Barrier #2: Unowned Sin
In John 4:15-18 the woman at the well says to Jesus, "Give me this [living] water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." Jesus told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." She replied, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and now the man you have now is not your husband."
Previously, Jesus tells the woman about the "living water" which allows people never to be thirsty again. Eternal life. Hmm. Sounds good, right? The woman of course responds with "Give me some of that!" Then it comes. Bam.
Jesus doesn't jab. He comes in with the right hook. He's an expert in the ring.
Jesus reply is simple. You are living in sin. It's left unconfessed. You aren't remorseful of your sin. You haven't brought it to God. You can't swim in the living waters of life with this sin still ruling your life. You can't live eternally with this sin left unaddressed. You can't without me. You can't worship God with this dark corner of your being left under wraps.
You have those corners. I have them too. Here's the difference.
God is pure and right and true. No sin can be in his presence. Jesus Christ sacrifice washes the red sin as white as snow. When we confess our sins, we allow ourselves to submit to his control. To submit to his presence. When we do not confess our sin, we keep our own control. We stay in our own presence. We ourselves become the barrier to our worship of God.
Who do you want to worship? Yourself? Or the God who created you, the tress and fields, the mountains and clouds, the sun and the stars?
Give over control. Take a bulldozer to the barrier of unowned sin. Own it. Turn from it. Lay it before God. Then see your worship deepen.
worship Him 24/7...
Scott
In John 4:15-18 the woman at the well says to Jesus, "Give me this [living] water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." Jesus told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." She replied, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and now the man you have now is not your husband."
Previously, Jesus tells the woman about the "living water" which allows people never to be thirsty again. Eternal life. Hmm. Sounds good, right? The woman of course responds with "Give me some of that!" Then it comes. Bam.
Jesus doesn't jab. He comes in with the right hook. He's an expert in the ring.
Jesus reply is simple. You are living in sin. It's left unconfessed. You aren't remorseful of your sin. You haven't brought it to God. You can't swim in the living waters of life with this sin still ruling your life. You can't live eternally with this sin left unaddressed. You can't without me. You can't worship God with this dark corner of your being left under wraps.
You have those corners. I have them too. Here's the difference.
God is pure and right and true. No sin can be in his presence. Jesus Christ sacrifice washes the red sin as white as snow. When we confess our sins, we allow ourselves to submit to his control. To submit to his presence. When we do not confess our sin, we keep our own control. We stay in our own presence. We ourselves become the barrier to our worship of God.
Who do you want to worship? Yourself? Or the God who created you, the tress and fields, the mountains and clouds, the sun and the stars?
Give over control. Take a bulldozer to the barrier of unowned sin. Own it. Turn from it. Lay it before God. Then see your worship deepen.
worship Him 24/7...
Scott