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A
whole- restored life begins with a simple but all important request… Purify me
from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be
whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me
back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep
looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Psalm 139:7-9
Notice that word “guilt”. Guilt is a huge problem. The darkness that we
have allowed to remain in our lives becomes an increasingly enormous
burden- finally it is impossible to bear… You may not even be aware of
what’s wrong… Look at that vs. again and notice that guilt is manifested
in at least 5 ways…
*If
you feel:
#1-
Dirty…
Purify me
from my sins, and I will be clean
#2-
Dark…
wash me, and
I will be whiter than snow
#3-
Depressed… (grief)
…
give me back my joy again…
#4-
Dissected…
Don’t keep
looking at my sins…
(Self
conscious…)
Ever feel like people are judging you?
#5-
Damaged…
Remove the
stain of my guilt…
If
a shirt, carpet or couch is badly stained- what happens? It becomes
un-useful… So will you if you leave guilt unattended to. You need
restoration- you need forgiveness- real forgiveness!
*How to request restoration…
1. You have to ask…
If
you want restoration you have to ask for it… Look back at that vs. He is
praying. And He says,
Purify me;
wash me; give me back my joy; Don’t keep looking; Remove the stain…
These are requests… Ask and be specific… when God reveals a character
defect- or a sin surfaces- be specific in confessing that sin; asking
for forgiveness for that sin and asking God to change that sin…
2. You have to believe…
A
big part of asking for restoration is believing God… Believing God is a
very powerful thing. And not believing God has just as powerful results…
Notice the way he prays here in the KEY vs.? Each request is crowned
with a statement of belief…
Purify me
from my sins, and I will be clean.
…wash
me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Why
does he do this? Because it reinforces what he is believing… He believes
God and he says so. What you say matters- what you say always reinforces
what you are believing…
Ask
and believe and then…
3. You have to receive…
Have you experienced difficulty in FEELING forgiven?? Notice in the KEY
vs. how he asks and believes – then seems to struggle to receive?
9
Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.
God
will grant an honest request for forgiveness… He will absolutely forgive
you. But if you cannot or do not receive it- it’s no different on your
end than NOT being forgiven… If you don’t receive it – you still live in
guilt…
What’s the problem? Sometimes the problem is you are asking for
forgiveness and you are still doing the same old things… Compromising/
trying to make wrong into right…
You
are asking God to forgive you- but you continue in sin. It’s like asking
to be cleaned up while you are living in the dump… You cannot get a
clean heart because you don’t really want a clean heart!
Another possibility is that you have the source of forgiveness
wrong…
For
example maybe you say: I just can’t forgive myself…
Important Question: where does forgiveness come from? Answer: God…
When I say “I just can’t forgive myself…” Wrong source…
can’t forgive myself…” Perhaps it’s more accurate to say, I am having
trouble receiving God’s forgiveness…
That is to say, I can’t seem to accept what He is offering or what He
has done…
The
only thing you have to offer God is an attitude rightly adjusted to Him…
That means coming to Him on His terms. What terms?
Well, first, He has already made the only sacrifice that could ever pay
for your sins and mine.
God sent
Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger
against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed
his blood, sacrificing his life for us.
Romans 3:25
Listen; God will forgiven you… You know why? Because it has nothing at
all to do with what you have done…
It
has everything to do with what He has done! |