A Humble Admission

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:5-8 NASB

Jesus understands, He loves, He corrects, He teaches, He repairs. Remember during His earlier time with us He was ministering to the “despised” rather than societies perceived “good” people. That gives me hope for those (including all of us) who recognize we are not good and cannot be good without Jesus and so to respond to His offer to make us good is why He is among us. He doesn’t want people to cover up sin and brokenness with good deeds and outward personas without affecting the heart that He causes to beat. 

Matthew 3:11 NET I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am – I am not worthy to carry His sandals. He will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire. 

Praise God! In His overwhelming care for humanity Jesus has not left us stranded but has empowered us with Holy Spirit! an advocate to combat every lie of the enemy, thank You Lord!

As we study, reflect on, His holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, and meditate on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, let us remember to examine our own hearts. Are our sins being addressed? What must we grab hold of by absolute faith? My friends, I pray we are receptive to the convicting work of Holy Spirit and the ministry of the Bible. 

God wants us to be changed by His forgiveness, seeking Him, admitting to Him our sins, because trust me He knows every single piece of shrapnel in us left by sin, and ask for redemption, repent and stop doing what it is we must repent of! 

Holy Spirit will be with you through the breaking of the enemy’s chains! He will pull us through and out of the mud!

Isaiah 44:22 TPT I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud, the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. Come back to Me, for I protect you.

And my friends, as we see and experience our transgressions being blotted out by our risen Saviour, our rightful response is doing likewise with others’ sins against us. When God blows away our sin like the mist, we can imitate Jesus and forgive others. It is so freeing to let go of offences and let God handle them. And it is also freeing to the other person, like we had shared before at Gospel Garage we are not to be barriers on the road to someone else’s repenting, redemption, salvation. Holy Spirit literally blows us over over, stands us upright and dusts us off when we take His hand- and then He will teach us to offer that same outstretched hand of grace to others. 

The Lord commands us to share the gospel and let our light shine before the world. In truth, the darker the world around us becomes, the more important it is for us to share with others the only hope for our future and theirs—is salvation through Jesus Christ.

The instruction, command, to repent is spoken throughout the Bible - it’s a summons to a personal, absolute and ultimate unconditional surrender to God as Sovereign. Though it includes sorrow and regret, it is more than that. ... When we repent we are refined by fire, we get to make a complete change of direction toward God.

When we turn from our sin to our Savior, repentance becomes our forever road map, so we will walk in reverent fear of the Lord, knowing the time of eternal judgement is coming.  

Acts 17:30-31 NET Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, He now commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom He designated, having provided proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead.

What God requires of us is a humble admission of the sins we’ve committed, the will of God we have violated, and for us to offer Him a willingness (action) to have a change of mind and heart, and to walk in the fruits of Holy Spirit that repentance brings. 

The burn marks from sins we have committed, in private or out in public, strip us of the ability to keep sin hidden. We get to repent, and by His redeeming grace Christ’s blood grants us reconciliation with God. 

Listen to the heart of David as he prays for restoration in relationship to God after his adultery with Bathsheba …..

Psalms 51:10-13 CSB God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence or take Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach the rebellious Your ways, and sinners will return to You.

This is a sombre prayer, sung as pieces of a famous hymn, for us to be restored to God.  Let His vision for your life supersede shame, your fear, worry, and anxiety.

recognize what you have done, repent, entrust it to God, and follow His Word. 

Holy Spirit teaches the truth about humanity: We have disobeyed personally, corporately, and nationally, and God will bring down consequences among mankind. 

Yet true to His redemptive nature, God continues the wind howling, middle-of-the-night wake up call with the following promise: 2 Chronicles 7:13-16 NASB If I close the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.

Oh my friends, thank you for joining us, welcome to a new week.  Every day is the day that the Lord has made, and each day we will praise Jesus.  What an easy thing it is- because He is so worthy.  We praise Him for His teaching, His power, His presence, His wisdom, His ultimate sacrifice, and a million other things that spring forth from inside us.