CAN WE FEEL GOOD WHEN WE ARE WRONG ?
YES. MANY PEOPLE DECEIVE THEMSELVES INTO THINKING THAT THEY ARE GOING TO HEAVEN. THEIR REASONING IS THAT THEY HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WORTHY OF HELL, AND THEY HAVE SOME GOOD WORKS TO BACK THAT UP.
KEY: OUR JUDGMENT OF RIGHT AND WRONG MUST BE BASED ON GOD’S WORD, NOT OUR OWN FEELINGS. ALL HAVE SINNED. AND GOD DOESN’T WANT US FEELING GOOD ABOUT BAD.
HAMAN FELT GOOD ABOUT DOING WRONG.
Esther 5:8-9 If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do to morrow as the king hath said. Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.
SINCE PEOPLE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO FEEL GOOD WHEN THEY DO EVIL, IT EXPLAINS HOW SOME OF THE MOST EVIL PEOPLE IN HISTORY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE SO SINCERE. THEY HAD NO GUILT OR SHAME OVER WHAT THEY DID.
ON A SMALLER SCALE, CAN A CHRISTIAN BECOME SO FAR AWAY FROM GOD THAT THEY NO LONGER SEE SIN AS SIN ?
1. CAN A PERSON LOSE FEELINGS OF CONVICTION ?
THIS COMES THROUGH SEVERAL FACTORS AND ALL OF THEM HAVE TO BE RADICALLY AFFECTED:
A. THE CONSCIENCE.
The men brought a woman in adultery. They thought they were doing good. Not so. Their conscience was not working FULLY, but their consciences responded to the Word when Jesus spoke it.
John 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
B. THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
John 16:8 And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
C. BLINDNESS TO THE WORD OF GOD.
Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
2. CAN PEOPLE LOSE FEELINGS TOWARD GOD AND HIS STANDARDS ?
A. WITHOUT FEELING TOWARD THE THINGS OF GOD.
Ephesians 4:19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
B. HOW CAN CHRISTIANS LOSE FEELINGS FROM GOD ?
CAN CHRISTIANS FEEL GOOD ABOUT SIN ? YES. WE CAN GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT BY NOT LISTENING TO HIM, BUT LISTENING TO OTHERS.
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
IF IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO GRIEVE THE SPIRIT, HE WOULD NOT HAVE WARNED US NOT TO DO IT.
C. DECEPTION. OUR CONSCIENCE, MIND, AND SPIRIT CAN BE DECEIVED.
–DECEIVING SELF.
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
–WANTING TO DO THE SIN SO MUCH THAT IT OVERPOWERS THE CLEAR WORD OF GOD.
1 Kings 13:15-22 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
–DECEIVED BY WHAT OTHERS SAY.
2 Timothy 3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
–DECEIVED BY SPIRITS.
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
3. HOW DO WE GET THE FEELINGS BACK ?
A. GET CLEAN.
WHEN CRUSTED WITH MUD, IT IS HARDER TO FEEL THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE OUTSIDE. GET CLEANSED THROUGH THE WORD.
John 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
B. CHASTEN YOURSELF.
1 Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR SIN. PUNISHING YOURSELF WORKS. When a child gets their hand hurt by putting it on hot iron, they are sure to remember not to do it anymore ! Conviction from the Word can hurt and make us unwilling to commit the sin again.
C. BE BORN AGAIN.
Matthew 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
D. CHRISTIANS NEED TO BE CLEANSED IN A WAY THAT ONLY GOD CAN DO. BUT, PART OF THE RESPONSIBILITY COMES ON US.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
–JESUS WILL FINISH THE JOB IN HEAVEN IF WE BEGIN DOWN HERE.
1 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.