Embracing Forgiveness: A Journey of Humility and Change

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Humility for Spiritual Growth

Living in a repentant spirit is an invitation to embrace a posture of deep humility. It involves acknowledging that there are aspects of ourselves that are flawed, some of which we may not even be aware of. This openness to correction and growth is not a threat to our well-being but rather a path to knowing and loving God more deeply. The essence of this journey is to live with a readiness to see and acknowledge our wrongs with a joyful heart, which is contrary to human nature. This leads us to a profound understanding of forgiveness, which is often misunderstood. Many desire forgiveness from God but are hesitant to obey Him, not realizing that true forgiveness involves a willingness to change and align with God's will. [00:35]

"For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.'" (Isaiah 57:15, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you resist correction? How can you invite God to help you embrace humility in this area today?

Day 2: Aligning with God's Will through Forgiveness

True forgiveness requires a willingness to change and align with God's will. It is not merely about avoiding trouble but involves taking on the yoke of Jesus and learning from Him. Forgiveness is distinct from excusing or condoning wrongs. It requires agreement with God that what we have done is wrong and a commitment to become different people. This involves taking on the yoke of Jesus, learning from Him, and moving into the life God offers. [03:30]

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30, ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific behavior or thought pattern you need to change to align more closely with God's will? How can you begin to take steps toward this change today?

Day 3: Distinguishing Forgiveness from Excusing Wrongs

Forgiveness is distinct from excusing or condoning wrongs. It requires agreement with God that what we have done is wrong and a commitment to become different people. This involves taking on the yoke of Jesus, learning from Him, and moving into the life God offers. It is a process of encountering and removing harmful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with the help of Jesus, His kingdom, and His people, all bathed in the Holy Spirit. [05:58]

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:7, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a time when you confused forgiveness with excusing behavior. How can you seek true forgiveness and transformation in that area today?

Day 4: The Ongoing Journey of Transformation

The journey of forgiveness and transformation is ongoing, involving the removal of harmful thoughts and behaviors with the help of Jesus and His community. This process is bathed in the Holy Spirit. It requires us to confront our shortcomings and seek to change, as illustrated by a personal story of carelessness and the need for humility and growth. Seeking forgiveness from God is not about avoiding pain but about agreeing with God and participating in His work in the world. [09:36]

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV)

Reflection: What is one harmful thought or behavior you need to confront in your life? How can you invite the Holy Spirit to help you transform this area?

Day 5: Participating in God's Work with an Open Spirit

Seeking forgiveness from God is about agreeing with Him and participating in His work in the world. It involves living with an open, humble spirit and embracing the grace and forgiveness God offers. This journey is not about avoiding pain but about living with a readiness to see and acknowledge our wrongs with a joyful heart. It is about living with an open, humble spirit, where our worth is not on the line, and embracing the grace and forgiveness that God offers. [11:27]

"For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13, ESV)

Reflection: How can you actively participate in God's work today? What steps can you take to live with an open and humble spirit, embracing His grace and forgiveness?

Sermon Summary

Living in a repentant spirit is an invitation to embrace a posture of deep humility. It involves acknowledging that there are aspects of ourselves that are flawed, some of which we may not even be aware of. This openness to correction and growth is not a threat to our well-being but rather a path to knowing and loving God more deeply. The essence of this journey is to live with a readiness to see and acknowledge our wrongs with a joyful heart, which is contrary to human nature. This leads us to a profound understanding of forgiveness, which is often misunderstood. Many desire forgiveness from God but are hesitant to obey Him, not realizing that true forgiveness involves a willingness to change and align with God's will.

Forgiveness is not merely about getting out of trouble or having our wrongs excused. It is a distinct gift that requires us to agree with God that what we have done is wrong and to seek to become different people. This involves taking on the yoke of Jesus, learning from Him, and moving into the life God offers. It is a process of encountering and removing harmful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with the help of Jesus, His kingdom, and His people, all bathed in the Holy Spirit.

The journey of forgiveness and transformation is ongoing and often involves increasing clarity and pain. It requires us to confront our shortcomings and seek to change, as illustrated by a personal story of carelessness and the need for humility and growth. Seeking forgiveness from God is not about avoiding pain but about agreeing with God and participating in His work in the world. It is about living with an open, humble spirit, where our worth is not on the line, and embracing the grace and forgiveness that God offers.

Key Takeaways

1. Living in a repentant spirit involves a posture of humility, acknowledging our flaws, and being open to correction. This openness is not a threat but a path to deeper knowledge and love of God. [00:35]
2. True forgiveness requires a willingness to change and align with God's will. It is not merely about avoiding trouble but involves taking on the yoke of Jesus and learning from Him. [03:30]
3. Forgiveness is distinct from excusing or condoning wrongs. It requires agreement with God that what we have done is wrong and a commitment to become different people. [05:58]
4. The journey of forgiveness and transformation is ongoing, involving the removal of harmful thoughts and behaviors with the help of Jesus and His community. This process is bathed in the Holy Spirit. [09:36]
5. Seeking forgiveness from God is about agreeing with Him and participating in His work in the world. It involves living with an open, humble spirit and embracing the grace and forgiveness God offers. [11:27]
** [11:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:35] - Invitation to Repentance
[01:15] - Understanding Forgiveness
[02:03] - Renovation of the Heart
[03:00] - Fear of Missing Out on Jesus
[03:30] - Forgiveness and Obedience
[04:18] - Difference Between Forgiving and Condoning
[05:32] - Understanding and Excusing
[06:12] - Grace Beyond Legal Metaphors
[07:25] - Seeking True Forgiveness
[08:09] - Historical Example of Misunderstanding
[09:08] - Taking on Jesus' Yoke
[09:36] - Encountering Harmful Patterns
[10:23] - Personal Story of Growth
[11:27] - Embracing God's Work and Grace

Sermon Clips

so the invitation today for you and for me is to live in a repentant spirit. It's a posture of real deep humility that says not only are there things wrong with me, in me, although God loves me nevertheless, but many of them I don't even know yet. [00:25:21]

and if other people would help me to understand them, would reveal to me what's wrong with me, they would actually be doing me a great favor. And in the kingdom of God, that doesn't threaten my well-being; that actually advances me towards knowing God and loving God and being able to live with God. [00:48:00]

to live today in a repentant spirit of humility, readiness to see and acknowledge wrong with a joyful heart, that's very contrary to the way that human nature generally runs, is sure contrary to the way my nature generally runs. [01:04:28]

and it also gets to the core of a very important topic and one that is extremely misunderstood about the nature of forgiveness. And often in our day, when people think about that, everybody thinks, of course, I would want to be forgiven by God, but I'm not quite sure that I would want to obey God. [01:21:52]

and i want to try as clearly as I can to explain why actually if I don't want to obey God, what I precisely don't want is to be forgiven by God. That's going to take a little work, so let's walk through this together, remembering now this is not just abstract information. [01:43:12]

the invitation today to you is to walk through this day in a repentant, humble, contrite, open, searching spirit. So renovation of the heart, I'm on page 242. All that is required to begin, Dallas writes, about now when we first become disciples, we have very little understanding of everything. [02:02:08]

we simply believe that Jesus is the one who really is in charge of everything, the Lord. In other words, that's a good way to translate the Lord, which sounds pretty religious, just the one who's in charge, and that he is good and trustworthy. We earnestly want not to be left out of what he is and what he is doing. [02:29:12]

for we sense, perhaps dimly, that his work is all that really matters and that our life is nothing outside of it. We talk in our day about FOMO, fear of missing out. There's a reason why we have that, but it's about something more than Facebook and vacations and promotion. [02:48:48]

to miss out on Jesus and what he is doing is a great loss for the soul. We must make his work our work, so we cast our whole being upon him as far as we understand it at the time. And then Dallas writes, we in one move find forgiveness for our sins and take his yoke upon us and learn of him. [03:14:40]

one move, forgiveness for our sins, taking on his yoke as learners and obeyers. The idea that these can be separated is, as A.W. Tozer pointed out years ago, simply a modern heresy. Now, heresy doesn't mean you're going to get in trouble with the thought police if you affirm the wrong stuff. [03:42:08]

it means that it's an error in thought that will leave us unable to navigate reality well. It is based upon many levels of misunderstanding and has attained the status of dogma. It is choking the life out of the contemporary western church. So let's think about this now. [04:10:56]

there is a great difference between wanting to be forgiven versus wanting to get out of trouble. Forgiving is a distinct gift that we give to one another and that we are given by God. It's not the same thing as condoning. When I condone something, I say it's not really wrong. [04:25:28]

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