Preached by Gregory W. Lee
27 April 2008
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 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. Selah
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. Selah
-- this morning we are going to be continuing in our series on the Apostles Creed -- and we'll be looking at the next line in the creed, "I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sin"
-- when we proclaim in the creed, "I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sin," we are doing two things -- first, we are proclaiming that we believe in the power of God to forgive sin -- and, secondly, we are also proclaiming that sin is real -- that it is something in our lives and in this world -- and that it is something that needs to be forgiven
-- in Isaiah 5:20, the Bible says, "Woe to those who call evil good" -- and in our society today, that is exactly what we have been doing -- rarely will anyone call sin what it is -- we hide it under nice platitudes or we just don't talk about it for fear of offending someone
-- in the 1950's, C.S. Lewis pointed out that evangelism was difficult because people didn't recognize themselves as sinners or that they were doing anything wrong -- and I would contend that this situation has gotten progressively worse to our day
-- that's one reason why the prayer that Rev. Wright delivered in January 1996 to open the Kansas House of Representatives session for that year was met with such hostility -- let me share with you part of his prayer:
Heavenly Father -- We come before You today to ask Your Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance -- We know Your Word says, ''Woe to those who call evil good,'' but that's exactly what we have done -- We have lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values
-- We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism
-- We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism
-- We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle
-- We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery
-- We have neglected the needy and called it self preservation
-- We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare
-- We have killed our unborn and called it choice -- We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable
-- We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem
-- We have abused power and called it political savvy
-- We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition
-- We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression
-- And we have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment [SOURCE: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/k/kansasprayer.htm]
-- What a great and remarkable prayer -- and what courage Rev. Wright had to stand up before the legislators in his state and name sin for what it is and then to ask God to forgive this nation for those very sins -- if anyone is interested in a copy of this prayer, let me know, and I'll be happy to send it to you
-- What Rev. Wright did in this prayer is exactly what we do when we stand up and recite the Apostle's Creed and say, "I believe in the forgiveness of sin" -- we are proclaiming the reality of sin and acknowledging that we are all sinners
-- as it says in Proverbs 20:9, "Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?" -- and in Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"
-- when we proclaim the reality of sin and acknowledge that we are all sinners, it leads us to the obvious questions, "What is sin and where did sin come from?"
II. The Definition and Origin of Sin
-- so, what is sin? -- well, the Bible gives us several definitions of sin -- in 1 John 3:4, we are told that sin is lawlessness -- and in 1 John 5:17, we are told that all wrongdoing is sin
-- the Greek word for sin is harmatia -- it is an archery term that literally means, "missing the mark" -- falling short of God's standard
-- the story is told of two men who were trying to escape an erupting volcano -- as the fiery lava gushed out of the crater, they fled in the only direction open to them -- all went well until they came to a stream of hot, smoking lava about 30 feet across -- sizing up their situation, they realized that their only hope was to get across that wide barrier
-- one of the men was old -- the other was young and healthy -- with a running start, they each tried to leap to safety -- the first man went only a few feet in the air before falling into the lava -- the younger man, with his greater strength and skill, catapulted himself much farther -- though he almost made it, he still missed the mark -- it didn't matter that he out-distanced his companion, because he, too, fell into the lava and died
-- that is what sin is -- falling short of God's standard
-- but, where did it come from? -- the Bible is mostly silent on the origin of sin -- but most scholars agree that sin was the only thing that Satan ever created -- you know, we talk about how Satan can only counterfeit what God does -- how he cannot really create on his own -- but scholars believe that Satan created sin by giving in to his own evil desire to make himself greater than God
-- Ezekiel 28:14-17 recounts the steps that Satan took into sin -- you can either turn there with me or just listen as I read them
14. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
15. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
16. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.
17. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
-- Satan was created as Lucifer -- the "son of the morning" -- he was a guardian cherub -- blameless in all his ways -- until he became prideful of his position and desired to place his throne higher than God's -- at that point, God tells us that "wickedness was found in him" -- and Satan sinned and was thrown down to earth
-- that is how sin came to earth -- and that is how sin found its way to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden -- when Lucifer became Satan and came to earth, he spoke deception to Eve and tempted her to disobey God's commands concerning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil -- and Eve gave in to that temptation -- she gave in to her desires to be like -- and sin was born into the world -- and along with sin, the consequences of sin followed
-- when we sin against God -- when we miss the mark and do wrong in our lives -- when we fail to follow God and instead choose to follow our own will -- there are consequences for our actions
-- one of the major consequences of sin is that it separates us from God -- Isaiah 59:2 says, "your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you"
-- Adam and Eve's sin caused them to be cast out of the Garden of Eden -- out of God's presence -- and into a world cursed through their actions
-- our sin puts a barrier between us and casts us out of God's presence
-- but it does more than that -- we have to pay the consequences of our sins here on earth -- there is always a price to sin -- for one moment of indulgence, we amass a fortune in debt that has to be paid
-- all we have to do is look around us or to look at the news to see the consequences of sin in our lives -- broken homes -- hurting families -- addictions to alcohol and drugs -- crime -- violence -- despair -- the signs of sin are all around us -- and it exacts a heavy price on our bodies and soul
-- Psalm 32 is David's instruction for us on sin -- it recounts his experience with the consequences of sin in his life after he had sinned with Bathsheba and had Uriah killed
-- look at verse 3 again
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. Selah
-- David tried to hide his sin -- he tried to keep it silent -- but the consequences of sin shouted through his pain -- David says that his bones wasted away -- that he groaned all day long -- the physical anguish of his guilt and pain affected him greatly
-- God's conviction was upon him -- and David's strength and vitality were sapped away
-- and just like David, the consequences of sin weigh heavy upon our souls -- they affect us greatly -- David warns us here of the consequences that he faced so that we might not be tempted to give in to sin and suffer the effects of our sin
III. Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
-- but, thankfully, the story of sin doesn't end there
-- look back at verse 1
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.
-- David says, "Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven -- whose sins are covered"
-- as the old saying says, "He that falls into sin is a man -- He that grieves at sin is a saint -- He that boasts of sin is a devil -- He that forgives our sin is God" -- in Psalm 51:4 we read that all of our sins are against God -- and so only God can forgive sin
-- we see the same thing in Mark 2:7 when the teachers of the law rightly said, "Only God can forgive sins" when Jesus told the paralytic man, "Your sins are forgiven" -- they just didn't know who they were talking to
-- forgiveness can only come from God, but forgiveness is not free -- a just and righteous and holy God demands that the penalty for sin be paid before forgiveness can be offered
-- and, since there was no way that we could pay the price of sin -- God did the only thing He could -- He came Himself to take our place and pay the penalty for our sin with His own body and blood on the cross of Calvary
-- Isaiah 53:4-5 says, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted -- But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed"
-- and 1 Peter 2:24 says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. "
-- because Jesus took our sins on Himself -- because He became sin for us and paid the penalty for our sins -- David tells us in these verses that our transgressions and our sins are forgiven -- they are covered by the blood of Jesus -- but only if we believe in Jesus' atoning death on the cross and trust in Him for our salvation
-- look down at verse 5
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. Selah
-- David says that we have to acknowledge our sins to God -- we have to confess our sins to Him -- God already knows what you did -- He has already seen it -- He has already felt it -- He knows that you have separated yourself from Him by your actions
-- that is why God called out to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after they sinned, "Where are you?" -- He wasn't talking about their physical location -- He was talking about their heart's location -- their heart was distant -- it was separated from Him because they had disobeyed Him and sinned against Him
-- when we confess our sins to God, we aren't telling Him a secret -- we aren't telling Him something that He doesn't already know -- what we are doing is admitting to ourselves what God already knows -- that we have sinned against Him -- that we have missed the mark -- that we have separated ourselves from Him -- but that we don't want to stay that way any longer
-- David says, "I confessed my transgressions to the Lord" -- and God forgave him for his sins
-- the Apostle John tells us the same thing in 1 John 1:9 -- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and will purify us from all unrighteousness"
IV. Closing
-- One night in a church service, a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart -- and she responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior
-- the young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution -- However, the change in her was evident right from the start
-- As time went on, she became a faithful member of the church -- She eventually became involved in the ministry, and taught the young children's Sunday School class
-- It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son -- Their relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans -- and this is when the problems began
-- You see, about half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for the pastor's son -- while the other half disagreed -- so, the church began to argue and fight about the matter.
-- eventually, they decided to have a meeting -- As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand
-- The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past, and she started to sob deeply
-- As she began to cry, the pastor's son stood up and asked to speak -- he could not bear the pain this meeting and this division in their church was causing his fiance -- and he began to speak -- "My fiancé's past is not what is on trial here -- What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin -- Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial -- and the question before us is, "does it wash away sin or not?"
-- when we recite the Apostle's Creed and say, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins," we are proclaiming our faith in the power of Jesus' blood to wash away sin -- we are proclaiming our faith in the mercy and grace of God to forgive us for our sins
-- we are proclaiming that we believe in the reality and power of sin in our lives -- and that we know that God's grace is greater than all our sins
-- when we stand up and say, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins," we are announcing to the world that we believe that Jesus paid the penalty for all of our sins on the cross of Calvary -- and that everyone can experience the deep cleansing and purification that comes through confession and forgiveness and faith in Him
-- as we close this morning, I want to invite you to examine your heart and see if there are sins in your life that need to be confessed and forgiven -- maybe some of you have never turned to Jesus for salvation and the forgiveness of sins -- maybe you've been explaining away your sins -- not thinking them of any great consequence -- not knowing that you're going to have to leap a chasm of burning lava
-- if that's the case, then I want to invite you to come to Jesus this morning -- to ask Him to forgive you of your sins -- and to trust in His death and resurrection for eternal life with Him
-- maybe others of you have been saved -- you have felt the cleansing power of Jesus' blood -- but you have drifted away -- you have let sin creep into your life -- if that's the case, then I want to invite you to come again before the cleansing flow and ask Jesus to forgive you
-- whatever your need, I want to invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led
-- let us pray
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