WHAT IS SIN?
Part 13 - No Forgiveness
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
SLIDE 1 - Forgiven I John 1:9
SCRIPTURE READING
2 Corinthians 7:10
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
INTRODUCTION
† Forgiveness is the result of confession of your sin, and true repentance from that sin.
o What if, after committing sin, there was no chance to repent?
§ Then all would be condemned, because all have sinned. Romans 3:23
o We must remember that salvation, although a FREE gift of God, still has conditions attached to it.
o These conditions are as follows;
§ One must admit (confess) he is sinful and in need of saving (purpose of the 10 commandments)
§ One must call on the name of the Lord (believe) to be saved by Him. (and all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved)
§ One must repent (turn away from, “go and sin no more”...)
† These conditions are immutable, and must take place for salvation!
† SLIDE 2 - Basic Christian Math
I. FORGIVENESS = CONFESSION + REPENTANCE
a. CONFESSION
i. Confession alone is not enough. Anyone can admit guilt.
ii. We are already told that all are sinful (guilty) in Romans 3:23
iii. Confession is necessary because we must admit our guilt.
b. REPENTANCE
i. Jesus gives “woe’s” to unrepentant cities
1. Matthew 11:20-21 “20Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”
ii. Jesus tells us that Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of heaven because of belief and repentance.
1. Matthew 21:32 “Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
iii. Why did Jesus come?
1. Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
c. FORGIVENESS
i. Jesus tells us to repent!
1. Luke 13:5 “...unless you repent, you too will all perish."
ii. The Book of Acts tells us to “prove” our repentance by our deeds...
1. Acts 26:20 “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.”
d. How do we repent?
i. WE MUST FIRST ACCEPT THE BLAME!
SLIDE 3 - I didn’t do it. Nobody saw me do it. You can’t prove anything.
II. SHIFTING THE BLAME
a. IT’S NOT MY FAULT
i. Adam blamed Eve for his sin
1. Genesis 3:12-13
ii. Eve blamed Satan for her sin
1. Genesis 3:12-13
iii. Aaron who made the golden calf tried to shift the blame to the people.
1. Exodus 32:21-24
iv. King Saul shifted the blame to the people.
1. 1 Samuel 15:13-15
v. David acknowledged his sin, and accepted full responsibility for it.
b. OTHERS CAN PLAY A PART IN SIN
i. David was not the only one responsible for the sin that took place...
1. Bathsheba bathed in plain sight of others.
a. If you cause lust by your immodesty, you sin because of it.
b. 1 Timothy 2:9 “9I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”
2. The one doing the lusting also sins
a. Matthew 5:28 “28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
3. 2 Samuel 11:4 Bathsheba went to David. Nowhere does it say she was “forced” to do so.
c. WE MUST ACCEPT OUR PART
i. There are many who try to excuse their sin today.
1. First, they defend themselves saying they have not sinned. They affirm, "I'm excused because of the situation."
2. Secondly, they try to blame their sin on others. A common tactic, "You are the sinner, not me," "you are falsely accusing me," etc.
3. The terrible danger here is, with that attitude, they will never repent.
SLIDE 4 - Stop Making Excuses
III. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF SIN
a. WE KNOW WHEN WE SIN
i. All need to remember that each will be judged for his own actions.
1. David was severely punished for his sin. 2 Sam. 12:10-14
2. Though Adam, Aaron, and Saul tried to shift the blame, they were still punished by God.
3. God will punish everyone who sins, who will not repent, no matter what the excuse.
a. Romans 2:4-6 “do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
5But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6God "will give to each person according to what he has done."
b. BUT WE MUST CONFESS
i. In his willingness to accept personal guilt, DAVID ACKNOWLEDGED THE REALITY OF SIN.
1. David knew he had sinned against God. Psalm 51:3-4
2. David had also sinned against his other wives, Bathsheba, Uriah, and his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18
3. But all sin is ultimately against God; this is why it is wrong.
a. David's sin was against God; he had transgressed His law. The law said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill."
4. Men today are reluctant to admit the reality of sin.
c. ALL VIOLATIONS ARE SIN
i. Anytime we violate God's law, we sin. 1 John 3:4
1. We will be held accountable for our sin, whether we believe or acknowledge it or not.
2. Sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59:2
3. Every sin will receive its wages, which, if not repented of, is death. Romans 6:23; James 1:15
IV. GODLY SORROW LEADS TO REPENTANCE
a. In realizing the existence of his sin, DAVID HAD GODLY SORROW WHICH LED TO REPENTANCE.
i. David appealed to God's tender mercy. Psalm 51:1-2
1. It is through such an appeal that forgiveness can be obtained.
2. God has promised mercy upon all who repent. Psalm 86:5; Isaiah 55:7; Micah 7:18-19
3. It comes only to those who fear God. Luke 1:50
4. We must confess our sins to God. 1 John 1:9
5. We must possess a contrite heart, as did David, if we want forgiveness. Psalm 51:17; Isa. 66:2
a. GENUINE SORROW IS WORTH MORE THAN GOLD
V. FRUITS WORTHY OF REPENTANCE
a. David had genuine, godly sorrow.
i. Godly sorrow produces repentance, and repentance brings life. 2 Cor. 7:10; Acts 11:18
ii. Man, short of repentance, is dead in trespasses and sins.
1. Peter told those Jews on Pentecost - Acts 2:38
2. To another similar group - Acts 3:19
3. To Simon the sorcerer - Acts 8:22
iii. The heart that will not repent is an abomination to God.
1. On the other hand, God has always respected the penitent and contrite heart.
b. CONFESSION + (TRUE) REPENTANCE = FORGIVENESS
VI. DAVID WAS FORGIVEN
a. DAVID WAS FORGIVEN. Psalm 32:5
i. God will readily receive and forgive those who come to him with a contrite heart.
1. Luke 15:20-24 - The father represents God in this parable.
2. God is always willing and ready to forgive. Psalm 86:5
3. The world still remains today because God is giving man time to repent. 2 Peter 3:9
ii. The problem is never with God, but with man - God is faithful and just to forgive. 1 John 1:9
1. Man has a tremendous problem in coming to repentance.
2. Someone has said that of all the commands in the Bible, the hardest one to obey is repentance.
iii. When we truly repent, times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
CONCLUSION
If you are not a Christian; first, repent and obey God. Acts 3:19
Thereafter, as with all Christians, we must try our best not to sin.
But when we fall, let us come in full dependence on the mercy of God.
When Nathan the prophet came to David and said, "Thou art the man," David admitted his sin and appealed to God for mercy.
When we sin, let us do the same. In the words of the Publican - Luke 18:13.
We know that when we humble ourselves before God, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin. Prov. 28:13
David's Repentance
† He did not try to shift the blame.
† He acknowledged the reality of sin.
† He had godly sorrow which led to repentance.
† He brought forth fruits worthy of repentance.
† He was forgiven.
