In opening, I feel that it is important to set the tone for the morning. What we’re covering today really requires us to lean not into our own understanding, but to see things from God’s perspective.
We call this repenting.
What God is going to call us to do is not easy for any of us.
It doesn’t feel good at the time.
It doesn’t seem encouraging.
However, if we trust God’s ways and place our faith in His process, it will end in goodness and healing and deliverance!
Alright, so we’re all in this together, right?
Are we ready?
Eyes to see?
Ears to hear?
Hearts ready to receive?
It has been said that “Ignorance is bliss.”
Although we can all understand how it may seem that this is true, deep down, we know that this living in ignorance is rarely best for us. Truth can be painful, but being ignorant of it doesn’t change the facts.
Just because I don’t know that there is a booger hanging out of my nose doesn’t mean that it isn’t there because, oh boy, is it ever there! Being ignorant about it isn’t best for me. Can we all agree about that one?
OK.
Consider some of these truths that many people might wish they were still ignorant of.
Your spouse has been having an affair.
Your artery is 90% blocked.
Your car is nearly out of oil.
Your account is overdrawn.
You have a hole in your roof.
Your zipper is down.
You have cavities.
Here’s one of the hardest hitting ones that really takes your breath away and knocks you off of your feet when you find out…
Learning what hot dogs are made of.
That’s right, they may be 100% beef, but they don’t tell you what parts of that cow they used.
Being ignorant of these things do not change the reality of them. No longer being ignorant of them simply forces us to deal with our reality.
More often than not, having these things revealed to us is extremely painful at the time, but it is for our own good that we know about them and become aware of them. Only then can we begin to deal with it and begin the process of healing.
We can make better food choices, get our teeth filled, pull up our zipper, patch that hole in our roof, put money in our account, add some oil to our car, get a stent in our artery, and get some marriage counseling.
Although these revelations are painful at the time, they can redirect the course of our lives to good things and avoid far worse things that would have happened if we had just continued living in ignorance.
It is also possible for us to do things that we think are good and right and even have a clear conscience, but what we are doing is sin.
When Paul was teaching about the role of apostles, he taught that:
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
1 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.
Did you catch that?
My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent.
It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
In Leviticus 4, God even prescribed ways under the Old Covenant to atone for sin that was done unintentionally in ignorance. This sin committed in ignorance may have been done by an individual, the whole community, a leader, or the anointed priest. For each scenario, there were ways to deal with any sin that was committed in ignorance.
Under the Old Covenant, if a priest was sinning in ignorance, their guilt was not only their own to bear, but their guilt was also placed upon all of the people.
How did they know that they had sinned? It was revealed and they then became aware of their guilt. It was prescribed that ‘when they realize their guilt,’ then they would make atonement for that sin. God made a way for them to be able to deal with it.
Right now, each one of us could be sinning against the Lord, sinning against ourselves, sinning against others and unaware. We could be sinning as a community, as a nation, as a church, and be completely ignorant of it.
Proverbs 21:2-3 (AMP)
2 Every man’s way is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs and examines the hearts [of people and their motives].
3 To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice [for wrongs repeatedly committed].
We can always defend and justify ourselves and be right in our own eyes.
We can also always find a group of people to agree with us as well.
Only the Lord truly knows what is right for each one of us, though. He looks beyond our actions straight to the heart of the matter; our motives.
It is always better for us to do what is right according to the Lord even if it doesn’t make sense to us. The saying, “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.” is an outright lie. It is always best to seek the Lord and follow His lead than it is to sin and need forgiveness.
Ignorance is rarely bliss, though it may feel like it.
Consider this. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who knows all things. Yet having absolutely no ignorance at all produces in a life love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. All good things!
Revelation of truth is always a good thing, though we really have to see from God’s perspective to truly believe and understand this.
Jesus said on several occasions:
Matthew 10:26; Luke 8:17; Luke 12:2
There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
Jesus also said that:
John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Truth ultimately results in freedom.
Paul reminded us that:
Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Often quoted in news and politics, there is a saying that “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” This 1913 quote from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis was spoken encouraging publicity and transparency in governmental records and documentation to help prevent and expose corruption.
Scientifically, we know that UV light does literally kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Sunlight literally is a disinfectant.
Morally, we know that the light of Christ exposes all truth. The light of Christ also leads to the cleansing of our sin and guides us so that we are not lead into temptation to sin again.
God doesn’t reveal and expose our sin to shame and condemn us! God reveals our sin so that we can know and seek forgiveness and repent of it. He does it so that we might receive healing and deliverance! He does it so that together, we can deal with it!
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
That little word, “if” creates a condition. The “if” is always conditional based on us and not based on God. God is a constant, we are a variable.
Forgiveness of sin is not a one-time event in our lives when we receive Jesus’ salvation. It is not a blanket application of all of our sin from that moment on. It is an ongoing, moment-by-moment process.
IF we confess our sin, Jesus forgives and purifies us. IF we confess.
Confession is required for forgiveness.
Confession is us coming into agreement with God.
Confession is us conceding that we are wrong and God is right.
However, revelation is required for confession.
Why would I confess something as sin and ask forgiveness for it if I didn’t know that it was sin?
Would a loving God allow me to continue sinning and head straight toward hell without ever informing me about it? Of course not!
Consider this scenario. You are teaching your teen to drive. You pull up to the gas pump for them to fill up for the first time ever. You see them reach for the green handle and place it in the port of your gasoline car.
Do you allow them to continue to activate the pump and fill up the tank?
I mean, you don’t want to publicly embarrass them, right? They’re just learning and it’s not really their fault. They just don’t know any better.
They aren’t intentionally or maliciously trying to destroy your car. Their intentions are good. Their heart is in the right place.
Why make them feel bad about themselves? Wouldn’t that be mean? Would that really be the loving thing to do?
Just because they do it in ignorance, does that mean that no harm will be done by running diesel fuel in your gasoline engine?
Of course not! In fact, most of these questions would never even cross your mind! It’s better to deal with it right then and there.
As soon as you see them reaching for the diesel handle at the pump, you would stop them and explain and teach them what the correct fuel is for the car. From this moment, and all throughout the future course of their lives, they will now know how to make the right choice at the pump.
This is the same mindset and attitude that we should have about our lives. Aren’t our lives and our eternities far more valuable than our cars? Let’s deal with it!
We should remain teachable and open to being corrected if we are not in agreement with God in any area of our lives. We should also care enough about other believers around us to build relationships with them so that we can speak correction into their lives where appropriate.
All of us should simultaneous both be being discipled and also be discipling. We should be learning from those more mature than us in the Lord and also be saving the lost and discipling those who are less mature than us in their faith. This is how we all grow together and become better.
God’s word and God’s ways are best. He created us and knows full well the purpose for which we were created. Anything outside of that for us is sin. We must trust in the Lord with all that we are and not lean into our own understanding in every area of life.
It never feels good to have our sin revealed, especially when we didn’t think that we were doing anything wrong. However, it is good that it gets revealed!
Let’s continue where we left off two weeks ago in Ephesians about this topic:
Ephesians 5:1-20
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a person is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
I’m going to paus here before we continue to verse 6 for a quick reminder. This month is June and many in our culture are celebrating pride month. Christians get all upset about the sin of homosexuality and all of the other sexual perversions that we come up with.
However, as Christians, we need reminded that sexual immorality is not the only sin in the list of “will not inherits” when it comes to the kingdom of God! We need to ensure that we don’t fall into the category of people that Jesus described as trying to get a splinter out of someone else’s eye when we have a plank sticking out of our own.
We should be more aware and more passionately against the sin in our own lives than the sin in someone else’s life.
It is God’s loving kindness that leads us to repentance. In fact, while we were still sinners, Jesus loved us and gave His live for us. Throughout His ministry, He loved those caught in sin enough to sit down and talk with them and share meals with them and love them when the other rabis and Jews stayed far away from them in hatred toward them.
This is how Jesus chose to seek and save the lost.
All sin is wrong. All sin leads to death. Nothing good comes from it at all. We must see all sin as God sees it. All sin grieves God. All sin is a misuse of our lives. All sin hurts us and those around us. No sin should be celebrated, but rather mourned.
Sin must be dealt with and the penalty for all of it is death. Jesus paid a high, high price to freely offer us salvation from the penalty of our sin! He dealt with it!
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (AMP)
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor those who participate in homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].
Galatians 5:19-21 (AMP)
19 Now the practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], 21 envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Jesus said:
Revelation 22:14-15 (AMP)
14 Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) are those who wash their robes [in the blood of Christ by believing and trusting in Him—the righteous who do His commandments], so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs [the godless, the impure, those of low moral character] and the sorcerers [with their intoxicating drugs, and magic arts], and the immoral persons [the perverted, the molesters, and the adulterers], and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying (deception, cheating).
These lists of “will not inherits” include most all of us. It is by God’s grace and mercy and love that any of us are accepted and adopted into His family and will inherit His kingdom. Without the righteousness of Jesus that He freely imparts to us through His forgiveness, we are all lost in our sin and without hope.
Praise be to God, we do have hope! We are forgiven! We have been set free from sin! We once were lost, but now are found! Why would we ever want to go back to the very bondage that we have been set free from?
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Sin is bad, but God is good! Let’s close today by focusing on the solution. Let’s deal with it!
We can only let go of sin when we can see and know what better thing we can grab hold of instead. This is how we grow and mature in our faith and move forward into a fuller and more fulfilling and abundant life; the life we were created to live!
Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible – and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How does Jesus practically deal with sin? Join us next week and find out!