The Gospel As God Gave It

Galatians 1:1-24

What is it that really gets you going? What gets your emotions stirred and fills you with a fight or flight mode so that you MUST do something?

If you saw someone you love about to be injured or killed would you not warn them?
Would you not take immediate action or cry out to them to help them?
And what if they didn’t listen to your warning… what if they were under the charms of a deadly enemy who had caused them to doubt your sincerity and your love for them, or disregard your authority and wisdom? Would you not fight for their attention and defend your loyalty? Does this happen? In Churches, in marriages, in families, in communities… Yes!

In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Othello, The villain, Iago, uses deception and cleverly devised lies to destroy Othello’s trust in his loving wife, Desdemonia. Iago also turns Othello against his own best friend by cunningly planting false evidence to convince Othello that his best friend is having an affair with his wife. In the end Othello, filled with jealousy and rage kills his innocent wife only to discover that he has been deceived by Iago, so he also kills himself.

As the play develops, the audience watches the terrible and tragic deception build to a horrible climactic and miserable end. You just want to grab Othello and point out how foolish he is to turn away from his loyal friend and innocent, loving wife and instead of listening to them, to listen to a lying enemy who hates him, and has dressed up falsehoods and disguised them as convincing truths.

In much the same way there is an enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One who is cunning and determined to undermine our faith. He is the mastermind behind such popular books as, The Da Vinci Code, a book that cleverly presents false evidences against the faithfulness of the Gospel accounts of the life, teachings, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also, such so called science that explains our very existence by an explosion that happened eons ago and somehow cooled off and organized itself into us here today! People actually believe this! It’s popular, and it is cleverly disguised as factual and convincingly presented and defended as truth! Who is behind this? This enemy of God has an entire arsenal of weapons that he uses against our faith but all his things have this in common: they are all contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in scripture. They either add to or take from the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ as fully sufficient for our salvation.

When we turn in our Bibles to the letter of Galatians, we find there one of the most intensely emotional defenses of the gospel in all the New Testament. The liar is doing his work. The truth of the gospel is being distorted, made different, but dangerously believable. By the writing of this little letter, many churches have been infected by a false gospel and are deserting Him who called them by the grace of Christ. We are not told precisely what this false teaching is. We are only told that it has deadly consequences and that it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ that was preached to them by Paul and received by them when they heard it. But there are plenty of hints.

Let’s just look at the first chapter of Galatians now and listen as Paul responds to this situation. Hear his concerns. Consider his appeal to them. Ask yourself this question, “How seriously do I take my faith in the true gospel of Jesus Christ, that his sacrifice for me is God’s power to save me completely, and the blessing of his grace?”

Notice first verses 1-2

Who made Paul an apostle?

Notice now verses 11-12

Where did Paul get his gospel message?

Notice that these are Paul’s claims! “Jesus Christ is my source of authority and the source of my message.” What would you say if I told you that God spoke with me this morning and told me I had authority and was to tell you how to live your life? Some of you would think I was kidding, or using an illustration. Others of you would know that I had finally gone over the edge. Claiming the things Paul does is also quite incredible. How does he back those claims up? Here in Galatians, he backs it up by telling his story. Exhibit “A” for evidence is Paul’s own course of life.

This is not a letter that centers around moral issues or marriage problems or church matters like what we read about in most of 1 Corinthians. Although at the beginning of 1 Corinthians and specifically in chapter 15 Paul reminds them of the gospel.

He states what exactly is the gospel in 1 Cor. 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
And that Jesus appeared alive to the apostles and to hundreds at a time.

Now in this letter to the Galatians we see the intense concern of Paul that this message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and its application be carefully guarded from any changes.

It is one thing to change the way we do things at our church services. Our culture, style, personality, and a host of other variables we are free to express. It is quite another thing, though, to change the gospel. The gospel is the one centrally important matter that absolutely must not ever be tampered with or changed! The church can survive many difficult shifts and changes. But listen to me now… Change the gospel and the Church dies! Change the gospel and the Church falls under God’s curse! Change the gospel and the church is severed from Christ and falls from grace! We must never change the gospel! It is not ours to adapt or arrange as we would. It is God’s! It is from God. It is for us. It is not man’s, but it is to man. The gospel! Eternal, perfect, powerful to save!

Look again at Galatians; Paul states it again in the first five verses of Galatians one. All the elements are there. Jesus Christ, raised from the dead by God the Father. It involves grace and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.

There it is! The same basic elements are here again: Jesus Christ, death, burial and resurrection from the dead. Here is our deliverance from this present evil age! Jesus Christ, our sin offering is complete! And this gospel makes us complete through our acceptance of it in obedient faith. We are not saved by our obedient faith, we are saved by the death of Jesus Christ for our sins. Our obedient faith adds NOTHING to the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Question: Is this enough, or do we need more?

Someone has come to the churches of Galatia and convinced them that Jesus death, burial and resurrection are not enough to save them. Someone is telling them that to really be saved they also need to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. In other words, the gospel of Jesus death, burial and resurrection are not enough to save.

That’s not what they heard from Paul. That’s not what he preached and it’s not what they received.

In order to deceive the churches of Galatia into deserting God who called them through grace, these false teachers have to first undermine Paul’s authority as an apostle and then they will undermine his teaching of the gospel. The false teachers can say, “Paul isn’t really an apostle, in fact, he actually got his message from the apostles in Jerusalem, but he didn’t quite get it all right. He learned it from those men there. Didn’t he tell you that? What he said about Jesus being the Christ is true, but he may have missed some things. Didn’t he tell you that in order to be saved, you also need to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses? Oh? He didn’t tell you that? Well, that’s because he isn’t really an apostle and he didn’t get the gospel message exactly right. It’s a good thing we are here to help straighten this out for you.”

When we look at what Paul writes to the Galatians, there are hints that let us know this is what happened. Notice first Paul’s repetitive claim to have received his apostleship and gospel from Jesus Christ and not from any man. Why would he say these things? Because someone is accusing him of not being a true apostle but of having a gospel that is from men.

How does he answer this? Let’s read the first chapter together. Are you there? Galatians chapter 1 verse 1. (read)

Let me sum this up and then draw some applications from it for us today and the lesson is yours.

There are three main sections of this chapter.

1-5: He begins immediately in the first five verses reaffirming the central elements of the gospel as grace and peace from God. He claims that Jesus Christ and God the Father sent him as an apostle.

6-12: He then immediately jumps on their departure from the gospel to a different gospel. He makes it extremely clear that God’s curse rests on any who change the gospel. Again, he claims unequivocally that the source of the gospel he preached is Jesus Christ himself and no man.

13-24: Then he begins to present the evidence that his apostleship and gospel are directly from Jesus Christ.

What evidence does he submit? His own testimony of a changed life and proof that he could not have learned it at the feet of the apostles, for several reasons. Besides, he hardly knew them or the churches there in Judea. If he could have gotten his hands on them before he met Jesus Christ, it would certainly not have been for instruction about the gospel.

He says, “Look at me!” You know what kind of man I was. Do you think I would sit and listen to an apostle tell me about Jesus Christ? I tried to kill those who believed! I was a true certified legalistic Pharisee 100% into Judaism to the core! I was advancing up the ladder of religious success! No, it took a lot more than any apostle to get my attention. I had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ himself. He called me to preach Him to Gentiles! Do you think I wanted to do that? I didn’t get this call or information from anyone in Jerusalem, apostles or otherwise! In fact, after I encountered Jesus Christ, I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. It was three years before I went back to Jerusalem, and then to meet Cephas. 15 days is all I stayed with him, James, the Lord’s brother, is the only other apostle I met. I’m not lying here! This is the truth before God! The people in the churches of Judea never saw me, they just heard about what God had done to me. The persecutor is now preaching the faith he tried to destroy! Glory to God!

Listen…

Of the many lessons here, let’s take these two with us:

1. We need to hear, heed, and hold the pure, God given gospel of Jesus Christ, as is, no improvements necessary! The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. We don’t add to it. We don’t spruce it up. We don’t need to candy coat it or put our spin on it. We need to hear it preached and receive it in faith, make our stand on it in baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and be saved by it.
The Gospel! What is it?
Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. Say that with me: Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures.

He was buried. Say that with me: He was buried.

He was raised on the third day, according to the scriptures. Say that with me: He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

Is there anything about that you think needs changing? Is that the gospel? Do you trust God’s power to save you through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for your sins? Is the Lamb of God able to take away the sins of the world?

2. We don’t change the gospel, the gospel changes us! The gospel has the power to save you and the evidence of that salvation is in the life you live. What is it in your life that demonstrates the grace of God in you? God not only calls you through the gospel, he reveals his Son in you. Jesus Christ makes changes in your life through the working of the Holy Spirit. How is Jesus being revealed in you to others?

Walking in the Confidence of God

Those who walk in the confidence of God have the marks of contentment. They live a life without covetousness, they are satisfied with what they have, and they experience the constant companionship and care of Almighty God. There is that confidence that the Lord Jesus will never leave them nor forsake them.

Listen as I read Hebrews 13:5-6 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?’”

Pray!

I would propose to you that Christians must be free from the love of money and the things of this world. They must be content with what they have and learn to walk in the confidence of God.

Christians have the continual presence of the Lord within them. God’s protection and provision are offered to them as well. The writer of the Book Hebrews quotes two great Old Testament passages of Scripture. One is Joshua 1:5, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Two, the writer quotes Psalm 118:6, “The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Just who makes such a promise and to whom is it extended to?

Today’s text shows obedient Christians that God will be with them and will provide what they need. No matter what the call or the need, those who are walking in accordance to God’s directions will have the hand of the Almighty God upon them.

Who makes the promise? Our text says, “…because God has said…” In at least two places in the New Testament it says God does not lie. (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18) Therefore, it is a yes and an amen. When God says it, it goes down, it will be, you may stake your life upon it.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews states a powerful truth, “…What can man do to me.” (Hebrews 13:6) According to the Bible, all people throughout history stand in some relationship to God, whether living in rebellion and disbelief, or living in acceptance and faith in the Lord. They are under God’s sovereign control. Therefore, the child of God who is walking in the center of God’s will need not fear any man for all are under the power of the living God. (Who’s Who in the Bible)

The God who makes this promise is the one who says, “See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39)

Christians can walk in confidence because this God is self-existent. John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

The apostle Paul tells us this about the Supremacy of Christ, “For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy.” (Colossians 1:16-18)

Jesus is the one who holds all things together. He is the agent of creation and the goal of which all things will find their end. Between the time when this earth, the atmosphere around it and the galaxies were created and until the new heavens and earth come about, Jesus is the one who holds it all together. In other words the laws of gravity and laws by which the universe hold together are not only science but are divinely controlled. Man does not hold this earth and everything in it together, the Lord does all that.

We need one another to survive. We cannot exist without parents whom God used to bring us into existence, we could not have grown up without someone to feed us, provide shelter and give some kind of guidance. Everyone needs someone to do what they cannot do. This is not the case with God. No one made the way for Him to come into existence, nor makes the way for Him to exist.

The word “supremacy” (proteuo) means to be first, chief, to hold first rank, the highest dignity. The application is that Jesus Christ is given first rank over everything. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary; Word Meaning in the New Testament) The God of heaven and earth did just that. Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Christians can walk in confidence because they possess the Living Christ whom the Bible says, “It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:11-12)

It is not a matter of if all mankind will kneel before God, it is a matter of when will they bow the knee and confess Jesus’ supremacy. It is a matter that there is a God, the Father of Christ and the giver of the Holy Spirit.

There is a God, He has a Son who is the Savior of the world and they have eternal existence. In Revelation we read of Jesus saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8) Jesus is Lord of all and there is nothing, literally no event and no time in the future which can separate Christians from the love of God.

Christians can walk in confidence of their God because of the dominant theme of the Bible, which is the sovereign, continuous, purposeful activity of the eternal God. All of life and the Word of God speak of a living Lord. Every living animal and human being get their very heart beat from God. Acts 17:28 says, “For in him we live and move and have our being...” (Acts 17:28a) In his song of praise the Psalmist writes, “[God] makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate, [and He] brings food from the earth” (Psalm 104:14). At the Lord’s choosing He waters the trees (Psalm 104:16), He feeds the birds and clothes the lilies of the field and not one sparrow falls to the ground outside of God’s will (Matthew 6:25-28; 10:29)

Christians walk in confidence because they serve not only a God who exists but also a “Providential God” as well. Christians serve a Lord whose plans and purposes come about. Psalms 33:4-11 says, “For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD? Let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”

In gratitude toward God (The Pulpit Commentary; Barnes Notes), Job writes, “You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.” (Job 10:12) Job was recognizing that he owed God his entire life because God had gave him constant vigilance and had absolute control of his life. (Barnes notes)

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia gives us this explanation of “providence.” It “implies more than just seeing in advance. It is anticipation causing one to take steps to meet a need through the making of a plan. It is in a sense that pre-vision becomes pro-vision… Applied to God, providence obviously includes the divine foreseeing, but God’s foreseeing has a fuller and broader reference in view of divine overruling. Providence, then, is the preservation and superintendence of all things by God. It is divine governance whereby all possible events are woven into a coherent pattern and all possible developments are shaped to accomplish the divinely instituted goal.”

The Book Esther is a remarkable book that shows God’s providence in the life of a person for the deliverance of a nation. God’s name is not mentioned in the Book of Esther. However, the key purpose of this book is to show The Lord’s providential care of His people. In this book we see that God’s providence overrules all things. Even in a distant country and in dangerous situations, God’s people are yet in His hands. (Thru the Bible; The Expositors Bible Commentary; Matthew Henry)

Dr J. Vernon McGee wrote a book about Esther, entitled, “Esther, The Romance of Providence.” As we study the Book of Esther and examine how God raised up Esther, a woman for such a time in Jewish history, we see that all obedient children of God have a purpose in God’s great plan. However, obedience is a key factor of seeing the providential hand of God move.

As we read the Book of Esther we discover that Mordecai had a powerful truth that we should take note of. Mordecai sent word to Esther with regard to her responsibility of her position. His words to her were, “…“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14)

There is no grander position of life for man’s calling than to be an adopted child of God through having Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. With that comes the great responsibility of fulfilling your part in the Great Commission. Just as the Jews were facing annihilation, people who are without Christ are facing an eternal death. Just as Esther had a job to do, the church of Jesus Christ has a job to do.

How does this woman of intervention prepare for her God given task that enabled her to enjoy the Lord’s providential hand? The Bible says, “Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.’ So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.” (Esther 4:15-17)

Those who enjoy the providential hand of God are those who fulfill their part and it begins with seeking the loving hand of the God who will fulfill His part. He must be sought in humble prayer. Prayer is the brokenness and humility that God wants to see in those who truly trust in Him.

Three days of a national fasting and prayer meeting enables Esther to see the hand of God grant her favor with the king. As the story really begins to unfold we see not only Queen Esther experiencing the providential hand of God, but Mordecai as well. Instead of Mordecai being hanged upon the gallows built for him, Haman, the enemy of the Jews was hanged instead. On the same day Haman was hanged, Esther was given Haman’s estate. Mordecai was brought into the king’s service and given the signet ring that once belonged to wicked Haman. Esther appoints Mordecai to overseer of Haman’s estate. (Esther 5:2; 7:10; 8:1-2)

Because of God’s plan to save His people, and His awesome ability to work among even a pagan people who did not serve Him, the Jews were given permission to take up arms, defend themselves, and plunder those who would attack them. People of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them. (Esther 8:17) What looked like disaster, became a victory for the Jewish people, all because God’s reign on this earth is a providential reign, one that is pre-vision and becomes pro-vision.

Young Peoples’ Digest ran the story of a Christian English woman. The ministry she oversaw required a large amount of provision every year. Year after year she saw the Lord provide all they needed and many times when it felt like God was coming up short, He would make it clear that He had already provided and it need on be released from the bondage that was holding it up. After much prayer God did release the funds which were in bondage and put them into her hands at the proper time.

She was once confronted by a man who was very much against the Lord. He asked what proof is there of such a God. She said, “If you had made an appeal of a large amount of money from someone whom you had never seen physically, but yet you knew existed and that man sent you exactly the amount of money you asked for through a friend, who did not know the amount you requested, would you then believe and put faith in that the person for all your needs?” The man who was hostile toward the Lord said “Yes.”

The English missionary lady said, “Well, I made an appeal to God for the very sum of money that would buy all the supplies needed to do His work. In His timing He has always raised the money through friends who also know of my Lord. The amount of money they gave me has always been exactly what I asked for, without anyone but the Lord knowing what the need was. I, therefore, claim to know the Lord who sees and provides.”

Christians who walk in the confidence of God have allowed Him to show Himself faithful. They rest upon His providence and sovereignty knowing that He always does what is best.

Transitional Sentence: Christians can walk in confidence, not just because God exists and has providential control, but because He is also a personal God. Psalm 147:10-11 says, “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

God is never portrayed in Scripture, as people often describe Him today, as an ever-present energy or force. God shows Himself to be personal in relationship. Scripture shows this relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and expresses His desire to have a real relationship with the redeemed children of God.

Song of Solomon 7:10 presents a wonderful truth in regard to our relationship with Jesus Christ. It says, “I belong to my lover and his desire is for me.”

The primary concern for those who will read Song of Solomon is that its application is a picture of the beautiful love relationship between the believer and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Thru the Bible; Matthew Henry; John Wesley Notes) It is the picture of Christ and the church and depicts the communion of Christ and the individual believer. This passage of Scripture portrays the love of Christ for the individual and the soul’s communion with Christ.

These are the words of those who are confident in their marriage relationship with Christ. They rejoice in the fact that the Lord’s desire is for them and these Christians are so illuminated with that fact that they speak out as the apostle Paul did. He writes with great boldness, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

The relationship the Lord is looking for is the one in which Christians say, “I am my beloved’s, not my own and I am entirely devoted to Him and I am owned by Him.” Christ’s desire was so strong toward God’s chosen ones that He came from heaven to earth to seek and save that which was lost. He paid the ultimate price for His bride. Someday He will return for those who are left upon this earth. Be sure to catch the heart of Jesus as I read a portion of His prayer for all believers. Jesus prayed, “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory you have given Me because you loved Me before the creation of the world.” Those who walk in confidence have allowed the Holy Spirit to place a heartfelt desire within them to be in fellowship with Christ.

They’re not like the couple who went for marriage counseling. The wife’s major complaint was that her husband never said, “I love you.” When the counselor asked him about this he replied with, “When we got married 30 years ago, I told her then I loved her. If anything changes, I will be sure to let her know.”

Professor H.W. Jurgen, a West German sociologist, claims that married couples chat with one another 70 minutes a day in the first year of marriage. This drops to 30 minutes a day in the second year and then only to 15 minutes a in the 4th year. He said the most often cause of this is complacency in the marriage relationship. They become comfortable and feel that they need not take the time to properly communicate, to plan, to dream together.

Do you remember when you first got saved or when you recommitted your life to Christ? How you often thought of the Lord, made plans to be with Him, do things that please Him and dream big with Him. You had hopes of doing great things with God.

How is your prayer life now, in comparison to what it was when you first entered into His service? How much time do you spend in prayerful reading and studying of God’s Word? Is there a thirst and hunger for Him and His presence?

Have you let what once sparked a heart ablaze for God to be replaced with just a religious observance?

Drew Stephens shared a story entitled “The Ring.” It is a story about the greatest Christmas present that he had ever received from a woman named Joan Ellis. Joan is now his mother-in-law and she gave him the engagement ring that her late husband gave her on their engagement night.

It was given with the understanding that he was to give it to her daughter, Rebecca. It was a gift given to him. His mother-in-law gave it freely and it had an intended purpose.

Now that it was in his possession he really could do anything with the ring he wanted to. He could rebel and sell it, ignore that he even had it, or even give it to someone else. He had control over the ring which was now in His possession.

He chose to give it for the purpose in which it was given and now he has been married to Rebecca for over 19 years. He has never regretted that decision. That ring offered promises. It represented a life of joy and fulfillment with his bride. What the ring meant to him was fulfilled thousands of times.

Like the ring given to Rebecca, God has given a gift for which He has a designed and intended purpose. That gift is our lives. His intent is that our lives be eternally wed to His Son, Jesus Christ and we are eagerly awaiting His return so that we may be with Him forever.

However, God gives us the freedom to use our lives as we choose. Much like the ring, we can take its value and spend it on ourselves. We can spend our lives on the pleasures of this world and please the flesh. We can even give it to another, thus committing adultery and breaking and devastating the heart of Christ. You can spend your entire life trying to finding satisfaction only to end up in eternal torment.

Or you can spend your life, the gift that God has given you in serving and loving Jesus Christ. You can take those talents, abilities and opportunities and spend them for the glory of Christ. You can choose to have an intimate relationship with the Lord and live a life that shows that you are the bride of Christ joyfully awaiting the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”

In closing: The promise the Lord made to Jacob (Genesis 28:15), Joshua (Joshua 1:5) and Solomon ((1 Chronicles 28:20) belongs also to the faithful servants of God. (Matthew Henry) Never will He leave us nor forsake us.

It is God who makes this promise and He is not a man that He should lie. There is not one person who can harm us outside of God’s will so we can go and fulfill our mandate from the Lord in confidence.

It is Jesus who holds all things together and He purchased us with His life’s blood. He is in absolute control. The very Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead indwells us, so let us walk a walk that expresses confidence that we will receive power from the Holy Spirit to fulfill our part in the Great Commission.

Just as God had a plan to deliver the Jews through Mordecai and Esther, He has a plan for us in reaching out to the lost in Christ’s Name and to make disciples of those who have ears to hear and a heart to obey.

We can walk in the confidence of God because he knows us personally and He will enable us to have that relationship with Him that is fulfilling and reflects a hope of being at the “Marriage Supper of the Lamb.”

How Can A Loving God Allow the Suffering of Good People

I Peter 4:12-19

This past week has been a time of suffering for many people in America. Evil hearts resulted in killing friends and family members in San Francisco and Sacramento. Evil hearts planned for months to strike at the heart of America in New York and Washington DC. Thousands lost their lives. This past week thousands in America have suffered for freedom in America.

Many of us have thought that terrorism of this magnitude would not happen in our lifetime. The visual pictures of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center is etched into our minds and caused our hearts to skip a beat. September 11th, 2001 will be remembered in all history books.

The question is on the minds and hearts of many: “How can A Loving God Allow the Suffering of Good People?”
Suffering. It’s not a pleasant subject to discuss, but a necessary one.

A dictionary defines suffering as the state of anguish or pain of one who suffers; the bearing of pain, injury or loss (The New International Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary).

Suffering plagues our world. In its many forms it affects us physically, psychologically and emotionally. Whatever its manifestation, extended suffering can crush the body and spirit.
Suffering falls on the just and the unjust. It afflicts innocent victims. This uncomfortable fact makes it difficult for us to reconcile such obvious unfairness with the existence or fairness of a loving God.

What is the answer? Why is suffering so indiscriminate? Why isn’t it meted out only to those who deserve it? Why do the innocent suffer from actions and events over which they have no control and often cannot foresee?

Why doesn’t God stop suffering? Where is God in situations of tragedy? Doesn’t God care?
Only in God’s Word do we find answers to these questions.

I. Suffering Is Part of A Fallen World.
Sin and rebellion changed a world-like paradise into a world of evil and suffering. Jesus said that in this world there would be tribulation and suffering.
Suffering strikes rich and poor, religious and irreligious, small and great. In this life virtually everyone will experience it. Disease and health problems seem to strike most people at some time or other.

In centuries past common diseases caused immense suffering. But in spite of advances in medical science that have greatly lengthened the average life span, we know we will still die. Rather than having our lives cut short by the killer diseases of earlier years, now many of us will expire at an older age from such debilitating afflictions as cancer or heart disease. Many will lose their mental faculties long before their bodies wear out.

Many assume God angrily intervenes to punish us whenever we step out of line, when in reality He generally allows us to suffer the consequences of our own selfish, shortsighted behavior. Jeremiah 2:19: “Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe for me, declares the Lord the Lord Almighty.”
Most people fail to recognize that God doesn’t have to directly intervene every time we sin; the laws He set in motion are self-enforcing, bringing their own punishment when we break them.
We reap what we sow

The conclusion should be obvious. Much of the suffering is caused by wrong choices. The Bible offers guidance as to how we should live. Yet as far back as Adam and Eve people have repeatedly spurned God’s instruction and brought enormous pain and sorrow on themselves.

God reveals that suffering carries with it a noble purpose: It should help us to grow in brotherly love. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ,” writes Paul (Galatians 6:2).

II. God Has A Purpose in Suffering

When our concern flows out toward others, suffering, as undesirable and painful as it is, can be a profitable experience. We learn the reality that “no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11, NIV).
Pain has an important purpose

A year ago eight of us from the Willow Vale Church visited Hong Kong and China on a mission trip. One of our side trips was to a Leprosy Village in China led by Free Methodist Missionary Nurse Ruth Winslow. Leprosy is a dreaded disease. The disease takes away pain wherever the disease is located. Without pain a people can burn their hand without knowing it.
Philip Yancey in his book, Where is God When It Hurts? Tells about the medical work of Dr. Brand. Dr. Brand worked for years treating leprosy patients in India and America. During his labors he arrived at an astonishing conclusion concerning the pathology of leprosy.

Leprosy victims suffer the curse of having their extremities—fingers, toes, feet and even nose and ears—deteriorate and waste away, but no one knew why. Before Dr. Brand’s research, doctors assumed lepers were cursed with “bad flesh.” Dr. Brand’s remarkable discovery was that the problem lies in leprosy bacilli, which attack the nerves of body parts, triggering a process that leads to the death of the nerves. When this occurs, a patient who incurs the slightest wound—even a bruise—to an afflicted area feels absolutely no pain. Consequently he continues to use the damaged body part. This repeated use aggravates the wound. Eventually the tissue becomes so damaged that the flesh actually dies and falls off.
Dr. Brand began treating the wounds of lepers by protecting them, sometimes with casts. The wounds would often heal and not suffer further damage. The protected flesh would become sound again, even though the leper did not regain sensation in the affected body part because the neural tissue had permanently deteriorated.

Dr. Brand concluded that pain is a gift from God that alerts us to the fact that something has gone wrong.
The doctor’s determination applies to most diseases, not just leprosy. When we hurt, we should respond to our body’s signals and take measures to relieve the pain and eliminate the underlying cause.
Don’t let trials overwhelm you.

You should not suffer if you can avoid it. But, when you cannot avoid it, you need to learn how to deal with suffering and, if necessary, accept it. If you do not learn to do this, your trials can lead to greater problems.

The Apostle Paul suffered from a physical infirmity. He prayed for deliverance and healing but God did not hear. Paul said: He was given the assurance from God, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Most of the Psalms were born in difficulty. Most of the Epistles were written from prison. Most of the greatest thoughts of the greatest thinkers of all time had to pass through the fire. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress from jail. Florence Nightingale, too ill to move from her bed, reorganized the hospitals of England. Semi-paralyzed and under the constant menace of apoplexy, Louis Pasteur was tireless in his attack on disease. During the greater part of his life, American historian Francis Parkman suffered so acutely that he could not work for more than five minutes as a time. His eyesight was so wretched that he could scrawl only a few gigantic words on a manuscript, yet he contrived to write twenty magnificent volumes of history.

Can we make sense of human suffering? Do you believe that in every situation and circumstance God is love? In every situation God cannot act contrary to His Nature.

The Bible says that God is love.
God could have created a world without the possibility of evil. But to take away choice is to take away human freedom. To take way human freedom is to take away humanity. A world without evil and hate would be a world without love.

Real love for God and for one another involves a choice. Take away choice and you take away the possibility of love.

God’s purpose for your life goes beyond pain and suffering. God has a much larger view in mind. God’s primary purpose in this life is not comfort, but training and preparation for eternity. Through suffering we learn obedience.
Suffering can lead to repentance.

Every time we suffer our suffering contains the potential and opportunity for good. Suffering and grief that comes when a loved one dies can be a time of renewal of our faith in the Lord.
#When I was involved in a car accident when in High School the accident was a wake-up call to rededicate my life to Jesus.

Jesus Understands Suffering.

You might ask: “Why would God allow His own Son to suffer and die a cruel and violent death as a criminal when He had done nothing wrong. From a human standpoint Jesus didn’t need to die. Jesus said that he came to earth to “give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 The prophet Isaiah stated Christ’s mission: “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Only in the Cross of Christ does suffering take on meaning

III. God’s Ultimate Victory – Suffering Will Cease
The Bible tells us that God allows suffering to serve a divine purpose. Christians know that their Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered and died for them and that they must follow in His steps, which include suffering (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus endured agony and died so God could forgive us of our sins and give us eternal life, during which we will reign with Christ (Revelation 5:10). Knowing this can enable us to better come to grips with life’s struggles.

“If we endure,” Paul reminds us, “we shall also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12). Christ will return to earth to rule— and eventually bring an end to sadness and suffering.

The good news is that God has not given up on humankind. Just as He allowed Adam and Eve the freedom to choose, so He lets the nations and the nations’ inhabitants go their own way. He allows the world to suffer to teach us we cannot find lasting peace, security and contentment without Him.

We are learning the hard lesson that we cannot rightly govern ourselves apart from God and His laws. The Bible offers practical advice on virtually all aspects of life. Many of its principles reveal how to avoid—and to some extent relieve—suffering.

Dr. Brand tells how he prepares for the worst: “The best single thing I can do to prepare for pain is to surround myself with a loving community who will stand beside me when tragedy strikes” He notes that “suffering is only intolerable when nobody cares” (p. 257).

Learning to depend on God

We should realize that, although God allows trials, He is not indifferent to us when they come. God is a Father. Even more than a loving human father, He finds no joy in seeing His children in pain. How does He feel toward us at such times? “You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, because you are his personal concern” (1 Peter 5:7, The New Testament in Modern English). These words let us know that sometimes we must depend entirely on God for the strength to endure.

When we hurt, God wants us to come to Him. He promises He will help us when we do. Paul wrote that God comforts the downcast (2 Corinthians 7:6), but we must ask Him for that help. He promises that He will not allow us to be tested beyond our limits and will provide us either with the relief or the strength we need to endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). We need to take God at His word and go to Him with this promise, especially when we sense we are near our breaking point.

Will the picture change?

When Jesus Christ came to earth two millennia ago, He saw His share of misery. He witnessed the plight of outcast lepers, widows in need and people with debilitating mental disorders. He reacted with compassion to alleviate misery.

Jesus’ concern and compassion were evident when He wept openly as He approached Jerusalem for the final time (Luke 19:41-44). He could foresee the anguish that warfare would bring on the beloved city and its people in A.D. 70 when a Jewish rebellion would result in Roman armies laying siege to the city, with horrible consequences.

He proclaimed that part of His mission was “to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18). Such a time has not yet occurred for all mankind, but God promises He will bring an end to suffering in general during Christ’s millennial reign and will eventually banish it (Revelation 21:4).

Jesus Promises to be with you in times of suffering.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven he promised His disciples before his departure: Matthew 28:20 – “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Hebrews 13:5 …”God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

In low points of your life you may cry out, “Where is God?” Jesus is there sitting beside you in the lowest places of your lives. Are you broken? He was broken, like bread, for you. Are you despised? He was despised and rejected of men. Do you cry out that we can’t take any more? He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Do people betray you? He was sold out himself. Are your tender relationships broken? He too loved and was rejected. Do people turn from you? They hid their faces from him as from a leper.

Does Jesus descend into the depths of your despair? Yes He does. From the depths of a Nazi death camp, Corrie ten Boom wrote: “No matter how deep our darkness, he is deeper still.”
Suffering Is Part of A Fallen World.
God Has A Purpose in Suffering
God Will Have the Ultimate Victory and Suffering Will Cease
Commitment:
1. Thank God for the freedom’s we enjoy in America
2. Pray for the families suffering the loss of loved ones
3. Thank Jesus for his love and suffering on the cross of Calvary in your place. Thank Jesus that He died for you.

What the Blind Man Saw

Luke 18:35-43

Most people eat too much over the holidays. That’s why the #1 New Year’s Resolution each year is to exercise and lose weight. If you think you overate during the holidays, I have some important information for you. Scientists have recently made some revolutionary discoveries about holiday eating and dieting. Here are six of their findings:

1. If no one sees you eat it, it has no calories!
2. If you drink a diet soda with a candy bar, they cancel each other out. (If the soda weighs more than the candy, you actually lose calories!)
3. If you eat standing up, it doesn’t count.
4. Desserts remove stress! (“STRESSED” is “DESSERTS” spelled backwards!)
5. Foods used for medicinal purposes have no calories. (This includes chocolate, cheesecake and ice cream when eaten for energy.)
6. Cookie pieces contain no calories. (The process of breakage causes calorie leakage.) So maybe you feel better about how much you ate!

In this message we are going to examine an encounter with a blind man who felt a lot better after He met Jesus. I’m calling this message “What the Blind Man Saw.” Let’s read about it beginning in Luke 18:35:

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight, your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

We know from Mark 10 the blind man’s name was Bartimaeus, which means “Son of Timaeus.” For the sake of simplicity I’ll call him Blind Bart. He can teach us a great deal about how we can relate to God. Your problem may not be physical blindness, but you and I need the same thing Bart asked for–mercy. Let’s study his story and learn five important things about the Christian life.

1. FAITH IS HEARING AND BELIEVING EVEN WHEN YOU CAN’T SEE

Bart was not only blind, he was a beggar. Most blind people today lead productive lives, but in Jesus’ time, blind people couldn’t work. There was no Americans with Disabilities Act, so blindness was a terrible handicap. Everyday Bart sat beside the road holding out his hand asking for money. Beggars exist today in every major city around the world. You can see some American beggars standing at an intersection holding signs reading, “Will Work for Food.” But some American beggars have gotten rather creative. Here are some actual signs beggars in America have been seen holding: “Why lie? I need some wine.” “Will work for 40K, take my résumé.” “Tell me off. One dollar” “Help me hire a hit man to kill my husband.”

In Jesus time, beggars were at the bottom of the social ladder, only slightly more important than dogs. Blind Bart couldn’t see, but as with many blind people, he probably had a keen sense of hearing. On the day described in our text, he could tell from the sounds of the crowd something unusual was happening. He turned and asked someone, “What’s going on?” Over the mumble of the mob, he heard, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” No doubt, Bart had heard of Jesus. Perhaps he heard about how Jesus healed people, even restored sight to the blind! Even though Bart couldn’t see Jesus, based on what he had heard, in that moment, he believed. He didn’t just believe Jesus was in his city: he believed Jesus had the power to change his life. So in verse 38 he cried out, “Jesus! Son of David, have mercy on me!” The term “Son of David” was one reserved for the coming Messiah, the King. It was a title of Divine power. Bart was confessing Jesus was more than a mere teacher–He was the King!

Faith is the first step you must take to receive mercy from God. Faith is not just believing God exists, it is acting on that belief. It is staking your entire eternity on the offer God has extended for you to have a personal relationship with Him.

Like Bart, none of us has ever seen Jesus with our physical eyes. But I’ve heard about Jesus, and I believe in Him. Faith is not just believing facts about Jesus, it is trusting Him with your life. I don’t just believe He was born in Bethlehem and died on a cross 33 years later, I believe He has changed my life. I don’t just believe in the fact of the resurrection, I believe Jesus is alive and living in me!

Like Blind Bart, we are blind until we come to Jesus. There is someone who wants to keep you blind to the truth about God. The Bible calls him the god of this age, which is another title for the devil. II Corinthians 4:4 says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

There’s a saying, “There is none so blind as he who will not see.” Satan wants to keep you from seeing the truth about Jesus. It’s not easy to believe without seeing, but that’s what faith is. Perhaps you are like millions of other people who would believe if they could see some reliable proof. Their motto is, “I’ll believe it when I see it!”

Okay, for all you skeptics, I’m going to give you visual proof God exists. “God, I want everyone to see with their eyes that you are real, so right now, lift the roof off this huge building and twirl it around three times and then gently place it back on top of the building as if it never moved. Okay, please God, do it now!”

Let’s just imagine for a moment God did it. I suspect everyone in this room would be converted to Christ. We couldn’t hold the crowd that would show up tonight, and as word would spread around the region, can you imagine how many people would be crowded in this building next Sunday? Talk about parking problems!

But to believe in God because you saw something like that is not faith–it’s simply sight. The Bible says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (II Corinthians 5:7) Catherine Harrison, who is legally blind, has developed a wonderful Bible Study called “Walking by faith; not by sight.” By faith, Bart called out to Jesus for help. Even though you’ve never seen Him, when you hear and believe, you’ll call out for mercy, too.

2. YOU MUST RESIST PEOPLE WHO HINDER YOUR SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

When Bart cried out to Jesus, the people surrounding him didn’t say, “Good for you, Bart! Jesus can help you. Call out louder.” Instead of helping him, they rebuked him and told him to shut up! You’ll find when you are bold enough to cry out to Jesus, not everyone is going to be excited for you. In fact, there will be some people who will rebuke you and discourage you. When you start getting serious about seeking Jesus, the voice of the crowd will “boo” you down. Our popular culture wants to mold you into being a clone of everyone else–wear the right labels, listen to the right music, and speak the filthy language everyone else uses. It’s okay to be a little religious, but if you become a radical follower of Jesus, you won’t fit in with the pop culture anymore. They will ridicule you and call you a weird religious fanatic.

When you diligently seek to follow Jesus, you’ll face opposition and criticism. Paul wrote, “A great door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” (I Corinthians 16:9) Sometimes those who oppose your spiritual progress are members of your family–or even people claiming to be Christians.

Mike Yaconelli wrote: “Threaten others with a loud and boisterous faith, and you will be politely (at first) asked to quiet down; dance your faith instead of sitting still in a pew, and you will be asked to leave; talk about your faith with passion and you will get expressions of concern about the inappropriateness of your emotions.”

When these people try to hinder you, do what Bart did–resist them. Don’t let them intimidate you into silence. When they told Blind Bart to be quiet, he wouldn’t be silenced. Verse 39 tells us, “he shouted all the more.” Those are interesting words in the original Greek language. In verse 38 when he first called out, Luke used the word boao which means “to call out in a loud voice.” But when everyone told him to be quiet, Bart turned up the volume. In verse 39, the word translated “shouted all the more” is krazo. It’s an onomatopoeic word meaning “to scream.” An onomatopoeic is pronounced like the sound it describes (like “buzz” or “bang’). You can almost hear a scream in the word krazo. One Greek scholar describes it as, “the instinctive shout of ungoverned emotion, a scream, an almost animal cry. The word well shows the utter desperation of the man.” (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, p. 242)

When the crowd told him to be silent, he shouted to the Lord. “Aaaaagh! Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He yelled so loudly everyone got quiet. In the 1800s Methodists were often called “Shouting Methodists” because they were a lot more emotional in their worship services than the Baptists. Then later, the Baptists got fired up and some were called “Shouting Baptists.” In fact, there is still a group of Baptists in Virginia who are known as “the Shouting Baptists.” I think part of our problem is we’ve gotten too dignified to shout. These days, the only shouting Baptists are angry folks in the parking lot after church!

I like to think of Bart as the first shouting Baptist. We are known as the Snoozing Baptists, but not the Shouting Baptists. Oh, we sing, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be; When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.” If you aren’t shouting down here what makes you think you’re going to shout up there? Some of you want to shout “amen” or “glory” sometime, but you are afraid of what the crowd may think. Bart didn’t listen to the crowd, he just shouted to the Lord!

3. JESUS IS NEVER TOO BUSY TO PAUSE AND HELP YOU

Verse 40 says Jesus stood still and instructed the people to bring Bart to Him. By the way, He has instructed us to bring people to Him as well. At this point, Jesus was headed for Jerusalem to die for the sins of the world. Within the next few days He would face betrayal, arrest, torture and crucifixion. He was a man on a Mission, yet He paused to answer the cry of one blind beggar.

Surely there were hundreds of voices in the crowd that day calling out to Jesus, but He was able to distinguish Bart’s cry for mercy from the roar of the crowd. Jesus is still listening for the one voice among the murmur of the crowd. When you call out for Him, He will stop and respond to you.

On another occasion, Jesus was on the way to Jairus’ house because his daughter was sick and dying. As they were passing through a crowd, a single desperate woman reached out and touched the hem of his robe. She had suffered with a blood disorder for many years, and she believed Jesus could help her. Even though Jesus was being jostled by the crowd, He noticed that single touch of faith. He stopped and said, “Who touched me?” The disciples rolled their eyes and said, “Give us a break, Lord, EVERYBODY is touching you.” Jesus said, “No, I felt goodness go out of me–somebody reached out in faith.” He stopped and spoke to the woman and she was healed.

You may think that in the larger scheme of the entire universe you aren’t very important. In comparison to the enormous universe, our planet is just a small rock circling a minor star. And you are just one of 6 billion human beings sharing this rock. In spite of this, you are of such importance to God, that when you call out to Him, He pauses to help you!

The mighty sun burning 93 million miles away provides the gravitational pull that keeps all the planets in orbit, but that same sun will warm your face on a cold day as if it had nothing else to do at that moment. The awesome God who keeps the entire universe running will stop and answer your cry for help as if He had nothing else to do. God isn’t distracted by the millions of other voices. He always has time for you.

On the way to the Cross, Jesus paused and helped Bart. And whatever else He is doing in the universe today, He will pause and help you. The Bible says, “God is our refuge and strength, an EVER-PRESENT help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) Jesus always meets us at our point of desperation. But it’s not desperation alone, because you can be desperate and never call on God for help. People all around you at work, school, and perhaps in your family may hinder you from crying out to God, but keep shouting even louder like Bart did!

4. YOU MUST ADMIT YOUR NEED IN ORDER TO BE CHANGED

At first I was surprised by the question Jesus asked Bart in verse 41. He said, “What do you want me to do for you?” At first I thought, “What a funny question. Jesus KNOWS Bart is blind!” But then I recalled Jesus asked a similar question to the paralyzed man who lay everyday at the Pool of Bethesda. Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6) Bart had a pretty simple life. He had grown accustomed to sitting beside the road and accepting handouts. After all, some people like the attention they get from their suffering. It would be like asking someone today who is physically able to work, “Do you really want to get off welfare?”

They say, “Beggars can’t be choosers” but Jesus gave Bart a choice. He asked him because He wanted Bart to admit his point of need, and to confess he believed Jesus could change his life. After all, when Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bart could have said, “Can you give me the name of a good eye doctor?” If he really didn’t believe Jesus could heal him, he could have said something generic like, “Bless me, Lord.” But in that one short prayer, Bart expressed his need and demonstrated his belief in the power of Jesus. He cried, “Lord, I want to see!” The best prayers are simple, short, and specific. Bart didn’t say, “Lord, I come to thee this warm afternoon, humbly beseeching that thou wouldest if thou couldest help me with my little problem here, it’s not a big problem, Lord...”

Jesus stands before you today and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” You can’t pray specifically until you are willing to admit your point of need. God can’t help you until you say, “Lord, I’m addicted to alcohol! I want to stay sober!” Or “Lord, I’ve got a pornography problem, I want to be pure!” Or “Lord, I’ve got a problem with anger, bitterness, or gossip and I want to be changed!”

Some Christians are reluctant to ask God to heal them, or to heal a loved one. They are afraid if God doesn’t deliver they have injured God’s reputation. If you’re sick there’s a big difference between praying, “Lord, bless me” and “Lord, I’ve got cancer, and I want to live!” Don’t ever be afraid to ask God to do something miraculous.

5. WHEN YOU SEE THE FACE OF JESUS, YOU’LL FOLLOW HIM ANYWHERE

Without touching him, Bart received his sight. Jesus said, “I see your faith, and that’s enough!” We have several accounts of Jesus healing blind people, and He used a variety of methods. Jesus healed one blind man by touching him. For another man, Jesus touched him once and his sight was blurred, so He touched him again. Still with another man, Jesus spat in the dirt, made clay, patted it on the eyes of man, and told him to go wash it off in the pool of Siloam. For Bart, He just spoke the word but all of them received their sight. That’s a great lesson about how Jesus changes people in a variety of ways. Don’t ever insist that someone else has to have exactly the same experience you’ve had. That’s how different churches and denominations get started–people start insisting there is only one way God does things. Vance Havner used to say if those four blind men were here today, we’d have four churches by Friday: The Word of Faith Church, The Once-Touched church; The Twice Touched Church; and the Spit in the Eye Church!

When Bart opened his eyes, the first thing He saw was the face of Jesus. The last sentence in Chapter 18 says Bart followed Jesus. Jesus was headed for Jerusalem and a cross–and Bart followed him. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get to heaven and find Bartimaeus was a part of the 120 disciples who were praying in an upper room on the Day of Pentecost.

Here’s the lesson: When you see the face of Jesus, you’ll follow Him, too. You may be thinking, “Wait! I thought faith is believing without seeing! And now you say I need to see the face of Jesus? Make up your mind!”

You can see Him with eyes of faith. When you cry out to Jesus and trust Him to change you, you WILL see Him. His light will shine into the darkness of your heart. The Bible describes it this way, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” (II Corinthians 4:6) (“Our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.” The Message)

You don’t need physical eyesight to see Jesus. In fact, people who are physically blind can often see spiritual truths more clearly than those of us who have sight. Fanny Crosby was blind, yet she was one of the most prolific hymn writers in America history. She wrote over 8,500 poems and hymns. Imagine a stack of 15 hymn books piled on top of each other–it would take that many to contain all the songs Fanny Crosby wrote. Some of her more familiar hymns included, “To God Be the Glory,” “Blessed Assurance” and “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross.”

Fanny wasn’t born blind. When she was six weeks old, she developed a cold. A man posing as a doctor put hot poultices soaked with powerful medicine over her eyes. This treatment damaged her eyes, and she became blind. But Fanny refused be bitter or angry about her blindness. At the age of eight, she wrote a poem reflecting her positive attitude: Oh what a happy soul am I / Although I cannot see, / I am resolved that in this world / Contended I will be.

Fanny Crosby could see things most of us can’t. She glimpsed the glory and greatness of God, and she looked forward to the time when she would see Jesus. Some of her best lyrics include: In the cross, in the cross, / Be my glory ever. / ‘Till my raptured (ransomed) soul shall find / Rest beyond the river.

Some music editors changed a few of Fanny’s original words so the songs don’t offend people who don’t believe in the rapture. But Fanny was looking forward to the time when Jesus would return and rapture the church and we’ll be transported out of here.

Another familiar lyric written by Fanny is from “To God Be the Glory”: Great things he hath taught us/ great things he has done / And great our rejoicing through Jesus, the Son / But purer and higher and greater will be / Our wonder our transport (victory) when Jesus we see! The editors changed “transport” to “victory.” But no matter what word is on the screen or in the book, I always smile and sing “transport” instead of “victory” because, like Fanny Crosby, I believe we’ll be transported out of here when Jesus returns!

Fanny had wonderful insight because of her blindness. An interviewer once commented to her, “I think it is a great pity that God did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you.” Fanny replied, “Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?” “Why?” asked the surprised interviewer. “Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!”

As she reflected on that conversation, she wrote these powerful words, “When my lifework is ended and I cross the swelling tide, / When the bright and glorious morning I shall see, / I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side, / And His smile will be the first to welcome me.

CONCLUSION

The title of this message is “What the Blind Man Saw.” Even before he was healed, Blind Bart saw at least two important things. First, he saw his need: do you? Next, he saw an opportunity passing in front of him. The bystanders told him, “Jesus is passing by.” This is a powerful example of how great opportunities pass in front of us. Bart was faced with a split-second decision. If he remained still and silent, his opportunity for healing would be gone. Perhaps he thought, “There’s a crowd here today, maybe I’ll catch Jesus the next time He comes through Jericho.” Some of you need to do business with Jesus, and you are hesitating, “oh, there’s too big a crowd here in church today. I’ll do it after the first of the year.” What Bart didn’t know was that Jesus never passed through Jericho again. He went straight from Jericho to the cross. Jesus is passing by right now, what are you going to do? “I’ll catch Him next time I come to church.” What makes you think there will be a next time?

This encounter teaches us about the critical importance of seizing the opportunity. Carpe diem is a Latin term meaning “seize the day!” Today, you have the opportunity to cry out for mercy. Will you do it?

This idea of Jesus “passing by” Bartimaeus inspired the word of a beautiful old invitation hymn. The words say: “Pass me not O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others you are calling, Do not pass me by.” Want to guess who wrote those words? Fanny Crosby.

Today, Jesus is passing by. You may not have another opportunity like this one. I encourage you to call out to Him, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” If you’ll do that, upon authority of the God’s Word I can promise you that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!” (Romans 10:13)

People of Principle

Genesis 22:1-10

Would you agree that we live in a society that bases its decisions predominantly on feelings or emotions? Some of the most important choices that people make in a lifetime are being made on whether it feels good or not. For example, ‘I don’t feel happy in my marriage, I’ll get a divorce...’ or ‘I like this car, I know I shouldn’t buy it, but want it…’ or ‘I am going to sleep with this person because the moment feels right.’ This mentality has even crept into the church where people do or don’t do things in the church based on whether or not they ‘feel’ like doing it, even to the point of leaving and finding another church that makes them ‘feel’ better. We all know that it is hard to make the right choice in the heat of the moment. Now I am not going to stand up here and say that emotions and feelings are from the devil, in fact we were created to have them, enjoy them; we are emotional beings. Emotions enrich the human experience. Having said that we are not to be governed by our feelings, we are to be people of principle. Emotions change, principles don’t!
We meet up with Abraham after he has just experienced the fulfillment of a long awaited promise. Him and Sarah finally are given Isaac as was promised by God so many years before. Abraham’s love for Isaac would have grown with each passing day as Isaac grew. It was under these circumstances that God chooses to test the principles of his friend (Isaiah 41:8). Would Abraham still choose to act on his principles or on his feelings? What would you have done in his situation?

Principle of Trust (vs.1-2)
It’s interesting to me that the bible says that God was testing Abraham. Even though Abraham had done so many things already and proven himself to God to be faithful, God still was stretching and molding him. Imagine God comes to you and asks of you to give back to him this one prized possession that you had waited so long for. “Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much – and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering…” There was nothing reasonable or logical about this request except the fact that it is coming from God. In Abraham’s eyes that was enough, no matter what was asked for. There was a trust there that God knew what he was doing, even though Abraham couldn’t have understood why.
Imagine God asked you to give back to him the thing you love the most. Some would say, “Take anything God, but not this.” This would be where our emotions and our principles would come into conflict with each other. We know what we want to do in the flesh, but in principle we should trust God and know that He knows better than us in every situation because He is a wonderful and sovereign God. It’s easy to say you trust him, but with everything? Without reservation we must trust that God’s plans will always come to pass precisely when and how he intends them to. If God can hold the universe in place then He can certainly hold your life together, but more than that He has a greater purpose that we cannot often see. God can be trusted with our families, our lives and our hearts. The principle of trust will always be your best choice, so do you trust Him?
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!

Principle of Obedience (vs.3-6)
Now saying that you trust God with everything is only part of the equation because the very next thing you have to do is act on that trust in obedience. The text doesn’t say Abraham went away for a few months and prayed about what God had said. It doesn’t say he went away and asked for the advice of his friends, it just says that, “the next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son Isaac.” Imagine having to go home that night and explain to Sarah what God wanted him to do. There was nothing else for Abraham to do other than to obey as soon as possible, no matter how difficult it would have been for him. God wanted to see if Abraham would keep being a man of principle even after receiving the blessings.
Without action our words mean very little and this is where the principle of obedience is tested. Are we ready to actually go through with what God calls us to do, no matter how difficult? Again emotions would temp us to do what is easy and selfish. When Donna and I were leaving our family at the airport in Montreal we were experiencing emotions we had never experienced before. The temptation would have been to tear up the tickets and stay with our family, but God was asking us to be obedient. Without wavering we must respond in obedience, regardless of our emotions, reason and logic. Acting in obedience is how we put legs on our beliefs and it is the only way to see God truly at work in your life.
1 Samuel 15:22 Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams.

Philippians 2:8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.

Principle of Faith (vs.7-10)
Abraham didn’t only have trust in the fact that God knew what he was doing. He immediately obeyed because God deserves our obedience, but Abraham also had faith. His faith led him to believe that God would have some purpose in doing all of this and that would end well. God would be good on his promises as He had always been in the past. Abraham was fully ready to sacrifice his son and he would have if God hadn’t stopped him. I believe that Abraham, in faith, new that God would provide the sacrifice, as he had provided him with a son. Imagine your son asking you that question, “We have the wood and the fire,” said the boy, “but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” What a lesson to his son. We will trust in God’s wisdom, we will obey God’s direction and we will have faith to believe in God’s plans.
How many of us have such faith to believe the goodness of God, even to the point of sacrificing everything. The principle of faith is tested when we actually lay it all on the line and believe God for the best. We don’t know how it will work out, but God will always be faithful, we can count on that! It will be your faith that will carry you through while being obedient. In the process of Abraham doing this with his son it was his faith in God that gave him the strength to complete the task. Emotions could have gotten the best of Abraham in this trying moment, but he stuck to his principles and had faith in his God. When situations arise like this in your life it will be your faith, not your emotional strength that will get you through. With a whole heart we must believe, in faith, that God has our best interests at heart. We must also believe in faith that He will always come through on His promises (Gen. 22:11-13).
2 Timothy 2:11-13 This is a true saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

I have been challenged in my heart as of late about whether I have built my life on my emotions or on biblical principles. So often we make decisions in the heat of the moment, instead of taking a few minutes and choosing based on principles of trust, obedience, and faith. Jesus was the perfect example of what it means to live this kind of life, even though it meant him giving his own life for ours. What tests has God brought into your life where he is challenging you principles. We are blessed and fortunate, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t going to still stretch us. We will never reach perfection until heaven, and Abraham wasn’t perfect either, so God will always test you through the circumstances of life. Will you be governed by our often volatile and ever changing emotions, or will you be people of principle? Are you basing your choices on your feeling or on the Bible?

Faith And The Impossible

Hebrews 11:29-31

A police exam read: You are on patrol in outer London when an explosion occurs in a gas main in a nearby street. On investigation you find that a large hole has been blown in the footpath and there is an overturned van lying nearby. Inside the van there is a strong smell of alcohol. Both occupants—a man and a woman—are injured. You recognise the woman as the wife of your Divisional Inspector, who is at present away in the USA. A passing motorist stops to offer you assistance and you realise that he is a man who is wanted for armed robbery. Suddenly a man runs out of a nearby house, shouting that his wife is expecting a baby and that the shock of the explosion has made the birth imminent. Another man is crying for help, having been blown into an adjacent canal by the explosion, and he cannot swim.
Bearing in mind the provisions of the Mental Health Act, describe in a few words what actions you would take. The officer thought for a moment, picked up his pen, and wrote: ’I would take off my uniform and mingle with the crowd.’
What would you do in the circumstances? This message is about what we do when we face the impossible. Let’s remind ourselves for the reasons behind this great chapter we have been considering. Hebrews was written to a group of Jewish Christians who like us had never seen or heard Jesus themselves. After initial progress it seems that they had stopped making progress and seemed to be slipping back into Judaism. Being a Christian in the Roman world was harder than being Jewish which enjoyed certain privileges. Since their conversion they had been exposed to persecution – public abuse, imprisonment, looting of their property – but as yet they had not been called upon to die for their faith. So their faith was being put to the test. Chapter 11 is an encouragement to keep trusting God in their difficult circumstances. In the next 3 examples we see the response of faith in impossible circumstances.

1. God allows his people to face impossible situations

How did the Israelites get to the Red Sea – God brought them there. How did they get to Jericho – God brought them there. Why? Because God had a great purpose in it. He wanted to show his power. God allows his people to face impossible situations ultimately for his glory and to work out his purpose. These Hebrew Christians were being reminded that they were not the first or the last to face difficult even impossible circumstances. That relates to us very clearly - Are there ‘impossible’ circumstances in my life God is allowing for His own purposes? Do we find ourselves hemmed in by circumstances/enemies, obstacles/barriers, and problems? Got any rivers you think are uncrossable, got any mountains you can’t tunnel through? In the end God is God, he does what he thinks is right, he doesn’t act according to our comfort or convenience. He acts in accordance with his own perfect purpose. We sometimes think that as Christians that the universe could be ordered for our convenience. It is ordered for our ultimate glory, and heaven I believe is a jolly nice place. But in the meantime God allows us to face the impossible. It may be an incurable disease, it may be a situation where it seems that there is not let-up, there is no way out.

But God specialises in things thought impossible. Look at what happens at the Red Sea and then at Jericho. People have suggested various natural phenomena to explain these, including earthquakes etc. That’s fine, but it was God who did it whatever it was! God may use natural or supernatural means to bring about his purpose. The point is that God can deal with the impossible we can’t. This is where faith comes in. When you face the impossible all that is left to you is faith… and panic – sometimes a bit of both!

2. Trust God’s purpose

Look at what the Israelites faced at the Red Sea. Moses assured them that God would act on their behalf even though they could not see how. They could have responded “come on Moses, give it up, it’s been a nice trip, we’ve had a holiday by the Red Sea, it’s over!” But they didn’t do that, they went forward as Moses said, they trusted God’s purpose, that it wasn’t all going to end for them at the Red Sea, even though it seemed impossible, now way out. What does that say to us? Trust God’s purpose in your life and in those that you love. Trust him with our fate, our destiny. Like the Israelites between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, let’s just do what God says. Look what God did! Sometimes we just have to trust him; things are beyond our ability or control, let God step in. Sometimes we just have to step back and be amazed at what God can do. If you are in the middle of one of those situations you may not know what God will do. He may heal, he may provide – but he will work out his purpose. I have been impressed again by the example of Joni Eareckson who in 1967 when 17 dived in Chesapeake Bay, breaking her neck and since has been a quadriplegic. She has said, “Today as I look back I am convinced that the whole ordeal of my paralysis was inspired by God’s love. I wasn’t the brunt of some cruel divine joke. God had reasons behind my suffering and learning some of them has made all the difference in the world”. It took time for there to come to that point, but she learned to trust God’s purpose. It’s far more than simply hoping for the best, it is a firm belief that the best will come in whatever shape or form God chooses to bring, but it will come. But what God is doing by giving the impossible to face is a great opportunity for his power and glory to shine through us. So trust his purpose, not just any purpose but his loving purpose.

3. Obey God’s instructions

The Israelites did this at the Red Sea but it is more obvious here at Jericho. God brought his people to an impregnable fortress, an impossible obstacle. Note that there is a gap of 40 years for after the Red Sea the wanderings are a time of unbelief. Even people who have once expressed faith can lapse into unbelief. Imagine how they felt at Jericho. They must have been sick to death of blowing trumpets – what a ridiculous thing to do. They may have thought, “Moses wouldn’t have had us doing something so stupid!” How they must have groaned at the instructions for the 7th day – march 7 times around the city! But key to the walls of Jericho falling was the obedience of the Israelites. Once again the author of Hebrews is saying that faith and obedience are the two sides of the same coin. The relevance of this is that we need to keep doing what God says, keep doing what you know is right, keep following and trusting. There may be times when that might seem futile. On days 2-6 the novelty of marching round the city must have worn off! But it is continuing to obey that is so often necessary. Continuing to pray, continuing to read the bible, continuing to witness, continuing to give, continuing to serve and be faithful. Keep on obeying, don’t give up, never give up. Because when God is ready the breakthrough will come. When we do that we will find that faith wins impossible victories

4. Believe in God’s ability

Rahab the prostitute, though she was a prostitute and pagan not only saw that God was with the Israelites but in her willingness to join them, to risk being a traitor to her own people – showed faith that made her famous. There was no human reason to believe that the Lord would give Jericho over to the Israelites. But Rahab did believe and risked her life to protect the Israelite spies. The message for the readers of Hebrews & for us is clear again. They & we have more reason to believe that God will fulfil his promise to us than Rahab had to believe God would give Jericho to Israel. She had risked her life on her confident trust in the Lord how much more should we be prepared to trust God with ours? What are we being challenged to believe even though there may be little evidence of it yet? We can be confident in God’s ability to deliver on what he has promised. Faith believes the impossible will happen, before it happens. God calls us to believe that the impossible will take place even though we see no current evidence for it. Rahab challenges us to trust in God’s ability now, not after the fact wishing that we had.
Conclusion

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable, any mountains you can’t tunnel through? Well God specializes in the impossible. We need to trust his purpose, obey his instructions and be faithful and believe in his ability.

Overcoming Guilt

Psalms 51:1-17

In recent survey in the UK 41% of people said that they would enjoy everyday pleasures more if they did not fell guilty afterwards. Isn’t that amazing? 41% of the population feel guilt everyday about enjoying something. This morning I want to teach you what Scripture has to say about overcoming guilt. The first thing we need to understand is that there are things for which we should feel guilty and there are things for which we should not feel guilty. There are things for which we should feel guilty and take personal responsibility. However, there is false guilt where we carry the guilt of what other people have done. False guilt cripples us and the truth is that we carry what is not ours to carry. False guilt is not ours, it belongs to another and we need to recognise that and assign it appropriately. Guilt can have either a positive or negative effect in and on our lives. Positively it can bring us to take responsibility, seek forgiveness and experience freedom. Negatively it can cripple our relationship with God and with other people. Negatively guilt which is never dealt with destroys intimacy with God, intimacy in relationships, especially within a marriage relationship. Guilt can also be something which we experience constantly or intermittently in our lives. I would suggest to you this morning that if you are experiencing guilt constantly in your life then you really need to come and talk to someone and get it sorted or you will end up emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually scarred. Guilt can lie dormant for years in our hearts and then all of a sudden come to the surface, sometimes with such force that it feels like we are drowning. Guilt can be triggered years later by a memory, a meeting, and we need to have in place the Biblical understanding of how to deal with it when it does appear.

Right at the beginning of this sermon I want to read a verse from John 3 to you, read John 3 verse 17. I hope you listened to those words carefully. God did not send Christ into this world to condemn it but to save it. He did not come to put a load of guilt on to our backs but to take guilt from our lives so that we might know freedom in Him.

Turn with me to Psalm 51. Allow me to set the background to this Psalm. In 2 Samuel 12 Nathan confronts David with his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah the Hittite (her husband). In 2 Samuel 11 we read the story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba, her falling pregnant and of David’s failed attempts to cover his tracts by inviting Uriah from the battlefront to the palace in the hope that he will go home to Bathsheba and believe that the child is his. When this plan fails David sends Uriah back to the battlefront carrying his own death warrant. Joab the commander of David’s army obeys the instructions and Uriah is killed. David believes he has escaped but he has forgotten the word of God which says in Numbers 32.23: ‘Be sure your sin will be found out.’ Sin deceived David but it was discovered but not before it had wreaked havoc in David’s life and later in the life of his family and his kingdom. David would pay a heavy price for his adultery and the murder of Uriah. The baby born to them would die. Amnon (his son) would rape Tamar his sister, David’s daughter. Absalom would kill Amnon in an act of revenge for what he had done to Tamar. Later Absalom would rebel against David and in a show of strength would sleep in view of all Israel with David’s wives and concubines. Eventually Absalom would be killed by one of David’s fighting men. All the while David was powerless – why? Because David had no moral standing with his children after his sin with Bathsheba. Remember that, sin destroys. In 2 Samuel 12 Nathan confronts David by telling him a story of a rich man who takes a poor man’s pet lamb to feed a visiting guest, despite having a huge flock of sheep of his own. As soon as David exclaims that such a man should be put to death, Nathan springs the trap and declares that David is the man in the story. You know one of the telling things about guilt is that it creates great anger in our souls towards others who are guilty of the same thing we are guilty of. That anger is focused on them but in reality it is the fear of exposure and the judgment we know we deserve.

Psalm 51 is David’s response to the exposure and disclosure of his guilt. So turn with me to Psalm 51 because here we learn some lessons how we can overcome guilt in our lives.

Psalm 51 breaks down into three simple prayers:
Verses 1-6 Prayer of Confession and Contrition
Verses 7-12 Prayer for Restoration
Verses 13-17 Prayer of Thanksgiving

Prayer of Confession and Contrition – verses 1-6.
David begins the sermon with a cry for God to have mercy upon him. He does so appealing to God’s faithfulness and compassion. David has sought for over a year to hide his guilt. He knows that in reality he cannot hide it from God but like many he believes it will remain undetected and there will be no consequences for his sinful actions. But let me read you a few verses from Psalms 38 and 39. Here in David’s own words is what happened during the time he remained silent. Psalm 38 verse 4, Read. His guilt was a heavy burden on his life. You know I suspect that like many who try to hide their sinfulness its exposure actually brought relief to David’s heart and soul. The burden which had weighed so heavily on his life, that had taken its toll mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually was about to be lifted. The anticipation of it being removed brought relief to a weary man. Having been exposed as an adulterer and a murderer David casts himself on the merciful compassion of God. Note how in these verses David not only faces up to the revelation of his sin and guilt but also how he takes personal responsibility for his sin and guilt. Note how he speaks of ‘my sin’ and ‘I have sinned.’ David does not try to evade his guilt but faces it and admits it openly. David does not try to make excuses for his sin, nor does he try to pass the blame on to someone or something else. So there is the first lesson in overcoming guilt – you must admit your guilt. You see it would have been easy for David to dismiss Nathan and what he had just said. David could have sought to expel the guilt by living an irreverent life – as so many do today. He could have spent his life laughing at the very idea of feeling guilty for sin. David could have tried to smother his guilt by his own pride – by stating that it was his ‘right’ as king to live as he chose. Many today try to smother their guilt by claiming ‘my right’ to live as a I choose. The result of that is that you live an unaccountable life and it leads to disaster. David had tried to conceal his guilt and the result was that he lived in constant fear of his guilt being exposed. As we have heard from Psalms 38 and 39 David paints a painful and pain filled life when he tried to conceal his guilt. He experienced physical, emotional, mental and spiritual torment whilst he sought to live a life of hiding his guilt. Some of you are in that position this morning. Some of you are experiencing just such turmoil because you are trying with all your might to conceal your guilt this morning. Some of you are living as David did, with the fear of your guilt being exposed. Learn from David – you will never overcome guilt unless you first admit it.

The second thing which David did in these verses was that he sought God’s forgiveness. Listen to what he says – blot out, wash thoroughly and cleanse completely. There is a wonderful scene in Shakespeare’s Macbeth where Lady Macbeth in walks in her sleep and she speaks these words “Out, damned spot! Out I say! . . . Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” The Doctor says “This disease is beyond my practice.” Lady Macbeth could wash the blood from her hands but she could not wash the guilt from her heart. Friends that is exactly where we all were before we came to Christ and had our guilt cleansed. This morning it is where some of you still are because you are still carrying your guilt. We can wash the outside clean but we cannot wash the guilt from our souls. You and I can wash the blood from our hands but we cannot wash the stain of sin from our souls. Pilate washed his hands but he could not wash away his guilt. You and I know that to be true this morning. Knowing that to be true why do we spend so much time and effort trying to cleanse guilt ourselves? All we do is fail and put more weight on the burden we are already carrying. David tried to hide the guilt of his adultery by murdering Uriah and marrying Bathsheba but try as he would there was no means for him to remove the stain of guilt from his soul and the burden of that guilt crushed him daily. He turns to God and he cries to God to blot it out. That is to remove it from the record – God alone could do this. David asks God to wash him thoroughly – the stains of guilt were deeply ingrained in David’s life and only God could remove them. David then asks God to cleanse him completely of the guilt that weighed heavy on his soul – David wanted to not only know the forgiveness of his guilt but also freedom from his guilt. You see many people forgive but they do not free those they have forgiven. When God forgives us our guilt he also frees us from our guilt. Sometimes we experience forgiveness but we do not experience or know freedom from the guilt. Is that not true for some of us this morning? We know we are forgiven but we are not living in the freedom of that forgiveness. The cords and chains of guilt are still hampering our walk with God. We are forgiven but we haven’t moved forward in the freedom which forgiveness brings and gives us. Why? One reason is simply because you do not believe the Word of God and what it tells you about forgiveness. In fact, I would go as far as to say that is the primary reason so many Christians still live with guilt in their lives. You live with gilt because you do not trust God’s Word that you are forgiven, the guilt is removed and you are free. You do not believe it because you are depending on how you feel as the authentication of your forgiveness. You think because you still feel guilty that you are in fact still guilty.

David had no contentment in his life because of the torment of his soul. So in verses 3-4 he opens his sinful heart before God. This is no introspection but and honest realisation of his standing before God. David knows that his sin is ultimately against God and he knows that God’s judgment on him is right. He has come to a proper understanding and realisation of how sinful and guilty he actually is. Friends, let me say as humbly as I can to you this morning – you are more sinful and guilty than you ever realised. This morning as we sit here in the presence of Almighty God we are guilty before him but praise God he came not to condemn us but to save us. In verses 5-6 David speaks further of his sinfulness and admits that without God revealing such to him he would have no understanding of his spiritual state. The same is true for you and I this morning. Without the work of the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to our sinful nature we have no proper understanding of how truly sinful and guilty we are. People often say “How can they do that and sleep at night?” The do so very easily because their conscience is dead to their sin and guilt. I don’t know if you watched the recent programmes on BBC where they brought together terrorists and the victims of terrorism. You know the one thing which struck me through all of the encounters – that all of the terrorists never admitted personal guilt. There was sorrow but there was no repentance. They sought to justify actions which were evil and sinful. They were suppressing the truth of their guilt by seeking to justify their actions. When David’s eyes are opened spiritually he knows his guilt and he cries to God for forgiveness.

Prayer for Restoration – verses 7-12.
When David has confessed his sin and sought God’s forgiveness for his guilt he then calls upon God to restore him. I find that interesting. David was not content just to be forgiven. He wanted more than the guilt to be removed from his soul – he wanted a right relationship with God restored. David knew what it was to have a right relationship with God and that relationship was broken because of his guilt. When the guilt was removed by the cleansing power and work of God David then asked for the relationship with God to be restored. David asks God to cleanse him with hyssop – this was the action of the OT priest to declare the penitent ceremonially clean and acceptable for participation in worship. David asks God to declare him acceptable in his presence. He asks God to restore to him the joy of salvation which he once knew but was lost because of sin. Do you hear what you lose as a result of guilt? You lose the joy of your salvation. When guilt burdens your soul then it steals the joy that you once knew in salvation. However, the result of forgiveness by God is joy restored in the heart of a man. Here is the beginning of David experiencing not only forgiveness but freedom from guilt. When God forgives he also restores. He not only blotted out David’s guilt, he washed him thoroughly and declared him acceptable in his presence. God cleansed David and in so doing restored a right relationship between them. For a year David had suffered the pain of a broken relationship with God now experiencing forgiveness he longs for a restored relationship with God and to experience once again the joy which he once knew in God’s salvation. How often have you heard someone say “I wish we could get back to where we once were?” David asks God to restore the joy he once knew because of salvation – a joy which was lost because of sin and guilt. Remember that – guilt will rob you or your joy in the Lord.

Having been forgiven David’s desire is to remain in the presence of God and not to be excluded from it again. He had experienced what it was like for God to hide his face from him because of his sin. He had experienced what it was like to be burdened with guilt. Now he asks God for the Holy Spirit to abide in his life that this joy of a restored relationship with God might also remain in his life.

Thanksgiving – verses 13-17.
Finally David declares that he will praise God and point other people in the right path of forgiveness and freedom. David’s concern is that others might know the forgiveness that he has experienced. His praise of God is an appropriate response to the experience of guilt forgiven. The deliverance which David has experienced is divine in origin and working. David could not cleanse himself nor free himself from guilt. Knowing his forgiveness he asks God that his heart would be committed to God – David knows from the day of his calling as king that God’s concern is with the heart of a man and not the externals (1 Samuel 16.7). He reiterates that here when he speaks of God not being satisfied or impressed with the external things of worship but with the heart of the worshipper. Guilt has its home in the heart of a man. That is why David speaks here of the reality of God examining the heart of a man. Can I say to you this morning God is more concerned with your heart this morning than he is with any of the external trappings of your faith. You see your external trappings can be a smokescreen to all around you but not to God. That is why on one occasion Jesus described the religious leaders of his day as ‘whitewashed tombs.’ To everyone around them they seemed the very embodiment of righteousness but to Christ, who saw their hearts, they were putrid, decaying and dead on the inside. David was alive again on the inside and he wants to remain that way. No doubt during the year that David had sought to conceal his guilt he went through the motions of his faith. All the time God knew his heart was not right. Every time he participated in worship his guilt just grew and the burden became heavier and heavier. I want to say to some of you here this morning that is exactly what has been happening in your lives over the past years. You come to worship and your heart remains unchanged and your guilt remains and the burden just gets heavier and heavier. Friends some of you are living in open sin this morning. Some of you have spent this past week living lives without any regard to God or the things of God. Some of you have spent years living in such a way and this morning the burden of guilt weighs heavy on your soul. You know the only thing worse this morning is not to feel any guilt about that at all. To be in such a position is to be spiritually dead. A dead conscience and a dead spirit our terrible ailments. So I challenge us all this morning, especially before we come to participate together in holy communion, God looks at the heart and he knows your guilt. Are you going to add to the burden of guilt by coming to his table not knowing his forgiveness?

Conclusion
So you want to overcome guilt. Then follow these simple steps:

Admit your guilt
Take responsibility for your guilt
Confess your guilt and seek God’s forgiveness
Be assured of God’s forgiveness and then move to experience a restored relationship with God

I would close by saying to each of us – Guilt is a positive thing when it moves us to confess our sins and seek God’s forgiveness. When we have done that we must believe and live according to what Scripture teaches – that we are forgiven and live in the freedom of that forgiveness. Too many Christians I know live as if forgiveness does not bring freedom. Let me finish by reading a verse from 1 John 1.9. Now the question this morning is: Are we going to believe God and take him at his word or not?
Amen.