The following blog post contains notes and application questions from our April 14, 2019 message, Authenticity and Repentance. For more from this series, check out How He Built This.

Discussing and Applying the Sermon

• Ask God to search your heart: What’s one sin that’s in your life that you need to make war with?
• Tell/text a person in your community group and commit to staying sober from that sin—by God’s grace and strength—for 24-hours.
• Follow-up with that person the next day.

Summary

Do you want to experience freedom from sin in your life? As we continue our series, “How He Built This,” John Elmore teaches us about authenticity and repentance. He shows us how to make war with sin by submitting to God and resisting the devil one day at a time.

Key Takeaways

• Authenticity - letting what is be known.
• Repentance - turning from sin by turning toward Christ.
• Will you, by God’s grace and strength, do/not do ________ for the next 24-hours?
• A lifetime of freedom comes one day at a time.
• There is no such thing as a la carte Christianity. Jesus can’t be Savior or Lord. He’s either your Savior and Lord or nothing.
• Confessing sin is good, but it’s only defensive. We must also play offense. We must proactively make a decision to make war against our sin.
• James 4:7 has two commands and one promise: Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will feel from you.
• You have no power over sin. None. You get power from God to fight sin.
• Satan wants you to believe the lie that you will never be free from your sin.
• You don’t need a prideful bucket of pennies…you need one day. Just today. You need your daily bread from your Father.
• The penny is small, but the penny is powerful. The wealth of the richest man in the world is made up of pennies.

Mentioned or Recommended Resources

• Suggested Scripture study: Proverbs 28:13; Hebrews 3:13; 2 Timothy 2:22; James 4:7; 1 John 3:8; Zechariah 4:10
• Real Truth Real Quick: If I’ve Already Confessed to God, Do I Need to Confess to Others?
• Real Truth Real Quick: How Can I Overcome a Pornography Addiction?
• Sermon: Confessions from a Bathroom Stall: Lessons Learned in a Battle with Gluttony