GO AHEAD – ADMIT IT!
1 JOHN 1:8-10
Introduction: When a person comes to Jesus Christ and accepts Him as both Lord and Savior, the Bible declares that he is a new creature; that the old things – the life and its ways are behind and passed away; that a new life has begun in the light of God’s mercy and grace. When this takes place however we find that we are still possessed by our old nature that likes to rear its ugly head and take control. The truth is that at some point in each and every day of every believer’s life the old nature wins, even if only momentarily. We sin daily. But we don’t like to admit it. We all like to think were ok. But God sees it differently and expects us to deal with our sin. There are three ways that we can deal with sin.
I. Three ways of dealing with our sins
A. Deny responsibility for our sins
1. There are those who say that they have no responsibility for there sin.
2. We may blame our sins on our heredity, on our environment, on our temperament, on our physical condition.
3. We may claim that someone misled us and that we were led astray.
4. It is characteristic of us all that we seek to shuffle out of the responsibility for sin.
5. Genesis 3:11-13 "And he said, ‘Who told thee that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat?’ And the man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, ‘What is this that thou hast done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.’"
6. Some stumble over their feet and then blame others for tripping them.
7. The root of the human problem is the dynamic disease of sin operating within the soul and manifesting itself. We look at the dreadful things other people do and excuse ourselves. Human beings are not unlike volcanoes. Inside a volcano, the pressure builds until the top blows with a dramatic eruption of lava. At other times, cracks slowly and insidiously appear on the side of the volcano, and the lava flows out in a different manner. So it is with human beings. We can never say that the circumstances in which a young person’s character was formed did not have some impact on the way that he behaves. But inside each of us, there’s a thing called sin. No matter what way our volcano was formed, whether we blow the top or leak streams of lava, it’s the lava inside that’s the problem. The ultimate disease is the problem, and there’s nothing human beings can do about it. - Stuart Briscoe, "The Love That Compels," Preaching Today, Tape No. 126.
8. Blaming your faults on your nature does not change the nature of your faults.
9. When a man has sinned, excuses and self-justifications are irrelevant.
B. Deceive ourselves into believing that we have not sinned.
1. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.
2. There are those who say that they have not in fact sinned.
3. Many people do not really believe that they have sinned and take exception to being called sinners.
4. Their mistake is that they feel that sin is a major and heinous deed committed by the worst of our society.
5. They see themselves as making mistakes – as being pretty good in comparison to others – certainly not sinful.
6. Proverbs 20:6 "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?"
7. They forget that sin is hamartia which literally means a missing of the target. To fail to be as good a father, mother, wife, husband, son, daughter, workman, person as we might be is to sin; and that includes us all. Or it may describe the man who claims that he can sin and take no harm.
C. Confess our sin.
1. 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."
2. The three hardest words to say are, "I was mistaken." The only thing which will meet the situation is humble and penitent confession to God and, if need be, to men.
3. Proverbs 28:13 "He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy."
4. Do not expect God to cover what you are not willing to uncover. - Duncan Campbell, Leadership, Vol. 3, no. 4.
II. What is Confession and what does it involve?
A. 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."
B. confess ( oJmologw~men ) homologeo. From oJmo>v, one and the same, and le>gw, to say. Hence, primarily, to say the same thing as another, and, therefore, to admit the truth of an accusation. (a) "to confess, declare, admit," (b) "to confess by way of admitting oneself guilty of what one is accused of as the result of inward conviction,"
C. Psalms 38:18 "For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin."
D. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sins bringing us to the point of confession, repentance, and forgiveness.
E. Conviction is not Guilt. Guilt is a feeling of culpability or of messing up. It produces sadness and sorrow but not repentance. Conviction is the uncomfortable inner awareness that one has violated God’s law. Conviction leads to repentance.
F. 2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death."
G. Confession is not dragging from our memory all the sins we’ve ever committed and telling them to God. Confession is agreeing with God about the specific sin of which we are convicted. – Robert S McGee, Search for Significance, p 187
H. Confession, which means to agree with God regarding our sin, restores our fellowship. It is a form of discipline which God requires. – Erwin W. Lutzer (1941- )
I. When we confess we first agree with God about our sin. Then we repent.
J. Brokenness is not revival; it is a vital and indispensable step toward it. – Arthur Wallis (1928- ). There must be repentance.
K. Repentance is not basically a religious word. It comes from a culture where people were essentially nomadic and lived in a world with no maps or street signs. It’s easy to get lost walking through the desert. You become aware that the countryside is strange. You finally say to yourself, I’m going in the wrong direction. That’s the first act of repentance. The second act of repentance is to go in an alternate direction. It implies that you not only do this but you admit it to your companions. We all do this whether or not we realize it. - Gordon MacDonald, "Repentance," Preaching Today, Tape No. 121.
L. 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
M. An unrepented sin is a continued sin. Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983)
N. Wabush, a town in a remote portion of Labrador, Canada, was completely isolated for some time. But a road was cut through the wilderness to reach it. Wabush now has one road leading into it, and thus, only one road leading out. If someone would travel the unpaved road for six to eight hours to get into Wabush, there is only one way he or she could leave--by turning around. Each of us, by birth, arrives in a town called Sin. As in Wabush, there is only one way out--a road built by God himself. But in order to take that road, one must first turn around. That complete about-face is what the bible calls repentance, and without it, there’s no way out of town. – Brian Weatherdon, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Leadership, Vol. 8, no. 2.
O. Isaiah 55:7 "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
P. Confession is followed by repentance which is followed by claiming the forgiveness that has already been provided for by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Q. 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."
R. 1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin."
III. Confession is an ongoing process.
A. If we confess. The Greek is written in the present active subjunctive tense and literally means "if we keep on confessing."
B. This does not mean we use vain repetitions in hopes that if we repeatedly ask for forgiveness that we will wear down God and gain His favor and forgiveness.
C. It is not a rehashing from our memory all of our sins.
D. Our sins have been forgiven and have been removed.
E. Psalms 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."
F. John 13:10 "Jesus said to him, He that is washed needs not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all."
G. Keep on confessing refers to the daily cleansing we need to maintain the open lines of fellowship with Christ. The moment the Holy Spirit convicts (reveals) to us our sin, instantly we should agree with Him, repent and claim our victory over sin. That is walking in the light.
