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Aug 08, 2021

When You’ve Blown It

When You’ve Blown It

Passage: Psalms

Speaker: Patrick Lafferty

Series: Ascend

Keywords: faith, redemption, guilt, regret, ascent

It is the experience of every human alive to feel and face regret. Something we’ve said or done does damage and we wonder if the damage is irreparable. We also shudder at what our capacity to act that way says about us in some deep way. The Psalms of Ascent cover a range of themes related to walking by faith, which often feels more like stumbling by faith. This week it turns to what happens when you blow it.

Readings & Scriptures

PREPARATION: Luke 15:11-32
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

Luke 15:17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

CENTRAL TEXT: Psalm 130
Psa. 130:1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
2 O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

Psa. 130:3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

Psa. 130:5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

Psa. 130:7 O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

BENEDICTION: Based on Revelation 1:5b-6
Leader: - Now to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. The love and forgiveness of the Lord be with you all.
All: And also with you.

SCRIPTURES:

  • Exodus 13:13, 34:20
  • Psalm 27:14
  • Psalm 51
  • Isaiah 1:18
  • Ezekiel 33:2-6 / Isaiah 56:10
  • Mark 10:39-45
  • Luke 18: 9-14
  • Luke 22:31-34
  • Romans 8:24-25
  • 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
  • Galatians 5:1,13

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Willing to share a moment when you really blew it? (Be as generic, or forthcoming, as you wish.) The occasion? The aftermath? The lesson if any?
  2. What does it feel like to believe in God’s holiness? What about His forgiveness?
  3. Something follows this offer of forgiveness--something is intended. What is it? What do you think it means?
  4. Have you ever had a moment when a promise of reassurance and the experience of it had a certain lag time between the two? What was the experience of the interval between them? Did anyone or anything assist you as waited? What do you think the Psalmist is “waiting” for in vv. 5-6?

QUOTES:

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies. . . .
- “Behind Blue Eyes,” The Who

Coach Graham rode you pretty hard, didn't he?" he said. I could barely muster a "yeah." That's a good thing," the assistant told me. When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, it means they've given up on you. - Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

SERMONS / TALKS: