Sermon Central
-
God Forgive Me For My Sins Series
Contributed by Brian Chandler on Jul 21, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: Asking God's forgiveness in prayer.
Get Connected: A Daily Pattern for Prayer
“God Forgive Me for My Sins”
Week 4
We are learning what it means to pray to God and how to be more effective in our prayer life so that our prayers are not hindered but answered. The Lord is teaching us from Matthew chapter 6 a pattern of prayer for our daily lives.
Three weeks ago we looked at “God I praise you.”
Two week ago we looked at “God I want to do your will.”
Last week we looked at “God meet my needs.”
Today we are looking at Matthew 6:12.
Matthew 6:12 "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." NAS
"God forgive me for my sins."
Psalm 51:1 ‘Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love.” NLT
David cried out to God for forgiveness. We need to cry out to God and say “God forgive me for my sins.”
Today is the issue of our heart and whether our hearts are right before a holy God. Are we walking in fellowship? Is there unconfessed sin? Is my heart right before the Lord?
Do an inventory of your heart. Where is your relationship with Christ today? Are you walking in fellowship with the Lord? Is there unconfessed sin? Have your slowly, maybe unknowingly walked away from the Lord?
It’s time to come back. It’s time to confess you sins. It’s time to walk in fellowship with the Lord again. Do you want that? You can have that today and everyday for the rest of your life.
i.e. - Rock illustration - Rocks between me and God. I must name them and God forgives them and removes them.
God more than anything else desires fellowship with His children. He desires that we walk in fellowship. Moment by moment.
What I must realize about my sin:
1. I must realize God wants to forgive my sins.
God hates our sins. Our sins separate us from God and His holiness. Our sins separate us from fellowship with God.
God’s greatest desire for you today is that you would walk in fellowship with Him.
That’s why God wants us to start our daily prayers focusing on His holiness. That He is without sin. There is no sin in Him. “God, hallowed be your name.” “Holy is your name.” ‘You embody holiness.”
“God help me to be holy like you are holy.” That’s His will for us, that we would be holy like He is holy.
So begin by focusing on His holiness and as I focus on His holiness that should point out to me any sin in my own heart and life. And as I recognize my sin, as God reveals to my heart anything that is not pleasing to Him. I realized that God wants to forgive me of that sin.
We need to realize when we sin it angers the Lord. That anger puts distance between us and the Lord.
i.e. – Children do something wrong. I let them know I am angry with them. Causes distance. Hopefully that distance will bring a desire to remove my anger and for the distance between us to be removed and fellowship restored.
Judges 2:12 “They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord.” NLT
Throughout scripture when the people of God sinned, it angered the Lord. God wanted them to know how unhappy He was with their sin. That His anger burned against them for their sin. He does this when we sin so we recognize our sin and seek forgiveness and restoration with Him.
Psalm 85:4 “Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.” KJV
When we confess our sins to God, God forgives and the anger of the Lord is turned away from us. It ceases to exist. And God forgives us and fellowship with Him is restored immediately.
Micah 7:18 “Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant…You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.” NLT
Psalm 51:2 “Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.” NLT
Daily we need to ask God to forgive us and to remove the guilt we feel because of our sin.
God delights in forgiving our sins. It gives Him great joy to stop being anger with us and to forgive us. I don’t find joy and pleasure in being angry with my children. I don’t like when I am angry. I believe that’s how God is, He hates being angry towards his children. It gives Him great joy and delight to stop being angry with us and to show us His love and forgive us. He wants to forgive our sins.
