Overtaken

Goodmorning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of Galatians.

Galatians 6 ¹ Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. ² Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

To begin with, let’s talk about the process of restoration. Before restoration can ever take place, genuine and sincere contrition must first happen in someone’s life. In the church, the refusal to repent and to seek reconciliation with those that you have wronged brings a heavy punishment with God because it is a damnable offense. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting in a church pew or not. It’s an unforgivable sin, because God will not forgive those who refuse to repent. Although people try to hide their sins from others around them, nothing is hidden from God. Godly sorrow must be present in the heart of someone who is seeking forgiveness, either with God or with others. If someone truly possesses Divine charity, it will cause them to immediately apologize for any wrongs committed. 

Many people in the world think that if you ignore something long enough, that it will eventually go away, but this is very different from the teachings of scripture. Sin must be taken care of immediately, because today is the day of salvation. 

“Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Revelation 2:16

When people wrong others and refuse to do anything about it, their heart starts getting cold. Each hour that passes, the more love is depleted from their heart. Take for example the life of the Apostle Peter. When the Apostle Peter denied the Lord Jesus three times, he was immediately convicted in his heart, and wept bitterly for what he had done. Shortly thereafter, he was completely restored by the Lord Jesus. (Jesus already saw Peter’s Godly sorrow, because He sees everything.) Because of his true contrition, Jesus completely forgave Him and restored him to Apostleship. Many people who profess Christianity do not possess these qualities at all, and it certainly will get worse right up to the day the Lord Jesus returns. They lack any type of genuine remorse. It’s the devils who won’t cry, incapable of sorrow because of their own arrogance. Their conscience is completely fried, refusing to feel sorrow for what they have done. After all, that’s what happens when you burn your fingers deep enough. They become numb to all feelings. If they were to admit fault, then the wall of lies that surround their lives would come crashing down all around them. Like I’ve always said, sin is very deceitful because it causes one to believe a lie rather than accepting the truth.

There will be numerous people who sin and could care less about those that they have hurt. Unlike Peter, they are in a different place with God, residing in the ranks of the impenitent. This is why reconciliation was to be diligently sought after in the church. Contrition, confession, and forgiveness needed to happen so that restoration between parties could take place. As a proof of their love, they were supposed to partake of Holy Communion together, and wash their sins away. 

But nowadays, some people are so hard-hearted that instead of obeying God’s call to reconciliation, they would rather leave the church and join another, just to avoid having to apologize to others. Fifteen years ago, we distributed a flier that I wrote about this same matter. People become so filled with pride, that instead of apologizing, they go have communion somewhere else. This is complete wickedness, and a prime example of the flesh. There will be people who drink communion unto damnation, scripture is clear on that. They will refuse to examine themselves. They will refuse to repent of sin. They will refuse to apologize. They will refuse to reconcile with others. They will refused to accept fault. This is a pure example of outward religion. It’s the same thing that many religious leaders of Jesus day were filled with. The city of Capernaum was lifted up in spiritual pride, but the Lord warned them that they would be thrust down to hell. The same people are sitting inside many Church bodies today, blinded by their own sins and self-righteousness.

Some people in the Christian Life sin willfully against the knowledge of God. It’s done purposefully, and intentionally in an act of rebellion against the teachings of Christ. I guarantee you that you never want to go there, because if somebody gets to that point in their life, there’s nothing but eternal punishment that awaits them. Remember that when Peter sinned against the Lord, it wasn’t intentional. It was because of a weakness in his flesh. He loved the Lord dearly. Judas sinned willfully and intentionally. There’s a great difference between the two types of sin. One can be restored, while the other can’t. I’m sure many people might cry about wrong things they’ve done, but like Judas or Esau they simply cannot find a place of repentance with God. God certainly doesn’t forgive everyone, and this is why there is a place called hell. It is an everlasting place of damnation for those who have rejected contrition, confession and reconciliation. These are people who take the precious gift of God’s grace and throw it out the window because of willful disobedience. They are beyond the place of restoration.

You can tell somebody who’s overtaken in a fault because they are completely engulfed in sorrow. Again, this is how Peter felt.  Many people will cry when they get hurt. Many people will cry when they don’t get what they want. Many people will cry at a funeral. But true contrition is weeping about the sin that you have committed against others. It is to be consumed with self-reproach. 

Many years ago I attended a gathering where there were over 150 men crying and weeping. They were gathered together in tears, seeking mercy from God and each other. In the world they have a saying…. “Real Men Don’t cry.” Maybe that’s because they’ve never known a true man of God, such as King David or the king of Nineveh. As a wife brings a child into this world through tears, the new person inside of us is birthed through tears of confession and contrition towards God. Before God forgives, true Godly sorrow is required. 

James 4 ⁶ But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. ⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

To be restored in your relationships with God and others, it requires a process. It begins through contrition, and humility, confessing your faults not only to God but to those whom you have wronged. The humble publican was visibly shaken because of his own sins. A woman washed Jesus feet with her own tears, and dried them with her hair, visibly shaken because of her own sinfulness. When Peter denied Christ he wept bitterly and was visibly shaken because of his own sin. 

Relationships can be restored, and sin can be overcome. But this will only happen when Godly sorrow appears, and the heart is….

…….Overtaken

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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