Eng – �@ – A – 4 – 1/2　 Group (A)  Relationship with God  (4)  Sin and repentance

(point) to remove the obstacles which hinders our relationship with god (especially in the area of sin)
We will deal with forgiving others in the session of (B)-(2)
�@
You receive a salvation when you believe in Christ, which is given instantly. And all our sins in the past and future are forgiven. We may still make mistakes and commit sins, but we are no longer slaves of sin.
�A
All our sins and mistakes are cancelled in God’s eyes (Micah 7:19)So we do not have remember our sins any more. But it is recommended that we should deal with the past taking time after we get saved, that is we take each sin we committed to God (to confess sins before God)

If we can’t confess all our sins because we can’t remember all of them, that doesn’t mean we are not completely forgiven.  When we receive salvation, we are forgiven of all our sins but we have to confess any sin because the devil uses our past to accuse us and to bring oppression to our lives, so that’s why even we were forgiven by God when we received salvation, we need to confess all our sins before God and then we will not give any space where the enemy can work.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　�B
Therefore, to deal with the past is not only to deal with the sins in the past but to deal with the sins in the present and the future.
�C
1. All people are sinners
Sin is a tendency from the man’s heart. If you have an adulterous thought, the law will not judge you. But as the Bible says, ‘whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ it is a sin before God’s eyes. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　�D
In the same way, if you envy others or have competitive thoughts against others, that does not please God.
In that sense, all the people have a evil nature in the heart called sin.
�E
2. Repentance of sin
To cut off the chains of sin is repentance.

Repentance is not to remember and regret what you have done in the past.  A man who stole something was caught and crying hard. Then being asked why he was crying, he said it was because he could not run fast enough because he got one of his shoes off while running. This is not a repentance but a regret.
�F
Repentance is not just to stop doing the wrong things. There was a man who was always envious of others and jealous of others. But he won a lottery one day and he was better off for a while. So he was not envying others for a while.                                                                                                                                   �G
This is not repentance. It was just resting from being jealous. The evil nature of the heart was not removed. So once he runs out of money, he will start being envious or jealous again.

Repentance is changing the direction of moving. Therefore, it is not just to stop doing the wrong things.
 �H
3) Changing the direction and the fruit of repentance

(Ephesians 4:28) “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”
 In this verse this person not only stopped stealing things but he became a generous and a giving person. The direction of his life was changed.
�I
4)Confessing our sins
There are people who are mentally sick, oppressed with condemnation and depression, one of the reasons is because they have hidden sins.                                                                                                          　　　�J
( Psalms 32:2-5) “Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old. Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.  I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. 
�K
When we confess our sins to God we can receive forgiveness from God, but Satan lies saying that our sins haven’t been totally forgiven, also Satan means “the accuser” Revelations 12:10

(Zachariah 3:2-4) Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him." And to him He said, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."
�L
5) deliverance and community
In the Middle Age people didn’t have access to God directly, so they were taught that they need a mediator to approach God or the only way to receive forgiveness from their sins was through a priest in the confessionary, and other ways were completely invalid.  But the right doctrine is that we can approach and talk with God directly without somebody in between, and we as Christians we are priests of God, the Bible says so, when we confess our sins to him we can receive forgiveness of sins.
�M
 But if we say we don’t need help from other Christians, or we don’t need to tell anybody our weakness, or we don’t need to say anything to the pastor, we will be going to the extreme side. 
�N
We confess our sins to God basically. But if you stay bound in the temptation of the sin or have no confidence of forgiveness of the sin, in spite of confessing that particular sin many times to God, it may mean that you have not done it appropriately  according to God's ways.  Let us see this point now.
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(James 5:16) “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  

As the Bible says, even when you cannot be healed completely through the relationship with God, complete deliverance is brought about through the relationship with others.
�P
Because God’s plan is not for us to be connected with God privately, but through the community.
(ref:IJohn 1:7)                
People cannot fulfill the high standard of  God’s ‘laws’. But for weak people as we are, God established
The spiritual law, the law of Christ. This is the way opened through the cross of Christ. But the way to apply that is by staying in the community, that is, by carrying each other’s burdens.

(Galatians6:2) Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
�Q
Healing in the community is effective for the deliverance from the past traumatic experience, wrong covenant with evil spirits, oppression by unforgiving heart etc.

In case you received advice of evil spirits from fortune tellers as a ‘mediator’, you can be delivered effectively also by a ‘mediator’(Christian).
�R
Also what is effective to be delivered from addiction or dependency is to expose the problem to the light (by sharing that to others and praying). If you recognize any problem, it is suggested that you should consult your cell leader or church staff or pastor.