FREEDOM FROM GUILT – Shut Out from God’s Presence
Psalm 32
[1] Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
[2] Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
[3] When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
[4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
[5] Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said,
"I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
[6] Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.
[7] You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
[8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
[9] Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
[10] Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.
[11] Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
INTRODUCTION:
Noel Coward, a well known British playwright and comedian in the 20th century, once played a prank on ten famous men in London. He sent each of these distinguished men the same note which read: “We know what you have done. If you don’t want to be exposed, leave town.” Within six months all ten men had moved out of London.
Guilt is a powerful emotion; it holds us captive and excludes us from sharing an intimate relationship with God and others. While nothing more than a cruel prank Noel Coward’s note exposed the guilt each of the recipients carried. Fear of exposure caused each of them to move so they could keep their sin hidden.
What is the key to unlocking the chains of guilt that hold us captive? Guilt and shame become a self-made prison that excludes us from entering into the joy of God’s presence. What is the key that will open the door of God’s presence in our lives?
This morning we are going to cut a key to unlock our guilt. You may be surprised, but the key to freedom from guilt is GUILT—G.U.I.L.T. Let’s unpack how we can use the key of GUILT to set us free from the prison of guilt.
I. Go to God first.
1. What is the purpose of guilt?
a) The answer to the question depends upon who you ask! Satan’s purpose for guilt is to keep you away from God, to shut the door to God’s presence, lock it and throw away the key! The devil wants to use your guilt to push you further and further away from God.
b) God has a very different purpose for guilt. The Holy Sprit wants to use our guilt to draw us to God. That’s why the key to unlocking the chains of guilt is GUILT! God has a purpose for guilt in our lives.
c) Guilt is something that is defiantly two sided. On the one hand I want to break free from the guilt Satan would bring into my life to keep me away from God. Satan uses guilt to condemn us; his purpose is to shame us, to fill us with remorse that keeps us from wanting to seek God.
d) On the other hand I don’t want to be free from God’s use of guilt in my life. God uses guilt to expose the sin in my life that I might be free from the power of sin and dwell in God’s presence. The Holy Spirit uses guilt, not to shame us or condemn us for our sin, but to convict us of our sin and show us our need for God’s mercy and love.
• Psalm 32:1-2 (NIV)
[1] Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. [2] Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.
e) When our guilt brings us to God instead of pushing us away from God, DAVID SAYS WE ARE BLESSED! I want to use the key of GUILT and come into God’s presence to enjoy His blessing in my life.
2. God’s blessing is found when we face our sin for what it really is.
a) What is sin? In these opening verses of Psalm 32 David uses four different words in Hebrew to describe his sin. David left nothing hidden, but brought his sin into the light where it could be exposed and delt with. Only then could he receive God’s blessing.
b) In most English translations we find three words to describe our sin. God’s blessing is found when we come face to face with our sin and acknowledge it for what it is. Let’s take a moment to unpack the meaning of sin.
o TRANSGRESSION—when we sin we trespass against God. The Lord has given us His law; right and wrong has been written upon our hearts. We see God’s sign that clearly says, “No Trespassing,” but we go ahead and do what God has told us not to do. REBELLION is another word that is used to describe our willful disobedience against God. How often do we know our sin is wrong, but we do it anyway.
• Psalm 19:13 (NIV)
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
o SIN—OFFENCE—our sin is to miss the mark of God’s holiness. We come short of God’s requirements; we walk the wrong path instead of walking the path of righteousness.
• Romans 3:23 (NLT)
For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
o SIN—EVIL/INIQUITY—the impurity of sin is in opposition to a holy God. Our nature is bent toward sin. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin and do evil against God because we are sinners. It is impossible for us to change our sinful nature; only God can transform our hearts and make us new.
• Psalm 51:5 (NIV)
Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
• Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)
"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
o DECEIT—sin is not simply to lie or speak falsely. Sin includes the idea of self deception. In the midst of sin we think we have things under control; we rationalize our actions. What we are really doing is lying to ourselves.
3. God will forgive us of ALL OUR SIN when we bring it to Him! When you feel guilt GO TO GOD FIRST; God will set you free from your guilt that came with it when like David we God to God and stop hiding our sin and expose it.
II. Uncover your sin.
• Psalm 32:5 (NIV)
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
1. We want to cover up our sin, to hide it.
a) David’s story shows how we all want to keep our sin a secret. We don’t want it to be known so we try to hide it—even from ourselves.
ILLUSTRATION: Recount David’s sin with Bathsheba, the attempted cover up and then murder of Uriah. Nearly a year later, David was finally confronted by his sin by the prophet Nathan. David could not hide his sin any longer.
b) Secret sin may be kept quiet on earth, but it is a scandal in heaven.
c) Gordon MacDonald, a former Pastor and author who for a time carried the secret sin of adultery wrote this, “I’ve never forgotten the loneliness of those secret-carrying days. What energy you expend; what fear you experience; what prisons you make for yourself.”
2. Freedom from our guilt comes when we uncover our sin
a) If you want to be free from your guilt, then stop running from God and run to Him. Don’t let guilt keep you from God. Go to God first and uncover your sin!
ILLUSTRATION: Isaiah found himself in the presence of God. When he witnessed the glory and holiness of God he became aware of his sinful condition. However, Isaiah did not let his sinful condition keep him from the presence of God. Isaiah did not run away from God or try to hide his sin. Isaiah confessed his sin to God!
• Isaiah 6:5-7 (NIV)
[5] "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty."
[6] Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. [7] With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
b) When we stop hiding our sin and bring it out into the open and confess it to God that’s when we are set free from our guilt. God will remove our guilt and forgive us of our sin!
c) Though we may try to keep our sin a secret and cover it up, sin can never be hidden from God. Let God set you free from your guilt.
3. The key to freedom from guilt is G.U.I.L.T. Go to God first. Uncover your sin. These are the first two notches in your key to freedom. The third notch in your key is the most difficult to cut.
III. I am at the center of guilt—the inward battle.
1. Freedom from sin comes when we take ownership of our sin. Just like ‘I’ can be found in the center of sin, ‘I’ is the center of guilt too.
a) Agree with God about YOUR SIN and confess it to him.
• 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
[8] If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
b) Remember God’s purpose in causing us to feel guilty for our sin is to cause us to come to him and seek forgiveness.
• Psalm 32:3-4 (NIV)
[3] When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. [4] For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
c) David felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When He carried His sin it became a burden too heavy for him to carry; his strength was gone.
2. Satan wants you to carry the burden of guilt for your past sin. Guilt puts us at the center of an inward battle.
• Psalm 32:6 (NIV)
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.
a) David had learned how to deal with the inward battle of sin. He took his sin to God in prayer. Our sin is like the mighty waters surging with power; Satan wants to dash us upon the rock where the rising waters would destroy us. However, for the godly who turn to the Lord in prayer, they stand upon the rock of Christ Jesus and are kept safe from their sin. Though the waters rise they remain high and dry in Christ; secure because they have trusted in Christ.
b) Herein is the where the inward battle rages. Satan not only wants to remind us or our sin, but he wants us to cause us to feel the shame. The devil wants us to feel condemned and unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness. Satan uses guilt to separate us from God, to drive us out of the loving presence of the Lord. Satan wins this inward battle when we give into his lie and believe we are unworthy.
c) Instead of being the godly who call out to God and are kept safe from the rising waters, we believe we are ungodly and unable to cry out to God for help. We are separated from God and destroyed by the guilt and condemnation of past sin.
• Romans 8:1, 34 (NIV)
[1] Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus . . . [34] Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
d) Satan has no power or authority to condemn you. The devil has no right to make you feel guilty for your sin. I am at the center of my guilt engaged in an inward battle against our adversary the devil.
e) Jesus Christ has been given all authority and power; He alone has the power to condemn us for our sin, but in His love Christ has offered us forgiveness for our sin and the power to win the battle with guilt. You can overcome the condemnation, guilt and shame of the enemy!
3. Win the inward battle with guilt with the blood of the Lamb and your testimony.
• Revelation 12:11 (NIV)
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
a) The blood of the Lamb is powerful; it will never fail to wash away the stain of sin! We are forgiven from all our sin by the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross.
b) When Satan brings a word of accusation against you, WIN THE INWARD BATTLE WITH A WORD OF TESTIMONY! You have put your faith in Jesus Christ and His blood to forgive you of your sin. Speak a word that affirms the reality of your standing before God. You are forgiven and cleansed of your sin by the blood of Jesus. Declare your testimony and validate it with God’s word.
c) As has been said by many, “When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.”
d) Stop focusing on the “I” at the center of guilt and change your focus. Put Jesus at the center of your guilt and you will be set free!
4. The key to overcoming your guilt is G.U.I.L.T. Go to God first. Uncover your sin. I am at the center of guilt fighting an inward battle, a battle which can be won as we
IV. Let go of the past.
1. You cannot live in the past; you have to put your past behind you!
• 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
a)
2. Get over yourself and trust God’s forgiveness for you – Does He lie?
a) Who are you to make yourself better than God? God has forgiven you and buried your sin in a sea of forgetfulness. God has removed your sin as far as the east is from the west.
b) What right do you have to hold onto sin that God has forgiven?
• Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
c) Paul reminds us that we are to be ready to forgive one another for our sins committed against each other. He tells us to “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” While we may sometimes struggle to forgive others, some of us are more willing to forgive others than we are to forgive ourselves.
d) Forgive as the Lord forgave you! Let your confidence be in God – in Christ’s righteousness!
3. Finish cutting your key to freedom from guilt. Go to God first. Uncover your sin. Win the internal battle. Let go of the past. Finally,
V. Thank God for His promises.
• Psalm 32:7-10 (NIV)
[7] You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
[8] I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. [9] Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
[10] Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.
1. Forgiven and free from guilt we have God’s promise to protect us.
a) Like a darting sparrow an undeserved curse does not come to rest. Prov. ?
2. Forgiven and free from guilt we have God’s promise to guide us along the path of righteousness; the Lord will instruct us in the way we should go.
a) Let’s not have to learn the hard way! Listen to God’s wisdom so the future can be different from the past.
3. Forgiven and free from guilt we have the promise of God’s unfailing love.
a) We don’t earn God’s love by being good – Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
4. When you use your guilt as a key to freedom, when you let your guilt draw you into God’s loving presence as He desires instead of letting your guilt drive you away from God as Satan desires, then you will be free. Free indeed! Let the conviction from the Holy Spirit draw you to repentance, reconciliation and restoration! He has promised to forgive – trust completely in His promise.
• Psalm 32:11 (NIV)
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
a) Notice the identity we have when we overcome our guilt. We are the UPRIGHT IN HEART. We are righteous and free from guilt.
b) We have a God given identity. We are children of God. That is reason to rejoice and give God praise! John 1:12
• John 3:16-17 (NIV)
[16] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
