Getting Real With God

Getting Real with God

1 John 1:8-2:6

Jeff Armbrester

8If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. 9But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

2:1My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if you do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely. 2He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

3And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By obeying his commandments. 4If someone says, “I belong to God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in the truth. 5But those who obey God’s word really do love him. That is the way to know whether or not we live in him. 6Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did.

(New Living Translation)

Confession is good for the soul - I guess. Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn’t control himself during a lineup. They assembled a group of six or eight rough characters who were placed in front of the victim in hope that the identity of the robber would be quickly confirmed.

The detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words, “Give me all your money or I’ll shoot.” The robber shouted, “That’s not what I said!”

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. But confession is good - especially for the believer who wants to stay spiritually sharp.

- adapted by Dr. David Sylvester

We do not like to admit our faults, but some times, we can’t help ourselves.

John teaches us 3 things about sin and confession.

1. I am a sinner. (1:8, 10)

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth...If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.

The longer we are Christians, the easier it becomes to forget that we are sinners.

We stand in need of God’s grace every day.

We sin in our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions.

Sin = missing the mark (purpose)

2. When I confess my sin, God forgives me. (1:9)

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.

Why should we confess if God knows what we’ve done? Confession means admitting that I messed up!

Confession is born out sorrow.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Why are you sorrowful for your sin? Is it because you got caught? Or, is it because you truly regret what you’ve done?

Being sorry for your sin isn’t enough. Godly sorrow produces confession that leads to repentance. Here’s how to tell the difference. Ask you self this question, “Am I continually falling into the power of this particular sin?” If you are, then you haven’t truly confessed and repented. Repentance means to “change the way you think and act.”

Psalm 51:17 (KJV)

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

3. I do not have to sin. (2:1-2)

2:1My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if you do sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who pleases God completely. 2He is the sacrifice for our sins. He takes away not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

2 Ways Not to Sin

· Stay away from tempting situations

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

Donald Robert Perry Marquis wrote a poem based on an imaginary conversation between a rat and a moth. The rat asked some hard questions. Why did moths fly into candles and other bright lights and risk getting themselves fried to death? The answer, written in the poet’s unpunctuated style, is very instructive: