Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
I grew up on a lake, but occasionally when we wanted to do something different than swimming, we would go into the house and search through the kitchen cupboards diligently, until we found a big bag of balloons. On those hot summer days, as we sweated through our t-shirts, we would turn on the green garden hose and start filling them up by the picnic table. There was something very exhilarating about filling up a balloon full of water and heaving them at one another, especially when you let the water run for a few minutes until It got freezing cold. The harder you ran around, the more you would sweat. The more you sweat, the more willingly you would step into the line of fire, and allow yourself to get hit with a stray balloon, just so you could cool off. Like going from a sauna and jumping into a snowbank, this process would continue over and over again, until we finally laid down on the front lawn from complete exhaustion. Other than getting hit in the face occasionally, it was a fairly benign recreation for us.
If you have ever filled up water balloons, maybe you have noticed the same thing that I have. Some of them will burst before you get the opportunity to tie them off. Others might break in your hands before you even get the opportunity to throw them at someone. Sometimes we would heave one way up in the air, but when it came back down, it only bounced on the ground, which we would eventually pick up, and continue throwing at the ground until it finally broke wide open.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
People’s hearts are very much the same way. Although some are easily broken before God, others can grow tough, and much more difficult to break. This is because they are hardened through pride and impenitence. Each day that passes by in that state, the harder the heart becomes. Just like water pressure built up in a balloon, pressure builds up inside of a person’s heart because of sin, and the only way for that pressure to be released, is to become broken before God, breaking the balloon of our hearts, until the tears of contrition begin to flow.
Psalms 51:16-17 …..The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Genuine sorrow inside of a person’s heart will show the outward evidence of inward grieving, caused by the pain of sinful actions that you have committed against God or others. Genuine contrition is more than just saying I’m sorry, it is feeling sorry. Godly sorrow is different than the sorrow of the world. Godly sorrow is felt deep within the soul, permeating the conscience and the mind with overwhelming guilt. Weeping in self-reproach, is the bodies response to inward suffering and grief.
Luke 7:36-50 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
In order to receive grace from God or each other, the heart needs to be in the right state of mind. It needs to be keenly aware of the suffering that you have caused, not only to yourself but to others involved. It must actively seek forgiveness with a humble heart, evidenced by the transformation from joy into sorrow, and afflicted by the pain of wrongdoing. It is through genuine contrition in the sight of Lord, that the waters of grace can flow.
James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Luke 6:21 Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Isaiah 57:15 …. I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Isaiah 66:2 …….but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
The humble publican was so contrite and physically upset with himself, that he was beating upon his own chest.
Luke 18:10-14 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Once again, there is a difference between Godly sorrow, and the sorrow of this world. Worldly sorrow is of the flesh, and does not generate the true inward emotions that come from deep within a broken and contrite heart.
2 Corinthians 7:8-11 For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the same epistle hath made you sorry, though it were but for a season. Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
When hearts become humble, when the soul becomes afflicted, when the mind enters a state of mourning,… grace can be bestowed, lives can be restored, and sins can be forgotten. If you really desire the cool and refreshing waters of forgiveness, all of us will need to break wide open, just like one of our….
……..Water Balloons
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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