Losing the Weight of Guilt

Hebrews 10:1-25

Lakeview Baptist Church

January 7, 2018

Introduction

Every year during the last few days of December, people begin listing changes they would like to see in the following year. We call them “New Year’s Resolutions.” The resolutions for people in 2018 is really no different than in 1918; people review their past actions, don’t like what they see and make a decision to change their habits in order to make a difference in the coming year.

2018 will definitely be different for the Crowder’s. As I serve Lakeview Baptist Church, changes inevitably will take place in not only my life, but also in the life of this church.

In the coming weeks I want to look at the burdens that have many of you doubled over with the sheer weight of them.

Traveling Light – Words and Music by

“I was doubled over with the load on my shoulders, it was a load I carried with me every day,

Picking up stones I found along the way

We will look at the weight or burden that many carry that God never intended for you to bare. Today I want us to consider the burden of Guilt.

Definition of guilt – Merriam Webster[1]

1. the fact of having committed a breach of conduct especially violating law and involving a penalty

2.

a. the state of one who has committed an offense especially consciously

b. feelings of deserving blame especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy : self-reproach

3. a feeling of deserving blame for offenses

4. Wracked by guilt, he confessed his affairs.

When a person sins, guilt is the natural consequence in man. In Hebrew, the concept of guilt, the awareness of having done wrong, is closely related to the concept of sin, the act of doing wrong.

Key terms for guilt are used to describe both sinful actions and the guilty state that results from sin. Often guilt was represented as a burden that is too heavy and could crush a person (e.g., Psalms 38:4, 6), or as a drought, destroying a person from within (e.g., Psalms 32:3-4), or as a debt that must be paid (e.g., Leviticus 5:1-6:7; Numbers 5:5-8).

Guilt is established when a Christian is inclined toward sinful behavior. Guilt, in most cases, is the direct result from sin. Guilt overcomes the Christian, for sin is having wronged God.

In the New Testament, the Greek terms for guilt communicates the sense of being “in debt” or obligated to someone or guilty leading to punishment. Thus, guilt is deserving of punishment, therefore, being accountable in God’s eyes and, thus, standing in need of repentance.

What is needed is reconciliation with God, reestablishing the relationship with Him. The NT teaches that all people were guilty before God because of their sin. (Romans 3:23). Reconciliation is not a “relief” of the conscience, but a way of restoring that broken relationship between the guilty party and God.

Guilt as the objective condition of sinners

Guilt results from intentional sin Lev 6:1-7; Jas 2:10 See also Nu 5:5-7; Dt 24:14-15; Ezr 9:13-15; Eze 22:1-4; Jn 16:7-8

Guilt results from unintentional sin Lev 4:13 See also Lev 4:22,27; Ac 3:17-20

Guilt as an accumulation of sin Hos 13:12 See also Ezr 9:6; Isa 1:4; 24:20

Lose Losing the Weight of Guilt

No creature that deserved redemption would need to be redeemed. C. S. Lewis (1898–1963)

Religion without guilt just tries to make God a big “pal” of man. W. Tozer (1897–1963)

The act of sin may pass, and yet the guilt remains. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)

Psalm 32 - A Psalm of David, Maschil.

1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 For 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 dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

This Psalm is related to the 51st Psalm. It describes David’s emotions as he confesses his sin of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11). This Psalm captures his deepest feelings before his confession was made, when the awful burden of guilt was bearing so heavily upon him.

In the book of Romans, Paul quotes the first two verses of this Psalm to illustrate one of Scripture’s great doctrines, that of imputation.

Romans 4:7-8 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Imputation is that act of one person adding something to another person’s account, to credit him with, to make a deposit. There are three main imputations in the Bible:

1. That of Adam’s sin nature upon mankind

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned

2. That of man’s sin upon Christ (Isaiah. 53:5, 6; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Corinthians. 5:14-21; 1 Peter 2:24).

Isaiah 53:5-6 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Hebrews 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

3. That of Christ’s righteousness upon the believing sinner

Philippians 3:8-9 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—

James 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

Conclusion

One of the Psalms that King David wrote concerned God’s judgement and His righteousness.

Psalm 103:6-12 The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He revealed his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love.

9 He will not always accuse us or be angry forever.

10 He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.[2]

Mark Hall and Bernie Herms wrote a song based on this Psalm. They titled it: East to West – Casting Crowns[3]

Here I am lord and I'm drowning In your sea of forgetfulness

The chains of yesterday surround me I yearn for peace and rest

I don't want to end up where you found me

And it echoes in my mind, Keeps me awake tonight

I know you've cast my sin as far As the east is from the west

And I stand before you now, As though I've never sinned

But today I feel like I'm just one mistake away

From you leaving me this way

Jesus, can you show me just how far the east is from the west?

Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been

Rising up in me again

In the arms of your mercy I find rest

You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins

Endless reminding of my sin

And time and time again

Your truth is drowned out by the storm I'm in

Today I feel like I'm just one mistake away

From you leaving me this way

Jesus, can you show me just how far the east is from the west?

Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been

Rising up in me again

In the arms of your mercy I find rest

You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

I know you've washed me white

Turned my darkness into light

I need your peace to get me through

To get me through this night

I can't live by what I feel

About the truth your word reveals

And I'm not holding onto you

But you're holding onto me

You're holding onto me

Jesus, can you show me just how far the east is from the west?

Cause I can't bear to see the man I've been

Rising up in me again

In the arms of your mercy I find rest

You know just how far the east is from the west

From one scarred hand to the other

Just how far, the east is from the west, just how far

From one scarred hand to the other

You know just how far, the east is from the west, just how far

From one scarred hand to the other

If God has forgotten all your sins that you have confessed, STOP Remembering them. Jesus has you covered, “One scarred hand to the other.”

In the coming weeks we will look at “Loosing Losing the Weight of

Fear

Sin

Worry

Anger

[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guilt

[2] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), Ps 103:6–12.

[3] Songwriters: JOHN MARK HALL, BERNIE HERMS © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP