The Putting Away of Sin

Q: What does the Bible say about confession of sin?

The Bible teaches that true confession of sin involves acknowledging one's wrongdoing and taking sides with God against oneself. According to the Scripture, particularly in Psalm 51 and 1 John 1:9, true confession means acknowledging our sins without excuses. It is not merely saying the words 'I have sinned,' but a heartfelt recognition of our transgressions against God. As shown in the examples of Pharaoh, Balaam, and Saul, insincere confessions that include excuses are void of true repentance. Effective confession admits guilt and seeks mercy, recognizing that God's justice demands punishment for sin, as summed up in Micah 7:18, where God delights in showing mercy by putting away iniquities.

Q: How do we know Jesus' sacrifice puts away sin?

Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient to put away sin, as affirmed in Hebrews 9:26, which states He appeared once to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. The concept of Christ putting away sin is foundational in Reformed theology, particularly articulated in Hebrews 9:26. The verse explains that Christ entered heaven itself to offer a perfect sacrifice for sins, once and for all. Unlike the repetitive sacrifices of the Old Testament, which could never truly remove sin, Christ's offering was once and sufficient for all those He represents. This is further emphasized in Isaiah 53:6, where the guilt of our sins was laid upon Him. His death satisfies God's justice, allowing for the full pardon of all whom He died for, as shown in the covenant promises of forgiveness in Jeremiah 31:34.

Q: Why is the doctrine of Christ's atonement important for Christians?

The doctrine of Christ's atonement is essential as it ensures that sin is fully paid for, allowing believers to stand justified before God. Understanding Christ's atonement is crucial for Christians because it underpins the entire gospel message. The atonement assures believers that their sins have been fully paid for through Christ's sacrifice, as highlighted in Hebrews 10:10, where we read that we are sanctified through the once-for-all offering of Christ. This doctrine also emphasizes that salvation is not based on human effort or merit but solely on Christ's perfect sacrifice. Without this doctrine, the Christian faith would be serendipitous, relying on imperfect works rather than the finished work of Christ, as affirmed in Ephesians 1:7 where we see our redemption through His blood.

Q: What is true repentance according to scripture?

True repentance is a sincere acknowledgment of sin, without excuses, and a turning from sin to God, rooted in faith and humility. True repentance, as taught in scripture, goes beyond mere remorse or regret over sin; it involves a complete turnaround towards God. It is characterized by the believer's admission of guilt and a sincere desire for God’s mercy. As noted in Isaiah 55:7, those who forsake their ways and thoughts and return to the Lord will find compassion. A thorough understanding of our sinful nature enables us to see our need for grace, as depicted in Luke 18:13 through the prayer of the tax collector, who humbly pleaded for mercy. This type of repentance leads to sincere confession and the promise of forgiveness as seen in 1 John 1:9.

Would you turn back to 2 Samuel,
chapter 12? While you're turning there tonight,
I'm going to be speaking from Hebrews, chapter 13, verse eight,
where we read Jesus Christ the same. Yesterday, today and forever,
and I've entitled the message. Implications of immutability. Jesus Christ the same, that is,
immutability, His changelessness, implications of immutability. And this morning, I want to attempt to preach upon
this subject, the putting away of sin. The putting away of sin. David, the man after God's own
heart, has sinned greatly. He's committed adultery. And
in his deceitful attempts to cover up his sin, he ends up
committing premeditated, cold-blooded murder in order to cover his
sin. I've heard people say, could
a believer do something like that? If you ask that question,
you demonstrate great ignorance of yourself. Now, we know that what David
did displeased the Lord, because we read in verse 27, after of
chapter 11, after Bathsheba was finished mourning for her husband,
whom David had ordered murdered. I guess she didn't know about
this at that time. And when the mourning was passed,
David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his
wife and bear him a son. But the thing that David had
done displeased the Lord. Verse 1 of chapter 12, And the
Lord sent Nathan unto David, a prophet. And he came unto him,
and said unto him, There were two men in one city, the one
rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many
flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing, save one little
ewe lamb. which he brought up, and nourished
up, and it grew up together with him, and with his children. It
did eat of his own meat, and drink of his own cup, and lay
in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came
a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his
own flock, and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfarer man
that was coming to him. But he took the poor man's lamb,
and dressed it for the man that was come to him. He killed it,
cooked it, and served it to the guest. And David's anger was greatly
kindled against the man. And he said to Nathan, As the
Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely
die. And he shall restore the lamb
fourfold, because he did this thing and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, David could clearly see the sin
in others that he didn't see in himself. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,
I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the
hand of Saul. I gave thee thy master's house
and thy master's wives into thy bosom. I gave thee the house
of Israel and of Judah, and if that had been too little, I would
moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore
hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his
sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite
with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and
hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. The sword shall never depart
from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and have taken
the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the
Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine
own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and
give them unto thy neighbor. And he shall lie with thy wives
in the sight of the sun, for thou didst it secretly. But I
will do this thing before all Israel and before the Son. And
David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, the
Lord also hath put away thy sins. thou shalt not die. I know this, sin will not be
put away apart from us confessing our sin, like David did. Now, the act of confession doesn't
put away But there is no putting away of sin apart from this act
of confession. John said, if we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now, just saying the words I
have sinned does not mean a true confession of sin. In Exodus chapter 9, verse 27,
Pharaoh said, I've sinned. This time, the Lord is righteous
and I and my people are wicked. That was Pharaoh's confession.
But Pharaoh said this while the hail stones were falling and
the sky was thundering and fire was going across the ground and
destroying the land. Now, a confession under the sense
of fear and terror will not last. As soon as the hail quit falling,
Pharaoh hardened his heart and went on like he did before. Simply
saying, I've sinned, does not necessarily mean you're truly
confessing your sin. In Numbers chapter 23, verse
34, Balaam said, I've sinned. He made that confession. I've
sinned when he saw the angel with the drawn sword getting
ready to kill him. I've sinned. But Balaam went
on in his way afterwards because he was an insincere man. He loved
the wages of unrighteousness. He was a covetous man. He sought
to serve God and money, and in reality, he only served money. He said, I've sinned, but it
was not the sincere confession. In 1 Samuel 15, verse 24, Saul
said to Samuel, I've sinned, I transgressed the commandment
of the Lord and thy words because I feared the people." He had
an excuse. I was forced into what I was
doing because I was afraid the people would stone me or do something
to me if I didn't do it. Therefore, that's why I did that.
I sinned because I feared the people. In his confession, he
had an excuse for his actions, very much like The woman that
you gave me, she gave me of the fruit, and I did eat. There was an excuse. And if you
hadn't given me this woman, this wouldn't have taken place. Now,
understand this. In my confession of sin, if I
have an excuse for it, it's not true confession. It's insincere. It's not real. You see, if my
sin is not really my fault, I'm not confessing sin, is it? And
then Judas, you remember what Judas said? Judas, after he had
seen what was done, he said, I've sinned. And he was so sorry
over it that he went out and hanged himself. He said, I've
sinned and that I've sinned against innocent blood. But who did he
go to with his confession? He didn't go to the Lord. He
went to the priest that he got the money from. You know, if
Judas, if Judas, now listen to me, if Judas, the son of perdition,
if he would have come to the Lord and said, I've sinned against
thee the way David did, I had no doubt that he would have been
forgiven. His sin would have been put away. You see, simply saying, I've
sinned is not necessarily a true confession. But David, in our
text, says, I sinned against the Lord. Now, what is it to
confess your sin? To confess your sin is to take
sides with God against yourself. It's to say, I ought to die. God would be just in cutting
me off. Hold your finger there and turn
to Psalm 51. Here's the confession of sin. Verse one, have mercy upon me,
O God. According to thy lovingkindness,
not according to how sorry I am or how I promise I'll never do
it again or how I promise to straighten up and fly right.
No, nothing like that. According to thy lovingkindness,
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out
my transgressions, wash me, throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse
me from my sin. Oh, do something about my sin,
for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil
in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when you speak,
and be clear when you judge. If you put me to death, that's
what I ought to have. That's what the confession of
sin is. I ought to die. Now, may God
enable me right now to take sides with Him against myself. Now,
if you want to know how bad you are, don't look at the things
you've done. Please listen to me. This is so important. If
you want to know how bad you are before God, don't look at
the things you've done. You look at Christ on the cross.
That's how bad you are. If God let you to yourself, if
God let me to myself, we'd put him out of business. We'd get
on the throne in his place. We'd take him down and we'd enthrone
ourselves. Lord, I ought to die because
of that. And upon this confession, I've
sinned against the Lord. Hear these words. And wherever
this confession is, these words go along with it. The Lord hath
put away thy sin. Now, I'm interested in this.
I'm interested in my sin against God to be put away. Now, this is something that only
the Lord can do. Put away sin. Do away with it. Pass over it. In Micah 7, verse
18, we read, Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity? that passeth by the transgression
of a remnant of his heritage, he retaineth not his anger forever,
because he delighteth in mercy. Now, that's our God. He puts
away sin. Now, we can't put away our sins.
I never will forget, this makes such an impression on me, this
preacher that had been caught up in this evil doing. And they were interviewing him.
And they said, well, what about your sin? And the fellow said,
I put that sin under the blood. Oh, you can do that? You can just take your sin and
place it under the blood? It doesn't work that way. You
can't do this. Only God can do this. Only God. can take away your
sin. Now, I'm mighty interested in
having him take away my sin, aren't you? This is something
I'm desperately interested in. You see, faith cannot put away
sin. Repentance cannot put away sin. No amount of suffering that you
experience on account of that sin can put away sin. No amount of self-denial can
put away sin. No amount of holy living can
put away sin. My death cannot put away my sin. Hell cannot put away my sin. That's why hell is eternal, because
sin is never put away. Satisfaction is never made. Only the Lord can put away my
sin. Now, the Bible uses a lot of
words to describe this thing of the putting away of sin, but
would you turn with me to Hebrews chapter 9? Verse 24, For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true. He didn't come into a physical
earthly tabernacle, but into heaven itself, now to appear
in the presence of God for us. Who's he, us? Foregoing reading. Does that mean every son of Adam?
No. His people. Those who believe. Those he died for. You see, everybody
he appears for, they must be saved. If the Lord represents
you, everything's fine, isn't it? If he represents your name
before his Father, what else needs to be said? He appears,
isn't that good news? He appears in the very presence
of God for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often as
the high priest entering into the holy place every year with
the blood of others. For then must he have often suffered
since the foundation of the world. But now, once in the end of the
world, hath he appeared to put away sin. by the sacrifice of
himself. Now, that word put away in Hebrews
9, 26 is also translated in Hebrews chapter 7, verse 18, dis-annulled. Dis-annulled. When something
is dis-annulled, That makes it so that it didn't happen before
the law. The word means the abolition,
the abrogation, the abnegation, the canceling, the putting away
of sin. It's called a taking away. He
was manifested to take away our sins. I used to love that chorus
we used to sing when I was a little boy at 13th Street Baptist Church.
Did you hear what Jesus said to me? They're all taken away. Your sins are pardoned and you
are free. They're all taken away. It's called a cleansing. First
John 1 7. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us. from all sin. It's called a purging.
Hebrews 1, 3, when he had by himself purged our sins. It's called a blotting out. He
said, I blotted out. That's erased. I blotted out
as a thick cloud, thy transgressions. It's called a removal as far
as the East is from the West. So far have he removed our transgressions
from us. David described it this way in
Psalm 32, verses one and two. Blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven. Whose sin is covered. And remember
this, God's covering it like my covering. If I cover my fingers
like that, it's still there. When God covers something, it's
no longer there. Blessed is he whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute iniquity. It's not taking away from the
reality of my iniquity, but it's God not charging me with it.
God not calling me to be accountable for it, not imputing it to me. Thou wilt cast their sins into
the depths of the sea, Micah 7, 19. Their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. Turn with me to Jeremiah chapter
50. Hold your finger there in Hebrews 9 and look at Jeremiah
chapter 50 with me. Verse 20. In those days and in that time,
saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for. Who will be looking for it? God
will. And there shall be, what's that
word? None. Nothing to condemn me for. There
shall be none. And the sins of Judah And they
shall not be found, there won't be anything there. For I will
pardon them whom I reserve. Now let's go back to Hebrews
chapter 9. Now, David had in fact committed these horrible
sins. And really, as horrible as they
are, they weren't as bad as what he did to Christ on the cross,
because when they did it, we did it too. He had indeed committed
these horrible sins. And upon this confession of sin
against the Lord, he heard these words from God's prophet, the
Lord hath put away your sin. Now, how can that be? Back to Hebrews chapter 9, verse
24. For Christ is not entered into the holy
places made with hands, talking about the tabernacle, the way
the high priest used to go into the holy of holies with the blood. He says Christ didn't come into
a place like that, which are nothing more than figures, outlines
of the truth. But he's entered into heaven
itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. What a thought that the Lord
Jesus Christ right now is in the very presence of God appearing
for me, for every believer. Now, if he's appearing in the
presence of God for you, how secure are you? How safe are
you? Let's go on reading. Nor yet that he should offer
himself often As the high priest entered into the holy place every
year with the blood of others. This is not something that was
repeated over and over again, like the Old Testament sacrifices.
Look in chapter 10 for the law, having a shadow of good things
to come and not the very image of those things can never with
those sacrifice, which they offered year by year, continually. Make
the comers therein too perfect, for then would they not have
ceased to be offered. If they weren't, they wouldn't have to
be repeated, because the worshipers, once purged, should have had
no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices, there's
a remembrance again made of sins every year, for it's not possible
for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Now, the Lord
Jesus Christ didn't have to offer himself many times like the high
priest did. Why? Because what he did worked. He appeared to put away sins. Did he do it? Was he successful? Whatever it was that he intended
to do, did he do it? Let's go on reading. Verse 26, second sentence, but
now once. The reason he only did it once
is because it didn't need to be repeated, he accomplished
what it was he intended to do, but now once in the end of the
world, had he appeared to put away sin. By the sacrifice of
himself. Now, when he said It is finished. The sins of everybody he died
for were put away. Now, somebody may be thinking
you are implying by that statement that he didn't put away everybody's
sins. Well, I didn't say clearly enough if all you got out of
that was an implication. I'm saying that. He only died
for his elect. That's very important for us
to understand that. He only died for his elect. He
didn't die for people who are in hell. If that was the case,
that means his blood wasn't saved. My only hope is that he died
for me, and if he could die for me and I could wind up in hell
anyway, you've taken away the only hope I have, because the only
hope I have is that he actually paid for my sins and died for
me. I have no other hope. He appeared to put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself. And that's exactly what he did
by the sacrifice of himself. Substitution. He took my sin
off me and laid it upon Christ. Now hold, turn over to Isaiah
chapter 53 for a moment. You know, this subject that I'm
dealing with, the putting away of sin. I hope that is behind everything
I ever say for the rest of my life. I hope that no other subject
holds my attention like this. What Christ actually accomplished
on the cross. That does something for me that
nothing else does. Now look at Isaiah chapter 53
verse 6. Now here's this confession of
sin. Isaiah says in verse 6, all we, like sheep, like dumb
sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his
own way. And the Lord hath laid, hath
made to meet on him the iniquity of us all." Now, understand this. If God would let that go in the
stray, that sin, that iniquity, if he would let that go unpunished,
if he would simply forgive that sin and not punish it, he would
no longer be just. He would no longer be immutable. He would not be true to His Word. He would not be perfect God. Do you believe that? God's just. He must punish sin. Your sin, if He doesn't punish
it, He would not be a holy God. Here's the problem. If God was
like that, you know what He'd be like? He'd be like me and
you. We've got a real problem then, don't we? But God is holy. God is just. Sin. My sin. My sin against God. That is all my fault. I can't
blame anybody else. It's all my fault. My sin must
be punished or God would cease to be God. That's how important
this is. A God that does not punish sin
is a God that's not worthy of worship. I couldn't worship a
God like that anymore than I could worship a God who's not sovereign
or a God who is subject to change. God must punish sin. Now, how can I have this sin
I'm talking about put away? It was laid. upon the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look in verse 10 of Isaiah 53. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
Him, to crush Him. Now, that's one of those passages
of Scripture. It pleased the Lord to do this. It pleased Him. You know, when the Lord Jesus
Christ... Christ was the darling. of his father. Do you think it
was painless for the father to pour his wrath out upon his son,
the son of his love? I can't even imagine that. Yet
it says it pleased the Lord for the satisfaction of his justice,
for the accomplishment of his purpose. It pleased the Lord
to crush him. He hath put him to grief when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. Now, see that word,
offering for sin? That's one Hebrew word, and it's
translated by two different other words in the Old Testament. One,
guiltiness. When thou shalt make his soul
guiltiness. The guilt of my sin he became
guilty of. That's what that means. And the
other word that it's translated is just plain old sin. Sin. When thou shalt make his soul
sin. Which answers to 2 Corinthians
chapter 5 verse 21. For he hath made him to be sin
for us. Who knew no sin that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him? Now, this is how
my sin is put away. It was laid upon the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look in verse 11 of this same
chapter. He shall see the travail of his
soul. and shall be satisfied by his
knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he
shall bear, he shall bear their iniquities." Now, the Lord Jesus
Christ, in His person, never sinned. And when He was hanging
on the cross, and my sin became His sin, He never sinned in His
person. But you know what that word bear
means? I looked this word up, I told
you this a few months ago, but it bears repeating. It means
to be gravid. What's that mean? To be pregnant
is the word. To be pregnant. My sin was put
in Him. That makes me sick to think about.
My sin. Who His own self bear our sins
in His own body on the tree. My sin was put in Him and God's
wrath was meted out on Him because of my sin. It became His sin. And that's the only way sin is
put away. And you know what? He voluntarily
took it. This wasn't forced upon him.
He said, the cup which my father had given me to drink, shall
I not drink it? He willingly He willingly took
my sins and my sorrows, and He made them His very own. And He bore that burden to Calvary,
and He suffered, and He died alone. And by that mighty He put away
my sin. Turn to Hebrews chapter 9. Once again. Verse 11. But Christ being come, and a
high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood,
that blood he shed, he entered in once into the holy place,
having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls
or of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean
sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God, You purge your conscience from those dead
works that you think could actually recommend you to God. How blasphemous
to offer up something other than the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You purge your conscience of
dead works to serve the living God. Look in Hebrews 10, verse
15. Wherefore, the Holy Ghost saith
also, The Holy Ghost is witness to us, for after that he had
said before, this is the covenant that I'll make with him after
those days, saith the Lord. I'll put my laws in their hearts,
in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. Now, where remission of these
is, there's no more offering for sin. Don't you dare try to
bring one. Having therefore, brethren, boldness
to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new
and living way which He had consecrated for us through the veil, that
is to say His flesh, and having a high priest over the house
of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance
of faith, knowing that what He did is all we need, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water. I mentioned Here's confession
of sin. He said, Father, I've sinned
against heaven. I've sinned against God. And
I've sinned in your sight. And he said, I'm not worthy to
be called thy son. All sense of entitlement was
taken away. He knew he couldn't even, he
didn't even suspect that he could be a child because of his son.
He says, I'm not worthy to be called my son. Make me as a hired
servant. I wouldn't dare try to take a
child's place. Oh, but I'd be so thankful if you'd just make
me a hired servant. And what did the father say? Bring forth the best robe and put it on him. The righteousness
and merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. And put a ring on his
hand. The token of the eternal covenant
that has no beginning and will have no end. And put shoes on
his feet Grace to walk in the gospel. Now, wherever you have
this confession of sin. I've sinned. Against the Lord. No excuses. No extenuating circumstances. A true confession of sin before
him. This is the truth. The Lord hath
put away thy sin. Let's pray.

The Putting Away of Sin

What does the Bible say about confession of sin?

How do we know Jesus' sacrifice puts away sin?

Why is the doctrine of Christ's atonement important for Christians?

What is true repentance according to scripture?

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The Putting Away of Sin

What does the Bible say about confession of sin?

How do we know Jesus' sacrifice puts away sin?

Why is the doctrine of Christ's atonement important for Christians?

What is true repentance according to scripture?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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