The Path from Sin to Freedom
**This podcast is taken from our Global Video Report: EMPOWER CONNECT October 2024 Edition**
A Broken and Contrite Heart
Scripture: Psalm 51, Isaiah 57:15, Hebrews 3:12 – 13, 1 John 1:7 – 9
RON:
Hello friends.
I’m bringing you greetings from Southeast Asia, from the shores of Vietnam.
I’m here interviewing national church-planting leaders across several countries, and it’s a privilege to be with you today.
Seeing What God Is Doing
One of the most remarkable things about these trips is seeing into the lives and hearts of the workers God has raised up.
As I listen to them, certain biblical characteristics stand out again and again.
They are so consistent that when I return to Scripture, I see those same traits clearly described.
One of those traits is this:
Contrition.
Understanding Contrition
Contrition is part of true repentance.
It means to be broken over sin. To recognize that we have offended a holy God.
It is more than regret.
It is a deep, inward grief that comes when the Holy Spirit reveals our sin to us.
That realization produces honesty. It produces humility. It produces a turning toward God.
And this pattern runs throughout Scripture.
David: The Right Sacrifice
We see this clearly in Psalm 51.
After David’s sin was exposed, he did not defend himself.
Instead, he said:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
David understood that God was not looking for outward actions.
He was looking for a broken and humble heart.
The Assurance We Have Today
In the Old Testament, a person needed a prophet or priest to confirm forgiveness.
But in the New Testament, forgiveness is clearly given through the Word of God.
1 John tells us:
“If we walk in the light… the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.”
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
We are not meant to live under constant guilt.
God cleanses us.
He restores us.
He gives us freedom.
What I Am Seeing Today
But here is what stands out to me.
Among believers I am meeting here, that initial contrition is unmistakable.
When they share their testimonies, you can see it in their faces.
You can hear it in their voices.
They remember clearly who they were without Christ.
From Grief to Joy
Yesterday, I listened to a brother describe his past.
He had been a gambler. A drunkard. Someone who had wasted everything.
As he spoke, he kept saying, “I’m sorry, Lord. I’m sorry.”
Not in shame.
But in truth.
And then something changed.
The grief turned into victory.
And the victory turned into joy.
This is the pathway:
From grief
To contrition
To victory
To joy
God Draws Near to the Contrite
Isaiah 57:15 says:
“I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble.”
Think about that.
The God who is high and holy chooses to dwell with the contrite.
He restores them.
He brings them back to life.
Those Who Refuse
But not everyone responds this way.
Those who refuse to turn to God remain bound.
They do not experience forgiveness.
They do not experience peace.
They never begin the pathway of repentance.
A Serious Warning
Hebrews gives us a clear warning:
“Take care… that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart…
Encourage one another daily… so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
This is one of our greatest dangers.
Sin deceives.
It works slowly.
And over time, it hardens the heart.
We lose sensitivity to God.
We lose humility.
We lose that sense of gratitude for forgiveness.
A Faith That Endures
I remember being here in Vietnam years ago, sitting in a hotel by the ocean, interviewing workers.
One man came in who was an evangelist.
He was beaten regularly for his faith.
Authorities would beat him for hours, yet he continued to go back and share the Gospel.
But what struck me most was his testimony.
When he spoke about his salvation, his face changed.
He said, “Jesus saved me. I was such a sinner.”
He spoke honestly about who he had been.
You could see the pain.
But then you could see the gratitude.
What Contrition Produces
He said something I will never forget:
“I carry that with me every day when I go out to preach. I look at people who are like I was. That gives me motivation.”
That is contrition.
Not living in shame.
But remembering where you came from so you can lead others to freedom.
A Global Reality
Around the world today, this is what we are seeing.
People who remember who they were.
People who have been set free.
And because of that, they cannot stay silent.
They tell their families.
They tell their neighbours.
They say, “You don’t have to live this way anymore.”
A Call to the Heart
This is the pathway God invites us into.
To come honestly.
To repent.
To receive forgiveness.
And to walk in freedom.
A Final Encouragement
So I encourage you today:
Do not allow your heart to grow hard.
Stay tender before the Lord.
Remain humble.
Remember what He has done for you.
And walk in the joy of His forgiveness.
