Sunday, February 23, 2014
am
“I HAVE SINNED!”
In the Bible (NKJV), the expression, “I have sinned” is used
some 19 times. This morning
we want to take a few moments and notice some of these.
We will also make some observations about those who used the
expression. You might be
surprised to consider the various attitudes that accompanied this
expression.
a.
Ex. 9:27, 10:16.
In both instances, Pharaoh was dealing with the plagues from God.
The first time was the 7th plague of hail.
As the land was being destroyed he called for Moses and said, “…“I
have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are
wicked.” (Exodus 9:27) But
we read further that as soon as the hail ceased, Pharaoh again hardened
his heart again.
Then as the 8th plague of locust devastated what the hail had
left, Pharaoh again says, “I have
sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now therefore,
please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God,
that He may take away from me this death only.”” (Exodus 10:16-17)
b.
While he admitted his
sins, there is no evidence of repentance.
He said what he did to get relief.
His statement was superficial and his actions immediately
demonstrated that.
c.
Is it possible that today there are some who only will confess their sins
only to get immediate relief? Perhaps one has
been told that if they don’t repent they will be withdrawn from so they
confess that what they have done is wrong.
But as soon as things calm down they revert to their old sinful
conduct. THEY know that they
never truly repented or their acknowledgment was half-hearted.
d.
TRUE repentance demands
that one demonstrate true godly sorrow and change of conduct (2 Cor.
7:10-11). We shall see this
more as our lesson progresses.
e.
NOTE: We realize that we
cannot read one’s heart so our response to one’s confession must give
the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
The scriptural teaching on confession, repentance and forgiveness
demands that. (Jas. 5:19-20, Matt. 18:22, Luke 17:4, Col. 3:13, etc.)
And that is often a challenge for us.
BUT my point is that YOU know YOUR heart when you say, “I have sinned.”
a.
Balaam has been hired by
Balak, king of Moab to curse Israel in the wilderness.
But the problem was that Balaam was a prophet of God.
As a prophet he could not speak anything contrary to the Lord’s
will. But he wanted to help
Balak. After finally being
given permission with warnings he heads out.
On his way to see Balak we are told the anger of the Lord was
aroused because he went. The
angel of the Lord was sent and stood in Balaam’s way.
His donkey saw the angel when Balaam could not.
He becomes angry with the donkey who eventually talks back (a
miracle within itself). Then
the Lord opens Balaam’s eyes and he sees the angel ready to slay him.
Num. 22:34 says, “And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I
have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now
therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.””
Balaam is told to go on but be careful what he says.
Balaam obeys.
b.
BUT, we learn later that
Balaam sought a way to circumvent the plain speaking of the Lord.
He was responsible for immorality among the Israelites ( Numbers
25) Num. 31:16 record that it was through the counsel of Balaam that
this sin happened.
c.
The New Testament
reveals the attitude and actions of Balaam.
2 Pet. 2:15 – it is described a s a way that loved the wages of
unrighteousness;
Jude 11 echoes this point;
Rev. 2:14 identifies how Balaam taught Balak to put a stumbling block
before the children of Israel.
d.
The problem with Balaam
saying, “I have sinned” is that he did not really want to obey God.
And while he could not do what he
wanted, he sought a way to get around it.
e.
How many today, when
confronted with sin will “repent” and “confess”, but then they
proceed to find a way around that which they confessed?
They look for a loop hole so that they can get the result they
wanted in the first place.
Such an attitude is a demonstration of a lack of sincerity.
a.
When Israel finally
entered Canaan, they were given specific instructions about the defeat
of Jericho which the Lord gave them.
All that was in the city was consecrated and belonged to the Lord
(Josh. 6:19). Joshua
7:1 says that Israel committed a trespass because Achan took some of the
accursed items and hid them in his tent.
His sin became known when Israel was defeated by Ai, a town that
was much smaller than Jericho.
Lots were cast as the Lord instructed and Achan was found out.
When Joshua demanded that he confess we read in Josh 7:20, “And
Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord
God of Israel, and this is what I have done:”
He then explained what he stole and where it was.
The items were found and Achan and his family were stoned to death and
his possessions were burned.
b.
Achan’s confession came
only after he got caught.
Was he sincere? I cannot
answer that! But we do know
that when one confessions “after the fact” there is always room for
questioning motives (and we need to be careful in so doing).
If you are genuinely remorseful of sin, take care of it BEFORE
you get caught and there will be no question that you are trying.
c.
But whether he was
sincere or not, it didn’t change the consequences.
When we sin we need to confess it.
A part of repentance is making restitution when possible and
accepting the consequences of our conduct.
There are some who want a “soft landing” which hinders them from
admitting their sins when they ought to.
a.
In 1 Samuel 15 we find recorded
Samuel instructing king Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites.
He was explicitly told not to spare anyone or any living thing
(vs. 3)
Saul took his army and easily defeated them.
But he spared the king
and some of the livestock.
When he returns from battle he is confronted by Samuel who in
essence asked why he had not obeyed God.
King Saul disagrees.
But when he finds that he has been “caught” and made excuses (blaming
the people, supposed just reasons, etc.) and been told God rejected him
as king, ““Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have
transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I
feared the people and obeyed their voice.” (1 Samuel 15:24)
He begs forgiveness.
When it is not granted he further says in vs. 30, “I have
sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and
before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your
God.””
Sadly, this was the beginning of the end for king Saul.
b.
In confessing his sins,
notice how Saul makes excuses.
He seeks to offset his guilt by passing the blame to others.
c.
I become very concerned
when someone confesses sins and then they say, “BUT…” and they proceed
to blame someone else. True
repentance is about YOU making things right with God and others if you
have sinned against them.
Passing the blame and making excuses is seeking to lessen the
seriousness of one’s own sinful actions and attitudes.
It is an attitude that is very prevalent in our society where far
too many do not want to be held accountable for their own conduct.
I have seen letters from preachers who would begin by confessing some
sinful attitude or conduct that they were guilty of, but then they will
proceed to attack someone else for their sins.
The intent of their letter becomes clear very quickly.
Such conduct is suspect!
a.
Judas is the apostle
that will forever be known as the betrayer of Jesus.
For 30 pieces of silver, he was willing to sell out his Lord.
What was going through his mind we don’t know but later when he
realized Jesus WAS going to be put to death he changed his mind.
Matt. 27:3-4 says “Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He
had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of
silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by
betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see
to it!”” Judas then throws
down the money and goes out and hangs himself.
b.
With this example we
begin to see the genuine attitude of repentance.
Judas was remorseful.
There is no need to question his sincerity.
But he did not take care of it properly.
He went out and hanged himself.
c.
When we repent and
confess our sins, we need to do what we can to take care of it.
And we need to do the right thing!
a.
Nehemiah was the
cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Shushan.
He was a Jew in captivity.
When he inquires of the state of affairs in Jerusalem he is told
the city is still in ruin.
As a result Nehemiah prays to God.
In his prayer he says, “please let Your ear be attentive and
Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I
pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your
servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have
sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.”
(Nehemiah 1:6)
b.
WE see here a prayer
that involved the sins of Israel.
But we also see in this a personal acknowledgment of sin.
And that is where our confession needs to begin.
c.
We are told in Matt.
7:1-5 before we worry about the splinter in our brothers eye we need to
deal with the plank in our own eye.
True repentance is only going to come when those involve change.
You can only deal with your own personal sins.
You do your part – that is what matters to you.
The rest of the book demonstrates how Nehemiah took care of his
part.
a.
David on more than one
occasion sinned and had to confess his sins.
b.
One time was the sin of
David and Bathsheba that he attempted to cover it.
His cover up only made matters worse and led to the death of
Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband.
c.
2 Samuel 12 records
Nathan’s challenge and confronting David for his sin.
2 Sam. 12:13 says, “So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against
the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your
sin; you shall not die.”
d.
NOTICE how David doesn’t
blame anyone else. He
confesses his own sin and is ready to accept the consequences. He has
genuine remorse which is demonstrated in the surrounding text and in
some of his psalms. Psa. 41:4 - “I said, “Lord, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.””
“For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.”
(Psalm 51:3–4)
e.
This is the attitude we need.
Our confession needs to be sincere and remorseful.
f.
Another thought I have
about David. I wonder if he
was relieved when he was finally exposed.
He could now move on and make restitution to the best of his
ability.
a.
WE have here another
example of true repentance and heart felt confession.
b.
This is a parable about
a son who receives his inheritance and goes and wastes it all.
When he is broke and hungry he resorts to feeding slop to pigs.
While there “he came to himself” and realized his deplorable
state and how his father could get him out of it.
But he knew that he had to confess his sins with humility.
Luke 15:18 finds him reasoning about this.
So he goes to his father who is waiting for him.
When his father sees
him he runs to him and kisses his neck.
The son confesses his sin (vs. 21).
His father forgives him and rejoices that he has returned.
c.
In this parable Jesus is
ultimately making reference to our heavenly Father is waiting for us to
truly repent. When we do, He
is there with open arms ready to forgive and to receive us to Him again.
d.
This is the attitude
that ought to accompany our confession of our sins.
TRUE repentance is demonstrated with his humility and a
willingness to accept the consequences of one’s conduct.
Conclusion: When we are guilty of sin, we need to repent and confess
that to God. At times we
need to make public confession.
But, as we have seen in this lesson, simply saying, “I have
sinned” is not enough. These
words need to be accompanied by true repentance and obedience.
If you are not a Christian that means obeying the gospel (Acts 2:38)
If you are an erring child of God that means confession your sins to Him
(1 John 1:9)
Have you taken care of your sins?