Session 3: Seeking Forgiveness from God
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Introduction
Welcome to session three of the Forgiveness Mini Course. In this session, we explore the topic of seeking forgiveness from God. After we receive Jesus Christ, after we're born again into the heavenly kingdom, we are babes in the kingdom.
We are babes in Christ, and the rest of our life on this earth, we are going through a process of maturing, a process of transformation, a process that is called sanctification, where the Lord Jesus Christ is transforming us into His image, that we become more Like him. During that process, it doesn't mean that we will never sin. We do sin.
We all sin. The Apostle John, in his letter of First John, writes that if we say that we do not sin, that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But that if we confess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness because of Jesus Christ, not because we deserve it.
And so, when we sin, what happens? How do we seek the Lord's forgiveness when we stumble, when we fall into a ditch that we didn't anticipate, or maybe there's a besetting sin that has plagued us for years, and we find ourselves there again and again, and going to the Lord again and again for forgiveness. And so, how do we break that cycle?
And how does the Lord transform us and deliver us from our sin? And how do we receive His forgiveness in these situations?
Five Steps to Forgiveness with the Lord
Well, we're going to talk about five steps in this session. Five steps to forgiveness with the Lord. And the first is that our sin is exposed or confronted.
The second, that we express a sorrow for that sin. The third, that we can take that sin before the Lord and confess it and acknowledge it to Him, and pray for the grace to repent of that sin, to change direction, to no longer practice sin but to practice doing right, and then finally receiving the Lord's forgiveness.
Sin Is Exposed or Confronted
Let's begin by talking about how our sin is exposed or confronted. Sometimes our sin is exposed by the Lord sending someone to confront us. Sometimes our sin is exposed through God's word, as we read and we recognize that we're reading about a person that doesn't look like us, and that the Lord is trying to change us.
And sometimes our sin is exposed just through the inner witness of the Holy Spirit. A couple examples from Scripture of people being confronted with their sin in different ways. King David was confronted by the prophet Nathan when King David hid his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite.
King David had committed adultery and murder and had hidden those sins and was moving on by marrying Uriah's wife. And the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David and confronted him with his sin. And King David repented, confessed his sin, repented, and we have Psalm 51 as a result.
Beautiful psalm of confession and contrition, which we'll consider in these sessions. Another example of someone who is confronted with their sin, in this case directly by the Lord, was Saul of Tarsus, on the road to Damascus, he there a bright light appears. He's thrown from his horse, and he hears the Lord speak to him directly.
Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And he was confronted with his sin, and through then a series of events becomes a follower of Jesus Christ. A woman who I met when I was a younger man was Madame Bilkies Sheik, and Madame Sheik was from Pakistan, and she was born into a Muslim family.
Madame Sheik became a follower of Jesus Christ through a series of visions and dreams, and conversations with local missionaries who provided her with a Bible. And as she read the Bible, they confirmed the dream she was having about a man named John the Baptist. And through these dreams and the Word of God, she became a follower of Jesus Christ.
The Lord uses our sin, exposes our need for a Savior, exposes our need for forgiveness through people, through His Word, and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Convicts Us of Sin
But whatever the. Source of that confrontation or exposure. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin.
In John 16 verses 7 through 11, Jesus describes the role of the Holy Spirit in conviction. He said, "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away.
For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he is come, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
Of sin because they do not believe in me. Of righteousness because I go to my Father, and you see me no more. Of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.
We can respond to the conviction that the Holy Spirit brings, but we can also resist or reject it. The Deacon Stephen gives a good example of this in his testimony to the Sanhedrin shortly before they rose up to stone him in Acts chapter seven, verse 51. He said, "You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did.
So do you.
Godly Sorrow and Worldly Sorrow
But when we receive the conviction of the Holy Spirit, it results in being sorry about our condition, having a sorrow for sin. And there are two types of sorrow that the Scripture describes that can be displayed in response to the exposure and the conviction of sin: godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. In Second Corinthians chapter seven, the Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, said, "Now I rejoice not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance, for you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.
For godly sorrow produces repentance, leading to salvation not to be regretted, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner. What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication.
In all things, you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter. Godly sorrow produces repentance, a change in direction. Worldly sorrow focuses on self.
We're sorry that our sin has been exposed because we are embarrassed, and sometimes that worldly sorrow manifests itself in in arrogance, in pride, sometimes in blaming others or making excuses for our sin, but godly sorrow acknowledges that we are wrong. It's humbling of ourselves and results in confession and repentance.
Confessing and Acknowledging Sin
So when we're confronted with our sin and we respond with godly sorrow, we are compelled to confess our sin to the Lord, just to go right before Him. Say, Lord, I see that I have done that. I see that I told a lie.
Lord, I acknowledge before You that I've wronged my brother. I've mistreated my wife. I've not honored her.
Whatever it is, we bring it right to Him. As soon as we are convicted, we confess it and acknowledge it. But when we're confronted with our sin and we respond with worldly sorrow, we do not go to the Lord.
We do not find that way, that path to repentance.
Examples of Worldly Sorrow
Charles Spurgeon, the great English preacher, wrote, "While one says I have sinned and receives forgiveness, another we shall meet with says I have sinned, and goes his way to blacken himself with worse crimes than before, and dive into greater depths of sin than heretofore he had discovered. In Exodus chapter nine verse 27, we see an example of someone who confessed that I have sinned, but it was expressed with worldly sorrow, and that was Pharaoh in Exodus 9:27. Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, "I have sinned this time.
The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked. Well, we know that Pharaoh wasn't forgiven for his sin. He didn't repent of his sin.
He hardened his heart, and he continued to commit even more egregious sin. In Numbers chapter 22, verses 34 and 35, another example of someone who expressed worldly sorrow was Balaam. He said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned, for I did not know you stood in the way against me.
Now, therefore, if it displeases you, I will turn back. Then the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak, and here Balaam was writing his.
Donkey and the angel of the Lord appeared before the donkey, and Balaam beat his donkey. And finally, the angel of the Lord speaks to Balaam, and he has this conversation which we've just read. And Balaam goes on, and he gives a great prophecy in front of Balak.
But then, after he gives the prophecy, he gives counsel to Balak in order to receive money, and so his confession to the Lord here did not deliver. It did not produce fruit of repentance, but he went on because he was a man of with a covetous heart. In First Samuel chapter 15, verses 24 to 26, King Saul has sinned against the Lord by not waiting for Samuel, and he committed sin and not killing all of the Amalekites in the battle.
And Samuel returns, and Saul says to him, "I have sinned. After Samuel confronted Saul with his sin, he said, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. And there is his worldly sorrow.
He blames the people. Now, therefore, he continues, "Please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord, but Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.
Examples of Godly Sorrow
And in Luke 15 verse 21, the parable of the prodigal son and the son's confession, father. This is a this is an a confession of an expression of godly sorrow. I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.
And David's confession in Psalm 51: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you and you only have I sinned and done this evil in your sight, that you may be found just when you speak, and blameless when you judge.
Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me by your generous spirit, for you do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it. You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. These, O God, you will not despise. These confessions by King David and by the prodigal son.
They don't focus on themselves and the consequences of their sin. They focus on how their sin has grieved the Lord, how their sin has damaged their relationship with Him. So when we sin, invite the Holy Spirit to to to to change you.
Invite the Lord to have His way with you and to give you His heart to help you to see your sin the way He sees it. This will break our heart when we recognize how much he's loved us, and how much he has done for us, and given us through Jesus Christ, and that our sin grieves him, and that produces that godly sorrow that results in a confession of sin that's focused on on the Lord, not on ourselves, and we confess and acknowledge our sin, that He might restore that relationship with us, that fruitful relationship, where He's transforming us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ.
Repentance and Receiving Forgiveness
And this produces repentance. Ephesians one seven: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, and as we repent, as we change direction, we can then receive His forgiveness that's promised to us in First John one nine. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, all the riches of His grace, the power of His love, and the faithfulness of God to us when He exposes our sin to lead us to repentance and to confess our sins to Him and to receive the forgiveness.
That He offers us freely through Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
This is seeking forgiveness from God, and whenever we have sinned, we have a remedy through Jesus Christ and a loving Heavenly Father. I encourage you to run to Him often. He asked us to forgive someone who comes to us seven times in a day, and says, "I repent.
He says to forgive them. How much more will he forgive us when we come to him seven times in a day, confessing our sin to him, asking for the grace to repent, the power to change, to quit practicing sin, and the power to practice righteousness for the glory of Jesus Christ, because He lives in us. God bless you as you seek His forgiveness in all the times of trial that we face.
God Bless You.