Confessing Our Sins B

To confess your sin. I watch this is not to beg for forgiveness is simply to say the same thing about your sin. God is saying what you say it's in your thought is a matter of agreeing with God. You are a sinner and willing to deal with.

You certainly wouldn't treat that disease like the common cold. You want to do everything possible to understand what you're up against and how to get rid of it. But sadly many people treat something that is far more dangerous as if it were no big deal. Well today on grace to you. John MacArthur will show you why it's crucial to understand just how dangerous sin is in the proper way to deal with it is current series on the fundamentals of Christian living is called back to basics and with that, here's John. There are some very practical principles involved in living, to the glory of God. We said that if we are to live to his glory. We not only confessing him as Lord. But secondly, we aim our life.

His glory, we glorify God. Thirdly, by confessing sin by confessing sin first Samuel chapter 5 this is a most fascinating part of biblical history. The children of Israel had paid little attention to God for a long time. They had been pretty well pursuing their own ends. They were still religious in a formal sense, they still cranked up the ritual, but there was nothing in their heart toward God and so now they get into a battle with the Philistines and they have a problem.

The Philistines basically can overpower them militarily and so they are fearful and in their fearfulness they decide that if they're going to defend themselves against the Philistines.

They had better get God back into their army, but having ignored them for so long. In fact, they'd even take the ark of the covenant, which was the place where God's presence abode and they had removed it off somewhere other than where it should've been, and so they were told to go get it. Somebody says in chapter 4. Go to Shiloh and get God when I get to get into this battle with any sense of victory in us, God is here, so they ran off to get God's off they went.

They came back with the ark.

The ark arrives. Tremendous things begin to happen.

In verse seven of chapter 4 the Philistines were afraid and they said God is coming to the camp.

Is he to then was just an idol.

They had their own idols.

They saw this little box with the angels wings on the top of the polls runs of the rings and death. They said that's their God and boy there.

God is a powerful God will do us this is the God you know who who delivered them from Egypt and this is the God the ground all Egyptian army and this is the God that brought the play agents.

Why would I want to mess with the God of that little box so they were afraid you know what happened.

They didn't have much choice. They had to fight so verse 10 says in the Philistines fought and Israel was smitten and waited what you mean Israel was smitten. They had God on their team while I fled every man to his tent. There was a very great slaughter and 30,000 foot soldiers of Israel fell and you know what else happened.

The ark of God was taken and two sons of Eli the high priest hafnium finance were slain. The priest's sons were killed 30,000 footmen died in the Philistines walked off with the ark know that is exactly what Israel expected. They thought God was utilitarian. Jeannie reputable bodily pops out says yes master. What can I do for you but he wasn't. God is not Jell-O you don't pop them in your mold and spring them out to do your thing in the way you want it done. They'd ignored God and God was going to show them a lesson they can't do that. So they lost the battle well if you think it was tough on Israel. It was tougher on the Philistines because now I've got God on their hands and that's a tough one. Chapter 5 it says this in the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod know they were going go through a series of cities and Felicity at which by the way is the primitive name of Palestine. It's where that name comes from and when the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and cited by Dagon on the obvious thing to do with the goddess to put them into God's house right Dagon was there God Dagon was a God that was half fish, half man, sort of a male made rather than a mermaid, a weird thing, half fish, half man, but this is what the Philistines worship any other temple so they figured we got the God of Israel, stick him in the house that we made for our own God. Well, verse three when they in Ashdod where the house of Dagon was arose early the next day, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face which direction was bowing before the ark of the Lord. They came in here was the whole deal dumped over bowing down this little box and so they set them in his place again. They probably figured there was a localized earthquake or someone on real badly for Laura to fix him so they put them back in verse four. They rose early the next morning and Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground again before the ark of the Lord, only this time, his head was cut off in both the palms of his hands were cut off, and only the stump remain in God was saying don't pick him up again is right where he belongs. God will not tolerate any other gods. God will not tolerate any idols be compared to him. Well, that wasn't all that happened verse six the hand of the Lord was heavy on them, of Ashdod, and he destroyed them and smote them with now. Some versions say hemorrhoids but that's a very bad translation that is not what they were smitten with that would be a bad problem with that is what the problem was right here. One of the old version says Ameron that sounds like a flower, but the best translation is tumors. The whole society of Ashdod were smitten with tumors.

By the way, among many of them died in a plague that was brought by some might something like the Black death of the bubonic plague and the ones it didn't die by the mice were smitten with these tumors. While the men of Ashdod were fairly smart and it didn't take him long to figure out that they got into a lot of trouble when they got the ark of God so they say get that ark out of here and so they said what are you going to do it. Verse eight and he said send it to GATT now gathers a familiar town to some of you because there was a big man from Gath by the name of Goliath. Another town and Felicity so they took the ark of the God of Israel to GATT, which wasn't any big favor for the people to live there. Same thing happen.

Great destruction. The plague of mice death everywhere. He smote the men of the city, small and great, and they had tumors again in their secret parks and what that means is internal tumors. Some cancers on the inside so they said get rid of the thing they sent a deep run eco-nice yelled and said wait a minute, and so this thing is being passed all the way through their country and everywhere goes there's trouble in fact in verse 12 it says the men that died.

Not that is from the plague were smitten with the tumors and the cry, the city went up to heaven know what they say in heaven, God, you boy what kind of a god were they cursing God, what were they doing when they cry when they say God why are you doing this, let's find out verse one of chapter 6 in the ark of the Lord was in the country. The Philistines seven months. The Philistines called for the priest and the diviners soothsayers you know.

So what are you going to do what how do we get ourselves out of this mess and they said if you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don't send it empty. Don't send it back to what you got what you mean.

But by all means.

Now watch this returned him a tress pass off ring. Then you will be healed. Nellis what does a trespass offering admit to to sin. You admit that you are fault not God.

If you want to have peace and these guys were smarter than a lot of people I know. You admit that the God you have desecrated the God you have dishonored the God you have defamed had every right to react in the way that he did and the reason you got problems is because you have defiled this God.

In other words, you take the blame and you give a trespass offering Willison what shall a trespass offering the B in chapter 6, verse four and he said the wisemen said five golden tumors and five golden mice.

That sounds weird. That is not a Levitical trespass offering.

These are pagan whenever they were given offering. They would give what was called a votive VO TI VE offering votive offerings were symbolic replicas of the problem brought on by the desecration of the God. For example, let's say that you lived in that society and and you had a withered hand it in your pagan thinking you would assume that the gods have given you a withered hand because you dishonored them. So when you went to the temple to worship the gods you would have fashioned out of clay a hand and when you put that hand down that would be the way you are acknowledging to the gods that you knew your problem with your hand was because you dishonored them. That's what votive offerings work when I was in the city of of the Corinth I went into a little room in the museum there where they have collected the votive offerings, and a man there had the key and they don't let people in there very often. But we were able to get in and we noticed in there that all over the place where these clay replicas of every possible organ and limb of the body external and internal. They had come to worship the God escalate the is who is the God of healing and when they came they would bring these parts of the body, the symbols, knowing that they were thereby saying to the gods whatever disease I have is a result of my failure to fulfill your will and so these pagans are doing was very normal. They were saying the tumors and the mice are reckoned to be a result of your judgment on us and we want you to know that we know that right verse five wherefore shall make images of your tumors and images of your mice that mar the land and you shall give glory to the God of Israel. In other words, you glorify God when you recognize that he had every right to do that because you defile him. No limitation of the people as long as you are making excuses for your sinfulness. You will never grow spiritually, you will grow spiritually when you are humbly acknowledging your sin and doing something about and how you deal with it. You acknowledge that you are responsible for and that's first. That's first. Don't blame your circumstance.

You don't blame your husband or wife, your boyfriend or girlfriend. Your boss don't blame your employees. You don't blame the pastor you blame yourself, knowing blame the devil and that went around for long time, the devil made you do it.

We still have things today that people believe demons make them do everything I read a book by a man who even said that the problem with his runny nose was the demon of postnasal drip.

It isn't demons and it isn't the devil and it isn't the circumstances, and it isn't your friends and so forth.

All of that system contributes to the problem but ultimately sin every time it occurs is an act of the will and you are responsible and so first of all, you have to acknowledge that when the prodigal came home to his loving father Luke 15 he said I've seen against heaven and against you suggests treat me like a day labor that even would be gracious. He didn't expect anything because he knew he didn't deserve anything is that mentality people that you know you're a sinner. You deserve nothing but is the source of a dealing with sin.

That's part and parcel spiritual growth. In Psalm 51. David says against D. The only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight in blame anybody but himself, and he said, in effect, God, you're just in all that you brought to bear on my life and that's where confession begins. It begins by acknowledging the sin is my fault. Now let me just take a little further. If you're really going to grow spiritually must be confessing your sense of the glory of God. That means first of all you see it is your sin. Secondly, you acknowledge it is sin. You acknowledge it as such. This is my problem, and I know that it is sinful and it is at a front against your divine nature. Genesis 41. Nine then spoke to chief Butler to Pharaoh. I do remember my sins this day. Genesis 4416 so Judah said what can we say to my lord, what can we speak and how can we justify ourselves. God is found out our sins the end of the conversation. First Samuel 1524 then Saul said to Samuel, I have sin I have transgressed truly the command of the Lord second Samuel 1213 and David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord Daniel 920 Daniel good godly. Daniel says I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin. Luke 58 but when Simon Peter saw that he fell down at Jesus feet, saying, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.

Luke 18 the publican in the corner wouldn't so much as lift his eyes toward heaven, but smote upon his breast and cried. Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. So you see, confession of sin is recognizing that your problem and it sin it sin, but I really believe people at that so very basic to spiritual growth because that's where you're dealing with the thing that holds you back from growing clinical little further on this the word confess. In the Greek and the New Testament is the word homologue ghetto lot ghetto which we get logon us means to speak. We talk about logic that means discussion of principal logical to speak is is part of the word. The other part is, or Homo we say something is a homogeneous or homogenize, we mean it is the same is the same and that is exactly what the word means to speak the same to confess your sin.

I watch this is not to beg for forgiveness. It is simply to say the same thing about your sin. God is saying what's he saying it's sin and it's your fault. Confession is not a pleading in a pleading and begging for forgiveness is in agreement with God that your sin is your sin that so that's very basic when I confess my sin. I'm not saying oh God please forgive me. I beg you please forgive me. I want you to forgive me like they used to say in revivalist type meetings prayer through brother prayer through keep plowing in there keep banging on the door and Donna forgive no known when you became a Christian, how much of your sin. Did he forget what the Bible says he's forgiven all your trespasses for his namesake. First John two all your sin is forgiven.

Confession is not a matter of forgiveness is a matter of agreeing with God that you are a sinner and willing to deal with that sin in your life already been forgiven.

You know, Jesus already paid the penalty for all my sin doesn't have to be paid again in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 that wonderful verse it says this be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even asked God for Christ's sake hath past tense forgiven you already forgive were not begging for forgiveness. Forgiveness is already there. We just accepted what we are doing is agreeing with God that we are at fault in first John 19 it says and I'll paraphrase it. If we are the ones confessing our sins, then he is the one faithful and just to forgive us our sin and what he's doing there is characterizing a Christian you have to understand whole argument of first John is the difference between a Christian and the non-Christian and the non-Christian. Does this, he denies his sin. First John 18 and 10. John says if any man say he has not sinned he makes God a liar that's typical of an unregenerate man he denies to sin, but we are the ones confessing it is characteristic of a true believer to be agreeing with God about his sin, that it is sin against God, and that it is his fault. It was a well are you sure don't you think you just at the Kenneth deal with sin when you get saved.

Never again was we are saved by faith.

Yes, what if that were faith ended just say well not saved by faith from Giraldo by site owner you are saved by faith and you continue by faith you were saving the confession of sin and you continue to confess the sin in your life. The mark of a Christian is a constant life of faith.

The mark of a Christian is a constant life of love. That's what first John said the mark of a Christian is a constant life of obedience.

The mark of a Christian is the constant life of separation from the world.

The mark of the Christian is a constant life of instruction at the hands of the Holy Spirit rather than worldly wisdom and another mark of a Christian, a constant willingness and openness to confess sin, so that a Christian is characterized as one who confess to sin. Other degrees of the very sometimes we don't make his full confession as we ought to, but any true believer is sooner or later going to acknowledge his sin. That's first John will not know me Tyson people when you are doing that faithfully and honestly and objectively before God. You will find yourself in the process of growth when you won't face your sin and you won't admit it and deal with it and bring it before God. You won't because you're not ready to let go of it. That's the key.

That's why say there's no such thing as true confession without repentance.

And I can member my wife, saying, Lord, I am so sorry for the sins and I thank you for already forgiving me and I was all I said and he came to a milestone in my life and I began to say this, Lord. Thank you for forgiving our sins. I know they do not please you and I never want to do them again.

Sometimes we don't say that because we want to do them again.

We sort of take care the past we want to limit the future we can like them. What I'm saying.

That is, that's a betrayal of the lack of spiritual maturity.

When you face your sin, to acknowledge that yours that's against God. You square off with it. Who admits and you repent of it.

That's the heart that's the core of really genuine confession of sin people. I've spent some time on this because I think this is so very basic. Here we are trying to grow. The thing that retards us to sin.

Here we are endeavoring to glorify God. If there's one thing in the universe that doesn't glorify God.

What is said and for example if I regard iniquity in my heart. The Lord will even what hear me I can't grow spiritually. I can even commune with God if I'm harboring sin. So there must be in my life.

Confession of sin, and I believe this is so very basic as you and I are involved in facing the reality of our sin and confessing it. We free God from any impunity if he wants to chasten us.

We accepted we don't say, well, God, you know, you sure do make it tough on me. Why do I get the dirty end of the stick and also magic your examine your life, you may be getting exactly what you deserve and how to be willing to accept so that is a believer. If we are to grow.

We must be dealing with that which retards are growth and what retards are growth is seen only make it as practical as I can.

Somewhere in your prayer life. As a matter of routine as a matter of constancy.

There ought to be confession of sin and that is an overt and open and honest dealing with sin and a willingness to accept whatever chastening God brings because that's how he keeps you from doing it again. I tell parents all the time that if there are no consequences to your child's misbehavior. Your child will continue to misbehave in my own life. I've said, even to the Lord, Lord, if I need chastening to be conformed to you then chasten me see because I don't want to go down the same path all the time God is putting us a system of guilt. And it's good if you didn't feel guilty. You'd be living your spiritual life like a physical life. We didn't feel pain. Can you imagine trying to live physically where where you felt no pain. Now, in your spiritual life God has placed guilt. Guilt is a little bell or a buzzer the goes off when you sin. It should then bring you immediately to the point of confession when there is a sin and you feel the guilt and you since the reality that is God's way of saying that's paying to your soul, and there at that point you confronted you say God I know it is sin I know is against you. I realize it is my fault. I do not want to do it again. I turned give me the strength to walk in another path not you live like you were to find yourself in a tremendous pattern of spiritual growth and frankly you'll never grow spiritually until you begin to deal with the things that hold back your growth but retard maturity. What we learned so far. Spiritual growth is a process of giving God glory as we live in the framework of giving imploringly growth.

That means confessing Jesus as Lord. That means aiming my life that his glory, no matter what it cost me suffering when he suffers, and be content to be outdone by others. The same thing I do, only better than finally for the first part of our study means that I am willing to acknowledge my sin, so that whatever God may bring into my life.

He is just to do it, for I have seen and he is holy and righteous in his reaction, and in these conditions. People with this framework will begin to grow spirit and you been listening to John MacArthur Huron Grace to you. John is a pastor, author and Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary. Today's lesson is part of his current series titled back to basics well. Thinking about their Christmas celebration this month and whatever plans you might be making if you're looking for a special gift for a loved one, something that will benefit him or her at long after the holiday we have some helpful suggestions and maybe the most important suggestion.

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