Word of Salvation – Vol 49 No 31 - August 2004

 

Guilt Stinks... So Deal with it

Sermon by Rev A Van Drimmelen

on Psalm 32

(A Lord's Supper preparation sermon)

 

Scripture Reading: Psalm 32

Suggested Hymns: BoW 173; 32; 525; Rej 553

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tucked away in the Australian Taxation Office is a special fund called the Conscience Fund. It is a fund which receives money from people voluntarily, without any obligation. The money is sent anonymously. The only obligation these people have is to their conscience. The money is sent because their conscience bothers them. In some way they admit they have cheated John Howard out of taxation payments and now want to make good.

Why do people do it? Why make these payments? One man sent just ten dollars with a note that explained he felt terribly guilty. According to an article in Readers' Digest, the biggest year for conscience fund payments was 1950. That year over $370,000 was turned in. On average, tens of thousands of dollars per year are received.

On a website dubbed, "conscience...", there are reports of anonymous letters from people who haven't paid what they should. One wrote and said, "I can't sleep; my conscience is bothering me. Enclosed find a cheque for $50. If I still can't sleep, I'll send you the balance!"

Back in the spring of 1959 an American Air Force Major entered a mental institution for the second time. He had tried to commit suicide twice and had been arrested for forgery and robbery. For years he had been drinking heavily and his marriage had disintegrated. Yet only fifteen years before, he had been a model officer headed for a promising career. But one momentous event changed everything. He flew the lead plane over Hiroshima when the first atomic bomb was dropped. Shortly after, he began seeing crowds of Japanese men, women and children chasing him in his dreams, and his own life began to collapse. The attending psychiatrist said that the major was subconsciously trying to provoke punishment from society to atone for the guilt he felt. Unresolved guilt was eating him up.

Now most of us have never literally dropped a bomb, but we know we've done things or said things that have caused extensive damage to others and ourselves. Maybe we've made a wasteland out of certain relationships and the fall-out continues to come down around us.

We may not be driven to the extreme of suicide, but how many of us struggle with discouragement, fear and anxiety? Are you having a hard time sleeping? Has your self-image or confidence hit rock bottom?

We may try to appear strong and confident on the outside, but on the inside are we living with frustration because of the weight of guilt? Let me tell you, that is no way to live! The consistent message from the Bible is that guilt stinks. So deal with it. How do we deal with it? Psalm 32 provides a fantastic journey into losing the weight of guilt. And it begins in verses 1-2 by reminding us that...

1. Guilt-free is the only satisfying way to live

Did you notice when these verses were read a few moments ago that the psalm starts with an emphasis on "blessed"? That word in church circles is almost a meaningless cliche. But it literally means to be truly happy. Blessed describes a person who has authentic internal joy and peace. The opening two verses describe in four ways this blessing.

First, we are reminded that it's possible to experience forgiveness. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered" (vs 1).

The Hebrew word here for "forgiveness" means to pick up and take away. God, and only God, has the ability to take away our guilt. We can't do it, but He can.

What God does is like the rubbish truck that comes down your street each week. Sitting there in your driveway, in your wheelie bin, out in the noon day sun, is a load of stinking rubbish. You can't do anything with it, so we rely on the council for a contractor to come in his truck and take it away. When he comes and picks it up and takes it away, then that rubbish has no more influence, at least not until next week.

Only God can come and take the garbage from our lives - forever. And when He does, we experience forgiveness.

The second part of this blessing: it's possible to know all issues are resolved. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered" (vs 1).

How many of us have unresolved issues floating around in our lives? How many of us would be tempted to run if we thought they would be brought out into public view? God has the supernatural ability to reach into our lives and resolve every issue. He can put an end to that which we cannot seem to work out ourselves.

Third, guilt-free means that it's possible to live above reproach. "Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit" (vs 2).

Some Bible translations have the word "reckon" or "impute". The idea is that of thinking. When there is divine forgiveness, then God does not look at us and think that you are guilty. In other words, we can live each day without feeling like God is unhappy or mad at us. When God forgives, then He doesn't see us as being in the wrong. And that means we are above reproach. We are not accused. There is no tension between us and our heavenly Father.

Let's now add the fourth part of living guilt-free. It's possible to live with integrity. "Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit" (vs 2).

The word "integrity" comes from the mathematical term integer, which is a whole number. To have integrity means "I am whole". There is no part of me that is inconsistent, no part of me that is dishonest. I don't say one thing, but do another.

When I'm troubled by guilt, I tend to hide. I use deceit to cover my problems and failure. But when God forgives, then I have nothing to hide. There is no deceit. And that is a wonderful thing to experience. Guilt-free is the only satisfying way to live, and this psalm drives home the point that it is within our grasp.

So how do I get there? How can I live this kind of blessed life? What can I do to partake of this kind of blessedness and joy with my church family, and around the Lord's Supper table next Sunday?

Look around. People are choosing all sorts of different paths to dealing with their guilt. But all of the options really boil down to two alternatives. Verses 3-5 describe...

2. The two ways for attaining guilt-free status

The first way many try is this: we can ignore it by repression. "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" (vss 3-4).

Repression is the conscious or unconscious effort to deal with guilt by hiding it or hoping it will just go away. Like David, we "keep silent" about our sin. We don't want to talk about it because we don't want to admit it to others. We don't even want to admit it to ourselves! We may even, for that reason, be prepared to go through the motions, so to speak, and participate around the table next Sunday.

But look at the impact when we try to ignore our guilt. Physically it takes its toll: "bones wasting away". Literally that means to become old and worn out. When we ignore guilt, we pay a price physically. Psychiatrists tell us that unresolved guilt can produce headaches, muscular pain, indigestion, high blood pressure - and the list goes on. All because we refuse to face the issue.

Second, when we ignore our sin, mentally we suffer anguish. David "groaned" all day. He was mentally crying out for relief. How many of us have carried a burden of guilt and constantly felt that internal groaning which sometimes escapes as a deep sigh through our lips?

Third, guilt can also hinder our energy level: "strength sapped". Literally that means to evaporate, like water in the summer sun. With God's heavy hand on us, our energy to work, to enjoy life disappears! We become listless. We have no drive. We become a couch potato.

What happens is that we spend so much emotional energy trying to keep a lid on our sin that we find it hard to function normally. Just like you cannot swallow and spit at the same time, so also do we have a hard time giving ourselves in love to other people when we are preoccupied with guilt.

Physical problems, mental anguish, energy crisis -this first alternative is not a very good idea for dealing with guilt.

But what about the second option? Instead of ignoring our guilt by repression, we can admit it by confession. "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" (vs 5).

Please note the contrast here from verse 3 - "keeping silent" - to verse 5 "acknowledge". It is impossible to come to a guilt-free status without admitting we were wrong. In fact that is the main idea of this whole psalm: admission of guilt brings liberation by God. This is the starting line, this is the initial step for us to take.

Look at the nature of confession in these verses. The emphasis is on confessing to God. Confession to other people comes later. The bottom-line issue in guilt is the offence that is between us and our holy God.

When we confess to God we openly admit our sin. No cover-ups. No shredding of incriminating documents. No deleting of computer files. No excuses. No flippant attitudes of, "sorry, God, I blew it again". God sees it and knows it all.

I would encourage you to physically get down on your knees and humble yourself before God. I would suggest you do that in the week that lies ahead. We should all make use of the time we have. A time of self-examination, so as to lose the guilt. This is the only way to come as worthy partakers in the supper that is prepared for us.

The fantastic thing about doing that is recorded in the last phrase of verse 5. God has the power and the willingness to crack open the bonds of guilt in your life, and He will do it!

Note also what it says in Psalm 130:3-4: "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." And 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

But that choice is ours. How bad do you want to lose the weight of guilt? There is only one way to live. And that is to have either a clear conscience or none at all.

Guilt-free living is the only satisfying way to live and the way to get there is clearly mapped out for us in Psalm 32. But David, in writing this psalm (in verses 6-11), also wants us to know...

3. What guilt-free living releases us to enjoy

"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" (vs 6).

Look at the first word of verse 6, "therefore". In other words, on the basis of experiencing forgiveness from God there are three wonderful things we get to have the benefit of.

The first is unrestricted access to God (vss 6-7). David doesn't want us to only pray when we need forgiveness. He wants us to invite God into every aspect of our lives. Call on Him when life is going well. Call upon Him when the mighty waters rise and you're feeling overwhelmed.

Prayer like this reveals that we want God to be our hiding place. Prayer will not necessarily keep you out of problems, but it will change the way we face those problems. And for those who are living guilt-free, this unrestricted access to God is a wonderful thing to enjoy!

Look at the second benefit of guilt-free living in verses 8 and 9. It's unhindered guidance from God. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you."

What a great promise! God offers His personal guidance and counsel. See that word "teach" in verse 8? That literally means to point with the hand. The imagery is that of someone stopping to get directions, and the other person using their hands to indicate the way to go. God will give us the right directions if we'll stop and ask!

When we are living guilt-free lives, then instead of trying to make life work, we become open to God's counsel. We're much more sensitive to His leading in our lives.

And as verse 9 illustrates, we become less like a horse that has to be guided by a bridle. The contrast between verses 8 and 9 reveals that we should want the personal guidance of God and not a bunch of rules to follow. The difference is between walking with Him in a relationship and just going along with the rules and regulations. Those who are living a guilt-free life enjoy unhindered guidance from God.

There's a third benefit to appreciate, and that's uninhibited joy before God. "Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!" (vss 10-11)

Guilt-free living allows our hearts to rejoice in worship authentically and enthusiastically. Why? Because as verse 10 reminds us, the Lord's love surrounds us. And it's a love that will never fail.

If we're battling guilt, then usually we have this sense that God is mad at us. That He is punishing us. That He's ready to bite our heads off. But to experience His forgiveness is to come to realise how loved we are!

Could that be the reason some find it hard to worship? Could this explain why you resist entering into the singing? Why your mind wanders during the prayers? Why you use the sermon time to go out and get a drink? Why you will walk out in just a few moments and think, "I didn't get anything out of that? I wonder what the church down the road has on offer?" Is your joy at a low level because you're not dealing effectively your guilt?

That's no way to live!

Remember the problem of unresolved guilt is your responsibility. This is God's Word on how to resolve it - the problem is on the inside!

I am the only one to blame on an inside problem between me and God. Yes, God knows this is true. God fixes guilt. He is the master of our conscience. He sent His one and only Son into the world to fix it. Come on and celebrate that with us next Sunday.

Amen.