CONFESSING OUR SIN RESTORES FELLOWSHIP!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY DECEMBER 12, 2021.

SUBJECT: CONFESSING OUR SIN RESTORES FELLOWSHIP!

Memory verse: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (First John 1 vs 9.)

READ: Psalm 32 vs 1 - 5:

32:1: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

32:2: Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

32:3: When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.

32:4: For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.

32:5: I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

INTIMATION:

To confess our sin is to agree with God, acknowledging that He is right to declare what we have done as sinful and that we are wrong to desire or to do it. It means affirming our intention of forsaking that sin in order to follow Him more faithfully. God wants to forgive sinners. Forgiveness has always been part of His loving nature, and He dramatically showed it to the world through the offering of His only Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins. The instant you confess your sin, He is faithful, just, and righteous to forgive, and restore fellowship with you. 

Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our consciences and lighten our cares. But some Christians do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sin over and over; then they wonder if they might have forgotten something. These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive us. He allowed His beloved Son to die so He could offer us pardon. God forgives disobedience, puts sin out of sight, and cleans our record of guilt. Now you are to forgive yourself and forget your sins and go on in love with Him. For you to continually remind yourself of your past errors and sins is to deny the efficacy of His forgiveness and the value of His Word.

When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit provided we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness. We don’t need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and we don’t need to fear that God will reject us if we don’t keep our state perfectly clean. Of course we should continue to confess the sins we commit thereafter, not because failure to do so will make us lose our salvation since our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him. Joy cannot be made full without fellowship. 

In admitting our sins and receiving Christ’s cleansing, we are (1) agreeing with God that our sin truly is sin and that we are willing to turn from it, (2) ensuring that we don’t conceal our sins from Him and consequently from ourselves, and (3) recognizing our tendency to sin and relying on His power to overcome it.  For the aforementioned reasons we need to continually confess our sins.

There is no need walking in broken fellowship a minute after you have committed sin. The devil is the author of that sin. Then to walk in broken fellowship, grieving over your blunder, is only adding joy and glory to the devil. The instant you have done wrong and your fellowship is impaired, ask for the Father's forgiveness and go on in fellowship with Him. 

In First John 2 vs 1, the Scripture says, 

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Jesus Christ is the righteous Advocate. He can go into the Father's presence when we are under condemnation and shrink from meeting Him. He is always righteous, and can always plead our case. The instant we ask the Father's forgiveness, Jesus takes up our case before the Father and our fellowship is restored.

However, true confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn’t be genuinely confessing our sins to God if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it. For the sin(s) that easily beset you, seek the power of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome it; humbly go to God in prayer for His help through the Holy Spirit indwelling you.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are our sacrificial Savior, our faithful Companion, and ever Merciful Father. In Your loving nature, You gave us Your only begotten Son to die for our sins, and He paid the price of sin we owed. Forever I remain deeply grateful to You for the free gift of salvation. Engrace me with the spirit of delightsome obedience to You in all areas of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!