Pastor Cho's Sermon Outline - Yoido Full
Gospel Church - Seoul, KoreaI Did Wrong! 1 John 1:9 ~ 1:10 2002-07-21
Aristotle, an ancient philosopher said that man was a social animal. In other words, man cannot live alone. We live within a social structure that includes our parents, children, spouse, brothers and sisters, friends, and neighbors. It is very important to have good relationships with others. However, there will be conflict and friction in our relationships; no one has a perfect personality or character. So, we must learn how to deal with such conflict in a proper way to prevent or heal a breakdown in our relationships. Although it is not easy and it takes courage, we must honestly admit our faults and say to others, "I did wrong. It was my fault. Please forgive me."
Adam, where are you? God was searching for Adam (Genesis 3:8,9). Adam was ashamed of his nakedness after he rebelled against God by eating the forbidden fruit, so he hid among the trees in the garden. God knew where Adam was, but He wanted to give Adam the choice of coming to Him, to repent, and to ask for forgiveness. But Adam did not do so. He only gave excuses for his sin, trying to justify his actions. Adam blamed God, he blamed his wife Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent (Genesis 3:12,13). God wanted them to be honest, humble, and to repent. But they chose not to take responsibility for what they did, so God punished them (Genesis 3:16-24).
There is a difference between Saul and David. The Amalekites attacked the Israelites in the desert. So when Israel became stronger under King Saul's rule, God commanded the Israelites to totally destroy them and everything that belonged to them (1 Samuel 15:1-3). Because of greed, Saul only partially destroyed them (1 Samuel 15:7-9,13-23), giving excuses for not fully obeying God. Excuses make God angry; He knows the truth. Saul rejected God's words, so God rejected Saul as king. David committed the sins of adultery (2 Samuel 11:2-4) and murder (2 Samuel 12:9-12). But he repented of his sins (2 Samuel 12:13,14; Psalm 51:1-19), and God took pity on David.
I did wrong. Forgive me! We must never think of ourselves as a perfect human being. Arrogance and pride are sin (Psalm 53:2,3; Philippians 2:3). We must judge our actions honestly (Jeremiah 2:35; Matthew 7:3-5; Jude 1:20,21). We must have the courage to admit our sins (Psalm 32:5; Proverbs 28:13; Hebrews 4:16), ask for forgiveness from God and others, and make a new start (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:24). In our personal relationships, these are the most effective words we can use in dealing with conflict and friction:"I did wrong. It was my fault. Please forgive me."
Heavenly Father, help us to take responsibility for our actions and not blame others. Help us to be honest and truthful-to admit our faults and to ask for forgiveness.
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