The message was brought by Rev. Eddie Foster on 11/3/24. The background scripture is Psalms 32.
When a person quotes scripture, I wonder if they really know what it means. For example, Romans 8:28, does it really mean all things work together for good for those who are called? It does. King David knew the misery and unhappiness of sin. He was a king and warrior. When he should have been in the battle he stayed home. He saw Bathsheba bathing and sent for her. When she was found pregnant, he tried to cover it up by calling her husband–his friend–home from the battle to be with her and then pass the child off as her husband’s. It didn’t work. The man refused to go into her because he felt he should be fighting the battle. So David arranged for him to be put in the front of the battle so he’d be killed. Adultery. Murder. So David knew the despair of sin. Nathan came to him with a story of a rich man who had many lambs and took a poor man’s one lamb to feed guests instead of using his own. It made David angry. Nathan told David he was that rich man. He took a woman that wasn’t his to take. David knew the pain of conviction. He repented. Nathan told him God had covered his sin.
Sin. What is it? For us who are saved, it’s missing the mark, even if done in ignorance. If we know to do good and don’t, it’s a sin. For the lost person, specific sin isn’t what sends a person to hell. You don’t go because you’re a drunk or a liar. You go to hell if you reject Jesus Christ as Savior. How is sin pictured? It’s as a debt that comes due. That debt was paid by Jesus when he died on the cross. It’s paid in full. Does it make sense to pay a debt that’s already been paid? No! It’s also pictured as leprosy. It gradually destroys. It separates friends and family. There is no human cure. Jesus is the cure! It’s pictured as darkness. The heart is blinded and in darkness by the devil. Jesus is light. It’s also pictured as dead. We were dead in our sins before we were saved.
What does a person do? Look at verse 5 of the chapter. We have to admit our sin and take responsibility for our actions. Adam blamed Eve. She blamed the serpent. Aaron blamed the people when he made the golden calf. Like the prodigal son, we must admit we have sinned. When we confess our sins as believers, Christ forgives us. To the lost, he will not cast you away if you come to him. Thank God he included me!
What does God do? He forgives. He is the one who’s been offended by our sin. We need to ask him and no one else to forgive us. When we do, he sends the sin away. We cannot earn this. We cannot buy it because it isn’t for sale. If you asked for it, you have been forgiven. He casts sin into the depths of the sea. He covers it with the blood of Jesus and forgets all about it. I settled my account with God long ago. Have you?
What are the consequences of not confessing sin? The Bible says that person will not prosper. He/she will spend eternity in hell. If you confess sin and are forgiven; heaven will be your eternal home. What about it? There is joy in being forgiven.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 