We’ve all done it; we’ve held
on to something that we know we probably shouldn’t. We’ve done things that we
regret later. We’ve said things that we wish we could take back… we’ve ALL made
mistakes.
Guilt is a scary beast. You
never know the power that guilt has over you until you’ve climbed yourself out
of the hole you’re in.
But, when you’re down and
out, how do you climb out of that hole? It’s not easy, but it can be done.
David told on himself and his
kingdom was destroyed. Do you know the story of David and Goliath? Here ya go!
Turn over to 1 Samuel 17.
“The Philistine army had
gathered for war against Israel. The two armies faced each other, camped for
battle on opposite sides of a steep valley. A Philistine giant measuring over
nine feet tall and wearing full armor came out each day for forty days, mocking
and challenging the Israelites to fight. His name was Goliath. Saul, the King
of Israel, and the whole army were terrified of Goliath.
One day David, the youngest son of Jesse, was sent to the battle lines
by his father to bring back news of his brothers. David was probably just a
young teenager at the time. While there, David heard Goliath shouting his daily
defiance and he saw the great fear stirred within the men of Israel. David
responded, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the
armies of God?"
So David volunteered to fight Goliath. It took some
persuasion, but King Saul finally agreed to let David fight against the giant.
Dressed in his simple tunic, carrying his shepherd's staff, slingshot and a
pouch full of stones, David approached Goliath. The giant cursed at him,
hurling threats and insults.
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me
with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the
Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied ... today
I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air ...
and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel ... it is not by
sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will
give all of you into our hands."
As Goliath moved in for the kill, David reached into his
bag and slung one of his stones at Goliath's head. Finding a hole in the armor,
the stone sank into the giant's forehead and he fell face down on the ground.
David then took Goliath's sword, killed him and then cut off his head. When the
Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. So the Israelites
pursued, chasing and killing them and plundering their camp.” (Taken from http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/davidandgoliath.htm)
David committed adultery with Bathsheba the wife of
Uriah the Hittite and got her pregnant. Then he tells Uriah to have sex with
Bathsheba so that they child’s father is not publically found to be David. But, Uriah refused. So, David married Bathsheba
and she bore his child, "but the thing that David had done displeased the
Lord."[9] The prophet Nathan confronted David, saying: "Why have you
despised the word of God, to do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten
Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your
wife." Nathan presented three punishments from God for this sin. First,
that the "sword shall never depart from your house" (2 Samuel 12:10)
second, that "Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them
to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad
daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight
before all Israel. (2 Samuel 12:12) and finally, that "the son born to you
will die" (2 Samuel 12:14). David repented, yet God "struck the
[David's] child ... and it became sick ... [And] on the seventh day the child
died." David leaves his lamentations, dresses himself, and eats. His
servants ask why he wept when the baby was alive, but ends his mourning when
the child dies. David replies: "While the child was still alive, I fasted
and wept. I thought, 'who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the
child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back
again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." (2 Samuel
12:22-23. (NIV)
Can you imagine David’s remorse? He sinned and sinned against God
and God showed him his displease.
Let’s go back to Paul. Paul
was a great man, but he made some mistakes. Okay, he made a ton of mistakes. He
persecuted Christians, those who loved God. He killed holy people, and thought
he was doing the will of God.
Paul was present at the stoning of Stephen, and though he did not
participate, he encouraged the violent act that destroyed the first of the
martyrs. He then participated in a general persecution including, "going
from house to house, he dragged out the believers, both men and women and threw
them into jail."
Paul
referred to himself as the “chiefest of sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15) He knew he
had messed up and hurt God. In Ephesians
3:8, Paul said that he was the least of the least of the saints. “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is
this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ;” (KJV) But, he was still able to do the work of God. He
overcame hardships, and glorified God! How awesome? He said “but just as we
have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as
pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.” (NIV)
Paul commanded us to please God, because God is the one that
knows our hearts and judges us.
Think you can’t
live with your guilt? Paul was imprisoned, he was a murderer, and he was
broken. How do you think he felt while standing in a church next to the baby of
the man he killed? Or the husband of a wife that he threw in jail for loving
God? How do you think he felt knowing that he changed those lives? I bet it
hurt him. I bet he lamented over that for a while. He wept. But, he was able to
lean on God. ”Three times I pleaded
with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why,
for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (NIV) How
amazing is that? He delighted in weakness and was able to be glad in his soul,
because he knew that God would forgive him.
Psalm 130 says:
“Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive to my
cry for mercy.
3 If you, LORD,
kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with
reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being
waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than
watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the
LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.”
When we ask the Lord for forgiveness (and mean it), he forgives our
sins and remembers them no more. Hebrews
8:11-12 says: “For I will forgive their
wickedness and will remember their sins no more”
So, if I’ve got this right, God puts them out of his mind. Isn’t that
what this verse says? Sometimes when
we’re caught up in the guilt of sin, we like to go on and on to God about what
we’ve done, even after we’ve repented. I’d imagine God’s looking at us saying,
“My child, what’re you speaking of? These things you’ve not done.”
Makes sense, doesn’t it? I bet you’ve done this before… maybe you’re
doing it right now. Stop it! Send up a broken hallelujah and move on. You have
been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! Continue to lament no longer, this too
shall pass. God loves you and wants you to be happy in Him. Now, pick yourself
up, and do great things with the rest of your days. Don’t forget to turn back
praises for all of the wonderful things God has given us!!!
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