Turn with me, if you would, to
1 John, chapter 1. 1 John, chapter 1. Do you usually
prefer good news or bad news? I prefer good news. I have some
good news. I honestly have some good news.
Verses 8, 9, and 10 are our text. And as I read these verses, they
reminded me, I envisioned our Lord hanging on the cross between
two thieves. We had three verses left to look
at in this chapter. And I read him and that's just
the vision I had in our in my mind. Our Lord had a thief hanging
on his right hand. And a thief hanging on his left
hand. And he was right there in the
middle. The surety, the. Salvation, the good news. Right
there in the middle. Verse 8 first John 1 verse 8
says if we say that we have no sin. We deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us. Verse 10 says, if we say that
we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in
us. But right there in the middle
of those two, verse nine says, If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. That is good news. That's very
good news. I have a message for sinners.
That's what the title of this message is. A message for sinners. I want us to look this morning
at His faithfulness and His justice in forgiving us our sins. Now, there are some who believe
and openly say, they'll tell everybody that they have never
sinned. Never, ever. Not one time. You won't run into too many.
I don't believe that say that, but some will say that. There are very many. Many, many who will say. I used to sin, but I don't anymore. A lot of people will say that.
I honestly hope that that's none of us in here. I truly do. I hope and pray that none of
us believe that about ourselves. Because if we do, this is all
God's word has to say to us. You are deceiving yourselves.
You're lying to yourselves. The truth is not in you. Christ
is not in you. You've missed Christ. If that's
what we say, if that's what we believe, this is all the word
has to say to us. You've missed Christ. You don't know God. You are not
saved. You clearly have no idea what
he has written in his word. And it's because in thinking
that you are honoring him by saying that you've never sinned
against him. People think they're honoring
him in doing so. No, I've never sinned against
him. The reality is not only are we not honoring him, Unfortunately,
we're calling him a liar. Because he said. All have sinned. And come short of the glory of
God. And he said there is none that do with good, no, not one. So I hope that's none of us in
here. Because any person who believes that there is no forgiveness
for that person. No forgiveness, that's all I
have to say for those who are in that train of thought. That's
it. There is nothing else to say
if we believe that there's nothing else to say. Alright, now everything
else that I have to say in this message. Is for sinners. Those who know that they have
sinned. and do sin. This is for anyone
who carries the burden. How do I get rid of this sin? How do I get rid of this sin?
Verse 9 says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now a couple of things about
this. First, if we confess our sins, that is a work of grace. We just talked about it in our
Bible study. Circle the word if. If we confess
our sins, that is God If we do, that's the evidence. That if
is not the condition for our forgiveness. Do you want forgiveness?
Well, then confess your sins. It's not the condition that's
put on us for our forgiveness. It's not what God requires of
us for our forgiveness. It is the evidence that He has
forgiven us. If we confess our sins, then
God has done a work in us causing us to cry out for mercy. It is the evidence that God has
revealed the truth to us. It is the evidence that he's
given us a new mind, a brand new changed mind of repentance
that no longer cries, I'm not a sinner. I used to cry, I'm not a sinner,
but God did a work of repentance in here and now I have a brand
new mind. I got a changed mind. I'm a sinner. It is the evidence that God has
revealed who he is to us, holy, sovereign, just, and God has
revealed who we are to us. Sinful, guilty, unclaimed. If we confess our sins. It's the evidence that God has
given us eyes to see His Word, ears to hear His message in it,
a heart to believe it, a mind to know you're telling the truth,
a mouth to confess you are not a liar, I'm a sinner. And if we confess our sins, it's
the evidence that he gets all the glory. It's God's work in
us, okay? The next thing is this. Who do
we confess our sins to? Do we go find another sinner
just like ourselves? Because all have sinned. Do we
go find another sinner just like ourselves who wears black robes,
a white collar, and sits in a little booth? Turn with me to Romans chapter
14. Romans 14 verse 10. But why dost thou judge thy brother? For why dost thou set at nought
thy brother? For we shall all stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live,
saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me. and every tongue shall
confess to God. So then every one of us shall
give account of himself to God." Who is God? Jesus Christ. The judgment seat of Christ. Turn with me over to Psalm 32. Psalm 32 verse 1, Blessed is
he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed
is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in
whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones
waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For night and
day thy hand was heavy upon me, my moisture is turned into the
drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto thee,
and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my
transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity
of my sin. If we have a heart to truly confess
the truth of what we are, if God has given us that heart,
if we confess, I'm a sinner, I am a sinner, that's all I am,
I'm just a sinner, then it means God has already begun a work
of grace in us. Therefore, all of our confession
needs to be made to God. He's the one who has begun the
work. So all of our confession needs
to be made to God. Look with me at Psalm 51. Psalm 51 verse 4, Against thee,
thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight,
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear
when thou judgest." David said, I've committed all my sin against
you. All my sin. I confess that sin
to you. And I acknowledge that you are
going to have to deal with me in your justice. I acknowledge
that. If we confess our sins to the
God that we've sinned against, if we confess our sins, That
very God, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Does that strike anyone as being
good news? How amazing! If we confess our
sins, if we deny our sins, Or if we try to fix our own sins
before he finds out we are going to die in them. But if we confess all of it to
him. If we just. In absolute brokenness
and sincerity. Confess all of it to him. He is faithful. That means trustworthy. He is faithful, he is just, that
means right, approved of God, able to forgive us and cleanse
us from every bit of it if we confess it all. If anyone here has a load of
sin, that needs to be dealt with,
confess it in the heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. Just confess
it all to the Lord Jesus Christ. Commit every bit of it to his
forgiving, cleansing work. He is trustworthy. You can trust
him. You can trust him that he is
able to wipe your slate clean. He will wipe it totally clean
in a way that is right and approved of God. He is faithful to do
it every single time. Every time somebody cries out
in confession. He does it every single time.
Let me show you that in Luke 18. Luke 18 verse 9. And he spake this parable unto
certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and
despised others. Two men went up into the temple
to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a publican. The Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee that I am not
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. His confession was, I am not
a sinner. He did not confess his sins.
Verse 13 says, And the publican, standing afar off, would not
lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast,
saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. That was his confession. That was all he could say before
the judgment seat of Christ. That's all he could say. I am
a sinner. Please be merciful to me. Please be merciful to me. I'm
just a wretched sinner in need of mercy. Verse 14 says, I tell you that
this man, the publican, the sinner, went down to his house justified
rather than the other for every one. Every one that exalted himself
shall be abased. And he every one that humbleth
himself shall be exalted every time. Every time. If we are humbled,
if we cry, then it means God has begun a work of grace in
us. But every single time he is faithful to justify and exalt
He is faithful to forgive and cleanse every soul who cries,
every soul who confesses, every time. Every sinner who comes
to Him, confessing his sin, crying out for mercy, Christ will in
no wise cast that sinner out. Never. He'll receive them every
time. He's so faithful. Now, how does
He forgive us in a just and right way? a way that is approved of
God, when God can by no means clear the guilty. How can Christ
forgive sinners and justify sinners after they have clearly admitted
to God, I did it. Alright, this started with, if
we confess our sins, if we tell the judge of the earth
I did it. If we say to the judge, I'm guilty. How can Christ set us free? Go
to Romans three. Romans 3 verse 23, it says, For
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through
faith in His blood to declare His righteousness for the remission
of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare,
I say at this time, His righteousness, that He might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." What does that mean? We just read all that. There's
some big words in that. What does that mean? That means
God made Christ to be our sin. God committed our sin to his
own son. Did He commit everybody's sin?
Did God commit everybody's sin to His own Son? No, He didn't. Had He done that, that would
be evidenced by every soul on this earth crying out to God
for mercy. Every soul on this earth. No
soul would leave this earth without confessing all of his sin before
the God he sinned against. Only the sinners who were committed
to Christ will confess it. only those given to Him. But
for every soul that was committed to Christ, Christ took all their
sin upon Himself and He took that sin to a cross. And on that
cross, God poured out all of His wrath and all of His punishment
for the guilt of the sin of His people on His Son. And the moment
his son died, the very moment he died in all that guilt. At that very moment, the judgment
throne of Christ was just. In punishing the sin of his people.
and the justifier of his people in saying, your slate is clean.
It's all clean. You're free to go. No sin on
your record. You're free to go. Go with me
over to Colossians chapter one. Colossians 1 verse 19 says, For it pleased the Father that
in him should all fullness dwell, and having made peace through
the blood of his cross by him to reconcile all things unto
himself. By Him, I say, whether they be
things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were sometime
alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight."
That's good news. That is good news. Now let's
end this with one more proof. Let's look at the very event
that our text reminded me of. Go with me to Luke 23. Luke 23
verse 32. And there were also two other
malefactors led with him to be put to death. And when they were
come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified
him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other
on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do. And they parted his
raiment and cast lots and the people stood beholding, and the
rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others,
let him save himself, if he be Christ the chosen of God. And
the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him
vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save
thyself. And a superscription also was
written over him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew, This
is the King of the Jews. And one of the malefactors which
were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself
and us. But the other, answering, rebuked
him, saying, Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the same
condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we
receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done
nothing amiss." What is he doing? Confessing his sin. He is confessing
his sin. Verse 41, he said, We indeed
justly, we're getting exactly what we are owed. This is justice
for our sin against God. We indeed justly, for we receive
the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing
amiss, and he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest
into thy kingdom. Did the Lord owe him anything?
Was he worthy of anything? Did he deserve anything? Should
the Lord have even listened to him? Should the Lord have heard
his prayer? He said, I'm getting everything
I deserve. This man is perfect and sinless and spotless. And
he said, Lord, would you please remember me when you come into
your kingdom? Verse 43, And Jesus said unto
him, Verily I say unto thee, Today, you're going to be with
me in paradise. If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. It takes the power of God to
make a hard-hearted, wicked, dead sinner confess his sins. That's an impossibility until
the power of God comes to a sinner. But if we confess our sins, that's
such a good sign. That is such a good sign. That's
so wonderful. If it occurs to us every so often,
oh, I'm such a sinner against you. When it never occurs to
us and we go day and day and day, that's not a good sign. But when it occurs to us, I really
am a sinner against God, Lord, I confess it, I'm so sorry. I
wasn't paying attention to what's in my heart and what's in my
mind, but now I see it. And you've been looking at it
all this time and I'm so sorry. That's a good sign. That's a
wonderful thing and this is the reason why a poet said. A sinner
is a sacred thing. Not just somebody who has seen
election and seen a sinner. Is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost
has made himself. God's done a work. If we confess
our sins, then it means God has revealed what we are to us. And
if we confess our sins, it means he will be faithful. Here's the
good news. If we're crying and hurting,
then it means he will be faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's good news. That's wonderful
news. All right, let's all stand together.