YES, LORD, I HAVE SINNED, BUT… (Part One) Excuses, excuses, excuses. We human beings don’t have any problem justifying ourselves. “I did it, but…” started ages ago with the first humans. Through God’s extravagant generosity Adam received a beautiful home with job security. “Be a good steward; take care of the garden and the animals and I’ll take care of everything else.” God gave Adam a helpful companion named Eve. A snake tempted them into disobedience. And what was Adam’s reply, “Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned But…it’s Eve’s fault. She gave me the forbidden fruit.” And we all know how it happened, don’t we? She threw Adam to the ground and shoved the fruit down his throat, right? Or maybe Adam blamed God. Read Genesis chapters 2-3 when you get home. In Genesis 3:12 Adam says to God, “The woman you gave me gave me the fruit and I ate it. See God, if you hadn’t given me a wife I wouldn’t have messed up.” So Adam and Eve began humanity’s walk down the path of half-hearted confession, blame and justification: Yes, teacher, it’s true I don’t have my homework but…the dog ate it. Yes, mom and dad, I didn’t clean up my room but…there was some good stuff on the Internet. Yes, boss, I didn’t complete my work but…I got side tracked by a co-worker. Yes, Police Officer, I broke into someone’s home but…I needed the money to get high. Yes, Lord, I haven’t shown love to you and my neighbor but…I’ve been busy. And my personal favorite, Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned but…the devil made me do it. Today’s subject, Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned But I Have Several Excellent Excuses comes from this book by James W. Moore (Abingdon, 1991), a United Methodist pastor. On page 19 he reminds us that God is more interested in forgiving us than hearing our excuses. It’s true. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so. In Romans 3, Paul wrote to Jewish Christians and Gentiles, to explain this gospel truth: Jesus Christ has completed the work of salvation for all people. We are saved, or made holy or righteous, when we accept Jesus. Period. Who we are and what we do can’t save our souls. Even if we could obey the law (and we can’t), it wouldn’t matter. Verse 20 explains that we human beings cannot justify, or make ourselves righteous. All the law will ever do is convict us by revealing our sinful nature. Verse 22 teaches that we become righteous through our faith in Jesus. Every person has sinned (past tense), every person falls short (present tense) of God’s plans. It’s a fact. “For by grace (Jesus’ work) we are saved (justified or made whole) through faith (our belief in him),” Ephesians 2:8. So instead of feeling guilty, playing the blame game or making excuses, Confess your sins (acknowledge), Repent (turn away), Believe (have faith in God) and Follow (behave like Our Savior). Theologian Paul Tillich said, “accept that you are accepted.” That’s good advice. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, our sins were nailed along with his flesh and bones. According to Romans 6:22-23, our faith that his crucifixion sets us free from sin is our justification. If I were to receive what I earn (deserve) I would be awarded eternal death because the wages of sin is death. No excuses. “Yes, Lord I Have Sinned But…” changes to “Yes, Lord, I am a sinner who has been saved (set free) by Your Son, my Lord and Savior. I am no longer a slave to sin, I belong to you now. From this moment on, I embrace sanctification, which is your plan for my life. By following you I become a more like you (holy) every day. And at the end of my life of discipleship, I will receive an unearned gift of eternal life that you gained for me on Calvary’s cross. My righteousness is Jesus. He, and he alone, justifies me. “He whom the Son sets free is free indeed” John 8:36. Last February and March we observed the season of Lent by symbolically nailing our sins to the Ash Wednesday cross. Remember? I have been praying for us, and now share the eight categories of Our Sins that had 10 or more confessions: #1) Deals with the way we communicate with one other--Harsh Words/Gossip/Cussing. #2) More negative communication--Anger/Temper/Wrath. #3) Selfishness—lack a sharing spirit. #4) Pride/Arrogance—thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. #6) Impatience—inability to wait on God and others. #8) Lying—we repeatedly choose not to tell the truth. This list reminds us that we share the same sins, so don’t feel isolated. We are a church family. The time for “Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned But...” is over. Let’s drop the excuses and do better. Let’s live as the free people of God we are. Using the Wesleyan principle of accountability, let’s encourage one another to embrace the freedom Jesus longs for us to receive. Talk as he talks. Walk as he walks. Think as he thinks. Live as he lives. Work as he works. That’s what sanctification is, becoming more like our Lord and Savior everyday. In our daily lives let’s communicate and think and treat one another the way Christ modeled. When we are tempted let’s say, “no excuses.” We are free through the sacrificial love of Christ. Let’s claim our victory in Jesus and go forward together today. |