Ankerberg Show

Announcer: Welcome to the John Ankerberg Show discipleship segment. Whether you've recently discovered your faith in Christ or have been a long time follower, we aim to provide you with the tools and encouragement to strengthen your relationship with him. We are dedicated to equipping you to confidently share the hope that resides within you as instructed in 1 Peter 3 15. Join us now for the John Ankerberg Show discipleship segment as we embark on this journey of spiritual growth and learning together.

Dr. John Ankerberg: All right, we're back. We're talking with Sunder and Shamala Krishna and we're talking about what happens when you sin? How does God look at you? Are you out? Are you in? Does the father watch you back? And we're giving some really solid biblical information here. And we're want to finish up with David, okay? So you are rolling right along with David. David sinned and he's confessing these sins in Psalm 51. Then we want to talk about Nathan confronting David as well that started this process.

Sunder Krishna: The reason why I think it's so important to take time to go through something like Psalm 51 is that we often make the mistake of just having regret or remorse instead of genuine repentance. Regret and remorse focus much more on getting caught or how could I have done that? Again, excusing yourself. Repentance which goes much much deeper is what we're looking at. And we began very quickly by talking about how David he was brutally honest. He acknowledged the fact of his sin, the depth of his sin and the defilement of his sin. Then he moves to a desire for radical renewal, not superficial, you know?

We don't want very quickly to say, okay, you're forgiven, everything's okay, that he just wants to carry on. No, he wants to be renewed right in the depths of his being because remember if he says I was born in sin, he was aware of the depth of his sin. He knew he needed cleansing from the depth. So he begins by saying, you desire truth in the inward parts. And then he says, create in me a clean heart. This is interesting. The Hebrew word that is used for create is bara, which is used in Genesis chapter one.

And it is used only three times in Genesis chapter one each time when God does something brand new. First time when he brings something out of nothing, secondly when he brings life for the first time, and thirdly when he creates Adam and Eve. And so what David is really saying is sin creates the kind of disorder in my life that the initial creation was like. And just like it took the Holy Spirit brooding over that creation and the word of God to reshape that creation and fill it, Lord, I need that kind of a radical reshaping from inside.

Reshape me and fill me. I'm you know, we even use the word I'm bent out of shape. So that's what sin does. It bends us out of shape and he said, bring me back and fill me. So he wants a radical radical renewal. Nothing less than the Holy Spirit recreating something brand new. That's why he says, renew a steadfast spirit within me. I don't want my spirit to be going up and down. I want it to be steadfast and unchanging. And then he says, grant me a willing spirit. So not only is the steadfastness there, it's something that is joyful.

So he wants a complete makeover from the inside out. This is what is different from remorse. Remorse and regret will never ask for these kind of things. They just say, okay, tell me it's okay so I can get on and everything is all right, you know? But no no, deal with me as deeply as sin has affected me, deal with me even deeper than that.

Dr. John Ankerberg: Yeah, I think we have to say about David that he was a real case for a year and a half after he committed these sins, he did not repent. He stonewalled God, okay? And maybe there are people are listening right now that you've done something and you are just keeping God at arms distance, okay? But when you decide that that's leading down worse paths that you're already in, then you come back. And this is what you need. You need to say God, create in me a new clean heart and also give me the willpower to actually do this.

Sunder Krishna: Right. You know, Psalm 32 which is a parallel Psalm to Psalm 51, David says something very interesting that pertains to what you just said. He said, when I covered up my sin, your hand was heavy upon me night and day it was heavy. That's what happens when we push God at arms length, when we rationalize, when we don't call it sin, iniquity, transgression, when we don't call it what God calls it, when we call it a mistake or an oversight, then they don't get any relief. Then he says, but when I uncovered my sin, you forgave the guilt of my sin.

In other words, you not only forgave my sin, you forgave the debilitating emotion of guilt as well. So the real path to freedom is not stonewalling or stiff-arming God. The real path to freedom is to get down on your knees and say, this is exactly what I did. Uncover the sin, God covers it up. What a beautiful picture.

Dr. John Ankerberg: Now I want you to give a word of encouragement to people that are really struggling because sin does defile you and puts you so far down that you really lose hope of ever coming back. I'm thinking of drug addicts. I'm thinking of people that are alcoholics, prostitutes, homosexuals, liars, proud people, jealous people, people that have stolen things, okay? And they've done it repeatedly. They don't even know what it's like to live righteous, okay? And these words that David is saying, I think give hope to these kinds of folks that know you can't do this by yourself, but if you're willing to come back and ask the Lord to change your heart, for the Lord to give you the desires, that the Lord will welcome you back.

There's no sin too big. Some people say, you know, that sin is too big for God to forgive. No, God can forgive all our sins, okay? Give some other hope to God.

Sunder Krishna: Right. I think to me the other hope along with that is not only can God forgive all sin, even the sins we are not actually doing, we're capable of doing. Probably the most moving story I ever heard about that is when Jewish concentration camp survivor named Yechiel Dinur came into the Nuremberg trials and he saw Adolf Eichmann there for the first time and he just broke down and started sobbing. Many years later Mike Wallace on CBS 60 Minutes was interviewing Dinur and showed him that clip and said, what were were you overcome with anger and hatred at this man that you saw?

Dinur said, no. He said, in the concentration camps Eichmann was like a demigod to us. He controlled our destiny. But he said, there I saw an ordinary man. And he said, I suddenly realized with a chill in my heart, I am capable of everything that Adolf Eichmann did. And he finished up by saying, Eichmann lives in all of us. So to me that's the hope. Your sin isn't in one perspective any worse than anybody else's. And if God can forgive me, he can forgive you as well. And in David's case, remember it was adultery and murder.

Wasn't a small sin. They were and he carefully carefully taught them through. No excuses like some of you may have had. Maybe you were seduced into drugs by a drug dealer when you're young. David had no excuses. If God forgive him and not only did God forgive him, notice that David breaks through to an incredible confidence of restoration to the ministry. He says, then will I teach transgressors your way. What way? This way of coming back. And isn't it interesting that John we are sitting here 3,000 years after David wrote the Psalm and he is teaching us?

So exactly what he said, restore me and then I will teach transgressors but the beautiful thing is he didn't use ministry as a substitute for repentance. Sometimes people can do that. Oh God, I will serve you harder. I will give more money. I will No, that's not the way to deal with sin. You can't substitute for sin by future obedience. Obedience does not take care of sin. Repentance and cleansing and forgiveness does. And then obedience comes as a fresh expression of gratitude. So I would just say to anybody there, look, first of all, any sin that God forgives is immense.

It required the death of Jesus. But if it's enough to forgive a sin of lying, if it's enough to forgive a sin of murder, if it's enough to forgive a sin of adultery, it's enough to forgive any sin. But you do need to be thorough and honest in your repentance.

Shamala Krishna: And you know, John, about David, what always struck me was yes, there was a consequence likes which is why even the whole issue of temptation is a serious thing. Before you get into it, know that there will be collateral damage. However, to me one of the greatest proofs that he was thoroughly forgiven was which of all his sons did God choose to build the temple? It was Solomon, the son that was born to him, not the first child. The first child at Delam, Bathsheba conceived through adultery died. And there was a huge, you know, grief and loss.

But the second child was Solomon. And of all his sons, David says to his people of all my sons, he has chosen Solomon to build the temple. To me that was such a sign of a such a thorough forgiveness of a man who had committed adultery and murder. And I think God was making a statement that when I forgive, my forgiveness is thorough. It doesn't mean there aren't consequences, but I will not always hold that sin over you like a yoke.

Dr. John Ankerberg: You say that Nathan kick-started David's repentance and what are the kinds of things that would kick-start a genuine process of repentance for people that are in audience listening right now or for any of us?

Sunder Krishna: I I think Nathan was a prophet, right? Today we we don't have modern-day prophets, but God's word is a prophetic word. It was written by those prophets. And so I think reading God's word, especially that which talks about God's holiness for example, will speak. I know for example in my life I talked about prayerlessness and what got me going or the verses that sustained me, but I didn't tell you how it got started is I was actually doing a Bible study for my Sunday school class and I was teaching on Hebrews and I was this was a Saturday night.

My wife and her sister had gone out singing in a church. I put the kids down to bed and I was studying and I was reading in Hebrews chapter three. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. And God hit me like a 2x4. It was as if Nathan had come to me. He said, Sunder, you are studying my word, you're teaching, but your life is there is no prayer. I am wanting communion with you. You are turning me away. And it was it was like a literal shock. And from the next day my prayer life began.

Mind you I had to learn a lot, but so God's word I would say has a way so you need to continue to expose yourself regularly to God's word. It might come suddenly when you're listening to a sermon, maybe online, maybe in church, maybe it happens as somebody points out something. That's one source. The second area in my life where God had kick-started repentance is in relationships because God made us in his image. He made us relational creatures and when he does, when we are in relationships, often our sins come out. And the closer the relationship, the safer we are, the more the ugly side of us comes in, which is why marriage I think is being uniquely designed by God.

And there are people out there who are having difficulties and challenges in marriage, especially men I should say. Be careful how you treat your wives because when you suddenly get angry at them, don't blame them. They are simply showing the anger that is within your own heart. So I would say God's word and my failures in relationship are the two ways he has kick-started genuine repentance.

Dr. John Ankerberg: And James 5 16, why does the Bible also mention that we are to confess our sins to one another?

Sunder Krishna: Yeah, Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer said something very interesting when I read it. I said, how come nobody ever thought of that before? He said, why is it that we find it easier to confess sins to an infinitely holy God and find it very difficult to confess it to perfectly sinful human beings when it should be the other way around? We should be trembling before a holy God and I should have no problem confessing my sin to you because you're a sinner. The answer he said was pride because with God nobody else hears about it. But with human beings our image before them is maintained.

So I think the main reason why James tells us to confess sins to one another is to break the greatest of all sins, the deadliest of the seven deadly sins which is pride. Our pride takes a hammering when I have to say to my wife or I have to say to you, when I have to say to my congregation as I as I had to do once because of a unwise comment I made the previous week in my sermon that I am I sin. I think it's because pride needs to be broken.

Dr. John Ankerberg: Yeah. And the verse that we want to leave with you is James 5 16 which says, therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed, okay? There's something that when you confess your sins to a brother or a sister and they say, you've done the right thing and here's what God 's promises you're forgiven, that there's a healing that takes place. Now folks, these are very practical things that we've been talking about today. And if you find yourself in the position of having sinned and you've been stonewalling God, I hope that this will encourage you to come back to your loving heavenly Father and ask him to create a new heart, a clean heart in you and to give you the will, the desire to serve him the way you really want to, all right?

Thanks for being with us. Join us on our next session.

Announcer: Join us next time for part two of our discipleship series, Follow Me, experiencing the joy of walking with Jesus as Sunder and Shamala pick up where we left off this week.