YES, LORD, I HAVE SINNED, BUT… (Part Two)
1 John 1:8-10, 1 Peter 4:8
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Pastor Londia

          Last Sunday we focused on the human habit of making excuses for our sinful nature. We concluded that our sins were nailed to the cross along with Jesus. Our response to this gift of God is to confess, repent, have faith and follow the Savior. Today we continue with part 2 of this subject based on, Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Have Several Excellent Excuses by United Methodist pastor James W. Moore (Abingdon,1991).

          1 John & 1 Peter complement each other so well. Both texts are written by leaders of the early Christian movement who remind all Christian churches across time and space that sin is conquered completely by the love of Jesus. When we think of our sin, we should immediately think of Jesus, the one who frees and cleanses us of all unrighteousness. Soap, sanitizer, bubble bath — all of those products can only do so much. It is possible for us to be in such bad shape we deceive ourselves into thinking we’re okay. This is why confession is so important (vs. 9). He who is faithful and just, Jesus, will clean us up. But if we say we have no sin, if we fail to confess or acknowledge our condition, it’s the same as calling Jesus a liar, and his cruel death was a waste of time.

          1 John reminds me of an occasion when I’d washed and dried a load of clothes and left the full laundry basket to do something else. My husband George came home and put the same load in the washer. I looked high and low around the house for that basket. Later we laughed at how he had cleaned the clean clothes. It takes some nerve to call the son of God a liar, but when we deny our sins, it’s like accusing Jesus of wanting to wash a person who is already sin free.  A survey of Christians from many denominations revealed that 98% said they believed in personal sin. 57% said they believed all people are sinful. And 33% said they “make mistakes” but no longer sin. (The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII, p390). This sounds like something officials in Washington might say.

          God’s motive for sending his son was love. The motive for Jesus giving his life was love. When you think of sin, don’t think of guilt and shame, think of love -- love that cannot be measured by ruler, yard stick, tape measure, nothing. Our Mozambique fundraiser tee shirts reads, (lift it up) “Jesus knows you, He loves you anyway.” Love covers a multitude of sins.  Multitude means “too many to count.” Proverbs 10:12 reads, “…Love covers all offenses.”  Even the humorous sins of these little ones: 3 slides of Letters from Children to God.

          1 Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.”  A paraphrase sounds like this: “More than anything, Christians, never let anything keep you from deeply caring for the community of Christ, for this kind of love -- sacrificial, caring -- will help you to forgive when you hurt each other.”  The key word “covers” is Greek for “ kalupto,” which means “to hide or conceal .” Peter is not talking about when non-Christians hurt us, he’s talking about when we wound those we sit beside in the pews, and in small groups, and the chancel. Cover means to “faithfully put sin in the past,” to hold no grudges, to let go and move on. Covering love is the truest, most reliable sign that the Holy Spirit lives in us. Salvation always has been and always will be about love — the most powerful force anywhere.

          One of the most powerful examples of “covering love” is the story of the woman caught in adultery in The Gospel of John 8:3-9. The scribes and Pharisees wanted to stone her, which was their right under the law. 19th century Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard wrote a sermon saying that when Jesus bowed down to write on the ground perhaps he was revealing that (slide) “sin discovers many sins but love covers all sins” (The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII, p306). That would explain why he told her accusers if they were sinless, to start throwing stones.

          Last Sunday we reviewed eight categories of the most prevalent sins in this congregation. We also demonstrated that all our sins are nailed to the cross. They are:  (1) Speaking Harsh Words/Gossip/Cussing and other negative communication. (2) Anger/Temper/Wrath. (3) Selfishness. 4) Pride/Arrogance. (5) Lust/Adultery and other wrongful thoughts and actions within and outside of marriage. (6) Impatience. (7) Unhealthy Eating Habits such as food addictions, too much junk foods and rejecting nourishment. (8) Lying — making conscious decisions not to tell the truth.

          I challenge all of us to believe, right now, that the sacrificial love of Christ covers all of our sins (demonstration). No excuses, no more blaming, no more self-justification. The love of Christ is more powerful than the law’s power to discover, reveal and convict us of our sins. Love covers every one of them. Our Affirmation of Faith from Romans 8:39 says, “We are sure that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

          Let us pray: Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned, But I Accept Your Unearned Gift of Love.  Because of your Extravagant Generosity, I am no longer condemned to eternal death. My sins are covered by your blood. I am free to live eternally with you. When nothing else could help, your Love Lifted Me! Thank you, God. Amen.