Good Grief! Series

### **Introduction**

Video Ill.: Cat Funeral — The Skit Guys

This morning, we are continuing our study The Gospel According to Peanuts. Charles Schulz, through something as simple as a comic strip, often pointed to some of life’s deepest spiritual truths — and even the truths of the gospel. That was his way of “preaching” the good news. The question for us is: How do we share the gospel in a way that works for us?

As we ask that question, each week we are breaking down the gospel in to simple chunks, and sharing it in ways that help us understand the gospel, and help us see ways we can share the good news with our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. And, all of that is leading us up to Back to Church Sunday — an opportunity, even an excuse, for us to invite others to church.

So far, we have taken two important steps together:

1. We all have a sin problem. Like Charlie Brown and his friends, we all wrestle with weakness and failure. The Bible reminds us in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

2. We must choose what we do with sin. Do we run from it, cover it up, excuse it, or trust in our own “tourniquets”? Or do we run to Jesus, the only One who offers forgiveness and life? Romans 6:23 reminds us: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Now today, we take the next step: what does that choice really mean for our lives? Once we recognize our sin and decide to follow Jesus, what comes next?

CS Lewis on Repentance - The hole we find ourselves in

By Dr. Fred W. Penney

Copied from Sermon Central

C.S. Lewis asks a similar question! He asks:

Now what was the sort of hole man had got himself into?

He had tried to set up on his own, to behave as if he belonged to himself.

In other words, fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.

Laying down your arms, saying you are sorry, realizing that you have been on the wrong track and getting ready to start life over again from the ground floor-- that is the only way out of the hole. This process of surrender -- this movement full speed astern-- is what Christians call repentance.

Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than eating humble pie. It means killing a part of yourself, undergoing a kind of death. (Mere Christianity)

Repentance — without it, we can never have the change we need in our lives. Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 7:10:

10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7, ESV)

That is what talking about today: godly grief. Or, as Charlie Brown would say, “Good grief!” It is grief that wakes us up, grief that calls us to let go of pride, and grief that brings new life.

## I. We All Need an Awakening

So as we begin this morning, we all need an awakening.

Consider Snoopy’s plight in this strip:

**Frame**

Snoopy is lying on his doghouse, covered in snow. A thought balloon shows an exclamation point.

**Frame**

Snoopy thinks, “It snowed last night… I can tell!”

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Snoopy: How disgusting! I go to sleep at night and when I wake up, winter has come!

**Frame**

Snoopy: now I won’t be able to find my dog dish or anything! Rats! What does it have to snow for?

**Frame**

Snoopy: At least I THINK this is snow…. I can’t see…. Maybe there’s something wrong with my eyes!!

**Frame**

Snoopy: Maybe I went blind during the night! Maybe I….

**Frame**

Snoopy pops his head up out of the snow.

**Frame**

Snoopy dancing: Ah! Snow! Snow! Beautiful snow!

That is what an awakening looks like. Snoopy’s whole perspective changes in a flash of a moment.

Paul describes this kind of transformation in Ephesians 5:14:

14 Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. (Ephesians 5, NIV)

He echoes this same message to the church in Rome. In Romans 13, Paul says:

11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty || clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. (Romans 13, NLT)

What Paul calls for here is a spiritual awakening — a rising up from the complacency of our world into awareness: an awareness of our own sin — a conviction of our hearts — a recognition of our lost condition — a realization that we need Jesus and His mercy and His grace.