Get right with God

If I gave you a page from a book and asked you to tear it into little pieces, could you do it?
Would it be easy?
Now what if I asked you to put the pieces back together?
Can you do it? 
Not quite so easy, right?
 Would you have torn it up if you knew I was gonna ask you to put it back together again?
Does this scenario sound familiar?
How can it be compared to our lives and the people in them...our relationships and repairing the brokenness we have sometimes caused in them?
What do you think causes this kind of brokenness in our relationships?  SIN.
Just like in putting that picture back together, fixing a relationship is difficult and requires commitment.
Can you damage your relationship with God?
Absolutely.  In sin, we can lose our closeness with him.  You know that warm fuzzy feeling you have when you are on track and going to church, praying, doing the right thing, just on fire for Jesus but then you may slip a little and just a little more and miss a Sunday or two, decide not to help that friend that really needs you, you eventually stop talking to God and that fuzzy feeling fades....
Guess what...You just tore up your page.
But with our relationship with God it can always be repaired...though it may be damaged, we can not lose our salvation.  In this world of passing the blame, we are taught that nothing is our fault and to get out of our mistakes all we have to do is just blame someone else.  In reality, we all sin and it causes problems in our relationships and it takes more than "I'm Sorry" to fix it.  As kids when we do something wrong we are fussed at and told "GO SAY I'M SORRY!" and we do.  But do we ever fully grasp it or is it just a knee jerk reaction to make it all better and move on?
When we sin we have to own up to it...we have to acknowledge our guilt.  Do you take sin seriously?

Do you acknowledge it so you can repent or do you deny it?
If you deny it does it make you any less guilty?
There are two kinds of sin.
Sin of commission - Choosing to do something you know God has said not to do
Sin of omission - not doing something you know God said you should do.
When you sin you feel guilt.  Acknowledging this guilt is not just admitting it but also accepting the wrongness of the sin and consequences of that sin.
How do you feel when you sin?
Emotionally, physically?  Spiritually?
So what makes you feel this way? The Holy Spirit...for our won good to realize our sin and seek forgiveness.
Romans 3:23 - Everyone sins for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

So we must "get right with God"
Ho do we do this today?
In the days of Jesus it is written in Leviticus 5:5, 14-16 that an animal sacrifice was made.  This is not needed today since Jesus going to the cross for us was the ultimate sacrifices and all our sins were payed. 
So confess your sins.  Agree with God that you messed up and you know what you did was wrong.
Repent - turn away from sin and avoid the sin again.
Now just getting right with God isn't enough.  We have to make amends with others.  When we sin against someone God expects us to make it right with the person we have wronged. 
Read Leviticus 6:1-7  Notice how God is offended in this passage.
Returning to holiness involves dealing with sin.  You must recognize you have sinned and seek restoration with God and people you have sinned against.
is there anything you need to do this week to make amends with someone?