May 2, 2025 • 13 mins
On episode 12, Tim walks us through forgiveness and shares a personal story about revealing one of his deepest, darkest sins.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome into episode number twelve of Bring Heaven Down. My
name is Tim and I'm the host of this daily
devotional show. While you're here, hit that follow button so
this podcast will show up in your feed Monday through Friday.
And I've got a big favor to ask, because you
(00:20):
actually play a big part in this show. While you're here,
hit that rate and review button. A five star rating
is preferred so that this podcast can get more attention.
Which isn't about me. It's about Jesus reaching people that
(00:41):
need Jesus. It's about everyday Christians walking through life and
needing to hear an encouraging word. It's about non Christians
that maybe you want to know a little bit about Jesus.
It's about planning that seed, that pebble on their shoe
(01:02):
that could possibly change the direction of their life. So,
if you're willing to hit that five star review button
so this podcast can reach people, I can only do
it one time. I can't leave twenty five five star reviews.
I did my part. I hit my five star review button.
I'm just going to ask for you to do that
as well. Today I want to cover They're all serious topics,
(01:26):
but this one is I think a little bit deeper
than some of my other ones have been, because a
big part of the Christian walk is faith, good works, repentance, forgiveness, guilt, shame,
(01:50):
And that's what I want to talk about today. Are
you feeling guilty? Are there sins that you've committed in
your life that you feel a lot of shame for?
Is there something hanging over your shoulders and has it
been hanging over your shoulders for a long time. Well,
(02:14):
that's what we're going to talk about today. So hold
on tight to that steering wheel, grab your favorite drink
or a cup of coffee, and let's bring Heaven a
little closer together. Probably at some point in every Christian's life,
(02:45):
I would hope that you feel convicted about a sin
you committed, because that is the Holy Spirit working in
your heart. And if you feel convicted about something, that
(03:05):
means that you are really walking with the Lord. So
it's a good thing that you feel convicted. The sin
is not good, but the conviction from the Holy Spirit
that maybe you did something wrong or that you did
(03:26):
do something wrong is a good thing. Now, with that
being said, that conviction can sometimes be heavy, That conviction
can sometimes leave you feeling a certain way down, sad, depressed, anxious,
(03:51):
because you know what that means. It means that you
messed up. It means that you need to repent, and
it probably means that you need to tell somebody else.
Because when we mess up, it doesn't just affect us
and our relationship with God, but most of the time
it impacts other people in our lives. And I think
(04:14):
that's what we're most afraid of. I think what we
are most afraid of is to reveal our sins to
one another. But here's the good news. In Romans five eight,
it says, but God demonstrates his own love for us
in this while we were still sinners. Christ died for us.
(04:39):
So Jesus died for us, not because we were perfect.
There would have been no reason for Jesus to come
if we were perfect. Jesus died for us because he
needed to take on our sin. That was his purpose.
(05:00):
We were still sinners. Christ died for us. Timothy Keller
is passed away now, but he was a great Christian influence.
You can come a pastor. He said this. The gospel
is this. We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves
(05:22):
than we ever dared believe. Yet at the same time
we are more loved and more accepted in Jesus Christ
than we ever dared hope. So there are areas in
our life where we are sinning and we don't even
recognize it because it goes so deep and so far,
(05:46):
which can bring a prayer life to sound something like this, Lord,
forgive me in areas that I don't even recognize. Lord,
I'm sorry that I'm not sorry enough for all the
sins that I commit. But also in the same quote
from Timothy Keller, it says, yet at the very same time,
(06:10):
we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than
we ever dared hope, which is the greatest news and
the greatest gift that we could ever receive. In Ephesians
chapter two, verses eight through nine, it says this four
(06:34):
by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this
is not your own doing. It is the gift of God,
not a result of works. So that no one may boast.
Our good works are not good enough to get us
to heaven, because we are naturally sinful. If our good
(06:58):
works were good enough to get us to heaven, then
Jesus wouldn't have never needed to come. It is by
faith alone, and our good works become a result of
our faith. And here's the overall arching point of what
I'm talking about. Maybe you feel really guilty about something.
(07:23):
Maybe you need to reveal sins to other people that
you have not done yet so that you can have
a clear conscience. Maybe you feel like you've done something
really really, really really bad, and maybe you feel like
you've done the unforgivable sin, which doesn't exist. If we
(07:43):
cannot be saved through good works, it also means that
there is no bad work that can prevent us from
being saved. It works both ways, and that is the
joy of the gospel. That is the joy and the
(08:07):
good news of Jesus. There is no unforgivable sin. Anybody
is welcome to the table. Anybody is welcome to have
a relationship with Jesus, regardless of what you think you
may have done. And I also want to encourage you
(08:33):
this morning. I've mentioned it a few times already, to
be open and honest with your sin, because there's nothing
that the enemy wants more then for you to hold
tight to that sin and keep it in your heart
and keep it in your mind and sure, yes. Point one,
(08:56):
ask Jesus for forgiveness. But point two tell someone that
you love within your close Christian circle about some of
your sins. Because what that does it reveals your sin
to the light instead of keeping it in the dark.
(09:17):
When you keep it in the dark, that's when the
anxious thoughts. That's when the enemy works and says you're
not good enough. Remember this, You've done this. They're never
gonna love you, this is unforgivable. You're gonna lose all
your friends. That's when the enemy works. That's when those
voices creep into your head and say that you are
(09:37):
not enough when you keep that sin and you don't
reveal that sin. So I want to encourage you this
morning to do something like that, and I'll even do
it on this podcast right now. I used to watch
pornography even when I was engaged to my wife. Late
April of two thousand and twenty one, I became I'm
(10:00):
so convicted after a conversation with my now wife that
I completely stopped and haven't done it since. But it
started mid twenties and I'm thirty three years old right now.
I've been married for almost four years and we just
(10:22):
finished the month of April. It's May second this morning,
so it's been four years since I glanced at pornography.
And when I revealed my sin to my wife, Man,
was I scared? Was I worried? The deepest fears came
(10:45):
to my mind. What's she going to think? Is she
going to call it off? I'm the worst? Well, she
still loved me after this, and when I revealed it. Yes,
it was a tough conversation. Yes, there was a lot
of tears involved, but there was so much freedom because
(11:08):
I was not holding onto it so tightly. There was
so much freedom because my innermost deepest parts were revealed
and the shame and the guilt that came with holding
that sin close was gone. So I want you to
(11:31):
think about it. Think about revealing some of your sins
that you know about two loved ones. Because yes, repenting
to Jesus as step number one so that our sins
can be washed away. But sometimes when you do that,
(11:52):
shame and guilt still exists because you're also hurting someone else.
So reveal that to them and pray that the Holy
Spirit will work in that conversation. Pray that the fruits
of the Spirit will be displayed as you reveal what
(12:14):
you're about to reveal. And remember, because we cannot enter
the Kingdom of God by our good works, there is
no bad work that can prevent you from having a
relationship with Jesus, So I want you to be encouraged
by that this morning. Thank you for making this podcast
(12:37):
part of your day. Remember, hit that five star review button,
hit that follow button. It'd be greatly appreciated. And I
hope that this conversation was helpful for you and that
the Holy Spirit revealed more and more about our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. This morning, everybody, have a great day.
Welcome into episode number twelve of Bring Heaven Down. My
name is Tim and I'm the host of this daily
devotional show. While you're here, hit that follow button so
this podcast will show up in your feed Monday through Friday.
And I've got a big favor to ask, because you
(00:20):
actually play a big part in this show. While you're here,
hit that rate and review button. A five star rating
is preferred so that this podcast can get more attention.
Which isn't about me. It's about Jesus reaching people that
(00:41):
need Jesus. It's about everyday Christians walking through life and
needing to hear an encouraging word. It's about non Christians
that maybe you want to know a little bit about Jesus.
It's about planning that seed, that pebble on their shoe
(01:02):
that could possibly change the direction of their life. So,
if you're willing to hit that five star review button
so this podcast can reach people, I can only do
it one time. I can't leave twenty five five star reviews.
I did my part. I hit my five star review button.
I'm just going to ask for you to do that
as well. Today I want to cover They're all serious topics,
(01:26):
but this one is I think a little bit deeper
than some of my other ones have been, because a
big part of the Christian walk is faith, good works, repentance, forgiveness, guilt, shame,
(01:50):
And that's what I want to talk about today. Are
you feeling guilty? Are there sins that you've committed in
your life that you feel a lot of shame for?
Is there something hanging over your shoulders and has it
been hanging over your shoulders for a long time. Well,
(02:14):
that's what we're going to talk about today. So hold
on tight to that steering wheel, grab your favorite drink
or a cup of coffee, and let's bring Heaven a
little closer together. Probably at some point in every Christian's life,
(02:45):
I would hope that you feel convicted about a sin
you committed, because that is the Holy Spirit working in
your heart. And if you feel convicted about something, that
(03:05):
means that you are really walking with the Lord. So
it's a good thing that you feel convicted. The sin
is not good, but the conviction from the Holy Spirit
that maybe you did something wrong or that you did
(03:26):
do something wrong is a good thing. Now, with that
being said, that conviction can sometimes be heavy, That conviction
can sometimes leave you feeling a certain way down, sad, depressed, anxious,
(03:51):
because you know what that means. It means that you
messed up. It means that you need to repent, and
it probably means that you need to tell somebody else.
Because when we mess up, it doesn't just affect us
and our relationship with God, but most of the time
it impacts other people in our lives. And I think
(04:14):
that's what we're most afraid of. I think what we
are most afraid of is to reveal our sins to
one another. But here's the good news. In Romans five eight,
it says, but God demonstrates his own love for us
in this while we were still sinners. Christ died for us.
(04:39):
So Jesus died for us, not because we were perfect.
There would have been no reason for Jesus to come
if we were perfect. Jesus died for us because he
needed to take on our sin. That was his purpose.
(05:00):
We were still sinners. Christ died for us. Timothy Keller
is passed away now, but he was a great Christian influence.
You can come a pastor. He said this. The gospel
is this. We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves
(05:22):
than we ever dared believe. Yet at the same time
we are more loved and more accepted in Jesus Christ
than we ever dared hope. So there are areas in
our life where we are sinning and we don't even
recognize it because it goes so deep and so far,
(05:46):
which can bring a prayer life to sound something like this, Lord,
forgive me in areas that I don't even recognize. Lord,
I'm sorry that I'm not sorry enough for all the
sins that I commit. But also in the same quote
from Timothy Keller, it says, yet at the very same time,
(06:10):
we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than
we ever dared hope, which is the greatest news and
the greatest gift that we could ever receive. In Ephesians
chapter two, verses eight through nine, it says this four
(06:34):
by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this
is not your own doing. It is the gift of God,
not a result of works. So that no one may boast.
Our good works are not good enough to get us
to heaven, because we are naturally sinful. If our good
(06:58):
works were good enough to get us to heaven, then
Jesus wouldn't have never needed to come. It is by
faith alone, and our good works become a result of
our faith. And here's the overall arching point of what
I'm talking about. Maybe you feel really guilty about something.
(07:23):
Maybe you need to reveal sins to other people that
you have not done yet so that you can have
a clear conscience. Maybe you feel like you've done something
really really, really really bad, and maybe you feel like
you've done the unforgivable sin, which doesn't exist. If we
(07:43):
cannot be saved through good works, it also means that
there is no bad work that can prevent us from
being saved. It works both ways, and that is the
joy of the gospel. That is the joy and the
(08:07):
good news of Jesus. There is no unforgivable sin. Anybody
is welcome to the table. Anybody is welcome to have
a relationship with Jesus, regardless of what you think you
may have done. And I also want to encourage you
(08:33):
this morning. I've mentioned it a few times already, to
be open and honest with your sin, because there's nothing
that the enemy wants more then for you to hold
tight to that sin and keep it in your heart
and keep it in your mind and sure, yes. Point one,
(08:56):
ask Jesus for forgiveness. But point two tell someone that
you love within your close Christian circle about some of
your sins. Because what that does it reveals your sin
to the light instead of keeping it in the dark.
(09:17):
When you keep it in the dark, that's when the
anxious thoughts. That's when the enemy works and says you're
not good enough. Remember this, You've done this. They're never
gonna love you, this is unforgivable. You're gonna lose all
your friends. That's when the enemy works. That's when those
voices creep into your head and say that you are
(09:37):
not enough when you keep that sin and you don't
reveal that sin. So I want to encourage you this
morning to do something like that, and I'll even do
it on this podcast right now. I used to watch
pornography even when I was engaged to my wife. Late
April of two thousand and twenty one, I became I'm
(10:00):
so convicted after a conversation with my now wife that
I completely stopped and haven't done it since. But it
started mid twenties and I'm thirty three years old right now.
I've been married for almost four years and we just
(10:22):
finished the month of April. It's May second this morning,
so it's been four years since I glanced at pornography.
And when I revealed my sin to my wife, Man,
was I scared? Was I worried? The deepest fears came
(10:45):
to my mind. What's she going to think? Is she
going to call it off? I'm the worst? Well, she
still loved me after this, and when I revealed it. Yes,
it was a tough conversation. Yes, there was a lot
of tears involved, but there was so much freedom because
(11:08):
I was not holding onto it so tightly. There was
so much freedom because my innermost deepest parts were revealed
and the shame and the guilt that came with holding
that sin close was gone. So I want you to
(11:31):
think about it. Think about revealing some of your sins
that you know about two loved ones. Because yes, repenting
to Jesus as step number one so that our sins
can be washed away. But sometimes when you do that,
(11:52):
shame and guilt still exists because you're also hurting someone else.
So reveal that to them and pray that the Holy
Spirit will work in that conversation. Pray that the fruits
of the Spirit will be displayed as you reveal what
(12:14):
you're about to reveal. And remember, because we cannot enter
the Kingdom of God by our good works, there is
no bad work that can prevent you from having a
relationship with Jesus, So I want you to be encouraged
by that this morning. Thank you for making this podcast
(12:37):
part of your day. Remember, hit that five star review button,
hit that follow button. It'd be greatly appreciated. And I
hope that this conversation was helpful for you and that
the Holy Spirit revealed more and more about our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ. This morning, everybody, have a great day.
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