Christian Growth Through Confession Series

CHRISTIAN GROWTH THROUGH CONFESSION

(First John 1:7-2:4 / Psalm 51 / 32 / Romans 7:14-24)

Bob Marcaurelle

homeorchurchbiblestudy.com

1 John 1:8-9

“If we (Christians 5:13) say we have no sin (Sin nature), we deceive ourselves and the truth (of the Bible) is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive (restored fellowship) us and cleanse (remove sins one by one) us from all unrighteousness.”

A lady watched a sculptor hammering out the figure of an angel. When she said, “I wish I could do that”, he replied, “It is easy. Just remove everything that doesn’t look like an angel”. Our daily task is to remove everything about us that doesn’t look like Jesus.

This is how we grow – one day at a time, one sin at a time, as we confess our individual sins to God and seek forgiveness and power to overcome that particular sin. We need to:

ADMIT THEM

The term “confess” means to “say the same thing” or to “agree”. When God, through his Word, or through His Spirit deep within tells us we are doing something wrong, we are to “agree” with God.

Sadly, around us times we have the CLAIM OF PERFECTIONISTS that they have arrived at the point where they do not sin. John says the “truth is not in him - he is liar or he does not know the truths of the Bible.

Some denominations and groups, like the Gnostics John deals with here, teach this as a theological reality. (A strange thing is, John Wesley taught it but never claimed it for himself.) What we have in our churches, however, are “practical” perfectionists, those proud souls who act like they are where they should be for God.

They are like the sleeping husband whose wife knelt beside him and prayed, “Dear God, please give Mr. Perfect one little flaw.”

When the “Spirit-filled” or “Higher Christian Life” or “The Exchanged Life” movement was thriving in American churches, many speakers gave the impression that they had arrived spiritually.

I heard one lady say, “Since I was filled with the Spirit I have not slammed one door in anger. I have not even wanted to slam a door.” That is a person the devil does not need to bother with. He has her right where he wants her.

When we commit ourselves to a higher and better walk with Christ, the first person we meet is the devil. This is what happened to Jesus when He publicly committed to go to the cross at His baptism. (Mark 1)

What is wrong with people like this is, THE AIM OF PERFECTIONISTS is too low. First John 3:15 shows us our aim.

“This is how we know what love is, He (Jesus) laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

If our goal is to love like Jesus loved, and live like Jesus lived , we know we have to confess wrongdoing until we make it to heaven where we will have no sin in us. (I Jn. 3:3 / Rev. 21:27) As Paul put it, “Who will deliver me from this body of death. Thank God (Jesus will),” (Amplified Bible)

An old farmer was standing by his fence with a rifle leaning against a post. He was about one hundred yards away from a barn covered with “bulls-eyes” and every one had a bullet hole right in the center.

A man asked him if he shot all those bullets from a hundred yards away and he said he did. When the man said, “I wish I could do that”, the farmer replied, “Its’ easy. All you have to do is shoot a hole in the barn and go over and draw a bulls-eye around it.” Let us set the standard for Christian living and we can make it.

ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM

After the sins of adultery and murder (1 Samuel 11-12) David said, “I am conscious of MY transgressions and I acknowledge them. It is against YOU that I have done this evil thing.” (Psalm 51:3-4)

A Conservative Christian radio host I admire talked with a lady who maxed out her credit cards time and time again. And the host gave some fancy psychological label for her addiction. We all know what she had; self love; selfishness and greed.

When God asked Adam what he had done, he said, “The woman”. And then he added, “The woman YOU gave me.” He passed the blame to God. When God asked Eve was what she had done, she said, “The snake”. Blaming something or someone else for the wrongs we do is the American way of life, even in the church.

There IS such a thing as alcoholism but most of the people I know who become problem drinkers are that way by choice. We put what Wallace Hamilton calls “new labels on old evils” and people don’t take responsibility for their actions. Seeing things like this as sins is not being unkind. It is being kind. As long as a person thinks he us sick and not sinful, he will not seek forgiveness.