Rededicating your life to Christ
October 27, 2025
I got jinxed yesterday. I was talking to Rick Simon, and he said, “What are you doing?” I said, “Well, I just finished my Sunday school lesson.” And he said, “You’re ready for tomorrow,” something along that line. And he said, “Yeah, you probably are.” Then he said, “God changes things at the last minute, and you’ve never had that happen.” Yeah, I’ve had that happen. He jinxed me.
Because just a few minutes ago, the Lord said, “Change the message.” Next thing, I was going to sleep in, not get up early and study, amen. But I do feel like the Lord has me changing some things. Had someone come to me just a minute ago; they’ve been talking about rededicating their life. And they said, “Well, today, you know, work, whatnot.” And I said, “Man, at work, it would be great.”
And from that, I feel like God would just have me change. And let’s talk about rededicating your life for a little bit, all right? Let’s talk about that. So we’re going to change course here a little bit this morning, at least I am. So turn your Bible, if you will, to 1 John, 1st John, 1st John—not St. John, but 1st, 2nd, 3rd John, Jude, Revelation.
So I’m simply saying it’s going to be more chaotic than often. So that’s going to be really chaotic this morning, I’ll tell you for sure. But 1 John, chapter number one in God’s word this morning. First John, chapter number one in God’s word this morning. And once you find that, would you say amen? Good. You lied. You’re still turning out here the pages, man, you know.
Kind of towards the back part: first, second, third John, Jude, Revelation. But first John, chapter number one of God’s word. And by the way, good to see everybody. Just thrilled to see everyone. All the guests, honored to have you here today, too, and thrilled to see you.
First John is one of those books of the Bible. It’s kind of like when you feel like Dad—that’s our Abba Father—the Lord, if you’re saved, Dad gathers the family in the living room and says, “I want to talk to you.” And the book of 1 John is God, if you’re saved, your Heavenly Father, talking to the family—all the Christians. Now, if you’re not a born-again Christian, not saved, we think about that, you’re welcome to listen in for sure, but it really is God talking to the family of God.
In fact, he uses this term here: technon. It’s a Greek term, and it really is just an endearing term. My, that’s my son, my daughters. I love them. It’s an endearing, “my children” type term. And so the book of 1st John is written to the children of God. If you’re saved, it is really written to you. By the way, it’s very good if you doubt your salvation; it’s a good book to give you assurance of salvation. But it is written to the family of God.
And I want to just look at a couple of verses here in chapter number one. We’re going to start in verse number eight, 1 John chapter number one. Would you please stand as I read God’s word together just to show the word of God respect this morning? First John one, and let’s start in verse number eight, would you please? Verse number eight. He says there, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” We talked about that last Sunday morning some when we talked about the harm of lying. We deceive ourselves. Watch this: “And the truth is not in us.”
Now let’s skip verse number nine for just a minute. Let’s go down to verse number 10. Verse number 10: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” Wow. Verse number eight: you say you’ve got it all together, you’re perfect, you’re just all this—you’ve deceived yourself, the truth is not in you. Verse number 10: if you say that you haven’t sinned, wow, that’s pretty bold—we’ve made him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Now that’s pretty bold, verse number eight, verse number 10. Don’t say you don’t sin because, by the way, by the way, take the facade off. None of us are like, you know, super Christians. There’s only one Super One, and that’s Jesus Christ. For you know, we’ll all sit and mess up. That’s what it’s saying, verse number 8, verse number 10.
But I love it tucked in the middle of those two verses. By the way, I’m sorry. Please forgive me. My mind—I knew there was something. Thank you so much for the gift. I’m sorry. I didn’t even say—I didn’t get to say that publicly. Thank you very, very much for that. It’s been my honor to be your pastor all these years. My honor. I mean, you’re the one that’s put up with me, amen. You know, I tell you what, you know.
And I was talking to another pastor this week, and we were just complaining—you never do that, I know—but we were complaining a little bit. Then he started saying something—I can’t remember exactly—something about his people, whatnot. And I said, “Well, I have to be honest with you, I got some great people. I got good people.” And I do. You’re so good. Thank you. Thank you for being a blessing. You’re awesome. You’ve just been putting up with me for a long time, that’s all, man. You’ve put up with something so long you don’t know there’s anything better out there. That’s what it is.
Thank you, though. Thank you for the gift. Brother Adam did say go spinning on a motorcycle, so I got permission, I tell you why. That’s what he said. He did say that, you know. So, but anyway, back to the message. I’m sorry. I wanted to get that in, though. My mind’s here, there, yonder. Thank you for the gift. It’s a blessing.
But verse number eight, he says, if you act like you never sin, you don’t even see the truth. You deceive yourself. Verse number 10, verse number 8, then verse number 10, he says, if you think you don’t sin, the word of God’s not in you, and you’re making God out to be a liar because God says we are sinners. But tucked in the middle of that, I love it, tucked right in the middle of those two verses—I studied long and hard over this—between 8 and 10 is verse number 9, amen, you know.
I had to go to Bible college to learn that one right there. Verse number nine is awesome. Look at it. It’s an awesome, awesome verse: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Would you read that verse aloud with me, please? Here we go: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And I forget one Sunday we just mentioned it somewhere in the message, and a man shook my hand leaving. He said, “I’m glad he said ‘all unrighteousness.’” Wow, that’s awesome, all unrighteousness. Praise the Lord for that.
Would you pray with me that God would speak to your heart? Would you pray that as I pray the same thing? Lord, we come to you, Father. You know, I believe you’ve led me to change. I want to hear your still, small voice. Trying to listen for it, Lord. Please be patient with me, Lord. I’m not always good about it, but I think that’s what you will. So, Lord, you accomplish your will. Help people, Lord, that’s what it’s all about. Forgive me, Father, if I want to preach a good message. Take all that away. Just help someone. That’s what it’s about, Lord. Use your word and send your Spirit and grow us and help us. Lord, the one here’s not saved, let them get saved. And Father, we’ll thank you for what you do. And Father, we’re asking for this in the name of Jesus. We pray. Amen. Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.
Look back at that verse number nine, if you would, please. And that first word is huge. You know, you’ve heard it said the biggest word there is “if,” you know. But I really want to focus for just a second here on “if we.” We. I’ve already started off this morning talking about this whole book of the Bible. It is talking to the saved people, the family of God. And he really, in this verse, he says, “If we.”
This verse right here is written not for a lost person, but for a saved person: “If we”—we, the family of God, we, the Christians of God, those of us that are born-again Christians—if we. Now, let me explain a little bit. The verses ahead of this explain that sometimes we, the family of God…
We never lose the relationship, but we do lose the fellowship. All right? Would you look back there? Look in—oh, we’ll start in verse number five. Verse number five, 1 John chapter number one, verse number five. Look at this. He says, “This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
Watch this: “If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.” Now notice the fellowship. Now here’s the thing: when you got saved, all these people gave the dates of when they got saved. On that day, they got the relationship. By the way…
Not everyone’s a child of God; everyone’s the creation of God. But you don’t become a child of God until you’re born again through the blood of Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of God. Then you’re regenerated. You’re born into the family of God at that point. You’re saved. You become a son or a daughter of God. And by the way, once you’re a born-again Christian, the child of God, you cannot lose that relationship.
We have a daughter, we have a son. Our son is grown. And John was always 100% boy. And sometimes that’s good, and sometimes, well, you know, not so good. When John was quiet, you know, when he was a boy, if he’s quiet, you better check; something’s going on, guaranteed. And one time, for just a little while, he was quiet, and my wife said, “Where is he at? What is he doing?” you know.
And he had our cat, yeah, over in some corner, and he had a pair of scissors. And I’m telling you, he butchered that cat. I’m talking about it. And the cat’s trying to squirm and get away, and he’s holding on that man. He’s just cutting away, you know. I mean, I should not tell—I’m already out of sync this morning, you know. I’ll tell a story. My mom used to cut our hair. Used to cut a lot of our hair. And one of my uncles wanted his hair cut by Mom, and I can’t remember why she didn’t do it—probably she was mad at him. No, I’m joking. She just couldn’t do it. And he was not right, and he went and he did too much of that, and he was just drunk, and he cut his own hair. Oh, wow. You could tell that from a distance, you know. “What happened to that guy?” you know. I don’t know why I’m telling all these stories. All of us are talking too much today, I’ll tell you for sure. Now, you know, but me anyway.
You know, so my son—my wife, when she found that cat, that pitiful, poor-looking cat, I’m talking about, wow, bare spots all over that cat—she was… well, my wife never gets mad and angry and hot. She just, you know, she just has emotional moments, that’s all, you know. And she was—she was hot enough, she’s mad at the ball. “What did you do to her cat?” you know.
And now help me out: during that time when my wife was mad at my son, was he still her son? Did they have sweet fellowship at that time? No, not at all. Now, same thing. When a child of God is not living right, you will not have fellowship. You’re still a child of God. You still have the relationship. You cannot lose that. In fact, the Bible says, “I give it to them eternal life and they shall never perish.” Did you hear what the Bible says? They shall never perish. Help me out. They shall never perish.
He said, “I give it to me.” You earned it, you’re losing. He said, “I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” And Jesus, “My Father has given me them; they are greater than all. And no man can pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” So you got the relationship. When you got saved, you became his son, his daughter. Nothing can change that. You take the cat in the corner, you cut all the fur off; you’re still his son and his daughter.
But you’re not going to have fellowship. You’re not going to have—“and he walks with me and he talks with me”—you’re not going to have me. You’re not going to have this sweet, wonderful time alone with God. You’re not going to have the joy of the Lord. You’re not going to have the peace of God that passes all understanding. You’re not going to have that.
And if we go around and act like, “Well, I’m all good, I have a wonderful relationship with the Lord,” the Bible says you’re lying about the deal. Look at it again, verse number six: “If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we what?” We lie and do not the truth.
I like this here. Years ago, I kind of caught this verse number seven. It was an encouragement to me because for years I thought I had to be perfect to have fellowship with God, and I’m far from perfect. And it was discouraging to me. I thought, “I want to be close to God. I can never get close to God. I got to be all that.” I’m going to go to 1 John 1, verse number seven.
But it was encouraging to me when I looked at that verse closely. Look what he says here: “But if we do everything right,” is that what it says? No. It simply says, “But if we walk in the light.” Walk in the light. That means you’re not perfect, but you’re walking in the light. You see, when you’re not perfect, you admit when you’re not perfect. You’re trying—you’re far from there—but you’re just walking. You’re not running. You’re trying to run from sin, but you’re honest about the situation. You’re walking in the light. That was so encouraging to me when I learned that. All I have to do is walk in the light. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” Praise the Lord for that. Yes, it’s talking about the family of God, fellowship one with another, but it’s also talking about the fellowship here. We have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ—we think about that a lot this morning—and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all our sins.
But “if”—notice that “if” in our verse, we’re on verse number nine—“if we,” that’s saved, you got the relationship, you want fellowship, “if we,” what’s the next word? “If we walk in the light.” How many times have you done it to? You said, “Well, that looks like a good church.” And you pull it out of the closet and you bring it into the light. You said, “Wow, I didn’t know those stains were there. Let me check under the arm.” Come on now, you do the same thing. And how about us men? You better check where the food falls. You know what I’m talking about? Is there a stain right there? And you get that shirt out of the closet and you bring it into the light. You’re like, “Wow, that ain’t cleaned. That’s got a lot of issues right there.”
That’s what he said. If we confess—if we walk in the light, we’re honest about it: “I’ll not be bitter. I’ll not be talking like that. I’ll not be looking at that. I’ll not be dressing and wearing that. I’ll not be listening to that movie or that music or watching that movie.” You just get honest about things. “If we confess our sins.”
You have to be perfect because you’re not going to be perfect. If you’re trying to be perfect, that’s discouraging, defeating. Been there before. I just never there. It doesn’t say you’ve got to be perfect. It says, “If we walk in the light as he is in the light.” Well, that wasn’t the honest truth what I just said. And you confess it. We appreciated it on that last Sunday.
“If we confess”—now that “confess” has to do with seeing the things like God sees it. It has a little bit of that homo, or we think of a homosexual, you know, it’s not that, but it does have that homo part in the Greek there. If I see it like God sees it, that’s what I have to do. “If we confess our sins.” All right? I am—I’m not blaming everybody else. I’m not trying to justify. I’m not saying, “Well, that was just a little bitty sin.” No, we start seeing that sin like God sees it.
By the way, I’m amazed when I start confessing my sins. It may take a minute or how I start seeing God’s view on my sin—my jealousy, or my lack of faith, or my pride, or whatever it may be. After I start confessing that, “Lord, I’m sorry for having that pride. I’m sorry for having a lack of faith. And you’re such a mighty God. And why in the world do I doubt you when you’ve done so much?” And I start going on confessing that, I start to see that sin like God sees it.
It’s amazing to me over there in the model prayer—we call it, not the Lord’s Prayer—he says, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive our debtors.” What Jesus never has to do. God, I never pray, “Forgive my sin.” He never sins. It’s not the Lord’s Prayer; we call it that. It’s a model prayer. It’s teaching you how to pray. But it’s interesting to me, he doesn’t bring up confessing sin in the model prayer until the last part. My thought is, because after you spend some time in the light, you see a lot more sins. And after a while, it’s not like I’m so good and righteous and holy. After a while, you’re like Isaiah was in Isaiah 6, and you say, “Woe is me! I am unclean.” It’s a different frame of mind.
And he says, “If we confess”—we start confessing—“myself, Lord, I’m far from where I ought to be. Forgive me. I’m not to watch that. I’m not listening to that music. I’m not saying that. I’ve not been mean. That wasn’t the total truth what I told so-and-so.” And you start confessing. It’s amazing after a while, you start seeing that sin a little bit more like God sees it. And that’s what we’re talking about: confess. It has to do with that. “If we confess.”
Well, it’s not everybody else’s fault. Yes, Mom and Dad, whatever happened, my childhood affects what happens in my day and time, but that doesn’t give me an excuse to sin. It’s my fault. “If we confess…”
That’s interesting. If I don’t confess, I wonder—wow, I’m not going to have fellowship. Still got the relationship. I’m not going to have the fellowship. So, by the way, if I’m proud in heart and all that, walk around thinking I got everything together, I’m deceived; don’t even realize it. Yeah, I got no fellowship. I got a relationship. He’s my Dad. I’m his son; I’m his daughter. But I don’t have the fellowship. So it says, “If we confess our sins.” Y’all out there, let’s get a little bit more of this verse here. What does he say? “If we confess our sins…” This is maybe the best part of the whole verse. If your neighbor is sleeping right now, reach over and slap them and wake them up, all right, if you would. Don’t poke them in the eyeball unless they have glasses on, all right now, you know. This is the best part of it. Look at this. He says, “If we confess our sins, he is what?” Boy, I like that. When I’m at my lowest—hey, listen to me, listen to me—when I have asked God to forgive me for that particular sin a billion times, help me out, he is what? Faithful. By the way, you think your puny little life can wear out the faithfulness of Almighty God? “Well, I can’t forgive you again.” Friend, the Bible right there says he is faithful!
He said, “How can that happen?” We’ll get that in just a second here. But he’s faithful. He’s faithful. He’s faithful. I didn’t know the boy, but I’ve heard of a boy that they got so rebellious. He was raised in church, in a Christian home, but it was a hypocritical home, all kind of problems. He got so rebellious against God and the things of God because of the things that happened in his life. When he was just at his rock bottom, told her best, he would tear pages out of the Bible, roll them up and smoke them. God has magnified his word above all his name, the Bible says. And yet that boy, he said, when God started tenderizing my heart and I started seeing the difference, that wasn’t God that did it; that was those people that did it. God’s wonderful. He’s always been good to me. And he started to realize God loves him, even though he’s so messed up and rebellious and bitter. And he went to God for such a horrible thing like that, taking paper out of the Bible and rolling—he’s just horrible. And yet, you know what? Help me out. He is what? Faithful. And God forgave that boy when he just got honest about it: “I’m bitter, I’m mad, I’m angry, I’m not right. I want to confess my sin.”
“If we confess our sin, he is faithful.” Anybody out there thankful for that right there? Praise the Lord for it. Look at the rest. It’s amazing. This verse is a wonderful purpose. You want to rededicate your life? This is the verse right here. “If we confess our sin, he is faithful.” And what? And what? Just. He said, “How in the world can he be just when now you committed, and you said last time you’d never do it again?” Come on now, you’ve been there before. He said, “I’ll never, ever, ever, ever, ever—I’ll never, ever do it”—that type of thing.
How can he be faithful to forgive? And how on earth can he be just? He’s a righteous, thrice holy God. How can a thrice holy God—he will not even look on Jesus when he had the sin of our lives on him on the cross, and Jesus had to say, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” for a second. How could a holy, righteous God like that be just to forgive and cleanse from all that? How? I tell you that: we sing it sometimes, “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” That first line of that song that I sang really explains that Jesus paid it all.
I got to hurry along. You say, “I thought if you were coming up with a message, it would be shorter.” Amen, you know. Someone said, “The longer you preach, the longer you want to preach.” I’m working at it. I’m working at it. Twenty-six years. It is different nowadays. But if you’ve been around here for a long time, this is illustration number 13, you know that. Remember that? You say, “Yes.” I said, “Let’s move on there,” you know.
But let’s say we go to Walmart, and we’re in the TV section, and we’re watching the football games on Saturday, and we’re watching your college football team lose—mine win, of course. I’m teased, of course. We’ve been on both sides for sure. But my son—I already mentioned my son—and he gets rambunctious, and he knocks one of those big, expensive TVs over. What’s the—is it 72 inches, like huge? It is. Say it’s a 72-inch one. I don’t know. Let’s say it costs $600.
And the manager comes and says, “Sir, your brother—I mean, your son—knocked that TV over and it’s broke, it’s ruined. You need to pay for that.” And I rob a bank or I find some money somewhere or something, you know, and I pay for that. Now we go home. And I’m going to apply the Board of Education to the seat of knowledge. I mentioned this last week; you didn’t get it, but I’m the canoe or paddle best in the rear. Now, when my son gets that education at home—that is not paying for the TV. I already paid for the TV. It’s paid in full. Remember, I robbed the bank, got the money for it. I paid for it.
Same thing. Even when you get chased by the Lord for your sin as a child of God, you’re not paying for that sin. Jesus paid it all. The wages of sin is death. The only way you could pay for it is to go to hell, and you actually never would pay for it. That’s why hell is forever and ever and ever. So when you get chased by God, it’s not you paying for your sin. Jesus paid for it already. You’re getting education so you don’t do that again as a child of God. That’s correction; that’s chasing from God. That’s not you paying for your sin. As God trying to correct you so when you go to Walmart again, you won’t knock the TV over again.
He’s just to forgive and cleanse because Jesus paid it all. If God were to come to you and say, “Hey, buddy, you did that one, and you told me last time you’d never do it again, and I’m coming to you, ‘Hey, you’ve got to pay up for that sin right there,’” if you did that, God would not be just because Jesus paid it all, and that would be double payment. That wouldn’t be right.
Ever paid for something—maybe your wife or somewhere online—it’s been paid for, and they want you to pay again? How many had medical bills like that? Come on now. That’s the thing nowadays, you know. That’s unjust. God is just, and Jesus paid it all. That’s why he can be faithful to forgive and cleanse from all, because Jesus, he laid on him the iniquity of us all. Paid in full. That’s why Jesus said, “It is finished.” Over. Paid.
Now let’s keep going on our verse here. Great verse if we’re rededicating our life, whether it be, you know, significant—we haven’t rededicated in a year or two, or just moment by moment. This is the verse for it. “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to what?” What’s in that? What’s it? To what? To forgive. Oh, I’m so glad it’s forgiveness. By the way, I’m glad. I’m glad God doesn’t hold grudges.
Can I say that again? I’m glad God doesn’t hold grudges. Can I say something to parents? If your child is doing this or that, deal with it. I mean, if you’ve got to put them on restrictions—the teenagers don’t like this part here. If you got to take their cell phone from them—y’all didn’t hear that, did you? They don’t like that one. But if you got to take their cell phone, if you got to spank them, you know, when they’re younger, whatever—do what you need to, but don’t hold a grudge for the next four days or four weeks and hold a grudge between you and your child. Don’t do that. Give them some punishment, get it done. Let’s move back on. Let’s get the fellowship restored because they need you, Mom and Dad. So don’t be mad at them for the next four weeks, bringing it up time and again to the neighbors and everybody else. Hey, the Bible says, “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just, and forgive them.”
But sometimes it would be easier to forgive them if you did spank them like the Bible talks about. The rod of correction will drive out foolishness, but the rod of correction will drive it far from him. That’s the Bible. That’s not what Dr. Spock or somebody says or, you know, the gentle parenting. That’s what God said. God knows a little bit about that stuff. That’s what he said. As I get older, you know, you’re looking up to them. Okay, take their cell phone. Don’t try to whip them, baby. You say, “I can’t take it from them.” You cut off the bill. You stop paying it, amen. Yeah.
But he forgives. He doesn’t hold a grudge. You confess your sin. He’s faithful and just to forgive. He’s not mad at you for the next three weeks. The devil will bring that, by the way. Conviction is when the Holy Spirit of God convicts you for that, but you get it forgiven under the blood of Jesus Christ, and after that, it’s guilt, not conviction. And that guilt is not from God; it’s from your own flesh, your own heart that condemns you; it’s from the devil, from the world. But God doesn’t do that. He forgives, and he doesn’t hold a grudge for the next ten days. He forgives you.
“If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” By the way, we all have them, verse number eight, verse number 10. If I act like I don’t, well, something ain’t right. I’m not going to have fellowship. I can be saved, but I’m not going to have fellowship. So what do we do? Confess it. Get honest about it. Yes, yes, confess it. “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” Watch this. And to—let’s go back. I went too fast. Let’s look at that verse again, verse number nine. “If we confess our sins, he is what?” He is… Oh, I like that. And what? And because Jesus paid it all… To what? To—and hear this—this is a wonderful part—and to what? To cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Forgiveness is one thing; cleansing is another.
You’ve been around here for a while, you’ve heard me tell this. But if we wake up on a Sunday morning—years ago, my daughter is four years old. My wife gets her dress, puts a pretty dress on her, gets her all fixed up. And Mom says, “Sarah, behave yourself.” We used to have chickens. We used to have a rooster that would—he was mean, and he wanted to spur everybody. It was a thing for a while in our neighborhood, really. All the kids in the neighborhood—we would—they—I’d say we, they—I’m always mature, you know—but they would chase that rooster, and he’d run for a while, and they didn’t turn around and start chasing him, and they would run and jump on the trampoline. Who couldn’t get on the trampoline? And that was the thing; it was like an adrenaline rush. And by the way, if he got you, he would get you. I don’t know if he was the one, but my daughter has scars from one of our roosters, I guess that is the one.
And anyway, so Tammy says that—Tammy says, “All right, Sarah, don’t you get—don’t go out there, mess with the rooster. Behave yourself,” you know. And so Tammy says, “I got to get ready. I get myself ready,” you know, so she’s there. She doesn’t have to get ready; she’s always pretty anyway, my wife. Trying to score some points. Come on now, you know. Help me out there, you know. I don’t know what she said. I don’t know if I want to know what she said over there.
But and so Tammy goes in there and gets ready for church, and Sarah goes out there, and she just can’t leave that rooster alone. And she’s out there messing with that rooster, and the rooster, you know, she’s running from the rooster, and she falls, and the rooster goes—so she climbs underneath the trampoline, she gets filthy, dirty. I mean, that dress, white dress that Tammy had, is just filthy, dirty. And she comes inside, the rooster left.
And she comes inside and she’s crying, “Mommy, I’m sorry. You told me. It’s hard to get dirty, and I got dirty. It’s all the rooster’s fault.” And Tammy says, “I forgive you, Sarah.” That’s forgiveness. But if she takes her back to the rest of him, you know, gets a wash rag and starts cleaning her up, puts another dress on her, washes her face, hands, all that—that’s cleansing. And the Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us.” Help me out, from what? From all unrighteousness.
You ever feel like you’ve been stained by sin? Sometimes even the sin of others comes on you. You ever have to deal with something dirty? I’ll never forget the first time I had to deal with children being messed with, abused in a sexual way. And I remember getting off the phone, I cried, and I hate the devil so much. And it felt dirty, just dealing with it. There’s a stain of sin. You just feel dirty for sin. Sometimes not others; sometimes you’re on your own sin. “Can’t believe I did that.” The devil, he starts jumping on your mind. “I’m never going to win over that sin. I’m defeated.” It can get so bad a Christian starts contemplating suicide. That’s always the devil because his agenda is to steal, kill, and destroy.
Boy, you just feel stained by sin. I feel so dirty. Now, I want that pure feeling back. I want that pure—to bless her all the pure and heart, for they shall see God. Lord, I want to be pure in heart again. I need to see it. And he says, “Hey, he’s faithful and just to forgive and to cleanse.” Even the stain of sin. That dirty feeling. Feel it. He cleanses you. Hey, that’s how God deals with his children.
Look, if you will, and get your songbook out, if you would, please. Get your songbook out there. Look in page 293. Look in page 293 in your songbook. When you find that, would you say amen? Amen. Look down at that chorus. Let’s just read it. We’re going to try to sing a little bit. We’re going to be done. Have invitation. Look at that chorus, those bottom two lines: “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” Even the stain of sin.
You preached a couple weeks ago about your wiring of your brain, the neural pathways. I need it all changed. It can make it white as snow. Cleanse even the stain of sin. I want to do this. I’m not a good singer, but that’s all right. We would do it without music here for a minute. But I want you to sing with me that first chorus and then that last verse in the chorus. Don’t worry about how you sound. Just sing it from your heart. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. That’s what we’ll do. That’s all right. He likes it. That’s what we’re singing for, not us.
Help me on if you know. Here we go: “I hear the Savior say, Thy strength in deed is small. Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in me thine all in all.” “Jesus paid it all, All to him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
Let’s get that last verse. “And when before the throne I stand, Jesus died my soul to save, my lips shall still repeat, even the stain.” Forgive and cleanse.
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes, please? It may be a good day for many of us to rededicate our lives. It’s not being saved again; once you’re saved, you’re always saved. But you said, “I want to reset. I want to confess. I want to get right. I want to get the fellowship restored. I want to re-enlist in the battle for good and right.” It would be a good time for a lot of people just to rededicate their life.
I’m going to do this. If you’d like to just—first of all, let’s stand if you would, right there. Would you just stand right there? I want to rededicate my life. I’m going to ask you, would you just come to an old-fashioned altar? Just come on down to an old-fashioned altar. Just come on an old-fashioned altar. By the way, all of us need to do this from time to time. I sure do. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Do we say that we have no sin? Make a liar? “And his word is not in us.” But what a wonderful thing in the middle of it all: “If we confess, if we confess our sin, he is faithful, he is just, to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Don’t get weary of confessing. He’s a faithful, he’s a just God. He’ll forgive and cleanse. He gets the last couple years; that cleansing part means more than anything. Cleanse it from the stain of sin. I messed myself up and stained. Take that stain of sin away. Gone. White as snow.
Anybody else say, “I want to just rededicate my life”?
Maybe there’s someone here this morning. You say, “I’d like to become a child of God. I’m not a child. I don’t have the relationship.” By the way, you can’t have the fellowship unless you have the relationship. “Preacher, I need to get saved. I need to become a child of God. I need to confess my sins, as far as I’ll never be good enough to get to heaven. Jesus, I’m trusting in you. I want you to save me.”
That’s you this morning right where you stand. He’ll say, “I’m not even saved. I need to get saved. I want to become a child of God.” That’s you right wherever you are. Would you go to him? Would you say something along this line: “Dear Lord, I know I’ll never be good enough. I’m a sinner. You know it. You told me in your word. Right now, I’m not going to trust in me being good enough. I’m going to trust in you, Jesus. Would you pay for all my sins, all of them? Would you come in my heart? Would you be my Savior? Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for dying for me and saving me.”
You said, “Preacher, I never had, but I just prayed now.” She used to save me. I just did that with her head by, and I’m supposed—you just pray now that she used to be your Savior. If that’s you, would you just lift your hand up? Just slip it up. “I just ask Jesus to be my Savior.” You’d about like that. “I just ask Jesus to be my Savior.” You’d about like that.
A friend, you’re a born-again Christian. You got the relationship, that fellowship. You don’t have to be perfect. Just walk in the light. Walk in the light. Walk in the light. Wonderful. Not perfect, but you’re cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Faithful and just to forgive and cleanse.
This is Brother John Sharp, and he said God’s been talking about it. God’s been working hard. “I want to rededicate my life.” Years ago, used to be in church, faithfully living for the Lord, doing things right, was raised in church. But just got out, got away. And I’ve been in church here and there, but he’s been back, just back in here faithfully. Been saved and back. He’s got the relationship. And he says, “I just want to rededicate my life and get a fresh start.” And you know, here’s a good thing about it: God—God doesn’t say, “Well, you shouldn’t have been.” God says, “Come on over here.” God said, “Let me show you how much I love you,” and he gives you a big hug. That’s what God’s doing to John. He says, “I’m so proud of you, my son.” That’s the Lord’s. He’s happy with that and thrilled about it. If you’re happy about that today, would you say amen? I love that. And he’s a great example to us, really.
We all got to do that, Brother John. And I love it. Praise the Lord. God has a tender heart. I like that. God likes that, too, by the way. That’s special. And praise the Lord for just rededicating this life. I’m saved. I just want to get back in there and do all the care for the Lord. By the way, he’s been in the choir here lately. And pray for his lungs. God give him his lungs back and sing more. And he wants to do all the same. Let’s pray for Brother John Sharp. Honored and thrilled, just rededicating his life. And Lord, Lord, faithful and just to forgive and cleanse. And praise the Lord for that. Wash away all those stains of sin. And I tell you what, Brother John can but get you, you too, Ms. Neena, can I get you all up front here? And let’s just—we’re going to pray and be dismissed. Come by and shake their hand; let them know you love them. You’ll be praying. You know, the next thing that’s going to happen, the devil’s going to hit them up, or the devil’s going to slap Brother John and say, “Ms. Neena did it.” There’s going to slap Ms. Neena and say, and say, “Brother John did it.” The devil does those things, guarantee you do. You pray for them. You pray for them. He rededicated his life. That’s awesome, awesome, awesome thing. Good to have Brother Aaron and Miss Cassidy with us today. They also—I won’t say it was a lynching and a hitching, as Brother Jim says—they got married up here six years ago, and their son, I got two—their son, one year old this weekend, I guess. Wow. Congratulations. They live over in Memphis, but good to have them back.
Original File: 2025-10-27 - Pastor Paul Chisgar ＂Rededicating your life to Christ＂ - Sunday AM 10⧸26⧸2025