Recovering From Temptation

Anyone who has ever purchased a home knows that there is a big difference in what the buyer or the seller sees and what a certified home inspector sees. We may try to look beyond the things that appeal to us like the layout of the house, the size of the bedrooms, and so forth, and see a crack in a ceiling or a door that doesn't shut just right. But the inspector doesn't stop there. He'll investigate why the ceiling is cracked. He'll crawl under a house and see problems that we don't. His trained eye sees things we can't with our limited view.

We can also have a limited view of God. For example, the way you deal with sin says a lot about what you believe about God. If you think God will forgive your sin because it's no big deal, your view of God is too small. If you think God will forgive your sin because he is a harsh and angry God, your view of God is, again, too small. Let's look and see if we can find the right view of God, one that will move us to run to Him whenever we sin. Today we're going to use the 32nd Psalm. Prayer.

********

I think we can all agree that we face temptations to sin daily. So, what are we supposed to do when we sin? Well, the message given to us in Psalm 32 is that there is greater joy in uncovering our sin and finding forgiveness than in trying to cover up our sin. And a right view of God allows us to do just that.

Before we get to our passage of Scripture, let me get your thoughts flowing by asking a few questions. Have you ever committed a sin? Sure you have. Have you ever asked forgiveness for a sin that you've committed? Has God forgiven you of that sin? That is the foundation of what this message is about.

A Christian knows the joy of forgiveness that Jesus gives us when we place our faith in Him. But what happens when we sin after we have come to Jesus for salvation? Do we still sin after becoming a Christian? We sure do. When we accept Christ, He is in us, but we still can falter and sin. In those moments, His forgiveness still applies. Our human tendency is to berate or punish ourselves for failing God. But we only need to confess our sin, turn away from it, and return to walking with Christ. That is the precise definition of REPENTANCE. Let's see what Scripture tells us about this.

Psalm 32:1-2 – “How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity

and in whose spirit is no deceit!”

For those of you that have raised children, when they were little, could you tell by the look on your child's face when they weren't telling the truth? Somehow, we just knew when they were lying to us.

***Do you remember the look of relief on your child's face when you thanked them for telling you the truth and forgave them where they messed up? It was just a look of relief on their face that even though they had done wrong, you corrected them but forgave them as well. It showed them that you still loved them. Do you think God knows when you lie to Him? Do you truly believe that God will forgive you of that sin if you tell Him the truth and come to Him with a heart of repentance?

One of Satan's great lies is that God will not forgive us of our sins. Satan wants us to believe that God is a harsh judge. If we believe those lies, we will run away from God when we sin. We will try to cover up our sin. There is nothing freeing about hiding our sin. We cannot escape the burden of our guilt. But when we admit our sin and turn from it, joy and forgiveness follow. We experience immense joy when our sin is forgiven and not counted against us.

God can forgive us in this way because He has dealt with our sin through His Son. Jesus is the one who has not sinned. He never sinned. And the Bible tells us that God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Our sins were dealt with because they were nailed to the cross of Jesus, our sin was covered with the blood of Christ, and our iniquity is not charged against us because it was charged against Jesus.