Forgiven
Forgiven and Made New
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Welcome
Call to Worship We are called by God to assemble together as the saints and the body of Christ to worship Him. Let us come into His presence this morning and receive His life-giving Word to nourish our souls and spirit. Let us offer our hearts in praise and adoration to our Father who pours out His lovingkindness and grace upon us day after day.
Psalm 66: 16-20 Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
Pray
Have you had a time you did something you know you shouldn’t have done and you decided you would keep it from someone you know you should tell? You determined in your reasoning that it would be better if that person didn’t know, or they will never actually find out anyway so if you don’t say anything it’ll be like it never happened because no one will know. Except for one problem- you know, don’t you? And the longer that secret of knowing something goes on without being confessed, the more it eats you up. Oh, you might try to bury it down, but it’s still there tormenting you from within. You might end up telling other lies to cover up that initial thing you didn’t want to expose and then more problems build. The truth is there’s no real peace when we conceal our wrongdoings.
I remember my senior year in high school we were supposed to have a field trip and you know how much students love to get away from school for the day for any reason we were all looking forward to this day. But the weather had other plans and put the kibosh on our day with a huge snowstorm. In our great wisdom and being very responsible students, several of us girls decided we were still going to have a field trip-we would just take it to one of the girls’ houses. So out we went and all was fine until the phone rang- let’s just note- don’t pick up the phone if you’re skipping school that’s not wise. But the girl picked up the phone and it was the school secretary asking if we were all there at the house because, in a small town, they do notice when students are missing. She also said one of the teachers stepdad to one of the girls with us, had driven by and seen our cars. Yeah, it wasn’t well thought out. Busted. Then we figured we better come up with a good story as to why we were out there. We came out to get our books for school since the field trip was canceled but we got stuck in the snow at this girl’s house. Pretty sure she didn’t buy it and told us to get back to school. So then we were out shoveling to make it look like we had got stuck. Mind you this was after the teacher had already driven by.
No surprise our principal didn’t believe us either and for the first time ever, I and several of the girls with me received detentions for a week after school.
But then I had another problem- I didn’t want to tell my mom. I knew she’d find out the sentence we had been given, so I tried justifying and telling the story of what we originally tried to pass over to the secretary positioning it as being quite unfair. I had a friend there with me as I was telling her and he was watching me go on and on, he was like, “Man you are really a bad liar.” He was right. She wasn’t buying it and then I was like, “OK here’s what really happened.” Waiting for death… but it sure felt good to get it out in the open. I hate lying and covering up and praise God I’m terrible at it. She pretty much said, “Well you do the crime, you do the time.” She wasn’t going to speak on my behalf and rightly so-she let me sit there each day.
So kids, the point is not to lie and cover-up, it will eat you alive. And go to school.
We as humans can get caught up in lying and covering up to one another kids with parents, parents to kids even, spouses, employees to bosses, friends…. We do things out of selfishness, giving into temptations, and we know it isn’t right, but we don’t want to deal with confessing it to the one we need to sometimes we don’t. But there is always a spiral effect of problems that build.
We also do this with our heavenly Father. We know full well what is good and right, and many times we do the opposite for the same reasons I just mentioned. We don’t want to admit what we did; we feel ashamed or guilty for what we did; so we don’t. We never bring it to God in a confession. As if God doesn’t know what’s the ironic part right? God already knows what we have done. The confessions aren’t for the benefit of His awareness, it’s for our benefit just like when I came clean with my mom-whatever that punishment was, it would be better than trying to carry that around within me. Freely we confess, and freely God forgives. This is why we come to Him. Depending on what we do, we might conclude we don’t deserve such forgiveness because our wrong was too awful so we hold on to the wrong and place ourselves in our own prison.
The truth is that is not for you to decide. Forgiveness is the ultimate gift given to us by the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. We’re going to spend some time on forgiveness this month because in our humanness we want to pick and choose what we receive from God and when we receive it, but that is a wrong understanding. That is not honoring Christ our Lord and Savior who died for us so we might be fully forgiven and live as one forgiven. To live free in Him, that’s why He died for us and rose again because in the forgiveness extended, He is making us new!
Today we’re going to look at a psalm written by King David who was reflecting on his blessings from God and periods of time when he did wrong and what happened. David killed an innocent man who was loyal to him as a cover-up for adultery he committed with this man’s wife. He didn’t confess these great wrongs until the prophet Nathan exposed his heart and he could see the great sin he committed against His God. We’re going to look at this and see how we can relate and what he is teaching us about the importance of forgiveness from God. Let us have ears to hear and a heart submitted to receive today.
Psalm 32 NIV
1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night
your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave
the guilt of my sin. 6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
- Freely Confess.
Psalm 32:5 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Imagine the guilt and heavy burden David was carrying around knowing what he did. Just because no one else knows….doesn’t mean your mind and heart are free and at peace does it? We know that full well. It eats us alive-even when we try to ignore it. There is no underlying peace until we bring things into the light, first with our God. This is what God desires from us-because He knows the heavy burden it causes us when we carry around unconfessed sin.
Look at how David comes before God and asks for forgiveness in another psalm. See he too, had to ask forgiveness many times over.
Psalm 51: 1-2 NASB Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness; According to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my guilt And cleanse me from my sin.
Do you see, David is professing who God is and God can’t be anything but who He is. God is faithful and filled with compassion. In the book of Malachi we read God loves mercy. When we come before God to confess, we humbly come and ask deal with me according to Your nature O God.
We have this promise in His Word, to freely come before Him and pour out our heart, and what happens when we do.
1 John 1: 9 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
God is faithful and just and will forgive. Not only forgive but purify us once again. How amazing is He? You know when we you have confessed, how good it feels to be washed clean by the blood of Jesus. You know how good it feels to lay your head down at night and truly be at peace because your conscious is clear. This is His great desire for us-to live and sleep in peace.
I want to share a parable Jesus taught about planting seeds and the importance of having them planted in good soil. Listen today and think of God as the Master Gardner of our hearts and listen for what happens if we don’t let Him tend to the gardens in our hearts as He desires to.
Matthew 13: 4-7 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
You can all understand this if you plant vegetable or flower gardens-how important it is to have the right soil-full of nutrients, cleared out from weeds, watered, and fertilized just right to allow the plants to not just grow but reach their greatest potential and produce a great harvest. You also know what happens when you allow weeds to take over and they multiply so fast and take over choking out the good plants you want to grow, or trying to plant in shallow soil so roots can’t grow deep.
This is what happens in our hearts when we allow unconfessed sin to linger on, that sin grows into weeds that choke out the good seed God desires to grow-preventing the newness in us from really taking hold, or not allowing deep roots to form in our new life with Christ.
Jesus wants to make us new-as one redeemed, forgiven, and growing to walk more and more in the fullness of who He is through us. But to live this way we must first confess our sins and do so often, so those weeds get pulled out at the root.
Then we must receive His gracious gift of forgiveness-for whatever it is we have done.
- Freely Receive Forgiveness.
Psalm 32:5 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Let us remember who Jesus is when we come to Him
Hebrews 4: 15-16 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Jesus knows us. Look who He sought out while He walked this earth-the ones who were hiding in the shadows for their sinful lifestyle. He brought them into the light, told them to go and sin no more and forgave them-making them a whole new creature. Matthew the Tax Collector, Saul who became Paul, Mary Magdeline, the criminal on the cross…. All freely forgiven and made new.
Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice so we might live anew, live as one forgiven and free in Him!
- Live as Forgiven.
Isaiah 43:25 NASB “I, I alone, am the one who wipes out your wrongdoings for My own sake,
And I will not remember your sins.
If God Almighty forgives and remembers our sin no more-once it is confessed and dealt with-shouldn’t we follow suit?
Jesus came to set the captives free and if we don’t receive God’s forgiveness, we are choosing to hold ourselves shackled in a prison for our wrongs. When we do this, we are asserting ourselves as judge and jury over our lives.
God asks, are you greater than Me? Are you more powerful than Me? Are your ways higher than Mine that you know what is best above what I say? Are you choosing to let My Son’s death be in vain? For it is when you refuse My forgiveness. This is My good and perfect will for you, receive My forgiveness and live!
John 10:10 NASB 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.
If you have yet to memorize this Scripture, please write it down and read it and repeat it over and over until it is sealed in your heart. This is why Jesus came-so you and I can have life abundant in Him! If you’re not living life abundant and free in Christ-take a look at what you are holding on to in your heart and confess it before God If you don’t know, ask the Spirit to show you what is in your heart, for He will.
Coming back to the Master Gardner-who tends to our hearts. When we let God do what only God can do and we follow what He asks us to do-confess our sins and receive His forgiveness-look at what happens when those seeds of life are planted in good soil.
Matthew 13: 8-9 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Do you hear today? This is what God desires to do in your life. Seeking and receiving forgiveness from Him is the only path to producing this great harvest. It’s imperative in fact, to reap the harvest.
Let us hear the words of King David and join with him:
Psalm 32: 10-11 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
We have every reason to rejoice as beloved and redeemed children of God. He pours out His mercy, grace, lovingkindness, and forgiveness as we come to Him! Praise be to God!
Conclusion: Let us allow God to tend the garden of our heart. Seeking forgiveness is clearing the weeds that choke out new life from growing. Let us do this often so we might produce a crop one hundred times what was sown, for this is God’s will for us.
Pray
Communion: O what a Savior we have, who willingly gave His life to not just atone for our sins and justify us before our Holy God and Maker, He rose again in glory and gives us new life also through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Not only do we have salvation in death that we might spend eternity with Him, we have salvation in this life to live as one forgiven-in peace, joy and with a clear conscious. That is a priceless gift that we give thanks for today and every day.
If you have anything to confess before God you have been holding on to-do it now. Don’t carry it any longer-lea ve it here with Him today and receive His forgiveness. Be free from that weight.
Let us remember His great sacrifice- Jesus said in Luke 22: 19-20 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Let’s pray.
Offering
Announcements: Ladies mark Oct 14th and join us for Dear Daughter of Mine
Prayers:
Final Blessing: Ephesians 6: 23-24 NLT 23 Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters,[a] and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 24 May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
