Confess Your Sins

1 John  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  37:37
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AUGUST 5, 2020 STUDY NOTES 1 JOHN 1:9-10 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES CONFESS YOUR SINS INTRODUCTION 1 John 1:9 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, I have often personally claimed it If it were not there for me, I would be a miserable person, living with the guilt of sin David explains what I mean, Psa 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. How blessed we are to be forgiven of our sins To be blessed with the benefits of life which we enjoy when our sins are covered (Eph. 1:3) We can sing, “burdens are lifted at Calvary,” and “praise God my sins are gone,” Psa 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. How foolish it is to experience the physical and spiritual pain of unconfessed sin David explains that, Psa 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. Psa 32:4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer David was chastened by God because he did not confess his sins when he should have God’s chastening is proof that God loves His children, Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. David experienced the truth of 1 John 1:9 long before it was written by John, Psa 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. Listen to David, I acknowledged my sin, I did not hide my iniquity, I confess my transgressions David did not blame his sin on any other source, note his “I, my, and mine” David used three different terms to identify with his failure before God: “Sin”--I missed the mark; “Iniquity”—A twisted life; “Transgression”—rebellion against God David experienced the same thing that we are promised in 1 John 1:9, forgiveness of our sin Verse 9 contains a perfect sermon outline with three points, all you need is a poem 1. The confession of sins 2. The forgiveness of sins 3. The cleansing of sin CONFESS AND BE CLEANSED 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In the previous verse John stated that there are those who will deny that they have sinned The opposite of confession of sin is the denial of sin There are those who believe that a Christian can attain sinless perfection in this life Which is not a Biblical truth, if it were true, we would not need the truth of 1 John 1:9 Confession of sin is a continual need for the Christian until the return of Christ, 1Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Some will excuse their sin instead of confessing their sin, they will claim sin to be no big deal I have often heard the excuse of, “God knows, and God understands” In counseling sessions, I have heard people say, “God understands my situation” God understands that you have sinned, you must understand that you have sinned against God You are commanded to confess your sins as soon as sin is committed “If we” first-of all states that it will be our decision to make, something we must determine to do “If we” then reveals that the promise of forgiveness is conditional, based upon our confession People of our day seem to have lost the true meaning of “confess our sins” To “confess our sins” means that we agree with God, God said it was sin and we agree “Confess” is when we accept the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon our sin “Confess” is when we do not argue with the Word of God concerning the truth of sin First conviction will come, and we must agree with that conviction, and then confess our sins Confessing sin sets us free to fellowship with God and one another (1 John 1:3) Confession of our sins is the only way to remain in fellowship with God (1 John 1:6) Confession is more than feeling sorrow because you got caught in your sin Some will “say” they have sinned only because they got caught in their sin But they are not ready to “confess” their sin before God To “confess our sins” is more than “saying” or admitting that we have sinned We confess because we are broken in spirit and our heart feels the hurt and guilt of sin We realize that it is “our sins” that we are confessing and not the sins of someone else David’s prayer for spiritual cleansing in Psalms 51 is a good example, Psa 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. (David said, “my transgressions”) Look at what he confessed, Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (David said, “mine iniquity” and “my sin”) Look at why he confessed, Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. David was in anguish, his heart was broken because of his sin David had the right understanding and the right attitude toward sin, he did not deny or excuse sin Jesus said that the Prodigal Son understood the truth of sin, Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, So, John says that we are to “confess our sins,” notice that the word “sins” is plural We are to confess all-of our sins, each-and every one of them Do not deny any of them, not even one of them, you cannot select the ones you want to confess You cannot confess most of your sins and hold on to some of them, not even just one of them Confession of sins is not based upon a percentage you cannot say I have a good track record You cannot say I have been faithful to nine of the ten commandments Make no attempt to conceal one single sin, all sins must be confessed, Pro 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. To “prosper” is to live a successful and victorious life which is impossible in sin When we confess, God forgives, when we confess, God cleanses Sin can never be forgiven until it is cleansed, sin can never be cleansed until it is confessed Stop making excuses for your sins and confess them unto God When we confess our sins there will always be cleansing because God “is faithful” he is faithful The thought is, God is trustworthy, He is always true to His character God always keeps His promises, Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Confession of sin is our faithfulness to His faithfulness, God is true to His Word Sinners are called upon to “reason with God,” Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. The grace of God reveals to us that God is reasonable, willing to forgive us of our sins There is no reason why we should not come before God and confess our sins God will reason with us even if we are “deep-dyed sinners” “Scarlet” was a bright red color and easily seen, “crimson” was purple and strongly stood out God will cleanse a sinner and make him “white as snow,” that is complete forgiveness God has promised to forgive our sin when it is confessed, God will do that because He is “just” John assures us of forgiveness of sin by identifying two attributes of God, faithfulness and just And just The word “just” means “upright” or “righteous,” representing the highest of standard God is always right in what He does because He is always “just” How can God be right in forgiving our sins? How can God be “just” unto His character and be the justifier of the sinner? Paul has the answer, Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. How can sinners be justified? Paul had already answered that question, Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Because God is “just,” He cannot simply overlook sin, the penalty of sin must be paid (Jn 3:16) Jesus died for our sins, Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; “Propitiation” means that God passes over our sins without punishing them because of Jesus Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, God can forgive “us of our sins” and be true to Himself At Calvary God forgives us of our sinful state, the sin nature that we are born with Because we have experienced Calvary God will forgive us of our sinful conduct when we confess to forgive us our sins, John gives us two benefits as a-result of confessing our sins, forgiveness, and cleansing Forgiveness is deliverance from the quilt of sin, and cleansing is the purification from pollution And He is right in doing so because He accepted the sacrificial blood of Jesus, Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. When we sing “Amazing Grace” we need to remember what John is telling us God wants to forgive us of our sins, Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; We need to understand the meaning of “sins” and “to forgive” “Sin” signifies a departure from God’s holy standard of life, sin is missing the mark Sin is a deviation from God’s will for our life, in sin we miss what God has for our life Sin separates us from the life that God has promised us There is also the thought of separation in the meaning of “forgive” The word “forgive” means to dismiss or to send away, which is also a separation When God forgives us of our sins it means that our sins have been “sent away,” Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. How far away? Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Notice that the Psalmist did not say from the north to the south There is a North Pole and a South Pole but no east or west pole There is no ending point for east or west, God’s forgiveness is an infinite distance from us When God forgives us, our sins are gone Isaiah explains it to us, Isa 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. The picture is that spot in the middle of your shoulder blades, you can’t see it or touch it There are a lot of things in life that we would like to “send away” We would like to send away sickness and disease, financial problems, and personal failures But nothing is more important for our daily life than to have our sins “sent away” from God When we confess our sins, we are not only forgiven, we are also “cleansed” and to cleanse us The word “cleanse” means to make pure, clean, and the results is without stain or spot When we confess our sins, God does more than forgive, He cleanses our soul Every sin we commit leaves us filthy before God, every sin must be cleansed Israel confessed that even their righteous deeds were as filthy rags, Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. But sins that are confessed are washed away in the blood of Jesus, Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge (cleanse) your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? The blood of Jesus removes the pollution of sin and your conscience is cleared Confessed sins are liberated from the guilt and power of sin and set free to serve God from all unrighteousness. “All” can be a wonderful little word Especially when it refers to removing “all of our unrighteousness,” “all” without exception John means everything in our life that is not right before God When the purpose of God is not being fulfilled in our life, we are not living “right” Sin in our life is “not right” for us or for others who see us or hear us Sin is missing the mark or goal for our life and the lives of others We must believe what we have been taught in this verse Once sins are “confessed” we do not have to live in the quilt of that sin any longer We do not have to confess the same sins over and over Unless you commit the same sin over and over, which in that case it has not been “confessed” Confession of sin is the desire to no longer live in that sin There should be no desire for sin among God’s people, 2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (leave it alone) The context of 1 Cor 13 is love, love for God does not allow love for sin, 1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; So, what is the truth? The “truth” is Christians are not to live in sin The path of sin for a Christian is a miserable life, study the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) LIFE WITHOUT HIS WORD 1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. This is the third time in this chapter that we have read, “If we say” It is the third time that we find a false claim being made, something that is not true John examines and corrects each of those false claims with the “Truth of God’s Word” The false claim in verse 10 goes beyond being personally deceived and telling a lie To claim that you “have not sinned” goes beyond the point of personally telling a lie John says, we make him a liar, The fact of lying is now stated in the strongest sense The person is not only a liar within themselves, but in their lie, they are calling God a liar When you say that you have no sin, you put yourself on equal basis with God So, who is right? Rom 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. Lies do not come from God, the source of all lies is Satan, Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Jesus came that we might know the truth of sin and righteousness, Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Truth is in Jesus and the Word of God, Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. and his word is not in us. John did not say that Jesus “the Word of Life” is not in us He is saying that the “Word” that Jesus taught is not in us Jesus taught the truth of God’s Word to his disciples while He walked upon the earth Jesus promised the coming of the Holy Spirit when He returned to the Father The Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth,” Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: The Holy Spirit dwells within the believer to “guide you into all truth,” Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. Christians who are living in unconfessed sin are not living in the “truth” Christians must believe, receive, and live the Word of God One of the best verses in the N.T. to explain that is, 1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. There are two different Greek words translated “received” in that verse The first word translated received means external reception, they gave their ear to listening They paid close attention to what Paul said because they were interested The second word translated received means “to welcome,” to welcome from the heart Meaning that you approve of what you have heard, you desire for it to be true of your own life So, they accepted it by faith, they took hold of God’s Word and allowed it to take hold of them Their heart accepted it with full approval, there was a joyful reception of the Word of God They knew that this message was not man made, it could not have been of human origin It had to be of the supernatural, something was working within them when they received it There was something about this word that stirred their soul, this word had life in it It did what no word of man could do, it must have been from God Something happens within when we welcome the Word of God into our life You cannot welcome sin into your life and expect God’s Word to work within you Sins must be confessed before God’s Word can be expressed as “Truth within us” When Christians continue to live in unconfessed sin, they are not telling the truth about God Confessing sins and living in righteousness reveals that the Word of God is “truth in us” CONCLUSION Can we be sure that John has been speaking to the Christian in chapter one? Look at the beginning of the next chapter, 1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: In chapter one we have learned that Christians can sin and how harmful sin is to our life Sins must be confessed, we must agree with God, and His Word concerning the truth of sin God can forgive us of our sins because of Jesus One of the reasons that John writes this letter is so that we can know that our sins are forgiven, 1Jn 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. The song that says, “My sins are gone” is the truth that God promises when we confess our sins
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