Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from the book of First John.
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.
Let’s start with confessing.
If someone confesses to doing something wrong, they admit that they did it. They admit a fault
This confession is made to God, and God also commands that you confess to others whom you have wronged and hurt.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of confession.
Num 12:11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.
Luke 15:18. I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Here’s another example.
2 Sam 24:10 And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
Acknowledge implies making a statement reluctantly, often about something previously denied: to acknowledge a fault and to admit
Ps 32:5 I acknowledge 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.
Scripture commands to confess to each other. Most sin involves others that you have wronged.
James 5:16 – Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Confessing your sin and reconciling with others was so important to God that if someone didn’t confess your sin and apologize you were commanded by scripture to keep separate from them. The reason why is because if they were truly filled with Christian charity they would care about other people they have wronged.
Matt 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The devil doesn’t want to apologize. That’s one of his numerous snares. How hard is it to say I repent? How hard is it to say I apologize?
If someone rebukes, then you are responsible to God to apologize to them.
James 4:8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
The definition of humble is someone who knows they are not perfect. Having or showing a consciousness of one’s defects or shortcomings.
Matthew 23:12 – And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
The higher one elevates themselves, the further the fall is going to be. I’m always reminded of this when my son and I go cut trees. The higher and the bigger the tree, the harder it hits the ground!
Just think of an impenitent devil who’s going to fall into Hellfire someday for all eternity. (Remember the Lord Jesus call Peter the devil but Peter repented of his sins)
All of us are sinners, but remember all of us can get forgiven and repent if we really desire that.
Confession and reconciliation was so important to the Lord Jesus Christ that he didn’t even want a gift from you at a church somewhere until you had confessed and reconciled with people you ever wronged.
Matthew 5 23-24
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
For some people it’s easier to bring a gift to the church then have to reconcile and confess sins to others.
Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice
God shows this world Mercy when he died on his cross and expects that people who profess Christianity show that same mercy and forgiveness to others. Gifts and sacrifices are unimportant in comparison to mercy and forgiveness.
Luke 6:36 – Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Matthew 5:7 – Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Matthew 9:13 – But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
James 2 :12-13. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Reconciliation is commanded by Christ. If you truly love Jesus Christ you will keep his commands.
If you cannot apologize to others who are upset with you, you really don’t care about the person that you have hurt. That is not Christianity. It’s not charity.
Colossians 3:12-13 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also [do] ye.
Think about the Apostle Paul who was completely going against the Christian faith at one time and was trying to stop churches. Then he realized the error of His way, and recognized that Jesus is truly The Messiah. Then He went out and preached Christ all over the world! Because Jesus forgave Paul, imagine what He can do with us when we confess and admit the truth of our own faults!
Luke 17: 3-4
3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Rebuke in this passage means to disprove of what someone is doing to you. If somebody sins against you or hurts you, you need to tell them,…hey, that hurts.
It’s pretty simple to understand that you should apologize when you hurt other people. There’s a lot of people who won’t because of pride.
Matt 18 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Look at how forgiving God is in this last Passage. If Jesus wants us to forgive others 490 times,…He will!
He is that forgiving with us. The thing is that we need to understand is what we have done is wrong, and strive to do what is right.
You can’t really know you’re doing something wrong to someone else unless there’s a rebuke. And when someone says I repent Christ commands that you forgive them otherwise he will not forgive you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had Holy Communion or not.
Matt 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
That’s pretty scary if your profess to be a Christian because God will treat you the same way he’s going to treat the unbelievers if you cannot forgive.
Without forgiveness we abide in the state of sin with God and ultimately will not inherit eternal life without repentance.
Remember that if you tell somebody I repent and you apologize to them but they don’t forgive you, you have done your part. God forgives you, even when others won’t.
How can somebody who professes Christianity be so unmerciful and so unforgiving with others when Christ took the nails for their sins at the cross? I guess I’ve never really understood that.
Today I offer unto you the free gift of God’s forgiveness. I’m just a sinner but I want to see people get forgiven with God. I feel called by God to reconcile people to Christ. We’ve all come short of the glory of God but God doesn’t want anybody to perish. I don’t want anybody to perish.
What I would like to see happen is people to take a look inside their own hearts today and examine their own lives. To come to grips with the mistakes we’ve made and confess them, admit them, and be freed from them. That my friends is true Liberty.
I will pray for you, and I ask that you would pray for me that we can all acknowledge our mistakes, that we can all get forgiven, and that we can all be reconcilled together through the shed blood of Christ.
Rebuke when wronged, confess and apologize to others, forgive and forget from your hearts, and reconcile. These four points are the Christian standard that whoever professes faith in Jesus must live by and abide by in order to inherit eternal life someday. Pray that we all can do this and follow the doctrine that Jesus gave his life for preaching.
That’s where I’m to stop for right now but Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow till then bye-bye everybody♥️
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 