Heart Surgery

 Heart Surgery

Jer. 17:9; Ps. 51:10; Ezek. 18:31 and Jer. 4:3-4

SUBJECT: Evangelism and Personal Work

THEME: It is vital we maintain a correct attitude toward God and His work. We must keep our hearts respectful, clean, compliant, and obedient towards the duties, tasks, and responsibilities of evangelism.

INTRODUCTION:

Even though the Word of God is incredibly clear on the Great Commission and personal evangelism, there is still a great deal of reluctance among believers to invest, involve themselves, and share their faith. 

Jeremiah 17:9, says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” You see our human nature is so fallible, broken, and deceptive…it cannot be trusted to respond to God or His priorities appropriately! We need to maintain or obtain the correct ‘heart’ posture to become responsive to the Lord. 

MESSAGE:

As God’s Servant, Look to Him to Help You Fix Your Heart

God can fix us with some much-needed heart surgery! We must humble ourselves before Him surrendering to His attention in the areas of inner cleansing, meaningful change, and holy sensitivity. Each of us must make this decision to avail ourselves entirely to the Lord. This may be more difficult for some of us, but it is an act of real faith in the forms of trust, commitment, and sacrifice. In such surrender we have these encouragements:

A. SPIRITUAL REJUVENATION IS WHAT DAVID PROVED

Ps 51:10, Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

We must surrender to deep cleansing and real internal scrubbing! This is a plea for total inner transformation, recognizing that only God principally can forgive our past sins, fundamentally change our sinful nature, and restore our spiritual strength and vitality.

David wrote this psalm of repentance after being confronted by the prophet Nathan about his adultery with Bathsheba and his role in the death of her husband, Uriah. David reveals his realization that his outward sins were symptoms of a much deeper, internal problem—sin in the heart.

Please reflect on these leading ideas: 

• “Create in me a clean heart”: To “create” (bara in Hebrew) is to make something out of nothing—a power uniquely ascribed to God alone. David acknowledges his fantastic moral corruption and is requesting of the Lord God radical spiritual surgery! He is far beyond needing just a quick fix or a patch-up.
• “Renew a right spirit within me”: David asks God to restore and sustain his correct inner heart. Lord, please wash away inner guilt, wrong motives, and moral failures (Ps. 51:11-12, & 17). A “right spirit” is a steadfast, loyal, and willing attitude that aligns perfectly with God’s program and requirements.

Beloved, we can renew a right spirit within ourselves by humbly asking God to forgive us for our serious sin and by turning away from wrongdoing in the future. David is proof God acknowledges this type of approach to Him.

B. SPIRITUAL REJUVENATION IS WHAT EZEKIEL PROMISED

Ezek 18:31, Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

We must surrender ourselves to meaningful change and significant regret resulting in a God-honoring course of action—expressive revolution! We have a divine plea for repentance. It urges us to turn away from sin and embrace spiritual renewal to avoid spiritual death.

Understand this is God’s requirement and promise issued by His servant Ezekiel: 

• “Cast away from you all your transgressions”: The Lord is calling upon us to actively and completely reject past sins and rebellion. No excuses…full responsibility for our failures! This is not just feeling bad about our sin, or regretting the fact that we got caught or even mourning messing up our reputation or that of our family. God wants us to physically and spiritually put our sinful behavior away. That is the first condition.
• “Make you a new heart and a new spirit”: God wants a total inner transformation—heart surgery. Because out of the heart come our actions, a “new heart” entails a complete change in desires, thoughts, and attitudes, allying them with God’s ideas instead of sinful idolatry and wickedness. We must embrace God’s own power to help us live the right way!
• “For why will ye die, O house of Israel?”: God is expressing a heartbreaking, loving appeal to free will. He makes it clear that we do not have to face ruin in this life, and that our chastening or destruction is a result of our own choosing, not His desire. 

Beloved, all of this highlights the deep tension between human responsibility and divine grace. While a person cannot physically create a completely righteous heart on their own, God places the responsibility of choosing to repent and seek Him on us as individuals. Later God reveals that He will ultimately provide the power to achieve this transformation (Ezekiel 36:26). This is God’s promise to the repentant individual; a promise always demands our faith—believing God’s promise!

The very next verse (Ezekiel 18:32) emphasizes that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, underscoring that His ultimate desire is for people to turn away from destruction and live. (Unknown)

C. SPIRITUAL REJUVENATION IS WHAT JEREMIAH PERSCRIBED

Jer 4:3-4, For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4, Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

We must surrender ourselves to God-wrought holy sensitivity to God’s guidance and leadership. No longer indifferent, complacent, stubborn, or passive about God’s priorities! Meaningful advocacy, leadership, support, and involvement are now characteristic of such believers! God calls His people to perform inward spiritual renewal. He warns that unless we break up the hardened, overgrown “fallow ground” of our hearts and “take away the foreskins of your heart” or ‘circumcise’ themselves to remove inner spiritual uncleanness, God’s judgment will burn like an unquenchable fire because of our wicked motives and behavior.

God’s imagery carries a rich, historically based significance:

• “Break up your fallow ground”: In agriculture, “fallow” ground is hard, unplowed soil that has sat untilled for a long time. Spiritually, this represents a hardened, unreceptive heart that has grown complacent towards the Lord. God is saying to actively till the soil of our souls so we can receive His word. Plow it up! Plow your souls!
• “Sow not among thorns”: If you plant good seeds in overgrown areas, weeds will choke them out. God warns the people not to try planting good seeds of obedience or worship while leaving sinful distractions and worldly desires in our lives, as these will ruin any spiritual fruit.
• “Take away the foreskin of your heart”: Physical circumcision was an external sign of the covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants. Cutting away the heart’s “foreskin” applies that physical imagery to the inner person. So, God uses it here as a metaphor for an inward, spiritual transformation. This involves stripping away the pride, stubbornness, and evil intentions that shield our innermost being rendering us sensitive to the Lord’s will.
• “Lest My fury come forth like fire”: Because God is just, He cannot ignore wickedness. He issues a stern, urgent warning that sincere repentance is mandatory; if they refuse to change their hardened ways, His judgment will be an unstoppable, devastating fire.

Beloved, God-wrought spiritual sensitivity is still the unvarnished and undiminished requirement. The need is deep, internal change of heart rather than merely relying on external religious rituals is what the prophet Jeremiah prescribes to us.

CONCLUSION:

Beloved, we must humble ourselves before God surrendering to His attention in the areas of inner cleansing, meaningful change, and holy sensitivity.

“Heart surgery” is a powerful metaphor for divine revitalization, where God cleanses us of our sin and replaces a stubborn, sinful nature with a spiritually obedient heart. The scriptures repeatedly emphasize this transformative, spiritual work God performs in our lives:

• Ezekiel 36:26, A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
• Psalm 51:10, Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
• Romans 2:29, Paul talks about that sacred "circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter".
• Acts 16:14, Paul noted that the Lord gently opened the heart of Lydia so she could attend to the things Paul was preaching.

These passages use medical and surgical imagery (like removing a heart of stone) to symbolize the inward change that happens deep within us through faith in the Lord and His Word.

In Christian evangelism an service, it is vitally important that we maintain a correct attitude concerning the work of God. It is necessary to keep our hearts clean and tender to what God would have to be done. Our Lord Jesus wanted the will of God and sacrificed Himself to see it done (Luk. 22:42; Matt. 26:39; Mk. 14:36; Matt. 6:10; 1 Pet. 2:15. 1 Thess. 5:18; 4:3)

This is how we can hear with our hearts and do again what is pleasing to God!

Changes Due to Sanctification

“Changes Due to Sanctification”

Prov. 28:13-14; Psa. 139:23-24; Duet. 19:19-20; 1 Jn. 1:5-11 

SUBJECT: CORRECTION ADVERSITY COMPELS US TO MAKE

THEME: Examine Your Attitude Toward Evil and Sin When Trouble Invades Your Life. 

RELEVANCY: God Desires for Us to Correct Our Attitude Toward Evil and Turn Away from the Practices of Sin. Sin usually leads to even more sin; it is certain that the “hardened heart shall fall into mischief.” God desires to compel all of us to engage in periodic self-examination so we may face up to our own sin and to do the difficult work of changing our beliefs and our behavior. 

INTRODUCTION:

The Scriptures tell us, God is a God of absolutes. We are either evil or righteous, based upon what we have decided to do in response to Jesus Christ and His shed blood on the cross. 

Now that we are saved, our focus must be on sanctifying ourselves unto Christ our Lord. Sanctification is being set apart for God’s special use…being progressively made holy. The ongoing, practical, and experiential growth in grace is the target. The daily journey of moving away from sinful behaviors to embracing a Christ-like lifestyle involving prayer, scripture study, complete surrender, and obedience to God. This is the lifelong work of the Holy Spirit transforming us believers to become more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, desires, motivations, and actions. 

MESSAGE:  

COMPELS US TO CORRECT OUR HARBORING OF EVIL.

A.  CORRECTION THROUGH SALVATION.  

Persisting in sinful patterns and willful disobedience to God is a primary cause of a hardened heart. God is still calling you to trust Christ as your personal Savior today. He still loves you. His Holy Spirit still attempts to draw you to the Father.  

B.  CORRECTION THROUGH SANCTIFICATION.

Recognizing our sinfulness compels us to journey further, making life changing growth a habit. 

You likely remember that Proverbs 28:13, says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” These observations are key to the sanctification process. Recalling two particulars that are conducive to making sanctifying changes:

• Honestly acknowledging faults and taking responsibility for those wrong actions.
• Truly repenting to not merely say sorry but actively abandoning sinful behaviors.

   1. We Should Feel Compelled to Confess Our Sin.

When we see that we are sinful, we need to come to our heavenly Father saying, “I need Your forgiveness. Please wash me and make me clean in Your sight.” When we recognize that we have committed a trespass against our neighbors, or that we have sinned against God, we should not brush that aside casually as if to say, “Well, that's just my human nature.” Rather, we need to come to God and say, “I have sinned. Have mercy upon me. Change me so I won't desire to do this again!”

a.     Be wide open and straight with God regarding your sins. Psalm 139:23-24, says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: [24] And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” David acknowledges that God knows him completely. By asking God to “search” and “try” (test or examine), he invites God to reveal the inner motives and unconscious biases that he might be blind to. David is begging God to search for sin and point it out, even to the degree of examining his very thoughts. He wants God to expose any hidden sins in his life and guide him toward righteousness. This is a humble admission of our fallibility and a desire for God’s transformation.

b.    Beloved, this is ‘spiritual exploratory surgery’ for sin. The phrase “wicked way” refers to anything causing spiritual grief or pain. This is a request for cleansing and realignment, asking God to point out sin so it can be confessed, and to actively guide us onto the path of eternal life. Child of God, how are we to recognize sin unless God points it out? Then, when God shows us (sometimes through others), we can repent and receive forgiveness. Oh, make this verse your sincere prayer. If you ask the Lord to search your heart and your thoughts and to reveal your sin, you will be continuing God’s path of experiencing everlasting life.

   2. We Should Feel Compelled to Reject Sin and Stand Against Evil.

Recognition of evil should bring about a rebuke, a removal of evil, or a stand against evil.

Deuteronomy 19:19–20, Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. [20] And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you.

a.     We can note the consequences for a malicious witness who gives false testimony in court. The Law mandates that the false accuser receive the exact punishment they intended for the innocent victim, serving as a severe deterrent to perjury and a way to purge evil from the community.

1)    So, if a person lied in court to get someone convicted of a crime, that person would receive the very same penalty (whether a fine, imprisonment, or death) that the innocent defendant would have faced. The goal was not personal vengeance but community protection to eliminate wickedness from society.

2)    Public justice had a dual purpose: to punish the guilty and to act as a strong psychological deterrent. By carrying out severe, fitting penalties in plain sight, the community would learn to fear the legal and moral consequences of lying. This strict justice system was designed to cultivate a culture of truth, integrity, and respect for the law. (See Bible Study Tools)

b.    Beloved, we too are to live in truth, integrity, and respect for God’s Word. Those who hope that God will tolerate a little sinfulness are those who tend to tolerate sinfulness in themselves.

1)    I have seen some come to the point that they do nothing about their sin even though they recognize it as sin. They usually say something like this, “But we are all sinful. We all fall short of perfection. I’m only human after all.” That is true. Romans 3:23 says it plainly: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

2)    But, when we recognize sin in our lives as Christians, we should feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to do something spiritual about it! A Christian should never tolerate nor excuse his sin! We are to live with truth, integrity, and respect for God’s Word.

c.     1 John 1:9, states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This Christian core promise assures us believers that openly acknowledging and taking responsibility for our sins before God instantly restores our fellowship with Him, guaranteed by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Forgiveness means our sins are entirely pardoned and the barrier between us and God is removed. “...and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” speaks of cleansing or removing the internal guilt and moral pollution that sin brings, making us spiritually pure in His sight. While Christians are granted eternal, positional forgiveness at salvation, daily sins hinder our close fellowship with God. Confession acts like ‘relational dusting,’ washing away daily guilt and restoring our closeness with God.                                                            

   3. We Should Feel Compelled to Break Free of Sin’s Grip.

Jesus told a woman who was caught in the act of blatant sin, “Go and Sin No More”.

John 8:10-11, When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? [11] She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. 

Jesus literally expected her to quit sinning in this area He had dealt with.  He was commanding her to REPENT! It didn’t take her 10 visits with a Psycho Analyzer and $20, 000 dollars to get her life straightened out. It took real faith in the Lord Jesus, and conscious submission to Christ’s Authority in her life, therefore she could break away from sinful practices. She was now saved; therefore, she could stop making a habit of sinning! (Rom. 6)

a.     Look to the Lord Jesus, Who Requires Us to Be Perfect. Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. We believers are called to pursue spiritual maturity, wholeness, and unconditional love that mirrors God’s nature, particularly by showing grace to both friends and enemies.

1)    The word “perfect” means “mature,” “complete,” or “reaching a goal”. It does not mean absolute, sinless flawlessness, as we have real limitations.

2)    However, this is God’s ultimate standard; we cannot achieve moral perfection on our own. Instead, it is a lifelong pursuit of transformation, made possible only by relying on Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

b.    How Can We Be Perfect or Spiritually Mature?

1)    In character. In this life we cannot be flawless, but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible.

2)    In holiness. Like the Pharisees, we are to separate ourselves from the world's sinful values. But unlike the Pharisees, we are to be devoted to God's desires rather than our own and show his love and mercy to the world.

3)    In maturity. We can't achieve Christlike character and holy living all at once, but we must grow toward maturity and wholeness. Just as we expect different behavior from a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult, so God expects different behavior from us, depending on our stage of spiritual development.

4)    In love. We can seek to love others as completely as God loves us.

c.     We Can Be “Perfect” If Our Behavior Is Appropriate for Our Maturity Level—mature, yet with much room to grow. Our tendency to sin must never deter us from striving to be more like Christ. Christ calls all his disciples to excel, to rise above mediocrity, and to mature in every area, becoming like him. Those who strive to be like Jesus will one day be like him because of seeing him as he is (1 John 3:2-3). John also advocates ‘walking in the light’ (1 Jn. 1:5-10) or being honest about your mistakes rather than pretending to be ‘perfect.’ We acknowledge our flaws rather than sweeping them under the rug. We begin to live honestly…transparently with God and relate more appropriately with people!

C.  CORRECTION THROUGH ZERO TOLERATION.

Facing the fact that we are sinful creatures is not the same as tolerating sin in our lives. Again, you may be saying, “But we are all sinful. We all fall short of perfection.” That is true.  You may also say, “Well, nobody is perfect, surely God understands that.”

   1. Understand That Acknowledgment is Not Toleration for Sinful Behavior.

Acknowledgment of sin should lead to cleansing and fellowship—not more tolerance.

1 John 1:5-10, This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. [6] If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: [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 cleanseth us from all sin. [8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

a.     Acknowledging sinfulness means agreeing with God that our behavior or conditions fall short of His standard or expectations. Toleration, however, is consenting to or condoning that behavior. This distinction calls us believers to confess and reject our sins rather than approve of our iniquities.

b.    Beloved, this is a solemn call to real repentance! Psalm 32:5, says: “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.”

    2. Understand That Our Acknowledgment Leads to Rejection.

The Scriptures teach us that God desires for us to hate sin and its consequences and to turn from evil at every opportunity.

a.     We need to not only memorize Psalm 119:104, but we also need to adopt the attitude that it requires regarding sin and evil.  May its truth be our resolve! Psalm 119:104, Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

1)    We are not to imitate evil.

2)    We are not to embrace evil.

3)    We are not to flirt with evil.                                                                  

4)    We are not to be curious about evil.

b.    Realize that Jesus’ death and resurrection were God’s final remedy for sin. John 19:30, When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.  Until this time, a complicated system of ceremonial sacrifices had atoned for sins. Sin separates people from God, and only through the sacrifice of an animal, a substitute, could people be forgiven and become clean before God. But people sin continually, so frequent sacrifices were required. Jesus, however, became the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. The word “finished” is the same as ‘paid in full.’ Jesus came to finish God's work of salvation (Jn. 4:34; 17:4), to pay the full penalty for our sins. With his death, the complex sacrificial system ended because Jesus took all sin upon himself. Now we can freely approach God because of what Jesus did for us.

We believe in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection therefore we can live eternally with God and escape the penalty of death in hell that comes from sin.

 CONCLUSION:

Sanctification can be your reality. This daily journey involving moving away from sinful practices to implementing Christ-like lifestyle measures may be your reality immediately. The Holy Spirit transforming us believers to become more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, desires, and actions can began for you today. Remember, acknowledging sin before God is the path to forgiveness, not the acceptance of sin. 

   

 

Choosing Positive Change

Gen. 3:14-19

Theme: We do not like to take responsibility for giving in to temptations and our bad habits; yet it is this very tendency that keeps us from dealing successfully with the besetting sins in our lives.

Introduction: taking responsibility for our actions and failures is the first step to restoring fellowship with God, and strengthening our relationships with those we love. One hindrance to openness and honesty with God is shame. Shame is a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the awareness of wrong or foolish behavior. We can feel so much shame that we cannot bare the idea of facing God; we do not feel worthy of approaching Him for anything. We have zero confidence He will accept us if we did appeal to Him. Such behavior is rooted in an incredible ignorance of the truth that God designed the way of restoration for believers when we fall into temptations. Beloved, there is no reason to hid anything from the Lord…turn to Him.

Another reason we fail to live transparently with the Lord is because we have this faint hope in the back of our minds that God may or will overlook what happened. Perhaps He didn’t notice it…. Certainly, He won’t necessarily call me on it or hold me responsible. This, of course, is flawed human rationalization! God will convict and confront us with our sin and failures to restore us to fellowship with Himself and our love ones. Note how these truths unfold in the account of Adam and Eve. 

 Lesson:

  I. We Must Realize The Lord Will Hold Us Responsible For Our Every Action (Gen. 3:14-19). God’s love for sinners in no way eliminates His holy hatred for sin, for while it’s true that “God is love” (1 John 4:8,16), it’s also true that “God is light” (1:5). A holy God must deal with sin, for the good of the sinner and for the glory of His name.

         A. THE LORD HELD ADAM AND EVE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN.  

The effects of sin are punishment and provision. Whereas the man and the woman had life, they now had death; whereas pleasure, now pain; whereas abundance, now a meager subsistence by toil; whereas perfect fellowship, now alienation and conflict. –Walvoord

                     1)   THE LORD HELD THE SERPENT RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS ACTIONS

Gen 3:14,  And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

                      2)   THE LORD HELD SATAN RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS ACTIONS

Gen 3:15, And I will put enmity between thee (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed [Christ]; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

To Satan, God declared war!  This would climax in his condemnation (Rom 16:20); and to Eve, it was the assurance that she was forgiven and that God would use a woman to bring the Redeemer into the world (1 Tim 2:13-15).

                      3)   THE LORD HELD EVE RESPONSIBLE FOR HER ACTIONS

Gen 3:16, Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

God reinforced His word of hope to Eve by assuring her that she would bear children and therefore not immediately die. But the special privilege of woman as the childbearer (and ultimately the one who brings the Redeemer into the world) would involve multiplied pain in pregnancy as well as submission to her husband. –The Bible Exposition Commentary

                      4)   THE LORD HELD ADAM RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS ACTIONS

Gen 3:17, And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Eve would have pain in the labor of childbirth, but Adam would have pain in his daily labor in the field. As he worked to get his food, Adam would encounter obstacles and have to toil and sweat to get a harvest: and this would remind him that his disobedience had affected creation (Rom 8:18-23). Even more, as he tilled the soil, he would remember that one day he would die and return to the soil from which he had come. Adam the gardener became Adam the toiler. –The Bible Exposition Commentary

         B.    THE LORD WILL HOLD EVERY BELIEVER RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS ACTIONS.  2 Cor 5:9-10, Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

The Lord will call upon each Christian to give an account of himself at the Judgment Seat of Christ!  Therefore, live and battle against temptations to please Him in that great day!

          C.    THE LORD EXPECTS US TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR LIVES BY SAYING “NO” TO TEMPTATIONS AND GETTING RID OF THE BAD HABITS.

When we take the first step and admit that we are responsible for the bad habits in our lives, and when we stop blaming others for our problems, then we can begin to deal with the temptations in our lives.

It is not someone or something else fault.  It is your fault!  This is not the point within itself.  If it’s your problem then you can begin to get victory over it, but if you blame your circumstances, or your environment then there is nothing you can do and you are a victim of circumstances. But God has made it clear that when we take the blame for our failures, then we can deal successfully with temptations.

II. We Must Learn To Be Completely Honest With God and Ourselves.

The Lord wants us to be honest with Him and know the power of real confession.

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 cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

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: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 1:7–2:2)

1. HE WANTS US TO RENEW OUR FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM.

Confession clears the way to freely enjoy the Lord (1 John 1:9-2:2). Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It should ease our conscience and lighten our cares. But some Christians do not understand how it works. We feel so guilty that we confess the same sins over and over; then we wonder if we might have forgotten something.

These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive us. He allowed his beloved Son to die just so he could pardon us. When we come to Christ, he forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. 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 slate perfectly clean. Of course, we should continue to confess our sins, but not because failure to do so will make us lose our salvation. Our relationship with Christ is secure. Instead, we should confess our sins so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with him.

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.

The image of returning to the Lord is one of changing directions, of going back (Hosea 14:1–2, 4). We have wandered off, or gone off in anger, or in desperation. We have turned away from God. It is time now to turn back to him; to make a 180-degree turn; to admit our need of God; to confess the behaviors that caused us to turn away from God. Returning is going home again to the place where our hearts belong, to the place where we are always welcomed back.

God says he will heal our backsliding—waywardness. Waywardness is a turning away from God...from what is in our best interest to follow depraved, sinful, and capricious inclinations. There are many ways in which such unruliness can be expressed. Some of us are openly rebellious. We flaunt our wild behavior and laugh at God. Others of us are quietly wayward. We try to appear compliant and good, but inside we are defiantly independent—shamelessly autonomous. No matter how we express our rebelliousness, it is a powerfully destructive force in our lives.”  God says he will love us freely. He will love us generously, completely, until our fears are calmed and our defenses are lowered. He will heal us with his generous love.

2. HE WANTS US TO REPAIR OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE WE LOVE.

“What I said in front of the boss today was thoughtless and insensitive,” Robert said. “I put you down. I guess I did it to make myself look good. I am sorry. With God's help, I will try to stop treating you like this.”

Phyllis was stunned. She had been hurt by Robert’s comment, but she had come to expect this kind of behavior from him. What she did not expect was for him to be aware of what he was doing, admit it, express regret and commit himself to change. (Source Unknown)

Our defensive instincts often keep us from seeing how our behaviors impact other people. We do something hurtful and then we try to minimize it, adding a second injury to the first, and further damaging our relationships.

The spiritual discipline of confession is at the heart of God's plan for growing us into the kind of people who are capable of intimate relationships. We must continue this spiritual discipline daily. Instead of minimizing your wrongdoings, or shaming ourselves for them, we are invited to promptly admit them. We can clear the air. We can say the truth to God, to others and ourselves.

Accept God’s invitation to live vulnerable, open, honest lives. When we are wrong, we can promptly admit it.

Conclusion:

I.   We tend to excuse our actions by blaming others

II. We must realize the Lord will hold us responsible for our actions

III. We must learn to be completely honest with God and ourselves

Don’t continue in the age-old habit of blaming someone else for your failures. Starting today let us face up to them and take a giant step toward overcoming temptations. No more excuses, I am to blame for my temptations and poor habits. 

God, I acknowledge my problem and I’m not waiting for my circumstances to change, nor am I excusing my habits because of my personality and disposition. Lord by admitting my faults I am putting myself in a position to begin to change and get rid of these habits in my life.

Are We Confessing Our Sins?

Text: 1 John 1:7-2:2 

Though some people deny their sinfulness, believers who confess their sins enjoy victory over them and continuous fellowship with our loving Heavenly Father. Honest and sincere believers come regularly and boldly into the presence of God and they sense in their spirits God’s forgiveness.  Such Christians enjoy a life with their Father. Let us consider how we can fellowship with God by noting the fourfold attitude toward sin:

1. Denying It
2. Confessing It
3. Victory Over It
4. Repeating It or Falling Into It

I.                   DENYING IT (1:8-10)    

II.               CONFESSING IT (1:9)

A.                 The nature of confession

1.      Confess-take sides with God against it.  Admit it.

a.                   God asks that when we have failed Him we confess our sins.

                                                                                                   i.      What does it mean to “confess”? Well, to confess sins mean, “to say the same thing [about].” That is to say the same thing about it that God says about it. It involves admitting to God, “You’re right, I’ve sinned. I’m a sinner. I have not only wronged other people and myself, but I have wronged You.”

                                                                                                ii.      A counselor was trying to help a man who had come forward during an evangelistic meeting. “I’m a Christian,” the man said, “but there’s sin in my life, and I need help.” The counselor showed him 1 John 1:9 and suggested that the man confess his sins to God.

“O Father,” the man began, “if we have done anything wrong—”

“Just a minute!” the counselor interrupted. “Don’t drag me into your sin! My brother, it’s not ‘if’ or ‘we’—you’d better get down to business with God!”

The counselor was right.

b.                  Confession is not praying a lovely prayer, or making pious excuses, or trying to impress God and other Christians.

                                                                                                   i.      True confession is naming sin—calling it by name what God calls it: envy, hatred, lust, deceit, or whatever it may be.

                                                                                                 ii.      Confession simply means being honest with ourselves and with God, and if others are involved, being honest with them too. It is more than admitting sin. It means judging sin and facing it squarely.

c.                   Recognizing the truth—and agreeing with it—that’s confession.

                                                                                                   i.      In order for us to walk day by day in fellowship with God and with our fellow believers, we must confess our sins: sins of commission, sins of omission, sins of thought, sins of act, secret sins, and public sins. We must drag them out into the open before God, call them by their names, take sides with God against them. Confession is vital to our receiving forgiveness.

                                                                                                 ii.      Please bare in mind God already knows you have done wrong. He knows what you did the moment you did it. He knows your thoughts, your motivations, your intent, your will. The sins you confess aren't news to God.

d.                  What is the purpose, then, of confession if God already knows you have sinned, and God is willing to forgive you?

                                                                                                   i.      The purpose is for you to come to grips with what you have done and the sorry position you are in. Confession is a reality check. And it’s the key to your receiving forgiveness into your own life and experiencing the freedom that forgiveness brings.

                                                                                                 ii.      If you do not admit to yourself and to God what you have done, you will not be able to experience what God so desires to give you—release from guilt and shame, and new freedom to walk boldly in your relationship with Him. You confess so you can experience the forgiveness that has been available to you all along, so you can enter fully into relationship with God, and so you can make moves to correct your behavior.

2.      Renounce—forsake what you would have God remit.

a.                   Confession of sins is coupled with forsaking them.

                                                                                                   i.      Yes, true confession involves forsaking sins!

                                                                                                 ii.      Proverbs 28:13, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

b.                  Renouncing sin is part of repentance. To repent means to “change your mind and behavior.” Repentance is an act of the will. It involves follow-through behavior.

                                                                                                   i.      Confession is an admission; it is saying, “I have sinned.” Repentance takes that confession and puts it into action.

                                                                                                 ii.      It is declaring, “I am changing my mind and my behavior so that I will not sin again.” Repentance involves the actual doing of what we say we are going to do.

c.                   The prodigal son said, “I will arise and go to my father,” and two verses later we read, “He arose and came to his father” (vv. 18, 20). The prodigal son changed his mind, he made a decision about a change in his behavior (which included a change in his circumstances and location), and then he acted on that decision. That’s repentance.

d.                  Honest confession admits sin and asks for God’s forgiveness, and repentance defines a necessary change in behavior to live a righteous life, makes a declaration that one is going to pursue that change, and then follows through with actual change.

                                                                                                   i.      To confess without repentance is to say, “I'm sorry,” without any effort to sin no more. Genuine repentance—the desire and action not to sin again—validates confession.

                                                                                                 ii.      The two are inseparable for any person who desires to walk in close fellowship with God. (2 Tim. 2:25–26; 2 Cor. 7:9).

3.      Believe in the efficacy of the blood of Christ (vv. 7-9).

a.                   The blood of Christ will never lose its cleansing power!

                                                                                                   i.      Now, suppose you as a child of God have lost your fellowship with God. And John says, “And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” That is the blood of Jesus Christ continually cleanses you from all sin making it possible for imperfect believers to have fellowship with a holy God.

                                                                                                 ii.      All God’s forgiveness is based on the blood of His Son that was shed at Calvary. That blood provided God with a righteous basis on which He can forgive sins, and, as we sing, “the blood will never lose its power.” It has lasting efficacy to cleanse us.  Our responsibility is to confess our sins and trust the blood of Christ to keep on cleansing us from all sin.

b.                  Search me, O God, and know my heart today; try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be some wicked way in me; cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin; fulfill Thy Word and make me pure within. Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame; grant my desire to magnify Thy name.  –Osbeck, K. W. 1990. Amazing Grace

c.                   The Bible repeatedly declares the blood of Christ as a powerful means of spiritual cleansing!

                                                                                                   i.      John 1:29, The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

                                                                                                 ii.      Ephesians 1:7, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

                                                                                                iii.      Hebrews 9:14, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

                                                                                               iv.      Revelation 1:5, And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (see also 1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 Peter 1:19; 1 John 2:1-2; 5:6; Revelation 7:14)

4.      Accept God’s declaration of forgiveness, based on His righteousness and justice (v. 9).

a.                   When we confess our sins, God promises to forgive us (1 John 1:9). But this promise is not a “magic rabbit’s foot” that makes it easy for us to disobey God!

b.                  “I went out and sinned,” a student told his campus chaplain, “because I knew I could come back and ask God to forgive me.”

“On what basis can God forgive you?” the chaplain asked, pointing to 1 John 1:9.

“God is faithful and just,” the boy replied.

“Those two words should have kept you out of sin,” the chaplain said. “Do you know what it cost God to forgive your sins?”

The boy hung his head. “Jesus had to die for me.”

Then the chaplain zeroed in. “That’s right—forgiveness isn’t some cheap sideshow trick God performs. God is faithful to His promise, and God is just, because Christ died for your sins and paid the penalty for you. Now, the next time you plan to sin, remember that you are going to sin against a faithful loving God!” –Warren Wiersbe

c.                   Clearly, cleansing has two sides to it: the judicial and the personal. The blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, delivers us from the guilt of sin and gives us right standing (“justification”) before God. God is able to forgive because Jesus’ death has satisfied His holy Law.

B.                 The result of confession

1.      We are forgiven (v. 9)

a.       To forgive means to send away or dismiss. It involves completely canceling an offense and the entire removal of the cause of offense.

b.      Nothing is beyond God’s forgiveness. No sin is too great, too awful, or too prolific for God to forgive. No person is so deep in sin, so ingrained in a lifestyle, so steeped in evil, that he or she cannot be forgiven.

c.       When God forgives, God forgets. Forgiveness from God results in a complete “fresh start” from God’s perspective. Nothing of the old is remembered or counted against a person.

d.      No matter how many times a person errs or sins against God after he or she is saved, a person can be forgiven and experience a new beginning. Any time we turn to God with a sincere heart and admit our failures, sins, and willful rebellion, God hears our prayer and responds with forgiveness. Once we are forgiven, we stand before God totally cleansed. God never holds our past sin against us. (See Is. 38:17; Ps. 103:12)

2.      We are cleansed from sin’s guilt (v. 7) and sin’s power (v. 9).

a.      Our guilt is gone (v. 7)!

                                                                                                   i.      Many people are walking under a dark cloud, feeling God’s displeasure or believing that they should be feeling God’s displeasure. Let’s recognize several facts about guilt.

1.      First, genuine guilt is the way we feel when we have sinned. It is the normal response to sinful behavior. Genuine guilt arises when we willfully act in a way that we know is contrary to God’s law.

2.      If you have the capacity to know right from wrong, and you know something is wrong but you do it anyway, you will feel guilty and have a need for forgiveness. 

                                                                                                 ii.      We are to walks habitually in the light—truth and holiness—not in darkness –falsehood and sin—(1Jn. 1:7; 3:9). Our walk also results in cleansing from sin as the Lord continually forgives us. The guilt is removed by his gracious forgiveness as fellowship with Him continues.

b.      Sin’s power is broken (v. 9)!

                                                                                                   i.      Recognize that we can be victorious over sin; we do not have to live in defeat.

                                                                                                 ii.      Romans 6:2, God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

                                                                                              iii.      We have been programmed to think, I know I am going to sin, to fail … to fall short today. Since this is true I need to be ready to find cleansing. You have not been programmed to yield yourself unto God as those who have power over sin.

How much better to begin each day thinking victory, not defeat; to awake to grace, not shame; to encounter each temptation with thoughts like, Jesus, You are my Lord and Savior. I am your child—liberated and depending on Your power. Therefore, Christ, this is Your day, to be lived for Your glory. Work through my eyes, my mouth, and through my thoughts and actions to carry out Your victory. And, Lord, do that all day long.

We know we can live a new life free from the bondage of sin because of the death and resurrection of God’s Son. God has won the victory over sin and death. We must ask our Father to be the master of our lives. To protect us from Satan, our fleshly nature, and the temptations of this world. We must invite the purifying power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse our lives. May we stay blameless until the day of Christ’s return. –Charles Swindoll

Confess to the Lord that you have done things, said things, thought things, and believed things that make you uncomfortable in His presence. Ask Him to forgive you for your sins and to remove your feelings of guilt and discomfort in His presence. Believe with your faith that He not only hears your request but also grants it fully. And then walk with the Lord! Talk to Him. Share your life with Him, and invite Him to share His life with you.