turning away from sin and servatude

Introduction:

again the lingering question over all our lives is if we profess to be God’s children do we really love god or is he a security blanket we use?!?

ask yourself have you really turned away from sin? and have we really been born again?

if we live in sin then we are enslaved by the habits of sin… and honestly thats a clear sign we don’t love god rightly

if we have tuned away sin its habits of sin have been broken and thats a clear sign we do love god

if we have been born of god if we have partaken of the divine nature of god then we do love god rightly...

if we have not partaken of the divine nature of god then we can’t be loving god rightly

when we love someone we want to know and please them...

we will want their approval and acceptance and because of that we will do things that please the person we love...

if we love him rightly we will want to please him how he demands we please him…

in worship, in service, and in our lives

there is no sin in god and anyone who wants to please god must be a set apart people

we must be people we seek him in our lives and in our hearts and follow after the righteousness and holiness of righteous and holy god...

we need to be a people who love god rightly

and a clear sign that we love god rightly is we do not live in sin and we don’t have the habitual actions and bondage that come with sin

so realistically ask yourself:

have we (or have you)turned away form sin?

have the habits of sin been broken in our lives? and have they been conquered in our lives?

or have we continued to embrace sin? and have we continued in the habits and bondage of the sin in our lives?

lets look at the text:

I. the need and the provision for deliverance (4-5)

1 John 3:4–5 KJV 1900

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

A. there is a need in our lives for deliverance (4)

in our very nature and in our dna is the fact that we are sinful and transgressors of the law...

people don’t want to be called a sinner…and some people even react negatively to the fact that we are all sinners

to most people in America today the word sin is thought of as the criminal acts of society (murder, theft, stuff that makes the papers)

to most people the little mistakes they make are not sin against god (its only a shortcoming, or its something everyone does, or it as a bad decisions

murder, theft, stuff that makes the papers

but the fact remains that god doesn’t excuse sin like we do… SIN IS THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW OR THE VIOLATION OF THE LAW OF GOD

sin is man chosing his way over gods way, its living like we want to live and not caring what god has to say about it,

its disbelieving what god’s word says is truth and having our own interpretation of it, it is ignoring what we know is trust because it doesn’t fit our social construct

and look here we need to understand something: GOD IS PERFECT and ONLY PERFECTION IS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD

now this is crazy right no one is perfect… but it is true and its also the point

if god let anything less than perfection into heaven then heaven wouldn’t be perfect so god can’t let anything but perfection into heaven or in his presence if its not perfect

and that is what sin is btw its imperfection or coming short of God’s glory and gods perfect nature...

and we are sinners so we are imperfect....

Understand we are sinners… we have fallen short of the glory of god and because of that we are imperfect… and everything we do is flawed because of our sin

and not just what we do, who we are is a fallen sinner who fall short of the glory of god...

and not only are we sinners we are sinful by our very nature...

we are transgressors of the law and disobeyed god

and because we are sinners and because we fall short of the glory of god we are lost and in need of salvation....

B. there is also the provision for deliverance (5)

Jesus christ the son of god came to earth to take away our sins… how is this possible?

how is it possible for christ to actually remove our sins and take them away so that god can accept us? (the answer is by living a sinless life btw)

christ came to earth and live sinless and he was perfectly righteous and he was the embodiment of righteousness..

he secured the perfect and ideal righteousness and he was the perfect and ideal man

therefore as the ideal man whatever christ did could stand for all men

what does all that mean?

when Jesus died his death was the perfect sacrifice for sins...

he was the perfect man so he was able to die as the perfect sacrifice and god accepted his death as the perfect sacrifice for sin

what happens is this: when we believe in christ god counts that sacrifice of jesus for us...

god no longer sees our sin because jesus took them upon himself and died for them

they are removed from us and we are counted as being free from them and they are gone forever because they hung on the cross with christ and he died for them...

and guess what god is able to accept us as perfect and sinless because of the perfect sacrifice of christ on the cross...

this is the great love of god for man… he gave his son to die for the sins of man…

and if a person really loves god then that person bows in humble adoration before god’s son...

the person who really believes in god understands they love god because god sacrificed his own son to save man....

so all that was said to say this: do we take the sacrifice of god seriously enough to sacrifice our sin and follow after god and his holiness?

because if we look around at the landscape of modern Christianity or people who claim to be christians we will see that so many so called christians don’t love god enough to come to church much less to follow after his holiness and rightness...

most people don’t love god enough to change anything about their lives for god...

II. the proof of deliverance (6-7)

Galatians 3:6–7 KJV 1900

Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

gal

Galatians 3:5 KJV 1900

He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

1 John 3:6–7 KJV 1900

Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

a person abides or lives rightly in christ if they have turned from sin to the savior...

when we accept christ as our savior from our sinful state we begin to what the bible says “abide in him”

abiding in christ means to “dwell continue, stay, and rest in christ”

it means to live for move towards christ in all ways of our life… maybe quickly in some ways; maybe slowly in some ways

A. if we abide in christ we don’t continue in sin...

if we have really accepted christ as our savior we love him because he died for us...

christ paid a price we couldn’t pay for the sins of our life not for himself because he lived sinless...

if we love him rightly then we will not being purposefully and continuously doing things that grieve him

if we love him rightly we will grow towards him and do things that please him...

we should be desiring to walk in righteousness not into sin

we should be breaking the habits of sin, and we should be breaking the shackles of the sin in our lives...

idk what peoples personal lives are but think about your life for a minute...

are we abiding in christ? are we seeking to please him with out lives?

or are we just using him as a covering or security blanket in our lives??

B. if we are continuing in sin do we know him?!

its not about being perfect like so many make it out to be...

but what this is saying is if we continue in our sin and keep going back to it over and over again then do we really know god?

a true believer is still fallen and is short of the glory of god...

we are still flesh and we are still weak and fallen… but we don’t have to allow sin to have dominion in our lives...

a true believer will strive to do more to unshackle them self from sin and from the habits of sin..

a person who still focuses on the world and the pleasures of sin and they continue in sin that person doesn’t know christ...

no so many will bring up backsliding and I’m not talking about that i am talking about those who make a profession but continue to do whatever with no spiritual change whatsoever

so many people have been deceived about sin and righteousness in their lives...

for generations we have been taught that if we say a prayer we are acceptable to god even if we really don’t place our faith in christ

so many put their hope in baptism and not the shed blood of christ

so many come to church a few times a year and they think that gets it

so many think this or that about whatveer and they place their faith in those “extra” things

but the truth is without faith in christ you are lost dying and on your way to hell right now...

look at what the bible says here:

Luke 9:23 KJV 1900

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

if any of us are going to follow christ rightly then we need to take up our cross...

we need to die to self so to speak and give up the sin we chase after and instead chase after the savior....

it means we need to live sacrificially not for what we want or what we desire but instead put what he wants and he desires at the top of our list...

it means giving up our ambitions and our pride and carrying the message of the gospel with us and telling others about him with our lives and with our words...

and if we are honest about our lives and our words how many of us are carrying our cross with us where ever we go?

III. the conquest and result (8-9)

1 John 3:8–9 KJV 1900

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

A. a person living in sin is of the devil...

this is a very unsettling verse here… but look at what christ said:

John 8:44 KJV 1900

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

note the words “FROM THE BEGINNING” in verse 8 they are pointing out that satan was the first to sin… he began sin so to speak...

he was the first to rebel against the father and disobey God

so if we are living in sin we are following after the founder of sin so to speak

morally and spiritually without christ we belong to the devil...

think what you want but anything that is of sin is not of god

god is not the father of sin and god is not in fellowship with sin...

but the devil is the father of sin and he loves to fellowship with rebellion of god

sin separated us from god and sin causes us to die and brings the judgement of the holy god of heaven unto us...

god created man to live in fellowship with him but man chose sin over god...

and if we are honest most of us still chose sin over god unless its Sunday...

and this is why jesus came to earth because if left to ourself we will follow after the devil and die and go to hell

he came to destroy the works of the devil and he did so by his death… (he will literally destroy the devil later but his death and resurrection destroyed his works for those who believe)

satan’s power to charge men with sin is now cast out...

we can now escape the penalty of sin… because christ did that work on the cross

satan’s power to cause death is now cast out...

we no longer have to die and face hell because fo the work done on the cross

satan’s power to cause men to be separated from god is now cast out

we no longer have to face eternity without knowing we will have the fellowship of god for all eternity because fo the work of the cross

satan can no longer enslave ment either....

by the death of the savior of the cross the shackles of sin have been broken and we are free to serve him without hinderance...

B. and here we see the results of salvation:

we are free from the practice and habits of sin because of the savior...

we will never achieve perfection but we can break the cycle of continuing in sin..

we have a new birth and we are a new creature...

we have a new nature and we are reborn spiritually and no longer are to follow the flesh...

look at this:

1 John 2:1–2 KJV 1900

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

conclusion:

so think about it:

do we continue to follow after sin.... or do we follow after the savior...

do we preach the gospel with our words and lives or do we preach hypocrisy...

where do we stand… do we really love god… or is he just a security blanket we use to get us over the hump so to speak?