When you think of “sinners” who might be excluded from God’s kingdom, does anyone come to mind? If so, you may be entering dangerous territory. The Pharisees were certain of their own seat at God’s table, convinced that the tax collectors and prostitutes had no such place. But Jesus came precisely for the people the religious crowd wrote off. He welcomes the broken, the fallen, the forgotten with open arms the moment they repent and turn to Him. God’s grace reaches farther than our judgments, and we may be surprised by those who are on heaven’s guest list!

Blessed are Those Who Mourn
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:50 — 26.1MB) | Embed
We do everything we can in life to avoid sorrow and grief, but there is a certain kind of mourning the Bible tells us we ought to do. We are called to take the reality and wickedness of sin seriously and mourn over it. Our hearts should be broken over our sin, knowing that it grieves the heart of God. This kind of godly sorrow is good and right because it leads us to repentance, which in turn, leads us to joy and comfort and peace with God.


