Have you ever wondered about the transformative power that lies within the simple, yet profound act of confession? This week's podcast takes you on a spiritual journey, echoing King David's experiences from Psalm 32, and invites you to discover the joy and happiness that come from an honest confession. We open up about the often-neglected prayer of confession, not only seeking forgiveness but also cultivating our fellowship with God. Through heartfelt stories and reflection, we offer gratitude for the divine mercy that lifts us from the weight of guilt, while also bringing you updates on how our congregation is improving to serve you better.
Sin can be a shackle, its impact reverberating through our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. We delve into the life of King David, exploring his personal battle with the consequences of unconfessed sins, and how they disrupted his communion with God. Together, we unravel the act of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, distinguishing the everlasting forgiveness we receive at salvation from the cleansing we need through ongoing repentance. It's a candid look at the paradox of a Christian life – forgiven, yet called to constantly seek God's grace.
The final act of our spiritual expedition leads us to the liberation found in the act of confession. Here, I share a personal narrative that highlights the lasting liberation and happiness that comes from opening up about past sins, and how it can inspire transformation in our lives. We then extend a heartfelt invitation for you to join us in this journey of self-examination, turning away from sin, and rediscovering the satisfaction and joy in God's salvation. Come, be part of our community at Real Life Community Church in Richmond, Kentucky, as we pursue a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Jesus Christ.
Have you ever wondered about the transformative power that lies within the simple, yet profound act of confession? This week's podcast takes you on a spiritual journey, echoing King David's experiences from Psalm 32, and invites you to discover the joy and happiness that come from an honest confession. We open up about the often-neglected prayer of confession, not only seeking forgiveness but also cultivating our fellowship with God. Through heartfelt stories and reflection, we offer gratitude for the divine mercy that lifts us from the weight of guilt, while also bringing you updates on how our congregation is improving to serve you better.
Sin can be a shackle, its impact reverberating through our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. We delve into the life of King David, exploring his personal battle with the consequences of unconfessed sins, and how they disrupted his communion with God. Together, we unravel the act of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, distinguishing the everlasting forgiveness we receive at salvation from the cleansing we need through ongoing repentance. It's a candid look at the paradox of a Christian life – forgiven, yet called to constantly seek God's grace.
The final act of our spiritual expedition leads us to the liberation found in the act of confession. Here, I share a personal narrative that highlights the lasting liberation and happiness that comes from opening up about past sins, and how it can inspire transformation in our lives. We then extend a heartfelt invitation for you to join us in this journey of self-examination, turning away from sin, and rediscovering the satisfaction and joy in God's salvation. Come, be part of our community at Real Life Community Church in Richmond, Kentucky, as we pursue a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Jesus Christ.
The following resource is brought to you by Real Life Community Church in Richmond, Kentucky. We hope you're both challenged and encouraged by this message from Pastor Chris May.
Speaker 2:If you have your Bible, turn to Mark, chapter 1. That's a joke. That's a joke If you're new. We just finished the book of Matthew after three years. So go to the book of Psalm, chapter 32.
Speaker 2:I do want to tell you today I'm so grateful. I want to apologize to those of you with kids. We have a crying mother, son, daughter room back there with no speaker. It's hard to hear. And then the fellowship hall TV has not been working. But thank God, we got our fellowship hall teaching back there. So if you kiddos get fussy, they're welcome in here. You're welcome to use that and then next week, god willing, we'll have our speaker in there. Mike, that's going to happen. Amen, all right, we'll say that in faith.
Speaker 2:So if you have your Bible, go with me to the book of Psalm, chapter 32. If you have it, say amen. And if you would stand to your feet with me. Psalm, chapter 32. A Psalm of David. He writes these words Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Speaker 2:Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long, for day and night. Your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah, I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not cover my iniquity and I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found, surely, in the rush of great waters. They shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me. You preserve me from trouble. You surround me with shouts of deliverance and I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, and I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or mule without understanding, which must be curved with bit and bridle or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice. O righteous, all right, I gave you an opportunity. There you can be seated. That's the word of the Lord.
Speaker 2:At the beginning of this year, our five pastors came together to seek the Lord, asking Him for direction and what we need to focus on here at Real Life Community Church and unanimously, we sense the Holy Spirit leading us, first foremost, to focus on prayer, to teach our people to pray and to make opportunity for corporate prayer, which we are doing on Wednesday nights. Well, today I want to talk about a particular aspect of prayer that we don't talk about enough, namely prayer of confession. Everybody gasp Prayer of confession. It is model prayer found in Matthew, chapter 6. Jesus tells us, as part of that prayer, to regularly pray forgive me of my sin, or forgive us of our sins, as we do what Forgive those who have sinned against us. Now, that's a daily prayer Lord, forgive me of my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me. 1 John 1.9, written to believers. John says if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There it is again confess your sins to the Lord.
Speaker 2:Well, psalm 32 is a Psalm of David. In the Bible, in 1 Samuel, if you might know this, it calls him a man after God's own heart, and I'd like that to be said about me, wouldn't you? The Lord used David in powerful ways, did he not? I mean, he was king, a wonderful king of Israel. God anointed him to move forward his purposes. Throughout his life David sought the Lord. Throughout his life David sought the Lord.
Speaker 2:But we know from Scripture David, just like us, was not perfect. That's kind of comforting. As a matter of fact, if you've not even been in church a long time, like if you're not a normal churchgoer, you have probably heard of David's grievous sin. I mean, it's printed in the Bible, the most popular book ever written, right. What did David do? He saw Bathsheba, a beautiful woman who was not his wife. He lusted after her, longed for her and he called her to his chambers, slept with her, impregnated her and then had her husband killed as a cover up. And so in this psalm David speaks candidly About a time when he tried to hide sin.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that we're real life community church, and part of the idea behind real is that we are transparent. We don't try to act like we're perfect. And so we don't know if this psalm is connected to David's sin with Bathsheba or another particular sin in his life. It doesn't really matter. But here's the point of this psalm, here's what we see as Christians. We all know what it is to be allured by sin. I mean it's tempting, it looks good sometimes, and we also know what it is to fall and to feel shame and to feel guilt. We know that sin strains our fellowship with God and it hurts not just us but often those around us. But this song brings us good news. It is a reminder that we serve a God of mercy who is quick to forgive, and we're reminded here also that the pathway to that forgiveness is confession. That's how we restore fellowship with God. That's how we restore fellowship with God.
Speaker 2:David begins by celebrating the forgiveness of God. And can we just celebrate his forgiveness today? He's a merciful God. Look at verses 1 and 2. Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Speaker 2:Men and women all around us are on this pursuit of happiness. True, we all want to be happy. And so what does the world do? They think that the people of the world? They think that, well, it's money or health, or a certain relationship here on earth, or power. If I could just get those things, then I would be happy. And here's the thing those things might bring some level of happiness, but they won't satisfy your heart truly and the happiness that they give are short-lived. Those things can never satisfy our heart.
Speaker 2:So this is why, for example, let's say, a businessman says you know what, if I could make a million dollars, you know, I grew up poor, I was unhappy, if I could just make a million dollars I'd be happy. And so he makes a million dollars and for a moment he's happy. But then he realized his heart isn't satisfied, he's just miserable with more money. So he goes oh, if I could just have multi-millions, then I'd be all right, I'd be happy. But then he gets, you know, multi-million dollars and he's still not happy. And so you see, these multi-millionaires, they want to become billionaires. And then once they reach a billion, they want to reach, you know, they want to become multi-billionaires. Why? I mean it's more money than they could ever spend in their life.
Speaker 2:It's because money, no amount of money, all the amount of money in the world, it won't satisfy your heart. All the money or the health, or the power, or the success in the world will not bring us lasting happiness. Don't believe the lie. So David uses this word blessed in these first two verses. He uses it twice, the Hebrew word blessed. It means happy. Happy is the one whose transgression are forgiven. Happy is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity. Now.
Speaker 2:This word does not suggest that we go around, if we're Christians, chipper all the time and bubbly. I mean, those kind of people drive me crazy, don't they you? No, it's a beyond that, this type of happiness that we find in God. What it is is, it's a deep-seated satisfaction and contentment and joy that is with us regardless of our circumstances, even in lament. Deep down, deep down. It's there, ephesians 1.3,.
Speaker 2:I want to read that because I've got really good news, because the psalm says that the only way to be truly happy is to be forgiven, to have right standing with God. And here's what Ephesians 1.3 says. It says Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Now go down to verse 7 and it says In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses according to the riches of his grace. Here it is Through Jesus, you and I can experience all satisfying happiness. Experience all satisfying happiness. Through Jesus, you and I can experience all satisfying happiness. Is anybody grateful for that today? So the good news is we have forgiveness and we need that if we're going to be happy.
Speaker 2:But when we hold on to unrepentant sin, we forfeit that happiness. You're sleeping around and you come in here to church and raise your hands. I don't care how loud you shout, you will not have the joy of the Lord. You may look like it because you know how to act joyful like everything's together, but you hold on to act. Joyful Like everything's together, but you hold on to that or any other sin and you forfeit your joy. What is sin?
Speaker 2:It's interesting that David uses three different words here. In the first two verses for sin Number one, he uses the word transgression, and this simply means rebellion. Sin is disobedience to God's command. It is rebelling against him. You might have don't raise your hand, you might have a rebellious teenager. They're always bucking you at every turn. So that's transgression.
Speaker 2:Then you have the word sin itself, which means turning away from the right path. So God has called us right, every one of us, to walk on the path of holiness and obedience, and that's a safe path. But right off the path, to either side, danger lurks, and when we disobey God, when we sin, we step into that dangerous zone. Then there's the word iniquity. You know what iniquity means in the Hebrew. Here it means evil. So let's not patty cake with talking about sin. Sin is not just a mess up. Sin is not just oh, I stumbled, it is those things. But it's not just those things. You know what it is. It's evil. It's evil.
Speaker 2:Verse 2 tells us that there is that way, because of sin, that we forfeit our happiness that God so wants for us. Verse 2, christ has freed us from the bondage of sin. He has forgiven us. And when we walk in sin and we do not repent, you know what's inside our hearts Deceit. And if there is deceit in your heart, you forfeit your happiness in God.
Speaker 2:After Elvis Presley rose to fame, he struggled with many temptations, as do many celebrities in the spotlight. In 1958, following an Easter service at First Assembly of God, elvis told Reverend James Hamill Pastor, I'm the most miserable young man you've ever seen. I've got all the money I'll ever need to spend, I've got millions of fans, I've got friends, but I'm doing what you taught me not to do and I'm not doing the things you taught me to do. God is merciful and he offers us happiness through his forgiveness. But when we I want you to remember this when we hold on to unrepentant sin, we forfeit our Christian happiness. Could it be that's why so many Christians are miserable? That's worth thinking about.
Speaker 2:So this truth about sinning and forfeiting happiness and kind of hiding sin, it's not an abstract concept to David, and I so appreciate his transparency here. He actually, in this psalm, gives us a personal testimony of his dealings with this, his experience with sin and its misery. Look at verses 3 and 4. When I kept silent about his sin, he says my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long, for day and night, your hand was heavy upon me, my strength was dried up as the heat of summer. So, rather than repent, when David was in this particular sin, what did he do? He tried to hide it. I just keep it to myself and I still love God, but you know I'm just going to do this thing that I know is wrong, it'll be all right. Well, it didn't work out for David and it doesn't work out for us.
Speaker 2:And so David warns us about the effects of sin. Sin, he says, impacts us physically. Verse 3, he says my bones wasted away. In verse 4, he says my strength dried up.
Speaker 2:And if you are a Christian, if you're not guilty when you sin, if you don't feel conviction, let's say when you sin you're not a Christian, because a saved person is filled with the Holy Spirit and sin grieves the Spirit. And if you're filled with the Spirit and the Spirit is grieved, you're going to be grieved, you're going to be convicted. And so if you've ever done this, if you've ever, you know, stayed in sin that you knew you needed to repent of and you were a Christian, you know it impacts you in every single way. You know it impacts you in every single way. The toll that it takes on the inside impacts you, then on the outside, it robs you of health, energy and all of those things. Secondly, he says not only does it impact us physically, but it impacts us emotionally. He says he groaned all day long. You can try to stay busy and try to stay distracted and try to cover up your misery, but on the inside, if you're honest, if you are in sin and you are a Christian, you are groaning all day long. It never lets up. So it impacts us. Sin does physically, emotionally, and then, finally, it impacts us spiritually.
Speaker 2:Excuse me, david says that in his sin. God's hand was heavy upon him. I don't like to be in trouble with anybody, but especially from God, come on. And when we sin, beloved, our fellowship with God is impacted. So I want you to think about this. We do not get away with anything. We do not get away with anything. We do not get away with anything. Sin always comes with a price. Always. Thank God that David's story did not end there, because we serve a merciful God, amen.
Speaker 2:David finds a path back to happiness and blessedness and restored fellowship with God. Verse 5, he says I acknowledge my sin to you and I didn't cover my iniquity. I said I will confess my transgression to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin, hallelujah. What is the path back to blessedness and restored fellowship? It's acknowledgement of sin, what the Bible calls confession. Now this begs the question why do Christians? Have you ever thought about this? Why do Christians need to confess and ask for forgiveness? Aren't we forgiven? It's interesting. Well, earlier I read in Ephesians 1.7, which declares through the blood of Jesus, we have forgiveness. We have it, it's ours. In Romans 8.1, it says because we're in Christ, we're no longer under condemnation. There's no condemnation. But then you say, well, okay, I'm forgiven. But then you say, well, okay, I'm forgiven. But then you move to John 1 again and you look at Jesus' model prayer and you go okay, keep on confessing your sin, you can be forgiven and God will cleanse you from all righteousness. Now how do you reconcile those things?
Speaker 2:If we're going to understand, jesus is in the upper room with his disciples getting ready to go to the cross, and he went to wash his disciples' feet, which is significant, right, that's the place of a servant to wash another's feet, and Jesus humbles himself in that way. And so Jesus, you might remember, he went to wash Peter's feet. And at first, what did Peter do? He said oh no, lord, you're not washing my feet. That would be my reaction, just because I don't want anybody touching my feet. But then Jesus said here's what he said. He said, peter, if I don't wash your feet, you have no part with me. And then Peter replied okay, jesus, jesus, don't just wash my feet, wash my whole body, like I'm dirty all over. I love Peter because I could, just I can so relate to him. And here's Jesus reply Peter says don't just wash my feet, wash my whole body. Here's what Jesus replied he who is bathed Wash my whole body. Here's what Jesus replied. He who is bathed needs only to wash the feet, but is completely clean. This is good.
Speaker 2:The Lord here makes a distinction between these two aspects of forgiveness. Here it is Number one the all-cleansing bath that Peter had already experienced. That represents judicial forgiveness, the moment of salvation. You and I are declared forgiven, are declared righteous in Christ. When a Christian sins, we don't need to be, let's say, resaved, our whole body doesn't need to be washed again. But there has to be a regular washing of the feet, not literally. That washing of the feet represents the ongoing sanctifying grace of repentance. It's ongoing repentance, cleansing, going to God, confessing. Lord, I've got some mud on my feet, I've walked, I've stepped off the path and it was dirty and dusty. Lord, I want to come back on. Oh, lord, wash my feet again. That's what 1 John 1 says. He doesn't just say, he doesn't say when you confess, I'll forgive you. He says that, but he doesn't stop there I'll cleanse you, I'll wash your feet.
Speaker 2:Why is this so important to understand? Well, because, on one hand, you have Christians who believe. Well, we're already forgiven, so we never need to ask for forgiveness, we never need to confess God knows what we did. And here's the problem with that. Number one as we've seen, it breaks our fellowship with God. It causes this tension between us and God. Number two I think when we have that attitude, we tend to downplay the seriousness of sin.
Speaker 2:On the other hand and this is more the side of the Pentecostal church Pentecostals, I think, they get this wrong, some of them, not all of them, but they say you know what First John says if you confess your sins, then you'll be able to have forgiveness. And so here's what they say. Some of you grew up like this. Here's what they would argue. They say every time you sin that you fall out of salvation until you repent. So you're saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, saved, unsaved, beloved. Oh my goodness, that's a damaging doctrine. Can I just tell you, the cross is not that fickle, fragile. Be like you know. Here's what that has done.
Speaker 2:And I've counseled many people like this who've come from other charismatic churches in the area. They said, pastor, I love Jesus, but I can't sleep at night. And I say why? Because I never know from one moment to the next if I'm saved or not. What if I die in my sleep and I've got some sin that I'm not even aware of in my heart. God's not going to let me in.
Speaker 2:And they think they take it this far. Let's just say there's a lady that's been saved 87 and a half years and she served Jesus and she taught Sunday school and she's led people to Christ and she was a prayer warrior. But one day she walks out in the street and she sees a bus coming and she says, oh, don't fill it in Blank. And then the bus hits her and there are people who would say seriously, who would say, well, she didn't get a chance to repent, she's in hell Now. That is unbelievable to think like that and it's not biblical.
Speaker 2:We've got to understand these two aspects of forgiveness. Christians, here it is. I'll lay this, this out. One sentence here Christians stand judicially forgiven, yet ongoing confession is necessary for our sanctification, our happiness and our fellowship with God. Isn't that good? I'm going to read it one more time Christians stand judicially forgiven, yet ongoing confession is necessary for our sanctification, our happiness and our fellowship with God. Okay, one more thing I'll say about this confession.
Speaker 2:Confession assumes repentance and you can go to Psalm 51, another Psalm of David, and you can read that it's not like you confess and keep doing what you're doing. True confession involves turning from your sin. So, having laid out this personal testimony, which I so appreciate, david now admonishes his readers to apply insights. He's saying hey, I'm sharing my story and I want you to learn from it. Learn from my mistakes. Sharing my story and I want you to learn from it. Learn from my mistakes. And so how do we continue to walk in the blessed state of forgiveness and the happiness that God has for us? Well, number one confess sins to God immediately. Look at verse 6. Therefore, let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you, god, at a time when you may be found. So David speaks of this confessional prayer with a sense of urgency.
Speaker 2:The church father you've heard the name, st Augustine, right? He has this biography titled Confessions, and it's widely considered to be one of the most helpful and important books of all time. Augustine's early life was characterized, he tells us in this book, by two major themes. Here they are this is one of our church fathers the pursuit of truth and sexual drive. So during the early period of Augustine's search for God, he was quite aware of the sinful urges that he had, but he demonstrated little restraint and his attempts at repentance were, at best, half-hearted, and he shares this prayer that he used to pray in Latin, which translates this give me chastity, but not yet Now.
Speaker 2:How many have said you know, one day, lord, you know my heart. I mean, I'm going to give this up, maybe next week, or this is the last time I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it right now. I'm going to look at this. I'm going to respond like this I'm going to lie, I'm going to cheat, I'm going to steal, I'm going to sleep with my boyfriend Just one more time. Next week, though. This is it next week. That's it. Give me chastity, just not yet.
Speaker 2:There's always this temptation to press our luck, isn't there? David says listen, don't wait to the rush of great waters. What? Why wait to win? All hell's broken loose in your life? And he says listen, there's a time that you God, is with us in some sense all the time. He says there's a time where you can just so trample the grace of God and the forgiveness of God and the mercy of God, and you habitually sin. You won't even get his ear. He said don't wait, repent now.
Speaker 2:Hebrews 3, 13 and 14, exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, for we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold to our original confidence. The longer listen to me, the longer you hide your sin and refuse to repent, the harder it's going to be for you to repent, the less and less you're going to hear the voice of the Spirit. And Hebrews gives us a sobering warning about that. Not something to mess with, beloved. So when you sin, confess it immediately.
Speaker 2:Number two and man, I had to really meditate on this point because I struggle with this Confess your sins, repent of them and let them. I had to really meditate on this point because I struggle with this Confess your sins, repent of them and let them go. Somebody say let them go. Psalm 32, 7 says you are a hiding place for me. I mean, david's just talked about his sin, has taken everything and the Lord's heavy hand. But then he said I confess and, lord, you're a hiding place for me. This is so rich.
Speaker 2:There is a tendency for some of us to confess sins but to still carry guilt and shame. And God does not want Chris May or you to do that, because when we do we will forfeit Even though we're forgiven. We will forfeit the happiness that we find in God's forgiveness. We have to believe that when we come to the Lord, our sins are as far as the east is from the west and that he becomes a hiding place. At one point he had a heavy west and that he becomes a hiding place. At one point he had a heavy hand, but now he becomes a hiding place. What a God we serve.
Speaker 2:Number three Confess your sins one to another, not just to God. Now I've got your attention. Verse eight. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you Now. David clearly has shared his. I mean, this is a song that Israel's singing. They're singing about his sin. Imagine today if you shared your sin and we wrote a song about it and Bob said next week, hey, we're going to sing about Carol's sin this week. Can you imagine, carol? I saw you yon. I thought you're going completely abolished.
Speaker 2:We think that's only a catholic thing. It shouldn't be. I'm not saying you have to confess to a pastor or a priest every time, but you need to confess to a trusted brother or sister in christ, and sometimes it's really helpful to confess in church. I know that's a huge risk. James 5, 16 says confess your sins one to another and pray for one another that you might be healed. God alone forgives our sins. I can't give you forgiveness with God, in other words, if you confess your sin to me.
Speaker 2:But public confession is a vital part of our healing and happiness. It's helpful for three reasons at least. Number one it keeps us humble, doesn't it? Number two it keeps us accountable. If I know what you're struggling with, I know what to watch for. Number three it makes us think twice before we sin. I told you, you know, we have five pastors, we call it a team of elders, and I told the guys I said we're going to meet weekly and, man, if you're struggling, if you're in sin, you need to confess it. And I've actually done that. And so now, when I'm tempted to sin that's a man, that's a vulnerable place, even though the elders are really gracious I confess to that one murder, that was it. No, I'm just joking murder, that was it. Now, I'm just joking um in in all seriousness it. When I, when I am tempted to do something, I seriously think about this. I mean I don't want to break the heart of God and it's against him first and foremost. I sin, but I think I'm gonna have to look pastor Ben in the eye and pastor Ron in the eye, pastor Hunter in the eye eye and say, beloved, I sinned and I need to repent. We need to confess our sins one to another.
Speaker 2:Let me share one personal story with you very quickly. I did commit a sin that I deeply regretted about 25 years ago and I asked forgiveness from God and I knew that he had forgiven me. I confessed my sin, I repented of it, I turned from it. But I want you to know, for two decades I carried the weight of that sin. Still, it almost never left my. It was daily that I thought about it and I was in ministry and I felt like during this time when I was thinking about it and I felt, god, here's what it did to me. God, you could never use me in ministry because of what I did 25 years ago and I didn't kill anybody. Just to clarify, it doesn't matter what it was.
Speaker 2:Five years ago I just got a hold of this truth about confessing sins and I called my friend John Halleck, who is an Anglican pastor, and I said can I come see you? And we went into his office and he said, sure. I said it's the pastor. I just want to confess something I did a long time ago to you. He says go ahead. And I didn't hold back and I confessed my sin to him. He told me that I was forgiven. He read me the scriptures that I was forgiven. Hearing somebody else say it was so freeing. And he prayed with me and I'm telling you, that day I walked out of his office relieved of a weight that I had been carrying for 20 plus years.
Speaker 2:Confess your sins to God. Confess them to one another. Next I'm trying to wrap up here Don't be deceived by sin, verse 10. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. You know, isn't it easy to become envious of those who live in blatant sin? I mean, it looks like they're having so much fun. You know, you young people you're going to see. Oh man, they're the life of the party, right and man, nothing goes wrong for them. It looks like, man, they're more blessed than I am and they're popular and this and that. And it's so tempting for all of us, at any age.
Speaker 2:David says listen, don't envy the wicked. Don't be deceived. Sin always comes with a cost. And he says many are the sorrows of the wicked. Don't gamble with sin, thinking this is what the enemy did to Adam and Eve. Look how delicious this looks. And so when you're watching other people, it looks delicious and some Christians take the bait and they start gambling, thinking let me just try this out. Don't do it, it'll cost you more than you want to pay. I'm going to share with you. This is unbelievable and it's true. I read this this week, this story, and I thought this is an urban legend, and I actually found the video online. This is crazy.
Speaker 2:In 1982, abc Evening News reported on a unique piece of art a locked box with a hole in the front behind which was a loaded gun, in the front behind, which was a loaded gun, and the gun was on a timer and set to fire at a random time. Only one time over the next 100 years. Nobody knew when that gun would go off One bullet. Now it gets better. There was a chair affixed to the box, and when someone would sit in the chair this is all part of the art piece, they would be looking directly into the barrel of the gun. The amazing part of the story is that people waited in line to sit in that chair for one minute intervals, staring into the shell's path and I watched the video and even the reporter sat in the chair. It's crazy. The people knew it could go off at any time. They had to sign a waiver before they sat in the chair. They were like, but they would gamble time and time again that the fatal blast wouldn't happen during their minute in the chair.
Speaker 2:How many people every day? Some of you are taking that risk right now by hiding sin in your heart. And the difference between this and the story I just shared is the gun doesn't just go off one time when you play with sin and you sit in that chair. It goes off every time. It will destroy you. Final point if you want to enjoy the forgiveness of God, if you want that happiness, here's what you've got to learn. To enjoy the forgiveness of God, if you want that happiness, here's what you've got to learn to do Be satisfied in God. Verse 11, be glad in the Lord and rejoice, o righteous, and shout for joy you upright in heart.
Speaker 2:Pastor John Piper. I came across him, maybe what? 15 years ago, and his teaching on sin absolutely changed my life, because I grew up, like many of you, on white-knuckle preaching that said you got sin, stop it, stop it. That's all you heard. Stop it, stop it. You're going to turn or burn, right, it's stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it. Okay, fine, I know I need to stop it, but that's impossible.
Speaker 2:This is what I found. It's impossible to stop it if you don't replace it with something else. Because here's what you think. You think, okay, this particular sin brings me some level of happiness Every time I get on that computer. I know I'm not supposed to, but I look at something I'm not supposed to. Oh, it just brings me a little bit of satisfaction. And so I hear the preacher talk about it every week. And so I go home and I say I'm going to stop it.
Speaker 2:But then Monday again comes, or Tuesday, or Wednesday. I'm a little sad, so I just need a little fix again and we can put any sin here. And then you're self-critical and you think, oh God, I didn't want to do it. Why can't I stop? I'll tell you why Because you haven't replaced that source of temporary happiness with anything else. Can I tell you something? I used to say this, and it's wrong. I used to say God doesn't care about your happiness, he cares about your holiness. Or I'd say he cares more about your holiness than your happiness. I actually don't think that's true. I think, equally, god cares about your happiness and your holiness.
Speaker 2:John Piper's mantra is God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. That'll preach. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. God wants us to enjoy him and listen. If you will learn we should not be miserable people. If you will learn, no matter what circumstances you're in, to be happy in God, you won't need this other junk to bring you some, you know, level of happiness I don't even like to call it happiness Some sense of satisfaction. You don't need it. Why? Because my heart is full, because I know God and I walk with God and I love God, and he's the creator, the maker of all things, and who am I that he would be mindful of me? I'm satisfied in God. I'll close with this.
Speaker 2:In her book Making Confessions, hearing Confession, anna Marie Kidder penned these words. Listen to this. Let me have your attention for just one or two more minutes. She says the history of repentance is as old as humankind. Now, listen, we each carry the remembrance of wrongdoing in burdensome satchels, hoping that eventually someone will ease them off our back. And we know the feeling of self-reproach, self-criticism and self-blame. And here's what she writes Listen, you've confessed your sin.
Speaker 2:You don't have to walk in shame and guilt today. Man, let it go. Take God's forgiveness and learn to be happy in the merciful God. And I'll speak also to those of you who are hiding sin today. And I would just say very strongly you're playing with fire. I know you think oh, it's not a big deal, I can manage it. Beloved, it will crush you. And I tell you that because I love you. Remember, david said repent while God hears your voice. Today is the day of repentance. Don't walk out of here the same way you came in. So I'm going to pray and we're going to open up these altars.
Speaker 2:Father, thank you for your loving kindness, for your forgiveness for all the great things you've done. Lord, forgiveness for us is free, but it didn't come cheap. Forgiveness for us is free, but it didn't come cheap. We're forgiven by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, who conquered sin, death, hell and the grave through his death, burial and resurrection, and we thank you today that we can have happiness, blessedness in you, because you're a forgiving God. Through Jesus, our fellowship with you, the chasm is restored, the chasm has been bridged between us and you, and we thank you. Oh Lord, we bring our sin before you. We say search our hearts, reveal sins that we may not even know about, and may we all confess them today. Turn from them that we may enjoy you. Help us, lord, finally to be satisfied in you, to see your goodness, to enjoy you, to enjoy your salvation. We pray it in Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening. If you'd like to know more about how you can have a relationship with Jesus Christ, or if you have questions about our church, you can email us at info at myrealchurchorg. Real Life Community Church is located at 335 Glendon Avenue in Richmond, Kentucky. We invite you to join us for worship Sunday at 1045 am or Wednesday at 7 pm. Visit us online at myrealchurchorg.