Excretion: Unclogging the Pipes of Sin

1 John 1:5-10

The worst part of dealing with the disease of Cystic Fibrosis is dealing with the gunk in your lungs and sinuses. CF dries you out internally and stuff gets sticky and thick and hard to clear out. That is the real danger of the disease – not the total body dehydration or the pancreas issues, but the inability to keep your lungs clear. The vast majority of victims of this disease die because of infections that get trapped in their lungs, some even suffocating due to the amount of junk that fills up their airways. This is why airway clearance and attacking any bugs are vital to survival.

We are continuing with our series on having a discipleship checklist. A spiritual wellness guide to help you determine if you are moving towards God or trying to live on your own. Today we are dealing with the importance of cleaning out the gunk that seeps into our lives. Much like the mucus that can get in and clogs my lungs, sin gets into our lives and clogs our relationship with Jesus. And much like my health regimen, there is a prescribed and planned way to deal with sin: confession.

Confession is Recognizing that Sin is Sin

I had friend in high school who is now a pastor out west in a liberal domination. She, while calling herself a Christian, has been a loudspeaker for changing the definition of sin—thus things like homosexuality isn’t a sin by her definition. She is far from the only person who’s done this – the “church” has been changing the definition of sin for millennia. This happened in the 1950s with divorce – the church stopped calling it a sin and now it’s commonplace. V6 makes this a dangerous stance to take.

I’ve often told my kids a riddle that I learned from my biology teacher in HS. He asked us this – if you say a cow’s tail is a leg, how many legs does a cow have? The answer is 4 – no matter how many times you say a tail is a leg, it’s still a tail. We could stand to be reminded of that in the church. God never gave us the opportunity to determine what is or is not sin. Just as the maker of the game gets to set the rules of the game, the Creator gets to set the rules to life. If He calls something sin, it’s His world – His rule – who are we to think we can change the rules?

The base meaning of the word confession is acknowledgment – that means recognizing that another has the right answer. To confess is to agree; to accept that someone else is right. Scripture tells us that everyone has sinned – can you admit that there is sin in your life? Since we are still alive, we are still tempted by and commit sin. Confession is acknowledging that you sinned and agreeing that it was a bad choice. Justifying one’s sin is not confessing – just see v8 – it’s nothing more than denial. Let’s not overblow this either – none of these sins are unforgiveable.

Confession is Allowing God to Cleanse Sin from You

Look – no one is perfect. We are all going to sin – we are going to make mistakes, and we might fall into sin patterns from time to time. One of the most dangerous things we can do, however, it to justify it – to deny that it is sin. The first, and most important part of beating a sin in your life is recognizing it is what it is and admitting (or taking ownership) your role in it. I laughed when I read what Teddy Roosevelt said about this – “If you could kick the person in the pants most responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” Personal responsibility is one of the most powerful and freeing things you can do for yourself. Talk about the MGMA website issue with Atilus and how I accepted responsibility for the mistakes that were made, which impressed the organization so much that they forgave us and increased their order. Admission builds trust – exactly what John is talking about here – honesty is the key to all of this. If we are open and honest—with ourselves and each other—then we let the light shine which roots out and kills the sin – in other words, if we are honest about our sin, that let’s God in to deal with it, then He will clean it out!

Next Steps

The prescription is simple – own your sin and God will own your cleansing. David had the right idea in Psalm 51 to admit his sin and fall on to God’s mercy. There’s no better or safer way to handle sin.

1. Confess any sins you are aware of to God and seek any restoration you might need to do.
2. Ask God to make you aware of anything you might not know of.
3. Have an accountability partner (Barnabas) who is willing to show you things that you don’t see – then humbly listen to their advice.

Another old friend of mine struggled with money and never took care of his car. As a result, the engine clogged up and he ended up with major repairs and expenses. If we are going to grow in holiness and discipleship, we must keep cleansed of the clogs of sin. We all will still sin in this life, but we can get cleansing from God before it becomes a major problem – all we have to do is admit it and accept His mercy.