View Video Blog, Right Click Link: I John 3:19-20 (Part 3)
By this we shall know
that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns
us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.
THE STUDY:
Why is it
that our hearts will tell us one thing but our mind seems to contradict it? The heart may not be a reliable indicator. We may live under
self-condemnation, although our actual spiritual condition, known better by God
than by us, is secure. A troubled heart may reflect an unnecessarily anxious
condition, lacking in trust. But God is “greater
than our hearts;” his mercy is the deciding word. He is more merciful to us
than is our own conscience. John wants his readers to find their assurance from
God, who in spite of knowing “everything”
about us yet loves us immensely.[1]
If I ponder on
something from my past long enough I can fell a sense of guilt. I don’t like
what I have done in my past but I have been forgiven and that is where I need
to place my faith. My heart may still feel the guilt of it but as for my
salvation, due to my repentant heart, I am a child of the King. What I need to
do is ask the Holy Spirit to remove this guilt so I can live a life that is
fully free in Christ. Just as John has stated in this verse, “for whenever our heart condemns us, God is
greater than our heart!”
WHAT WE CAN WALK
AWAY WITH ….
- We walk away this morning with the understanding that our spiritual condition is not always dictated correctly by the feelings of our heart. Forgiveness of sin is one thing but guilt of that sin is another. Self-condemnation is not something that directly effects our salvation but our heart. Let God have the guilt as well as the sin and then live a life that is free in Christ.
CONCLUSION:
A
young man found himself divorced and his little girl no longer lived with him.
He had visitation rights but as for time with his daughter, it was very limited.
Through this situation the father found Christ and went on to live a
successful life. He was forgiven of the sins of the past but he always felt the
guilt of his daughter not knowing what it was like to have two parents living
under the same roof and raising her.
In order to
live a life free in Christ, the father surrendered that guilt to Jesus and now
lives in the fullness of Christ. As for the daughter, she has grown up to be a
beautiful young lady and has a wonderful relationship with her dad.
Don’t let
Satan try and take away your Joy in the Lord. Surrender it all (sins and guilt)
to Christ and live is His full love!
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Williamson, R. (2010). 1, 2, & 3
John: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary
(127). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
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