God’s Forgiveness
Griffith Baptist Church – 6/1/08
P.M. Service
Text: Psalm 32
Main Verse: Psalms 32:5 - I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
The Introduction
In A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World, Ron Lee Davis retells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a much-loved man of God who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no peace, no sense of God’s forgiveness.
In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ and he with her. The priest, however, was skeptical. To test her said, “The next time you speak with Christ, I want you to ask him what sin your priest committed while he was in seminary.” The woman agreed.
A few days later the priest asked., “Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?”
“Yes, he did,” she replied.
“And did you ask him what sin I committed in seminary?”
“Yes.”
“Well, what did he say?”
“He said, ‘I don’t remember’“
What God forgives, He forget.
- David H. Bolton A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World, Ron Lee Davis.
1. Paternal Forgiveness (Restoration of fellowship with God the Father after the believer has broken fellowship by continued, unconfessed sin. This has to do with the believer’s fellowship with God.)
The conditions to this kind of forgiveness are twofold:
(a) Confession (1 John 1:9; John 13:4-10; Matt. 6:12);
(b) Forgiveness of others (Personal forgiveness - see the next kind of forgiveness.)
2. Personal Forgiveness (Restoration of fellowship with another human being).
(a) This facet of forgiveness is so important that Jesus conditions our forgiveness and restoration to fellowship with our Heavenly Father on our willingness to forgive others. Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35; Luke 6:37; Col. 3:13); Matt. 18:21-35; Eph. 4:31-32)
(b) Personal forgiveness has a vertical dimension—we must release the person to God. This can happen anywhere at anytime. Jesus taught, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven my forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25)
(c) Personal forgiveness has a horizontal dimension—we must confront the offender and forgive if he repents. “So watch yourselves. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” (Luke 17:3)
3. Social forgiveness (Restoration of fellowship with society (John 8:1-10). This may be a personal attitude in our own communities or involve us in ministries like Chuck Colson’s prison ministry.
There is little forgiveness by society today partly because there are very few things that society frowns on.
4. Ecclesiastical Forgiveness (Restoration of fellowship with the church) 2 Cor. 2:5-11; 2 Thess. 3:14-15. This forgiveness assumes a prior discipline by the church body and an evidence of a repentant heart on the part of the one disciplined. The purpose of discipline is restoration, and forgiveness assumes repentance and restoration.
5. Judicial Forgiveness (The eternal forgiveness of all sins of the one who has trusted Christ. This goes with the doctrine of justification and has to do with the believer’s relationship with God. It is once for all, eternal, and conditioned only on faith in Christ.) The Psalmist says, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.” (Ps. 32:1-2). He also says, “As far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12).
You can say right now, “As I have trusted Christ, all my sins past, present, and future are forgiven. God remembers my sin no more.” (Ps. 130:4; Acts 26:18; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14. See also Rom. 3:21-26; Heb. 9:12; 10:17; Jer. 3:34; Eph. 2:8,9.)
We need to also understand the two aspects of forgiveness.
1. For the Unbeliever – There is no forgiveness of sin apart from trusting in Jesus Christ, that will save from the penalty of sin, which is hell – Ephesians 1:7 - 7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; and John 14:6 - 6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
2. For the believer – Once one has trusted Christ, he is judicially forgiven, restored to a relationship with God, never to be lost.
3. This does not mean that our sin nature has been eradicated.
4. We are saved now from the penalty of sin but not it’s presence. It still has a reach in our lives.
5. Our salvation will be complete when we are finally changed from the corruptible to the incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:53-54)
6. So while we are saved, we still have a sin nature that responds to sin and still offends God’s holiness.
7. This interrupts our close relationship with God. It causes a disruption to the fellowship with our Father in heaven.
8. God has remedied this by giving duty to two necessary individuals in the Godhead to effect forgiveness.
i. The Holy Spirit – He convicts and guides into all truth – John 16:7-13 - 7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
ii. Jesus Christ – interceding, going between, the holiness of the Father and the sinful condition of His children and pleading His blood for all sins, past, present and future – 1 Timothy 2:5 –For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; and 1 John 2:1 - My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Judicial forgiveness is what we are dealing with in our text.
Transition Statement: First, let’s look at the character of forgiveness
Body
1. The Character of Forgiveness – 32:1-2
A. Four characteristics of offenses are mentioned:
i. Transgression - rebellion
ii. Sin – abomination, any lack of conformity to the law of God
iii. Iniquity - perversity
iv. Guile or deceit - treachery
B. What does it mean to be forgiven?
i. Restored blessing, which is joy, happiness – used twice, once in each verse
ii. Sin blotted out from God’s sight (sin covered) – ongoing forgiveness
a. Opaque fluid is the magical liquid that covers over your errors, your typos, your unfortunate slip-ups. You brush on the liquid and start all over again—hopefully this time with no unfortunate slip-ups.
Opaquing fluid is forgiveness, an obliteration of a goof with no telltale traces that the goof happened at all. John V. Chervokas, How to Keep God Alive from 9 to 5.
b. This means to be concealed or hidden; or, in other words, so covered that it will not appear. The idea is, that the sin would be, as it were, covered over, hidden, concealed, so that it would no longer come into the view of either God or man; that is, the offender would be regarded and treated AS IF he had not sinned, or as if he had no sin. (Barnes)
c. Covered by God, as the ark was covered by the mercy–seat, as Noah was covered from the flood, as the Egyptians were covered by the depths of the sea. What a cover must that be which hides away for ever from the sight of the all–seeing God all the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit! He who has once seen sin in its horrible deformity, will appreciate the happiness of seeing it no more for ever. (Spurgeon)
d. This is atonement = reconciliation - Ephesians 1:7 - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
• Enemies made at peace with God through Christ - Romans 5:10 – For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
• Our sins are not held against us in regard to eternal judgment - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 - 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
e. This requires 1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
f. It results in Psalms 103:12 - As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Transition Statement: That is the character of forgiveness. Now let’s take a look at the critical need for forgiveness. Remember, this is not forgiveness in regard to our salvation but forgiveness in regard to our relationship with God.
2. The Critical Need of Forgiveness – 32:3-7
A. Sin ought to bother you
i. The more you love Christ the more you will grieve over sin
ii. If you are not bothered over your sin than you have not been truly saved – 1 John 1:8 - If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 2:4)
iii. Somewhere along the line, you will be disturbed about your sin and want to repent
iv. The more you study the Word of God and practice it, the more God will reveal to you what displeases Him and the more sensitive you will be to sin. D.L. Moody had someone give him a Bible in which was inscribed these words: This Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Bible.
B. Unconfessed sin will affect your whole person (3-4)
i. This is the state of a person that is sensitive to sin
ii. It affects your physical, mental and emotional being
a. It makes you ill (3a)
b. It bothers you inwardly (3b)
c. It brings the guilt of God (4a) – Conscience – The hand of conviction – When someone puts their hand on you, you notice, especially when it is the hand of authority.
d. It affects your vitality (4b) – it saps you of strength and vigor – many times, when your too tired to serve God, it isn’t because your doing to much it is because of sin. How you can tell? One way is this; you have energy to do your own thing but when it comes to the things of God, all of the sudden you don’t have any energy.
• It is like the child that can only eat half the food on his plate because he’s so full but always has room for a big slab of chocolate cake with some ice cream on the side. He can eat that! We want all the pleasures of God without all the work and the conviction. God does not work that way.
C. Sin ought to bring us to God, not drive us away (5-7)
i. Transparency (5)
a. Being honest with God about your sin (5a-b)
b. Confession to God no matter what the sin (5c)
c. Acceptance of forgiveness (5d)
ii. Urgency (6)
a. Margin, as in Hebrew, “in a time of finding.” That is, they would find THAT to be a propitious time, or a time of mercy. It does not mean that there were appointed or set times in which God would be gracious; or that there were seasons when he was disposed to “give audience” to people, and seasons when he COULD NOT be approached; but the meaning is, that whenever they came thus—with this penitent feeling, and this language of confession—they would find THAT the time of mercy. The idea is not that God is anymore disposed to show mercy at one time than another, but that they would find him “always” ready to show mercy when they came in that manner: THAT would be the time to obtain his favor; “that the time of finding.” The real time of “mercy,” therefore, for a sinner, is the time when he is willing to come as a penitent, and to make confession of sin. (Barnes)
b. The moment you realize the sin, confession to be instantaneous
c. Unconfessed sins eventually become unremembered sins
iii. Security (7)
a. He is our hiding place – communion and covering from those dangers that afflict us
b. He preserves us – not salvation but from further guilt and wrong
c. He brings joy – praise to God that He constantly protects and delivers. He always delivers.
Transition Statement: Now what is the counsel you need once you have been forgiven? Don’t do it again? God tells us 4 very important pieces of advice to help us stay straight.
3. The Counsel to the Forgiven – 32:8-11
A. Pay attention to what God tells you and do it (8a)
i. Instruction that leads to wisdom that will increase our ability to resist sin
ii. With God, there is a lot to learn
iii. He will never direct you in a path that is to dangerous for you
iv. He will never mislead you.
B. Remember that God is watching you (8b)
i. This is a comfort for us
ii. The further you get from sin the closer you get to God
iii. God is closest to those who are truly broken and humble - Psalms 34:18 - The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
C. Forsake a stubborn and unteachable spirit (9)
i. Mules and horses can be stubborn
ii. They don’t set out to be that way, that is just their nature
iii. We get that way when we become self-taught and self-sufficient
iv. James 4:7-10 – 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9Be afflicted (over sin), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
v. Sin can lead you or Christ can lead you. Choose you this day whom you will serve.
D. Forgiveness brings joy (10-11)
Conclusion:
Are you harboring any sin in your life?
No one else may be able to see it but it still may be there.
The longer you wait to take care if it, the harder it will be
Psalms 32:6 - For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found
Listen, the most dangerous person in the world is the one who feels they never have any sin to confess. They are not only dangerous but delusional.
