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Kyle Kauffman 2/2/25 Kyle Kauffman 2/2/25

Band of Brothers & Sisters

Kyle Kauffman

Are you someone who other people would want to confess their sins to? Are you prepared to receive someone else’s confession and respond with grace? Is keystone a church where people could confess any sin? It’s a risky thing for someone else to confess their sins and so we should seek to be people who know how to respond well when this happens. If we want to create a gospel culture where people feel it’s okay to confess sin, then we must be people who are safe enough and strong enough to be able to receive and respond to other people as they confess their sin. Galatians 6:1-5 helps us to be prepared to be exactly these type of people as God calls us to bear the burdens of one another.

Galatians 6:1-10

Joel Wood 1/26/25 Joel Wood 1/26/25

Turn and Fight

Joel Wood

There is a danger that we would treat confession as an end in and of itself. This is especially true in our time that prizes “authenticity” above all else. We want to be authentic and honest about our sin, but that is not the end goal for us. Rather, our goal and desire is to grow to be more like Christ and to be authentic in who we are as God’s sons and daughters. This means we are meant to fight against sin and pursue holiness. Confession is part of this war, but we must realize it is only one part of it. Confession should never replace fighting sin in our lives. Rather, it should be the starting point from which we continue to fight sin in our lives. This means that when we confess our sins to other people, we are inviting them into the fight with us and seeking allies in our war against sin.

Romans 7; Romans 8:1-13; Matthew 5:27-30

Kyle Kauffman 1/19/25 Kyle Kauffman 1/19/25

Let a Little Light In

Kyle Kauffman

Sin is like a nocturnal animal. It loves to hide away in the darkness. But the more we hide it away, the more sin tends to thrive and grow. It’s often only as we bring our sin into the light that it starts to lose its power. This is exactly what John is calling us to do in 1 John 1:5-10. It’s why confession to others can actually be a means of God’s grace in our lives. Confession acts to bring what was otherwise hidden into the light. This act loosens some of the power of sin and helps us to find support in our fight against sin. John tells us that confession of sin strengthens our relationships with each other in the church and strengthens our grip on the gospel. As we confess our sins we experience real (not fake) fellowship with one another and we experience the felt forgiveness that is ours in Jesus Christ. These things then give us greater power to fight the sin that is in our lives.

1 John 1:5-10

Kyle Kauffman 1/12/25 Kyle Kauffman 1/12/25

The Freedom to Be Honest

Kyle Kauffman

One of the reasons we are prone to fake it and hide away our sin is because we don’t really believe the gospel. If we believe the gospel, then it should free us from having to act like we have it altogether or aren’t really sinners. The gospel is based on the very fact that we really are sinners who need a savior. The gospel assures us that we are accepted by God despite our sin. As those who are united with Christ, we are fully known and completely loved by our God. When we understand that, we are freed to risk being honest with other people because we don’t need their acceptance and approval. And the more honest we are about our sin the more we will have a community that displays what it feels like to be both known and loved by each other.

Galatians 2:15-21

Kyle Kauffman 1/5/25 Kyle Kauffman 1/5/25

But First, God

Kyle Kauffman

Before getting honest with each other, we are meant to get honest with God. It’s pointless to start confessing our sins to one another if we have not first confessed our sin to God. Real confession and repentance start with realizing that our sin is first and foremost against God. We also recognize that our sin is not simply bad behavior, but rather a heart that is resistant to God. And we recognize that forgiveness and real change must come from God. So, we approach God with honesty, confessing our sin to him, receiving grace from him, and asking Him to be the one who cleanses us and changes our hearts.

Psalm 51