In his sermon titled 'Godly Sorrow', Bro. Kendall Brantley explores the deep emotional and spiritual implications of godly sorrow as depicted in the Bible, particularly through the lens of Lamentations 1:18-22. He discusses the struggle between the spirit and the flesh, highlighting the importance of divine imperatives and the constant battle against temptation. The sermon emphasizes the role of godly sorrow as a crucial step towards repentance and spiritual growth, stressing that true repentance is marked by a sincere acknowledgment of one's sins and a commitment to change. Brantley underscores the necessity of God's grace in overcoming sin and the importance of personal introspection and prayer in maintaining a faithful Christian life. He also reflects on societal and personal challenges, encouraging believers to examine their actions and align them with God's will while being mindful of the pervasive nature of sin in individual, family, and community life.

There you go. Would you please turn your Bibles to the book Lamentations. I appreciate the church for inviting me to the conference and brother green in particular It's been a great conference I Know I heard some great sermons this morning and I don't see Brother John right now so I hate to talk about him when he's at the service. We had a lot of long discussions, but a discussion somewhat about temptation during the lunch break. I thought, you know, Brother Tom, your predecessor, and I won't call a person by name but it wasn't brother slow see but he used a term divine imperative many times Well you know the Bible was full of divine imperatives.

And so you know when you think about temptation and you think about divine imperatives, What do you think Jesus meant when he said, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak? You remember that? He said pray with me. Pray with me. He personally told his disciples to pray with him.

So when we look at the message today that I prepared, the title of it is The title of it is Godly Sorrow. Godly Sorrow. The key scriptures taken from Lamentations chapter 1 verses 18 through 22 I'll read them quickly. The Lord is righteous, for I have rebelled against His commandment. I have rebelled against His commandment.

Here I pray you all people, I believe that's everyone, and behold my sorrow, my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity. I called for my lovers, but they deceived me. My priests and my elders gave up the ghost in the city while they sought their meat to relieve their souls. Behold oh Lord for I am in distress my bowels are troubled, my heart is turned within me, For I have grievously rebelled abroad, Though sword bereatheth at home, there is as death. They have heard that I sigh, there is none to comfort me.

All my enemies have heard of my trouble. They are glad, They are glad that thou has done it. Thou will bring the day that thou hast called, and they shall be like unto me. Let all their wickedness come before thee, and do unto them as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions for my size are many and my heart is faint." Oh You think maybe Jeremiah had a godly sorrow? I tell you that's the way I feel sometimes.

And I suspect many of us as pastors feel that same way and many Christians feel that same way. My point is the godly sorrow starts with God's salvation by grace alone and is by the unmerited favor of God and so when we think about that process having begun you know I thought about the demons you know the first sermon I think maybe maybe this for second sermon demons were mentioned And we look about that and I thought well here am I in sin that my mother conceived me. The wicked go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. There is none righteous, no not one. There is none that seeketh after God.

So who are we? Who are we? We're as helpless as we can be. We're as sinful as the next, but God still had grace upon us. And without God, the divine impurities would never come to pass.

We will continue to sin. And so the confessions of the heart are heard first in the believer. First in the believer. 1st Samuel 15 are some examples. I'll give a few.

He said in 1st Samuel 15 and verse 23, for I have grievously rebelled, grievously rebelled. We as Christians know what the scripture teaches about rebelling. You know, how many times do we hear divine imperatives and we say, no, I'm not going to do that. Or we can say Galatians 5, 17, the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. And we think well I could do that but do I do that I?

Have grievously revealed For rebellion is a sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as an equity and a doctrine you can't get much better in terms of being a sinner has to be rebellious against God and Lord help us There always seems to be a quote fatal attraction for our bodies to immediately be drawn towards sin and because we're drawn to sin we somehow think that God will excuse such actions. We think that God hey you know God is going to excuse such actions. Well those of you who've been taught God's chastisement don't feel that way. You know what's coming. Now this is my sister-in-law saying for this is something expression those of you who know Kara Henry poor old soul that's what she said poor old soul he just can't help himself nature calls poor old soul sadly it is that sin nature that's always calling and a Christian should put on the arm of God to stand firm.

You know, I think Dr. Stanley, I watch him a lot on Sunday mornings and still watch him. They're playing reruns between him and David Jeremiah and but I listened to him preacher sermon probably a couple of months ago and he said God fought the battle God has already won the battle He just tells you to put on the armor. You know why? It's because the fiery darts of the wicked are being hurled at you each and every day.

And I confess to Brother John, you know, after lunch today, Thank you brother for not putting me immediately after lunch. I apologize to you brother because have you ever seen a pastor go to sleep in the pulpit? Well, that's rebellion of the flesh. That's rebellion of the flesh. And so we have to stand firm against that rebellion.

We put on the whole armor of God. That's in Ephesians 6 and verse 16 because of the fiery darts of the wicked and I confess brother John I said you know there are things that some things that really don't upset me but I said when you drive through Atlanta Georgia I get upset you know I drive through there four times a week And it's a long drive from Dublin, Georgia Atlanta, Georgia four times a week and And many times many times I'll try to run the speed limit But some people won't run a hundred miles an hour and they don't mind trying to take off your front bumper or get behind you and push you but you know you think well they're risking everybody's life and you sort of get agitated something like that But as I said to Brother John, it really bothers you when your family's life is at stake. It doesn't bother me so much as if my family or another family, and I've seen them do that. I've had a car do 360 degrees twice and then come back facing me head-on and me going 60 or 70 miles an hour at the time and all you can do is just say Lord help me.

That's all you have time to do and somehow he clears the road so you can go on through all that and that happened that's literally happened so here is a divine imperative take no a divine imperative let a man examine himself well I always preach that most of the time first Corinthians chapter 11 starting with about verse 28 before you take the Lord's Supper it says let a man examine himself and so before he eats of the bread and takes of the wine unworthily and he said if you would examine yourself many of you wouldn't be sick and many of you wouldn't sleep if you would judge yourselves you know examine yourself But then we find a scripture in Jeremiah 17 and verse nine says, the heart is desperately wicked, who can know it? Amen. Who can know it? So how do you come to the Lord in prayer? Really, sincerely in prayer.

And then you say, Lord, Psalms 139, verse 23 and 24, search me, O Lord, and know my heart and see if there be any wicked way in me. Sometimes there are things, and I love the sermon Brother Kiger preached a couple weeks ago, Brother John. You remember that? He said be careful what you pray for Be careful what you pray for and he was using scripture over in first Peter There about the trial of your faith be much more precious and go the parish though it be tried with fire, right? Oh, I leave patients brother I Need patience So you pray the Lord give you patience and the next week you're in the hospital for six months.

Can't move. Down in the back or whatever. I tell you, you'll get a lot of patience when you have to lay there for six months. Be careful what you pray for. But some people, when God shows them the problem in their heart, where is the godly sorrow?

Where is the godly sorrow? Is there a repenting? I'm convinced that some people don't want to repent because I remember a young lady said I know it's wrong, but I'm gonna do it anyway Shortly after a husband died The family was broken apart One son was attracted to the same race. I mean not the same race but the same sexuality. A daughter just the same way.

Everybody taken up in sin. I know it's wrong but I'm gonna do it anyway that's rebelling that's rebelling So when you've examined yourself, what do you see? Led by the Spirit, the Apostle Paul described the word. I'm glad that clock's back up there. I can't see this little...

What do you see? Well, here's... This was quoted already this morning, but I'll read you a few verses of Romans 7. Romans 7, verses 9 through 25. For I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.

And the commandment which was ordained to life I found to be unto death. For we know that the law was spiritual, but I am carnal, sold unto sin, for that which I do I allow not, for what I would that do I not, but what I hate that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I can sin in the law that is good. Now it's no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me for I know that in me that is in my flesh in my flesh well if no good thing for the will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not That flesh is always warring against the spirit We're in a body that's continuously continuously and you have to look every day every day and the sources of sin are always out there they're always out there and if you think you just made it through one get ready for another because it's coming and if it doesn't come in you would have come in your family And if it doesn't come in you, it will come in your family.

And if it doesn't come in your family, it will come in your church family and God's family. And before long, there's a lot of regret. There's a lot of regret. I find in a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I had a light in the law of God after the Inland Man, But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Who shall deliver me? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sin you know do you how bad do you hate this body how bad do you hate the body I hate mine pretty bad you know you just don't know how bad Romans 8 verse 9 but you are not in the flesh But in the spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his there is success and it's because the Spirit of God dwells within you. And because 1st John 4 says, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world, and he that controls the world, the spirit of the power of the air is the one who is always there, always ready to tempt, always bringing every accusation against God's people that he possibly can. And he will continue to do that until God removes him.

And so he will always do because he doesn't understand. He has nothing to do with God. And we think about these things but you do if you're saved if you're saved so why does sin trouble you this is because the spirit is going to trouble your mind you know I was thinking somebody said it was a damn no heresy I don't think they use that word when they said, let your conscience be your guide. You know, that comeback, I think, during Jiminy Cricket and Walt Disney. I think it goes back that far.

There was a little song or jingle or something like that and I thought you know they were indoctrinated me when I was a seven-year-old. You know the conscience is desperately wicked. It's wicked. And it's only when the Holy Spirit enters the mind that we begin to know and realize that God's law is for us. It helps us.

Not only we acknowledge the moral law, but God gives us other laws that helps us as Christians to know and understand how we should behave ourselves in the house of God. How we should behave ourselves as Christians. And He's given us the power to overcome the sin. If we say in 1 John 1 starting with verse 6, listening carefully, If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie. And do not the truth.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us. Do you believe that? From all sin. You know, He removes the sin because greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.

You know, there should be growth as a Christian. You know, If all babies were born and they remain babies, who would look after us adults? You know, somebody has to grow and somebody has to be there. And we have to grow in grace in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Is that not in 2 Peter 3 verse 18?

Grow in grace in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is that not in 2nd Peter 3 verse 18? Amen. Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we have a divine imperative. It's what we are expected to do each and every day, grow in grace.

Grow in grace. We know how to grow our stones. Sometimes we can't always stop growing. We learn those secrets early on. Well, what about growing in grace?

Growing in grace. If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us So if we confess our sins Now I want to ask you How many times do you really address your sin and confess it because confession somehow to me implies repentance. God knows if there is godly sorrow. You know sometimes I get to the point I can't hardly read my eyes get I do a lot of study But usually when I'm most passive is when I'm eating Help us But a lot of times I'll turn on the television and try to watch the news or whatever and I'll think well This is a harmless movie or whatever and it's not right. I mean it's not so well, I Thought I'll turn on the TV a little bit light and there was a house coming out I think Boston Massachusetts called this old house some of you You know I just sort of get into remodeling and building and doing stuff like that I said now maybe there's not anything wrong watching this show.

But you know, you can see some of the things people do and you say, that's stupid. Why would you want a relaxed building code for a house that's over 300 years old and about to fall in anyway, but the federal government comes along and says, well it's an old house and you can, I mean it's more likely to fall in than a new house? So they relaxed building codes so you can still make it look like it's old. But anyway, figure that one out. That's the federal government at work.

If we confess our sins, he's faithful just to forgive us for our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we say that we have no sin we make him a liar and his word is not in us so that tells us we need to be doing a lot of things in terms of godly sorrow we need to look take a strong look at what God helps us to do and you know the biggest argument that I probably had with a individual that says that they are Christian was over a television show. I said, turn it off. And they objected. I said, turn it off or the television goes. And we about had a war.

About had a war. And you say, well does that happen? I know of a brother that I talked to him all night long and taught him the doctrines of grace And he said, I've never had that talk. When we started at 5 o'clock and finished the next morning at 5 o'clock, I said, let's go get ready. We've got to go to work.

12 hours straight that we did that. And the next day, He had his televisions out of the house, packed on the pile on the corner, ready for the garbage man to pick them up. He said that's how convicting that became as to what was separating some of the things that we were doing within my house. I'm not telling you to do that I'm just telling you whatever God is showing you that's hurting you in your life be careful about something that brings sin into your bedroom your living room or any portion some of you warned about the iPhones I have to figure out whether they're androids or iPhones or whatever you have be careful because you'll get flashed before you know it and something you don't want to see. Lamentations 1 and verse 18 through 20 returning to the prophet Jeremiah.

Now I'll preach the message from Jeremiah tomorrow morning that's where I plan to go. Lamentations 1, 18 for 20, it says, the Lord is righteous for I have rebelled against his commandment. Now when Jeremiah says I, it's like me as a pastor and you as pastors or you as citizens in United States saying I have rebuilt because I represent a government right now that has rebuilt against the God and it's a terrible thing and we need to change it we need to protest we need to let people know where we stand on these issues But how in the world can we identify as Christians when 65% according to the Pew Research Center, and of course you can look at others that do research, when 65% of the people in the United States approve of abortion. You know, we're talking about people who identify as Christians 67 percent of you approve of gay marriage is that okay not according to the Bible it's not okay you know so where are we going where are we headed in terms of our mindset and you think the government doesn't control schools and you know, I can tell you as a former school Superintendent in 40 years in the education business.

There was a public law passed in 1975 You can research and find out but it gives every student with a disability the opportunity to have an individual education plan and whatever that plan calls for that has to be followed by a local school system or a private school system. And when you get there and somebody decides on what's written into that thing, and you know, I was a superintendent at school years ago, did not realize, I said, what's a school bus doing down at the health department and I was a superintendent and I got the bus number and I said what is that bus doing down there And I found out who was driving and I said, what are you all doing? And they said, well, we're carrying all the students down to get birth control pills. I said, birth control pills? When did we get in that business?

And they said, well, that's part of their IEP, their individual education plan. And it was written up in the plans. So you see your government can work things and make school systems do them simply because We are a regulated business and your child has rights. Oh The government has taken the rights away from the parents You're right and that's what we're up against and if you don't believe it you trial you will get arrested no so you know I remember one time that brother your son I don't remember which one was old I believe it was your brother was holding your belt you know I believe in this but but I had one of my girls rebelled against me and she said I'll call Family and Children's Services on you. I said go ahead and call them because I'm gonna call now and I said you know I am familiar with enough with the law to know and understand when I have to dis my child the law cannot come in and tell me how I can dis my child and I said as long as it's not excessive but you are going to understand that you are going to live by the code of this house, as long as you live under this roof, you're going to be disciplined.

Right. And, you know, There are a lot of ways you can discipline a child. But somebody has to learn chastisement through the man who is leading the house or the lady who is leading the house, but children need to be talked to about. Amen. And I remember one of my daughters saying one day I happened to come in early and she was upstairs and I Was downstairs and I heard her say Actually talked back to my wife and then I said I called her by name and I said what are you doing and she said oh daddy daddy the devil made me do it and I said I'm about to beat the devil out of you too and you know there's a time no matter what the excuse is it needs to stop.

It needs to stop. And that needs to stop across this country. There needs to be laws. God did not write, inspire to write Romans, I believe it is chapter 13 maybe, that the powers that be that are God put in power are ordained of God, And they don't hold the sword in vain. You know, whatever we have that's from God, it might not be a government we approve of sometimes, but still they are of God.

You pray for those who have the rule over you. How can it get better if you don't ever pray for it? So we look a little further. Romans 3 and verse 4, let God be true, but ever man a liar. If you want to know what your opinion is, keep it yourself.

Read what God says. It doesn't matter what your opinion says. You know, that's fine for you to think whatever you think, but compare it to God's Word. The Spirit leads you into judgment of your ungodly deeds. When confronted by his grievous sin, the Spirit led King David to speak and say, I have sinned against the Lord, 2 Samuel 12, verse 13.

I have sinned against the Lord. All sin is against God. Amen. All sin. So whether you speak or not, the Spirit has already convicted you, as it did with King David, of the sin that so easily besets all of us.

It is that point that when you're convicted that godly sorrow begins godly sorrow do you really want to quit whatever it is that you've done against a thrice holy God do you really want to stop brother John if I don't if you don't mind me saying brother John said when Lord saved him I believe he said he quit smoking the next day and had never desired to go back to smoking. You know, that was a personal thing. That was a personal conviction that Brother John had. There are things that I know when the Lord saved me, I said by the power of God I will stop this I will stop this by the power of God I quit cheating in high school maybe it was second year college but you know I just it was the easy way and it wasn't so much me But helping other people helping other people but it's it was easy way way out and and trying to do things together that it really wasn't honest is the bottom line. So when God Convicts you of something you need to stop doing and just don't do it anymore.

How long did it take you to get into a particular scene? How many years did it take you? And people say well you just don't know how hard it is. Well how hard was it for you to fall into sin? It was pretty easy really.

How easy it is to get out. We've got doctors that prescribe all counter prescription drugs and some of you nurses and doctors know what I'm talking about. It's heavily regulated right now, but it's you know when you go in the hospital when they say well what are you allergic to and you say well nothing really and they they gave you some of these high-powered drugs it's hard to get off of them you know how easy I mean I don't know how bad serious pain is affected any of you but I tell you bodily pain is quite grievous You say I'm torn in the spirit you wait to a bullet goes through you and you will see what grievous pain feels like. And there's many things you can feel in this life. You know burns and it hurts in the beginning but the nerves are seared after the first or third degree But you look at some of the things and you think well how long can I agonize in this pain of quite a while?

Quite a while You know and before long you're saying God. Why did you put this upon me? Why did you allow this to happen? So you're second guessing God. It's hard to be thankful in all things.

But does not the Bible teach you to be thankful in all things? You know, that's pretty hard. It's pretty hard. You know, one of the brothers, I believe Brother Green said, remember Brother Kiger. Well, remember Brother Brantley.

I'm still struggling with the wife I lost eight years ago. I mean, we've been married 37 years. And I still struggle with that. But you know you don't know what you are going to be tried with but God is building you to be the rulers of his kingdom and so you've got to face a lot of trials you've got to face many things trust upon you and then when you find yourself lacking indeed godly sorrow it says in 2 Corinthians 7, 9, and 10 for Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death A lot of people are sorry only because they got caught. Right.

You know, I don't want to speed, I don't want to break, do things I shouldn't do. I certainly don't want to pay a big ticket, but I also don't want to have a wreck and hurt somebody either. Godly sorrow is a work of grace and is designed specifically for whom the Lord said, God is the one who will have to give you repentance and he will not grant you repentance until a garden godly sorrow is evident and you say well how can you have godly sorrow if you haven't repented well it's all a work of grace that's that's part of grace you know what the scene is you put on the armor is the sin spontaneous or premeditated when I drive in Atlanta the sin is spontaneous But if I go up there with a gun loaded and I say the next person that does that I'm gonna shoot him that's premeditated And that's the reason I don't carry guns Jeremiah was in anguish because of Israel's evils. We ask ourselves as pastors have I done enough to thwart the evil desires of the nation when I'm battling evil desires in my own life. It starts with us as individuals.

Why would we condone somebody else? Well ask yourself the same thing that Jesus asked those who were ready to cast a stone. The one was brought before him in John VIII chapter and he said Let he be without sin cast the first stone and He kneeled down and rolled on the ground and then what happened They all left and he said woman were the accusers See part of what we have is the problem in the United States. We are so caught up in our own sins that we don't want to condemn anybody else. Somehow we think that's righteous.

But the problem is we need to start with ourselves and others will follow. And we as Christians are criticized the greatest because we haven't cleaned up our own house. Judgment must begin at the house of God because the world is looking at this lighthouse, this candlestick, and if we're not cleaning up our act in the church then what do you expect from the world? So it's grievous in itself. Psalm 77, 110, I won't have time to read it all, but it says, I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice, and he gave ear to me.

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord I remember God and was troubled I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed the holiest my eyes waking I'm so troubled I cannot speak. My spirit made diligence, sir, you want to know why you can't sleep at night? Because God's not gonna let you sleep. You know, read Psalms 127, the sleep is from God, the sleep is from God. When I know that I can't sleep, I get up and start praying, I get up and start reading the Word, I ask God, what have I done now?

Really, what have I done now? What do you want me to say next? I thank you for your time and attention. I know my time is out, Ray. And I appreciate the opportunity to look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning.

Thanks for watching!