Finding God's Will? Pt 15

So You’ve Made a Bad Decision

What do you do when you have made not only a bad decision, but a sinful one?

One of the worst parts about being out of God’s will is that the way back seems so doubtful.

Are you a Christian who is staggering under the burden of sinful choices?

Christ offers hope!

Clarisse

George

Abigail

Each of these people wishes to go forward in God’s will. How do they get there?

The initial answer is always the same: Repentance!

What is repentance?

Repentance is essentially a change of perspective

Before repenting, sinners look at their sin as worthwhile. They may know that it is wrong, but they judge the sin to be worth the consequences. Repentance means that they acknowledge how very wrong their sin is. They come to see it as God sees it, and they say the same thing about it that God says. Repentance means that if they faced the same choice again, they would want to reject the sin and obey the Lord.

The proper expression of repentance is to confess the sin

1 John 1:9 ESV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confession involves two elements:

1). Admit what we have done

God wants us to name the sin that we have committed. True confession is specific confession. When we confess our sins, we must offer no excuses and we must not try to shift the blame.

2). Acknowledge our deed to be truly sinful

This involves coming to see our sin as God sees it (though surely we will not see it in its full wickedness, as He does). It means talking about our sin in the same way that God talks about it.

Psalm 51:3–6 ESV

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

To whom should we confess our sins?

God- every sin is committed against him.

Other- we should confess our sins to anyone who is hurt by our sins.

Who do these people need to confess to?

Clarisse

George

Abigail

Repentant confession paves a way back

Repentant confession paves a way upward

1 John 1:8–10 ESV

8 If we say 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 we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Repentant confession paves a way forward

To move forward we must be prepared to accept the consequences of our sins.

Neither our future fellowship with God nor our future usefulness to Him have to be controlled by the sins of the past.

Philippians 3:13–14 ESV

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.