Committing To God – Turning From sin

Introduction

Reading from James chapter one verses thirteen and fifteen. James chapter one verses thirteen and fifteen. No one undergoing a trial should say I am being tempted by God. For God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted, and when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.

Do you bow with me? Our most righteous God in heaven, we come to you now at the beginning of this service. Our prayer is that the songs that we sing this morning will be an uplifting, sweet aroma to you, that we will concentrate and focus on the words that we sing, that we will clear away the thoughts and cares of this world, and focus solely on you and worshiping you in song. Heavenly Father, we are mindful that there are those that have been mentioned that are sick. We ask that you be with the doctors that take care of them, that the things that may be done that would return them to their health or comfort them as only you know what’s best. We also ask your comfort for those that have lost a loved one, be with them, comfort them, care for them as only you can.

Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing on this congregation. We ask your blessing on the elders that lead it, that the decisions that they make would always allow this congregation to be a light in this area, to be a light to those that are lost, that they may reach many lost souls. Be with the evangelists, be with Adam and Greg, that you would bless them in their work, that they may have a long and fruitful service serving you. Be with them as they deliver messages, that they may always stay true to the word and focus on that and say the things that would help each of us grow stronger and closer to you. We do realize that there are times that we sin, that we fail you, and for that we ask for your forgiveness.

Help us each day to strive to be more like your son, to be stronger, to be draw closer to you. Be with us through the rest of this service, through the rest of the day, as we strive to serve you. We ask this in your Son’s name, Jesus Christ. Amen. Good morning. Being the first Sunday morning of this month, we are going to have a service and song. And continuing the theme that Adam and I began last Sunday morning, and Lord willing, Adam will continue at the 11 o’clock hour. We’re going to talk about turning from sin. And so the passages will be reflecting that theme. And the songs will be reflective of that theme. And seeing as the song book isn’t necessarily filled with songs about sin, nor is that necessarily the most uplifting way to start a Sunday morning.

We’re going to focus on the way to defeat temptation. We saw in passages last Sunday that we should flee temptation and pursue righteousness, that we should abhor evil and love good. And so there is no better example to us of that concept than Jesus the Christ. And so in our first block of songs, we’ll focus on yielding not to temptation, being willing to give ourselves completely and wholly over to the Lord. And then in the final two blocks, we’ll speak of following Jesus, committing our eyes on the perfect example of holiness and of righteousness, and of a man who, when he was in our form never sinned, and who now is at the right hand of God, certainly a place we wish to be one day, in heaven with God forever.

None of self and all of the self and be like the worst free and some of the day for people like Three hundred and thirty two. I surrender all. All to be surrendered.

I’m going to be reading Matthew sixteen twenty-four to forty-eight.

Matthew sixteen twenty-four to twenty-eight. Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever his who loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his father with his angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

I am on the Lord’s side master here who allows me to await reply. I am on the Lord’s eye master who in his work upon the fate was earned in his work to see. I was in the Who was he used to make reply? I am on the Lord’s side, Maxim I Who will make reply. I am on the Lord’s eye Max Number two hundred and eighty. I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus. I decided to honor Jesus. I have decided to follow Jesus.

I work so hard for Jesus I say I sacrifice to all the way I gave up I work on the say to me I promise and I birthday underneath with sacred mind so if I for Jesus I have for a year would be no more and I replay my foreign I’ll be reading from first John chapter two verses three through six. Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk just as he walked.

four hundred and ninety-eight, where he leads, I’ll follow.

Number six hundred and sixty-five. Walk with me. Walk with me so with me.

Number four engineers. Just a closer walk with these.

Number four one. Christ liveth in me. Fall from God and I think for me to be honest, I would so I can be with What a wonderful God we can sing praises to, amen. Open your Bibles with me to first Peter chapter two. And speaking of sin, we often talk about how the wages of sin is death. We speak of how to flee from sin. We spoke about how to eliminate our desire for the opportunity of, and to completely eradicate sin from our lives, including that of which seeking to stay with the Lord, to follow after Jesus. But there’s one particular point that Peter makes in 1 Peter chapter 2, in a way that we should emulate our Lord, that not only is a powerful point to our lives, but makes a larger point as well.

1. Christ Suffered for You, Leaving an Example

In 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 18, Peter writes, Servants be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing. When mindful of God one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it? If when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure. But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure. This is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return.

When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. And we see what Jesus did for us, and that was remove our sins.

But you know what’s interesting in this in this context is found in verse 20. No, what is the comparison? For what credit is it if you sin and are beaten for it? You don’t you don’t deserve credit for that. You’ve done wickedly, you’ve done wrong. But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. And so the context is speaking about how Jesus was our wonderful example of not only everything, but specifically, Jesus went through a lot. He was beaten, he was tried, he was chased from cities, and all because of what? Nothing wrong that he did. He was persecuted, yet perfect. Oftentimes we’re persecuted as a result of our wrong actions, our bad choices.

2. Entrusting Ourselves to Him Who Judges Justly

But Jesus was perfect. He committed no sin, verse twenty two, neither was deceit found in his mouth. But look with me at verse twenty three. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten. But continued in trusting where? Entrusting himself to him who judges justly. That’s what we need to do, whether it’s in the midst of persecution or in the midst of just getting through life. We need to follow in Jesus’ steps in this way and in every way. But we need to entrust ourselves to God. We need to entrust ourselves to him who judges justly. That’s how we get through life, leaning on the Lord. Amen. We need God, amen. We need him in every aspect of our life.

3. We Aren’t Stuck: We Can Be Forgiven

We need his help. But boy, do we have an example that we can follow. We have the example of Christ. He suffered and yet did not revile. It is every instinct and impulse of ours when we are struck to strike back. When we are insulted to insult in return, to retaliate, but that was not Jesus’ way. Jesus’ way was God’s way. That’s what we need to do. And when we speak of getting past sin, we need to realize that we have an ally in the Lord, that we aren’t stuck. Will you look with me at one other passage before we conclude this morning in 1 John chapter 1? In 1 John chapter 1, a wonderful passage about light and dark, but note that we aren’t just stuck.

When we sin, that’s not the end. It hasn’t gotten us. Because God is there for us. If we will seek him, if we will understand these words and apply them, beginning in verse 5, this is the message we have heard from him and proclaimed to you that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But 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. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

4. How Do We Follow in the Footsteps of Jesus?

That’s the silver lining. That’s the wonderful news. That is the good news. We can be forgiven. But it takes knowing that I have sinned. Verse 10. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar. And his word is not in us. So how do we do it? How do we follow in the footsteps of Jesus? Not only reading his example, but how do we apply that? 1 John chapter 2. My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments.

Conclusion

At the end of verse 5, by this we may know that we are in him. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. That’s our path. That’s the way to go. Any path that deviates from the footsteps of Jesus is wrong. It is off. But isn’t it wonderful to know not only where we’re going, but how to get there too. God hasn’t left anything for us to try to decide other than will I follow Jesus or not? That is our decision. Today and every day, we need to make the choice. I will follow Jesus. I have decided. I will follow Jesus, and there is no turning back. Will you go to God in prayer with me? Our dear God and most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we praise you for your greatness, and we lift up your name as the one true and living God.

Thank you for all of your blessings, O Lord. We’re mindful that without you we have no hope. We’re stuck in our sinful ways, reaping what we have sown, and when we have sown sin, we know that we reap death. Oh Lord, we’re thankful for your grace and mercy. We pray at this time that you forgive us of our sins and that you will hear our prayer. We are so thankful that you are willing to listen to us, that you are allowing us to be called children of yours. Oh Lord, it is a wonderful thing to be a child of God. Help us to enjoy that, to understand that, to live for that. Thank you for Jesus’ mighty example. We ask that you will help us guide us, help us follow in his footsteps.

Help us not to deviate from the path of righteousness, but to stay on that narrow way, always and forever seeking you. Lord, as we worship you today, we pray that in all things and all ways that we will bring glory to you, that we will follow your words, that we will worship in the way that we ought, that we will bring pleasing aromas of sacrifices to you this very day. Help us to live in this life even outside of this building as you would have us to be, as lights in the world of darkness. Help us to be on fire for you. Help us to love you. Help us to be servants of yours. As we go into the class period, help us to have our Bibles open, minds open, and to be willing to change our hearts with your will and your ways.

And it’s in your Son’s name we do pray. Amen. We’re now dismissed to our Bible class.