What Are We To Do With Our Sins?
1 John 1:8-2:2
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes, Pastor
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Greeley, Colorado
September 12, 2021
I John 1:8-2:2 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
INTRODUCTION: I heard a humorous story about a preacher who announced that the next Sunday he was going to preach on the sin of lying. He asked everyone to read Mark 17 in preparation for the sermon.
The next Sunday, the pastor said, “Raise your hand if you read Mark chapter 17 this week.” Half the people raised their hands. The preacher said, “You’re the ones that need this message because there are only 16 chapters in Mark!”
This is a message about what to do when you sin. Now, I’ve got to make a clear distinction at the beginning. I want you to think about the difference between SIN and SINS. You and I were born with a SIN problem -singular. We have a sin nature. But when you come to faith in Christ and are born again, Jesus fixes your sin problem. He removes the penalty of sin – which is separation from God forever. So if you are a child of God, every sin you have ever committed, or will ever commit is under the blood of Jesus. Forgiven.
When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the world.”
But even after we are part of God’s family, we still sometimes stumble and fall and commit sins. What happens? Think about the two words we studied last Sunday. RELATIONSHIP and FELLOWSHP. When you are a child of God you have a RELATIONSHIP that can never be broken. But our FELLOWSHIP with God is affected when we commit sins.
The Apostle John was an old man when he wrote this letter to Christians. These Christians were confused because they assumed that once they were saved, they would never, or should never commit sins again. So, some of them were promoting a heresy that once they were Christians, they could live perfect lives.
Through the years, I’ve actually met a few very pious Christians who claimed that they had reached a state of sinless perfection. They called it total sanctification.
I heard about a preacher who was speaking along these lines and he asked the congregation, “Has anyone here ever met a perfect man?” One man in the back raised his hand. The preacher said, “Sir, have you met a perfect man?” He said, “No sir, but I’ve heard about him.” The preacher said, “Who is it?” He said, “My wife’s first husband.”
Well, he wasn’t perfect, and neither are we. But as I understand the scriptures, no one is perfect except Jesus.
We heard the words from 1 John about what we should do whenever we stumble and commit occasional sins.
Remember, John is writing to Christians: If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
There should be no division between these chapters, so let’s continue to read 1 John 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
If you are a believer and you don't take seriously the sin in your life, the Bible says you're deceiving yourself. And you're making God out to be a liar. Christians do sin. You say, “Well, what's the difference between a lost person sinning and a Christian sinning?” A lost person, a non-Christian, is running towards sin. Their unredeemed nature draws them towards sin like a magnet. They sin without feeling any remorse or regret. By contrast a Child of God may be attracted to sin -but it’s like the same poles of the magnet -they are repelled by the thought of sin.
Our new nature causes us to experience regret and remorse when we commit sins.
Remember, 1 John was a letter written to address the basic truths of the Christian life. So as we talk about committing sins, there are three things you can do. One of them is bad and two of them are good.
1. YOU CAN CONCEAL YOUR SINS AND FACE THE CONSEQUENCES. Sometimes Christians sin, and they try to conceal it. They try to cover it up. This passage pictures a lying Christian who denies that he ever commits sins. They lie to others and they lie to themselves. The lie they are telling themselves is that, “I can get away with this sin and there will be no consequences.” One of the most vivid case studies of a Child of God sinning comes from the life of King David.
Although he was a man after God’s own heart, he fell into two terrible sins and then tried to cover them up.
In 2 Samuel 11, we read that David had stayed home while he sent his army away to fight the Ammonites. The King’s palace was the highest in the city of Jerusalem, and from his balcony, he looked down on all the roofs of the houses below. One night he looked out and saw a beautiful woman taking a bath on her roof. If David had simply turned away and gone back inside, he would have spared himself, his family, and many others a world of misery. But that one look became a lingering look, and then a lustful look. He sent for her and committed adultery with her. She later told David she was pregnant and he was the father. David tried to cover up his sin, so he sent for Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, to return from the battlefront for a little R&R. David’s wicked cover-up was that with Uriah home, everyone would just assume he was the father of the child. But Uriah was such a patriot that he refused to sleep in his house. So David had to come up with plan C – and it was even more wicked.
He sent Uriah back into battle and told his general to lead Uriah to the front lines, and when he was surrounded by the enemy, to desert him. So Uriah was in the heat of battle, and he was surrounded by Amorites warriors. He looked around and didn’t see any other Israeli fighters. He was surrounded and was killed in battle. It was as if David was holding the sword that murdered Uriah. But with Uriah dead, nobody would know if he was the father of the child or not.
So, this man after God’s own heart was guilty of adultery and murder – and he tried to cover it up. Later, the prophet Nathan was sent by God to confront David with his sins. And David eventually confessed and repented. But until that happened, he had to deal with the misery of knowing he had failed God.
In Psalm 38 David is lamenting over the sickness and misery he was experiencing because of sin in his life. He cried out in Psalm 38:1-5:
“LORD, do not punish me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has pressed down on me… For my iniquities have flooded over my head; they are a burden too heavy for me to bear. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.”
Now, let’s forget about King David for a moment and think about us. What happens when we commit sins and refuse to confess them before the Lord? When we try to cover up our guilt, we can face suffering from two sources. First. we have to face the consequences of bad choices.
The result of David’s sins led to a pregnancy which in turn led to deception and murder. And if you continue to read about David’s family after this there was murder and deceit among his children. You see, when we sin, we don’t sin in a vacuum. Our sins are like a pebble dropped in a pond and the ripples spread out and affect others around us.
The second source of suffering when we try to hide our sins is the discipline from the Lord. My dad wasn’t a perfect father, but he was a caring father. And there were times when he disciplined me for my bad choices. Like a lot of you in my generation, our parents didn’t spank us, they whipped us. My dad would use a folded over belt or a horse whip. I know that today, that might be considered child abuse. But I never considered it child abuse. Every time I got a whippin’, I deserved it, and there were many times I needed one and didn’t get one. These are different times we live in now, and I’m not suggesting parents punish the way my dad punished us.
There is never an excuse for child abuse. But I know now that my dad disciplined me because he loved me. Occasionally, my mom would ask my oldest brother to discipline me and he would often say during the administration of the discipline, “I’m doing this because I love you.” And I’d say, “Well, I wish you wouldn’t love me so hard!”
Now, if my imperfect, earthly father disciplined me, we can be sure that our Perfect Heavenly Father will discipline His children when they persist in rebellion and sinning. If you want more truth about this read Hebrews chapter 12 where the writer quotes Proverbs 3:11-12. “Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)
So, if you meet someone who claims to be a Christian and they are continuing to live a life of habitual sin without any signs of remorse or regret – and they aren’t under the discipline of the Lord. What are you to think? Well according to Hebrews 12:8 that person is an illegitimate child of God. If they claim to be a Child of God, they are guilty of Divine Identity Theft.”
On the other hand, I’ve had individuals come to me through the years and say, “Oh pastor, I’m so disappointed. I have failed the Lord, and sinned. I feel absolutely miserable. I feel rotten about it.” I tell them that the fact they are suffering over their sins is actually a sign that they are a child of God, and then I lead them to do what we’ll talk about next. So, brother and sisters be warned that if you insist on concealing your sins, you’ll have to face the painful consequences.