Discouragement: Pt 3 You are a real sinner…TRUE…but what do you do about that?

From a child: I did a bad thing once. I took this money from my mother's purse for bubble gum. What made it worse, she bought me some for being good, while I'd been vice versa, So to speak--that made it                                                         worser.

Much of what discourages us stems directly from the fact that we are unwilling to set the record straight!

Establishing Certain Things

{1} Set The Record Straight

        

·      Deal With Guilt

Psalms 32:1-6 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

Psalms 38:4-10 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.  My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes.

Guilt is not from God, conviction is. The difference is not how it feels at the beginning, but what it drives you to do. Here Paul is dealing with a church that had a sinning member that refused to stop, and the Church did not care. When they finally did discipline him, he repented, but the Church refused to forgive. 

So Paul warns them not to go beyond the Lord and then explains the difference of the sorrow caused by conviction – deliverance, versus that which is produced by guilt – separation. Conviction drives you to God; Guilt drives you away!

2 Corinthians 2:5-7 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent-- not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

We have to face our sin and repent. We cannot continue in sin and expect guilt to go away.

Another issue we must face is the lies we are believing from the enemy:

·      Deal With Lies

I am alone

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Nothing good can come of this:

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This person is my enemy:

Ephesians 6:12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

God is being mean to me:

Hebrews 12:6-11 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."  Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

I'm too weak to handle this:

2 Corinthians 12:9  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.

We have two more things we must establish before we are ready to walk through discouragement and come out the victor; we will deal with them next.

Meditation questions: Have you been honest about your sin? What does that look like? When you know you have sinned, what do you feel? What do you do with that? Is it moving you closer to God or farther away? What lies are you believing? Why? Where should you turn to expose that lie? When you believe you may be listening to a lie of the enemy, describe what you do. What’s the outcome?