the prophet. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love. According to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Then over to 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 7, beginning in verse 2, actually through verse 13. The Apostle Paul says, under the inspiration of the Spirit, make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one. We have corrupted no one. We have exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. I have great confidence in you. I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged. In all our troubles, my joy knows no bounds. For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn. conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God who comforts the downcast comforted us by the coming of Titus and not only by His coming, but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me so that my joy was greater than ever. Even if I cause you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it, I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while. Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance, for you became sorrowful as God intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us. Verse 10, the text, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you? What earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves. What indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point, you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong or of the injured party, but rather that before God, you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are. By all this, we are encouraged. There we end with a reading. Of the Word of God. Turn with me, if you would, in the back of the Psalter Hymnal to Lord's Day 33. Found on page 45. In the appended pages of the Psalter Hymnal. Page 45. Lord's Day 33. Four questions and answers that we find there that we will give expression to with our voices. Lord's Day 33. We're beginning with question 88, which asks, What is involved in genuine repentance or conversion? Two things. The dying away of the old self and the coming to life of the new. What is the dying away of the old self? It is to be genuinely sorry for sin, to hate it more and more, and to run away from it. What is the coming to life of the new self? It is wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to. What do we do that is good? Only that which arises out of true faith, conforms to God's law and is done for His glory and not that which is based on what we think is right or on established human tradition. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, on the morning that our oldest son, Nicholas, was born, at the very time he was born, I was supposed to be singing at a funeral service. And of course, I couldn't make it. And once my wife and son were comfortable in the hospital room, I went over to the church where my mom was working in the kitchen as part of the food service group this morning to tell her the good news. And while I was there, the husband of the deceased woman came and heard that I was there and came into the kitchen with a big smile on his face, with earnestness in his mind, and anxiously asked, what is it? What did you have? A boy or a girl? And he, of course, shared. He rejoiced at that moment with us in the birth of a new child. In His grief because of death, He was able to share in our joy of a new life. Grief in death. Joy with new life. And He experienced it at the very same time. And that, brothers and sisters, represents at least in a little bit of a way what each and every believer has experienced or does experience. You say, how? Why? Well, very simply, because of conversion. That U-turn of the heart from one direction to the complete opposite direction. Question 88 asks us again, what is involved in genuine repentance or conversion? Two things. The dying away of the old self and the coming to life of the new. And the Bible is clear, as we have already saw this morning with our law reading, there is an old life, there is a new life. There are characteristics of the old life that are to be put away and there are characteristics of the new life that are to be pursued. And Paul in Romans chapter 6 makes it very clear that the old life is a life in slavery to sin, but that new life is a life free from that bondage and is a life that is a life of service to righteousness, a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you see, beloved, all people, every single person in this world who has lived, does, or ever will, every single person needs this extreme change from the old self to the new self. But not all experience it. Those who experience it are only those to whom God has chosen to give that new life. And again, that extreme change is experienced through conversion. Including at one and the same time, death and life. And the sorrow and grief that goes with that death and the joy that accompanies that life. And that's unimaginable to the world. Because to the world, death and life, sorrow and joy don't mix. But for the child born again of God's grace, the new life travels the path of conversion comfort. The new life travels the path of conversion comfort. And that path is, first of all, through godly sorrow unto death. And at the very same time, that path is through godly joy leading to life. First of all, through godly sorrow unto death. Now again, when we talk about godly sorrow, when we talk about death, that doesn't sound very comforting. We're talking about conversion comfort. And sorrow and death doesn't sound very comforting. But Paul in this text teaches us of this comfort. He says, Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. With that negative statement, which we'll consider a bit later, he speaks of that comfort. And we also must understand and remember that there is sorrow that is not a godly sorrow. Paul, in this text, he contrasts godly sorrow, which is worked by God, with worldly sorrow. That sorrow which the world experiences, and we'll consider that in just a bit. But first of all, we can ask this question of that godly sorrow unto death. What's the foundation of that godly sorrow? From where does it come? From where does it arise? From where does it flow? Well, very simply, new birth. New life. Regeneration. Being born again. That new birth becomes evident. It becomes visible in conversion. Now, many want to confuse regeneration and conversion. And sometimes, indeed, they are almost treated as the same thing. But it's interesting, often when I'm helping to prepare a young person to appear before the elders to make public profession of faith, I might ask them, can you explain to me what regeneration is? Or can you explain to me what conversion is? And nine out of ten times, I'll get a beautiful definition of the opposite one. They're so closely tied. They are so closely associated. But they are distinct. Conversion, we might say, is the necessary result or consequence of regeneration. But strictly speaking, regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit in man. We're passive. We're passive. It's the work of the Holy Spirit in man implanting that new spiritual life in him. As Paul says in Ephesians 2, verse 1, when you were dead in your transgressions and sins, God made you alive. Implanting new life. Bringing from death to life. Giving that one the new eyes of faith to see the truth, including the truth of himself. And the result of that, the result is that when one is touched by the regenerating and illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, only one thing can happen and will happen, and that's conversion. And in conversion, strictly speaking, the Holy Spirit causes us to cooperate with Him. He uses us, our heart, our soul, our mind. But that's the only thing that can happen, is that the one who has been regenerated, touched by the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, will then see clearly His offense against a holy and righteous God, against His Creator. And will realize that He is on the road leading directly to hell and no place else. And there's not one thing he can do to stop it. Not one thing he can do to stop traveling on that road. Not one thing he can do to remove that offense. And he comes to see that his only hope is outside of himself, only in Jesus Christ, and is brought to repent and turn to Him. That's conversion. And that includes, beloved, godly sorrow. Well, the second question we might ask of this godly sorrow unto death then is, what might we call the ingredients of godly sorrow? Well, in this text, in this verse 10 alone, Paul summarizes, it's a bit of a summary statement, you see. Paul summarizes the experience of the Corinthian believers. Whatever he had written them, he had written them a harsh letter. Not the first epistle, not the second epistle, but he had written them some sort of a harsh letter challenging them about something. Now, many believe that he was challenging the entire church for not defending him against attacks by certain individuals. Attacks to his authority. Attacks to his apostleship. Attacks to the word that he preached. And therefore, he wrote a harsh letter to the entire church and whatever he wrote convicted them. And in verse 9 we read, Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance for you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. The first ingredient we might say of godly sorrow is that it is as God intended. He intends for you and I to have godly sorrow. It's interesting here too, the responsibility of the preacher to not always say things that make the congregation happy, But to even say things that might make you very mad, very angry, hopefully, and lead to godly sorrow and repentance. But that godly sorrow is as God intended. It is according to the will of God. It is intended for the glory of God. And it is worked by the Holy Spirit of God. And that genuine godly sorrow that God intends, The one who has that understands the offended one. And also the offense committed against the offended one. That offended one is only God, who is perfectly holy, righteous, and good. What did David say? Did he say, against Uriah I have sinned? Against Bathsheba I have sinned? No. He said, against you and you only have I sinned. Our sin hurts others. We do wrong each other in sin. but our sin is ultimately, first and foremost, and ultimately against God. He is the offended one, and our offense against Him is our sin, our unholiness, our disobedience in whatever way, shape, or form. It is transgression of His law, what He has commanded. In essence, to say, forget it. I know better. It's an insult to His holiness, Not really understanding His purity, His beauty, His holiness. And by our sin, in essence, we throw unholiness right in His face. It is a despising of His grace, beloved, that grace alone through which we can live, which we need so desperately. Our sin despises His grace, in effect, to say it's no big deal. But this understanding, this godly sorrow that understands the offended one and the offense, results in godly sorrow from inward change, grieving from the heart. And that means the one who has godly sorrow experiences real anguish and sorrow over the sins he has committed. The one who has godly sorrow is devastated by the evil character and awful consequences of his sinful deeds. Already we better start asking ourselves, does that describe me? with regard to my sin. But the one who has this godly sorrow also then is brought to have true humility. True humility that before God understands that I deserve nothing of His mercy. And we can contrast this to worldly sorrow. Unbelievers experience sorrow. But the foundation of worldly sorrow is very simply this world and the things of this world. Unbelievers have sorrow for sin too, believe it or not. but not in relation to offending God. Unbelievers have sorrow for their sin in the sense that they are worried about the worldly consequences. For example, the loss of freedom. Think of a criminal in prison. No more freedom to walk this earth and to go about his business. Or the loss of benefits that one might experience because of their sin, whatever those benefits in this world might be. The loss of status. Shame, because my deeds have been uncovered and condemned. A loss of a job or any sort of failure. But very simply, with worldly sorrow, God is not anywhere in the picture at all. And the result, as Paul says, is that worldly sorrow brings death. Now, that word brings is a powerful word. The idea behind that word brings is that of an inevitable result. In other words, worldly sorrow will only and can only bring death, guaranteed, because there's no change of heart. There's only despair, there's only hopelessness. Maybe you can think of a Bible character that that description fits. If not, I'll help you. Judas Iscariot. Judas Iscariot. Oh, he was sorry, but it was not a godly sorrow. It was hopeless, and it cost him his life, and of course, leading to eternal death. Well, another question we then ask then is, what is the result of godly sorrow? That's the result of worldly sorrow. What's the result of godly sorrow? Well, Paul tells us that too. He says, godly sorrow brings repentance. Again, a powerful word. It produces repentance. Repentance is the inevitable result. The only result of godly sorrow. Again, think of David. Think of Peter when he denied the Lord three times. Think of the thief on the cross. And repentance, we know, is that complete turn. It involves our heart, our soul, our mind, our thoughts, everything. A complete turn from one direction to another. Question 89 asks, What is the dying away of the old self? It is to be genuinely sorry for sin, to hate it more and more, and to run away from it. To turn from sin and turn to the Savior. And it involves a conscious change of life. It results in one no longer treating sin lightly, no longer treating it as no big deal, and instead hating it. Hating it with a passion. Consciously examining my life. Turning away, but not just turning around. Running away from it as the Catechism says. avoiding it at all costs. And again, we can contrast this to worldly sorrow. The unbeliever is sorry. Oh, the unbeliever is sorry that he got caught. Boys and girls, are you ever sorry when you've done something wrong only because you've gotten caught? I used to be that way when I was a kid because of the punishment I didn't like very well. The world is sorry that it got caught, but not sorry about what it did. And the unbeliever would commit the sin again if he knew he could get away with it. Well, Paul hints really very powerfully at the change that repentance brings in verse 11. And see what this godly sorrow has produced in you. What earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. We don't have time to dissect this all as we should, but very simply, what earnestness. Understanding the seriousness of sin. What eagerness. A true desire for reconciliation and that the blame and the shame be removed as soon as possible. What indignation, anger at oneself because of one's sin. What alarm. Being shocked at yourself and what sin does. Have you ever been alarmed at sin? Maybe when we look out in the world, we just can't believe someone could act that way. Have you ever been alarmed because of your sin? What longing. A longing desire for innocence and righteousness. What concern. A zeal to do everything to remedy the situation. And what readiness to see justice done because one understands what sin deserves. Beloved, true repentance blames no one but myself. It blames no one but myself. Often when we've gotten caught, we want to try to pass the blame at least a little bit onto someone else so that the earthly consequences might be lessened for us a little bit. But true repentance blames no one but myself. And what about for us then? Do we have this godly sorrow? Do we grieve our sin against God? We've all been touched by death. Some more directly than others. Different situations. We've all been touched in some way by death. And think about the hurt in the pit of your stomach that's caused by the death of a loved one. Think about the anguish and the emptiness that that brings. Do you have that gnawing hurt and that anguish and sorrow because of your sin against God? And do you desire the death of your old sinful self? You see, children, often young children, especially young children, often feel terrible when they know they have disappointed their parents. They can't stand that. And husbands and wives often feel miserable when they have hurt each other in some way. Does that describe us when it comes to our offense to God? Or are you more worried about earthly consequences? Are you more worried about how your sin might affect your profits or your reputation or your success? When you repent of your sin, do you also hate your sin? And do you do all that you can with God's help to never commit it again? To run away with it? Not to play as close to the line of sin as possible, but to run away from it. For those who are married, think back to when you were dating your spouse. And for those of you who are dating, isn't it true that you do all that you can to not offend each other? To not hurt each other? And instead to try to make each other happy? Do you desire to run away with God's help? Or are you only sorry when you get caught? Indeed, we know there's an initial conversion which takes place every generation. And most of us who were born and raised in a Christian home in the faith may not know exactly when that time was. But we do all come to understand a time when we desire to do that which is pleasing to God and to stay away from that which displeases Him. But we can also talk about, and we must here, talk about what we can call a continual conversion. This dying away and the coming to life that we'll talk about in a moment happens together our whole life long. There is a continual conversion because we are not yet dead to the inclination to sin and therefore we daily fight against sin. Every day as the Holy Spirit works in us by His Word, we are to look to the cross of Jesus and as we look to that cross, we are to see God's curse against our sin. Individually, my sin, your sin. God's curse against our sin laid upon Jesus. And that sin, beloved, is to cause us to grieve caused us to have a godly hatred and a godly sorrow for our sin. Yet, that's only half of the conversion equation. That path continues. We don't stop that. We're not stuck in. We don't live with only godly sorrow. That would do nothing more than to drive us to despair. Paul speaks of salvation. The catechism talks about wholehearted joy. The new life travels the path of conversion and comfort also in the second place through godly joy leading to life. At the very same time as there's godly sorrow unto death. And we can ask the very same questions of this godly joy. What is the foundation of godly joy? It's the very same foundation as that of godly sorrow. It's new life. Being born again. That new life in Christ not only sees the truth of myself and my sin, but it also sees the truth of what God has done for me through Jesus Christ. Paul says godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation. Again, that repentance finds no hope in myself, turns away from sin, turns toward the only Savior, Jesus Christ, and embraces Him by faith. Now, Paul is not saying here that repentance is the ground of salvation. Only Jesus Christ is the ground of salvation. But repentance is a part of that salvation package. It is a necessary condition of salvation. Repentance leads to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that instrument which alone receives Christ and all of His saving work. And indeed, as we repent of our sins daily, God, the Holy Spirit, uses that to lead us onward toward that great day when we will have salvation full, salvation free, salvation complete. It's ours in principle. We'll have it completely one day. That is the foundation of godly joy. Question 90. What is the coming to life of the new self? It is wholehearted joy in God through Christ and a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to. A wholehearted joy in God through Christ. So the second question, what are the ingredients of godly joy? Well, it's given by God. A wholehearted joy in God. Not a joy in myself. Not a joy in what I have done. Not a joy based on the spiritual maturity that I have achieved after much struggle and sacrifice. But this joy is simply rejoicing in God. Rejoicing in His boundless grace. that grace so boundless, beloved, that it could save a wretch like me. Rejoicing in God's work of deliverance. As that great sermon of Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God, says, talking about that it's as if we are hanging by a thread, a spider's web, as it were, over the fires of hell. And God has delivered us from those very flames. Rejoicing in God's forgiveness of all of my sins as far as the east is from the west, completely removing them. It's given by God. It's earned by Christ. Joy in God through Christ. It rejoices in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Our work brings no joy. It only leads to death. But Jesus Christ has lifted from my shoulder the curse and the burden, the weight of sin. And while I am to continually, continually be sorry for my sin, that I might never take it for granted and never treat it lightly, I no longer walk around carrying the burden of it. It's gone. He has nailed it to the cross. And I bear it no more. And when we truly understand what Jesus Christ has done for us, and when we believe that it's true for me too, for me too, then we can pray with David in Psalm 51, Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones you have crushed rejoice. And as he prays, restore to me the joy of your salvation. And these are not just vain wishes, but this is the promise of God for those who repent. The joy of salvation. This godly joy is given by God. It's earned by Christ. It is our hope which we have only in Christ. It's a matter of faith, beloved. It's not based on the Word and the promise of God. It's not based on my feelings. It's not based on my experience, which changes often, many times throughout the day, but only on the word and promise of God. But what then is the result of godly joy? The catechism summarizes it with the word wholeheartedly. All of life being lived for God. And first, we can contrast that again with worldly joy. The world has joy. We know that. But it's not lasting. It's not a deep joy. It's not a meaningful joy. It is meaningless. It is temporary. It comes and goes. It is altered and affected by the situations and the circumstances of this life. Do I have enough money? Do I have enough toys? How are my friends? But it's meaningless and temporary. Worldly joy is nothing more than finding hope and comfort and joy in the fading things of this life without any thought whatsoever to God, without any thought to the life to come. But godly joy is lasting. Godly joy is true. It comes from God. It's offered back to God. It is our strength. The joy of the Lord is our strength. And godly joy sees all of life in relation to God as a gift from God which He works for my good. And this wholehearted joy involves my heart and soul and mind and strength, every fiber of my being. And this godly joy is comforting because it has no regrets. Again, that's what Paul says. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret. What does he mean? Well, people of God, no matter how unpleasant or difficult a thing is at first, think here of godly sorrow and all that it involves, the anguish that it involves, no matter how difficult and unpleasant, it shows itself desirable. by its usefulness. It leads to repentance and godly joy in God through Christ. And we can think of many earthly examples, but I give you one. It's a personal one. I think of chemotherapy. I never want to do it again. I never want to do it again. But I have never regretted it by the grace of God. And I'm thankful for how God has used it. With regard to this passage One commentator says, the pleasures of sin are momentary, but its wages are grief and destruction that lead to death. Conversely, even though correction is painful, it results in repentance and forgiveness. Then the pain that is caused by not only discipline but also repentance is replaced by joy that lasts forever. Weeping may endure for the night, the psalmist says, but joy comes in the morning. It lasts forever. And Paul speaks of no regrets because of what we have in Christ in Romans 5 verse 1 when he says, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Godly joy also results in contentment. Paul says in Philippians 4 verse 14, I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances, meaning with whatever God's provision is in and for this life. No matter how God's will for Paul unfolded throughout this life. But there's one thing that Paul would not be content in, and that was doing nothing for the Lord. He would not be content doing nothing for the Lord. Godly joy results in action. This new life, this new self includes, as the catechism says, a delight to do every kind of good as God wants us to. Again, no doubt the Corinthian believers failing, whatever that may have been, was the reason for the harsh letter of rebuke. But the one who experiences conversion, experiences, as they did, a tremendous relief and joy, no longer working against God. But that relief and joy also includes a longing, a zeal, a striving to work for God, to work on His behalf, to do that which pleases Him. Question 91 asks, What do we do that is good? Only that which arises out of true faith, conforms to God's law, and is done for His glory, and not that which is based on what we think is right or on established human tradition. Again, the catechism doesn't give us a list of do's and don'ts. It's not the purpose. It gives us the principles, the characteristics of what is good, and it all has a reference to God. Not what man thinks. Not what you think is best for you or I for me. not according to popular opinion or majority vote. It arises from true faith. It considers the work of Jesus on my behalf, my rescue from the depths of sin and misery. Paul says in Romans 14, whatever is not done from faith is sin. And therefore, the child of God always asks, what does Christ's sacrifice mean to me? What does it mean to me? And therefore, in what I want to think or say or do, will I show my thankfulness for Christ's sacrifice? And what is good also conforms to God's law. It's done in obedience to Him. Sees God's law as perfect and right and what's best for me. And therefore, the child of God always asks, would what I am going to think or say or do, would it obey Him or disobey Him? And then one more thing, it's done for His glory. That is to be our highest desire and our highest aim. And therefore the child of God also always asks, is this what I am about to do, is it only for my benefit? Or will it first of all point to Him? And our good involves all three of these. Not just one, not just two, but all three of these things characterize that good. Beloved, good works are not simply talking about the nice things that you might do for someone or the nasty things that you might keep doing from someone. It's talking about a lifestyle. A lifestyle. The Christian lifestyle is to be a lifestyle of good. And these principles are to be considered with every thought and word and action that flows from you or me. And we must remember, beloved, that God is not neutral on anything. We make Him neutral on so many of the activities of our lives, but He is not neutral when it comes to the TV shows we watch or the movies we see or the jokes we tell or the places we go or the things that we do on a date or what we do in public or private or how we care for our body or you fill in the blank. He's not neutral in any of it. It all matters to Him. And maybe we should still ask, as it was probably asked of many of those of you who were older years and years ago, it was asked of you, when Jesus comes again, do you really want Him finding you doing, thinking, speaking in such and such a way? A beloved, the world tugs at believers from all sides to compromise our faith, to follow the world. They have it all figured out. They have a better way, an easy way. But we are to stand firm in the strength of the Lord, to desire to please the one who saved us. The path of conversion comfort includes godly sorrow unto death of the old self and at the same time godly joy leading to eternal life because of the work of Jesus Christ. If you're here this morning and you don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are clueless to either of these two things. You don't know them. And if you think you're safe because you don't have that godly sorrow, you don't have that anguish, you need to guess again. Because then you will not and cannot have that godly joy. It's only in Christ Jesus by turning to Him in repentance and faith that you too will have the joy of the Lord which alone is your strength unto eternity. As believers, our sorrow, our godly sorrow is to grow deeper and deeper and deeper every day as we understand the greatness of our sin and misery. And at the very same time, and this seems to be the contradiction, but at the very same time that our godly sorrow grows deeper and deeper because of that understanding, our godly joy rises higher and higher and higher every day as we understand such a great salvation from our sin. And while unbelievers do not care at all about what God thinks, those who are born again and have the joy of God through Christ, they only care what God thinks. Amen.