In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the quickness of God's forgiveness when we sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness. He highlights the misconception that we have to wait for a long time or face severe punishment before God forgives us. The preacher uses the example of David's sin with Bathsheba and how he confessed his wrongdoing when confronted by the prophet Nathan. The sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding God's mercy and love, which leads to a deeper love for Jesus and joyful service to God. The preacher also reassures the audience that when we confess our sins, God not only forgives but also forgets them.

What I want to do is tell you this wonderful promise from God, because some people wonder about this. What happens when you sin and you confess it? The worst moment in David's life, who had a heart after God's own heart, was when he sinned with Bathsheba, committed adultery with her, she got pregnant. Her husband didn't know about it, and then David, worse on top of that, plotted that her husband Uriah would be put in the front of the battle and then abandoned, so that he could get rid of him, because he first tried to get him to sleep with his wife, so nobody would know whose baby it was. It didn't work, and David just went for months, it seems, just totally crazy. Then God sent a prophet to rebuke him. Anyone know the name of that prophet? Nathan, right. So 2 Samuel 12, you can read it when you go home. He tells him a story about a man who took advantage of another person and the sheep and all of this. David gets all riled up and gets righteously indignant. Isn't it something how we can see faults in other people and we can get mad at stories, but then for ourselves, we're just like, I don't know, you're right. David says, bring that man who did such a thing. Nathan said to David, you are the man. This is what the Lord, the God of Israel said. I anointed you and look what you've done. Then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. Nathan replied, the Lord has taken away your sin. Now, how quick was that? You are not going to die, and then he goes on to speak to him. Some people don't know that God is so full of mercy and compassion that when you're sincere and you come to him and you say, forgive me, I did wrong, I said wrong, that was wrong. God, forgive me. You think you have to wait a day, a week, a month, so that God will say, look, I'll forgive you eventually, but you're not off the hook that quick. So I'm going to give you some real punishment here. Now look, conviction of sin and the uncomfortable feeling when you're fighting it, you have to be a Christian to know that kind of torment when God is dealing with you. But know this tonight in case anybody is being challenged by the enemy. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us immediately and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now that assumes you're sincere, that assumes I'm sincere that we hate what we said or did or whatever. But when we confess it before God, he doesn't wait six months to forgive us. How many are happy for that? Say amen. He doesn't wait six minutes to forgive us. His ear is so open to the cry of his people that when we come and mean it and say, I'm sorry, the guilt is gone, the burden is lifted. Now remember, Satan is going to come and impersonate the Holy Spirit and say, not so fast. What do you think? Is that easy? And if you listen to that, you can live in months and months of guilt. I've dealt with people who are living in years of guilt. Did you confess to that to the Lord? Yeah, I did. Well, don't you stand on his word that he has forgiven you? I don't know. I don't feel it. Forget what you feel. Forget what I feel. Feelings come and feelings go. But how many believe the word of God is settled forever? If we confess, he is faithful and just. Now, there's a jarring and hurting inside. And you can get angry with your spouse or say something, and then you say, oh God, that was terrible, forgive me. And there's like a echo effect in terms of just the jarring of it. But don't let the devil keep you in condemnation. Anybody near to hear this word tonight, say amen. Don't let the devil keep you in condemnation. God's going to forgive you, but not now. Maybe 2018, 2019. You're going to have to live in purgatory for a little while. Not the Catholic teaching of purgatory, but another kind of purgatory where you're half forgiven, but you're not forgiven. There's no such a thing. Whom the son sets free. Can we thank God that he is full of mercy and full of compassion? Now, I close with this. Someone might say, who's come up in a legalistic background, ah, Pastor Semblan, not so fast. Because if you teach that and you believe that, I didn't teach it, it's from the scripture. People are going to play light with sin. Because, you know, if I just confess it and mean it, God will forgive me. The opposite is true. When you know how much God loves you and how full of mercy he is, that will break you inside. And you will love Jesus more than you've ever loved him before. If you think God's hand is half blessing you, but the other half of his, the other hand is ready to whack you, you will never serve God with joy. You will try to serve in fear. And that kind of service never makes for Christ-like living. How many are happy that every sin you have ever committed up until this meeting began, and in case you sinned during the service, I don't know how you could have, confess it. But how many are happy that every wrong thing we have ever done, listen, has not only been washed away, but forgotten by God? How many? Lift up your hand high and say hallelujah. Hallelujah.