Morning: The sermon, "The Joy of Forgiveness," explored Psalm 32. This passage reminds us that true joy is rooted in being forgiven by the Lord. David teaches us some important truths.
1. Holding on the unconfessed sin is dangerous. Shame and guilt have emotional and psychological price tags. They also lead to physical trouble as well. However, the greatest trouble with unconfessed sin is the spiritual price that comes with it. John states, "If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). A key word in this verse is "if." If we confess we get forgiveness and cleansing. If we do not confess, we remain in our sin.
2. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Sin sends us looking for a hiding place. When we turn from our sin to the living God, Christ becomes our hiding place. When God grants us an opportunity to confess and repent of our sins, that is the time to seek him.
3. Don't be stubborn, it only makes it worse. Sin tries to get us to withdraw, but God compels us to come to him.
What do we do with this?
A. We confess our sins. We confess to the Lord first, and those we have hurt next. Our confession should be a public (or private) as the sin. If you get caught in sin on the front page of the daily news, then a public confession is in order. If you have a squabble with your spouse, then confess your sin to them alone.
B. We trust the Lord to forgive. The blood of Christ has purchased our pardon. There is no condemnation in Christ (see Rom. 8:1).
C. We must develop a culture on confession. It should be normal and natural for Christians to share one another's burdens. We should be able to openly and honestly share our faults and failings without fear of rejection.
D. We need to seek the Lord. He is calling us to walk with him. We can only do that if we have entrusted ourselves to his care.
Evening: No service.
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