“Absence!” - #3 “The Absence Of Repentance & Confession!”

“Absence!” - #3

“The Absence Of Repentance & Confession!”

Text: Proverbs 28:13

Proverbs 28:13 King James Version (KJV)

¹³ He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Repentance:

2 Chronicles 7:14 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁴ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

1 John 1:9 King James Version (KJV)

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

Acts 3:19 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁹ Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Matthew 4:17 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁷ From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

James 4:8 King James Version (KJV)

⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded

Revelation 3:19 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Acts 17:30 King James Version (KJV)

³⁰ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Luke 13:3 King James Version (KJV)

³ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Ezekiel 18:21-23 King James Version (KJV)

²¹ But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

²² All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

²³ Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

** I want us to look at important aspects of the Christian life and what it looks like and means when these things are absent! **

-        Let’s be clear, the lack of initial repentance in faith confessing Christ as savior and Lord means that you are lost and without hope on your way to Hell to be eternally separated from God, everything good! -

-        But, this is mainly to those who call themselves Christians yet live in sin, unrepentant of your wickedness! -

1)                   What It Creates -

a.)  Self-righteousness

You’re right in your own eyes!

Proverbs 16:25 King James Version (KJV)

²⁵ There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

b.) Blinds us to our sinful reality

We cannot know God if we do not know ourselves!

c.)  A hardening of our heart and a searing of our conscience!

Without repentance it WILL become easier to sin and waver!

The slope gets more slippery the further down we go!

d.) Contempt for the sacrifice of Christ!

We hold the sacrifice of Christ for our sins as worthless when we live in unrepentance!

We are saying we don’t need it!

John says to not be blind! We’re lying if we say we have no sin! We’re sinning when we say we’re not sinning!

John Piper says this….

So here is 1 John 1:17. If we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Now notice. That is huge. If we walk in the light the blood of Jesus his Son is cleansing us from all sin. Well, what does walking in the light mean? Verse eight. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. So walking in the light can’t mean sinlessness. Walking in the light must mean that you are aware when you do sin you are not blind and dark to it. You see it. Verse nine. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins. And he has just said if we walk in the light you get a cleansed from your sin. and now he is saying if you confess your sins he is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

So confessing sins must be a part of walking in the light. So the blood of Jesus continually is cleansing us from sin while we are walking in the light and walking in the light means being aware when we do sin. Confessing it and confessing it means I admit it. I did it. I hate it. I don’t want it. That is telling the truth about our sin and if we do that, we are walking with God in the light. We are not dropping in and out of our relationship with God or light. We are walking in the light. We see our sin as sin. We hate our sin. We confess our sin. And, thus, we are enjoying the promise of verse seven that when we walk in the light we are being cleansed of our sin.

2.) What It Proves -

a.)  We don’t understand the severity of our sins!

Our sin is cosmic treason against a most holy God!

It’s wage is DEATH! Eternally, physically, spiritual, decay for eternity!

Our sins are fired artillery at war with God!

b.) We don’t understand the cost of atoning for our sins!

Every sin, no matter how slight or vast was placed on Christ at Calvary!

Every whip, every nail, every spear, every pain, every ache, every gasp, every thorn, every ridicule, every rip, every tear, every shock was your sin after sin after sin after sin pain after pain after pain after pain upon the shoulders of the righteous, perfect, loving son of the most high God!

c.)  We don’t understand or believe the Gospel, the love of Christ, the penalty, grievance, and wage of sin, nor the reality of hell and the wrath of God Almighty!

How can we believe the Gospel and not repent?

How can we love Christ and not repent?

How can we know the penalty, grievance, and wag of sin yet not repent?

How can we know the price it cost and not repent?

How can we know the God of whom we sin against and not fall to our knees in repentance?

How can we believe in Hell and not repent?

How can we believe in God’s wrath upon sin and live in it without repentance?

WE CAN’T!!!!

In Closing:

** REPENT!!! The Kingdom of God is at hand! **

Luke 13:1-5 King James Version (KJV)

13 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

² And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

³ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

⁴ Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

⁵ I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.