Posts
March 6 2014
Levi Lusko
Thursday Night service Harvest
Sorry Not Sorry - message title
James 3:2 (NIV)
We all stumble in many ways.
Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their
whole body in check.
How we respond to our failures is
one of the most important things about us.
"I'm sorry" is one of
the most powerful terms in our language and also one of the most abused.
It fits right in with back handed
compliments.
There is a difference between
sorry and not sorry.
2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)
Godly sorrow brings repentance
that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
When pop culture recognizes all
of the half hearted regrets in the world, then we have a problem.
Relationships can be restored
when you truly apologize.
Genesis 3:6-13 (NIV)
When the woman saw that the fruit
of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for
gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,
who was with her, and he ate it. [7] Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made
coverings for themselves. [8] Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the
Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid
from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. [9] But the Lord God called to
the man, “Where are you?” [10] He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I
was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” [11] And he said, “Who told you that
you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat
from? ” [12] The man said, “The woman you put here with me---she gave me some
fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” [13] Then the Lord God said to the woman,
“What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I
ate.”
Genesis 3:21 (NIV)
The Lord God made garments of
skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
3 elements of a proper apology.
1. Responsibility, own it.
2. Regret or repentance.
3. Remedy- how do you fix it.
All sin started with this
original sin of Adam. "The Adam Bomb of Sin"
The story of our lives is God
draws a line and says don't cross it. But we do anyhow!
This story is a casebook study of
how not to apologize.
3 things we need to gets our buts
out of:
1. The trees your hiding among.
Adam and Eve used to enjoy being
in those trees and now they were hiding in them. They were happy to see God,
then they became scared of him.
Unconfessed sin changes what you
loved, to things that you dread.
Secret sin will make you irrationally
afraid of the God that loves you. That's the devil whispering in your ear.
When you sin, the thing you must
do is run to what scares you the most. Hiding never works.
Numbers 32:23 (NKJV)
But if you do not do so, then
take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you
out.
You can't hide from God. Sin
makes you stupid.
Genesis 3:9 (NKJV)
Then the LORD God called to Adam
and said to him, "Where are you?"
God was giving him a chance to
come clean.
Proverbs 28:13 (NKJV)
He who covers his sins will not
prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
2. Out of the excuses you are
hiding behind.
Question:
Genesis 3:11 (NKJV)
And He said, "Who told you
that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that
you should not eat?"
Excuse: from Adam
Genesis 3:12 (NKJV)
Then the man said, "The
woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."
From Eve:
Genesis 3:13b (NKJV)
The woman said, “The serpent
deceived me, and I ate.”]
You always lose when you try to
excuse.
Once you fess up, shut up!
Anything you say next is just going to cover your excuse.
Never allow the word but in your
apology.
When you use the word but in
apology, you only mean what comes after the but.
Don't apologize and give an
excuse, that is not an apology.
3. Out of those fig leaves you
are hiding under.
God can't clothe what you cover
up.
Covered up your sin:
Genesis 3:7 (NKJV)
Then the eyes of both of them
were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together and made themselves coverings.
Loved by God:
Genesis 3:21 (NKJV)
Also for Adam and his wife the
LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
The fig tree is the only tree
that Jesus ever cursed.
Mark 11:14 (NKJV)
In response Jesus said to it,
"Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." And His disciples heard
it.
Mark 11:24 (NKJV)
Therefore I say to you, whatever
things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have
them.
Mark 11:25-26 (NKJV)
"And whenever you stand
praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in
heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. [26] But if you do not forgive,
neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
Jesus knows you can never be
helped with a problem that you don't admit.
God clothed them and protected
them before they left the garden. The lamb that died to clothe them and protect
them, the Lamb of God died to protect us.
When Grace and Sin collide, Grace
always wins.
There is nothing you have ever
done that God can't and won't forgive if you come clean.
No comments:
Post a Comment