Last week we began a series of messages concerning the importance of restoring the foundations of our families.
*The foundation: Malachi 2:14-17
*The foundation - destroyed.
1. Sin nature (Mark 10:5-6).
2. Satan's attack.
*The foundation - restored.
1. Grace meets us where we are (I Timothy 1:9-11, 14)
2. Although there are certain realities and consequences of sin we must face, it is never too late to start over with God.
3. God can give us a new plan and a new will from this point on in our lives.
I. Deal With The Past
A. Confess sin (verse 13)
1. Remove guilt and accept respons- ibility.
a. No one is totally innocent.
b. The question, "Where were we wrong?" must be answered.
c. Did we make a bad decision years earlier out of ignorance or rebellion to some authority?
2. Root issues help us understand why.
a. All of life's problems can be traced back to four basic root problems:
1) self-image, 2) bitterness, 3) moral impurity, 4) temporal value system.
b. We have problems in life because we try to get our basic needs met in wrong ways.
3. The results of not confessing - verse 6 and 7.
a. We become unfruitful for God
b. We turn away from God while deceiving ourselves into thinking we are still serving Him.
c. We are no longer spiritually discerning.
B. Clear conscious (verse 5).
1. Zaccheus illustrated this concept.
2. He was willing to make restoration to all those he had wronged.
C. Accept forgiveness (verse 15).
1. Claim I John 1:9.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
2. Accept God's forgiveness, and be ready and willing to forgive others.
D. Accept realities - change and limitations and consequences.
1. Things may never be the same.
2. Sin does change things, but they can still be good or even better.
3. We cannot change the past, but we can learn form it to give us a better tomorrow.
II. Directions For The Present
A. Recommitment - God's way.
1. The evidence of true brokenness is: that we do not argue with God
2. We do not put any conditions on God
3. And we are not bitter when it comes to consequences of our sin.
B. Replace regret with rejoicing.
1. Regret comes from only seeing the consequences of our sin in our life and in the life of others.
2. David experienced this in regards to the death of Absaolom.
“And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Sam 18:33)
3. Rejoicing is a result of seeing that our sin is against God and that He will forgive the repentant.
4. David also experienced this.
“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.” (Psa 51:4) “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.” (Psa 51:7-8)
5. We must channel the past in a positive way.
6. Learn from it and use the conse- quences of past mistakes (our hall of shame) to reinforce our present right commitments.
C. Retrain and rebuild by replacing negatives with positives.
“To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.” (Gal 1:16-18)
1. God will have a new will for us.
2. He wants our lives to be fruitful for Him.
III. Determination For The Future
A. New beginning - starting now.
We have two choices.
1. One is to live in defeat of the past.
2. The other is to allow God to change our life and from now on make it count for God.
B. New purpose - verse 16.
1. It is never too late to be a godly pattern for others to follow.
2. Again, we cannot change the past, but we can determine to be what God would have us be today.
C. New motivation (verse 17).
1. Make our only motive to glorify God through our life by whatever means God chooses.
2. Our motivation should not be what we want or think.
Are we serious about getting our nation back to God? What about revival in our church? It all starts by restoring the foundation of our families. For us to do so means that we must
1) deal with the past
2) have positive direction for the present, and
3) determine to honor and glorify God in the future.