Prayer as Confession
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12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Forgive us our debts - that sounds like I owe someone something - well I do, in fact we all do. But for this it means the debt we owe for our sins not something we purchased. The Greek word used is opheilema which means: something owed; a due; or a fault. The things we do wrong against those around us and especially God are faults. These faults cause us to feel shame and guilt and require a payment. That payment is blood, or death, death that separates us from God for eternity. We must choose one or the other, seek forgiveness or be separated from God for eternity.
Forgiveness requires us to be in a relationship with God through Christ Jesus. This relationship covers us with the blood Jesus shed on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
As we ask God to “forgive us our debts” we are embarking on a spiritual journey into an abundant life which sees confession in prayer as a defining moment. The freedom that confession brings to the soul of the forgiven leads them to forgive because they understand the blessedness of being forgiven.
Psalm 51 is a testament to a man that needed to confess his sin and experience God’s loving kindness and mercy that is only received in forgiveness. It is also a great example to follow when seeking forgiveness from the Father.
I. Confession is a cry for relief from the weight of sin in our lives.
A. The text: Psalm 51 is a prayer of David. The reason he wrote this Psalm was to confess a sin he committed, well actually multiple sins. The background story is found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. The highlights of the story include adultery, lying, deceit and murder. There is enough here to have a few debts which need to paid and enough debt to cause a great deal of guilt, especially when his sins are exposed to the light.
1. So, Psalm 51 is David’s prayer after being confronted for his decisions regarding Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. The Psalm begins this way:
1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
David committed a horrible act that blemished his character. After months of no expressions of remorse or guilt, he was confronted by the Word of God through Nathan. This is when everything falls apart. He knows he did wrong but thinks he got away with it. Then comes Nathan. Nathan tells David the parable which points to David as the one who did wrong. So what is he to do? What would you do? You commit a sin but try to get away with it. What do you do when you are called out?
2. So, after David is called out he gets desperate; he is feeling the guilt, and he knows he has failed God. He knows that if he does not do something to lighten the weight of shame on his shoulders, his brokenness and dishonor will kill him. Have you ever felt this way. Has the weight of your sin weighed so heavily upon you that you feel like God is squashing you?
C. David acknowledged the debilitating effects of sin.
1. He finally recognized his behavior as corrupt, and completely disconnected from God. In desperation, he offers his sin-stained soul up to God. He confesses and pours out his heart to God.
1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.
He finally asks for the forgiveness that he needs to be reconciled to God.
2. Psalms 32:3-4 depicts the painful reality of guilt and shame:
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
His very bones are in pain, he is groaning all day, the hand of God is heavy on him, and his strength is gone. In other words he is sick and tired. But all that can change now. Confession of the sins and the forgiveness of God can change all of that.
II. Confession lays our sin at the feet of Christ.
A. The text: Psalm 51:5–9 (Additional verses: Psalm 103:12; Matthew 11:28, 27:46)
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities.
God desires truth in our innermost being.
B. We do not need to negotiate.
Have you ever tried to negotiate the terms of your surrender when you go to confess sins? Is it necessary to negotiate, or even possible?
2. David found no other option except to trust in the relentless love of God who is willing to do something about David’s corrupt heart. He does not try to balance his wrongdoings with his good service record. He throws himself directly the mercy of God when seeking forgiveness.
There is no negotiating or a need for it. There is no reason to make excuses. Just confess the sin and let Jesus take care of of it. Give it over to Him before it weighs you down and crushes your bones.
C. There is no reason to be sick and tired because of sin. Christ Jesus paid the debt we owe so that we do not have to keep our sin.
1. At the center of Jesus’ grace and mercy is His willingness to remove the sin that we have committed. He paid the price in blood when He hung upon the cross for all the world to see. On the cross, He felt the weight of sin and its effects in His relationship with the Father Matt. 27:46 “ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”” Now, He can own every sin that breaks your back, keeps you awake, demands to be hidden, and affects your character.
D. Just remember that Jesus is sufficient to handle our sin.
1. Have you ever heard someone say that the sins they have committed are more than God is willing to forgive, or more than He can handle? Maybe they say they have sinned to much and God wouldn’t want them any more. This is not so with believers, we rarely question if God can handle the amount of sin we carry. But, maybe we will question if we trust Him enough to confess them, and give up our guilt and shame. Jesus is the only One that can claim and dispose of our sin. Just remember if you have trouble trusting Jesus with your sin, He already knows all about it. He is waiting for you to confess so He can deal with it.
2. Did you take notice of how David confessed? “Cleanse me, wash me, let me hear, hide your face, blot out” are the words coming from a man that feels that he needs to be judged and knows what the punishment ought to be. The mercy that David is seeking is forgiveness. The mercy that each of us should be seeking is forgiveness. Forgiveness of the debt we owe for the wrong we committed.
E. Jesus knows what to do with our sin.
1. As the judge of our sins, He tells us what He does with them after we confess them to Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
That’s a pretty big space - the east from the west (spread my arms). Even when we move from the east toward the west, there is always more west to travel towards.
His ownership is not about coveting power over us by guilt. He wants to remove our guilt so that we may live abundant lives. He extends mercy and grace when we need it, because we need it, and how we need it. Heb 8:12 goes on to say:
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.”
That’s it, the red stain of sin is gone and He won’t hold it over our heads.
III. Forgiveness is a privilege from which we can enjoy the out pouring of God’s blessings.
A. The Text: Psalm 51:10-12 (Additional verses: Psalm 32:5, 1 John 1:9)
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.
B. God’s Forgiveness brings Righteousness
1. Hyssop is a wild shrub whose twigs were used for sprinkling of water or blood during rites of purification. The expression here dealt with the cleansing of the unclean from a distance. For us, the blood of Christ purifies. The blood of Christ justifies us making us righteous before God.
2. Righteousness - the quality of being morally right or justifiable. Righteousness is not being sinless, it is being forgiven. Righteousness focuses on the work of Christ Jesus on the cross, and our position in the kingdom of God. It has to do with trusting the Jesus rather than trusting our own initiative or ingenuity.
3. When we are forgiven, our sin is graciously and divinely removed. Our relationship is fully restored, there are no obstacles that separate us from God. Psalm 32:5 says:
5 I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.
“You forgave the guilt of my sin.” The word “sin” is no longer used in this Psalm as if the psalmist makes the connection that the slate is completely clean, the relationship is restored in a swift action made by God.
C. Four things to remember about sin and confession:
1. Confession is us asking Him to fix us, to remove the spiritual decay caused by the sin, to renew our love for Him so we may never be deprived of His grace.
2. David knew through his experience with King Saul what it was like to be a king without God’s protection and the reality of being outside the Spirit’s presence. David knew there would be misery if God departed from him! Most of us probable know that there is misery when we break our relationship with God and grieve the Holy Spirit.
3. When we are forgiven the indwelling of the Holy Spirit assists in preventing us from falling back into sin. That’s the wonderful work of sanctification.
4. When we are forgiven, we are better at fulfilling our earthly and spiritual responsibilities. Broken relationships always cause pain and heart ache. Confess - mend the relationship.
D. Confession and forgiveness brings Joy
1. David found himself sad, weak and without joy while he continued to hide the sin. But confession and forgiveness reconciled him to God and the Joy of the Lord returned to his life.
2. Our joy is not found in God in getting us the “good things” of this world. Our joy comes from the spiritual blessing of salvation that is grieved when we sin. Joy is forfeited and doubt takes over our hope of eternal life. So confess your sins and allow the Joy of the Lord to return to your life when you receive His forgiveness.
IV. Forgiveness imparted to the believer shows the joy of a life in communion with God.
A. The Text: Psalm 51:13-17 (Additional verses: Matthew 18:21-35)
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, That my mouth may declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
B. Spiritual restoration is to be shared.
1. David knows how it feels to be a transgressor. He also experienced mercy through confession and repentance. He knows how it feels to be forgiven and to face the consequences of sin. This same feeling needs to be shared. Mat 6:12 says:
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
In forgiving our debtors we are giving those who have sinned against us the opportunity to know what it is like to experience mercy. We can’t control how they feel but we can forgive them whether they want it or not.
3. To forgive and be forgiven affects the body, mind, and spirit. Letting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for improved health and peace of mind. Forgiveness can lead to:
Healthier relationships
Improved mental health
Less anxiety, stress and hostility
Fewer symptoms of depression
Lower blood pressure
A stronger immune system
Improved heart health
Improved self-esteem - and a whole lot more.
C. Forgiveness is about restoring relationships.
1. David knew he was disobedient, irresponsible, a hypocrite, a liar, an adulterer, a murderer, and whatever else he had done. It did not matter how much he had done to exalt God by not killing Saul, in winning the battle against Goliath, caring for the Ark of the Covenant, or planning the construction of the Temple; he had severed the relationship, the trust, the communion with God and with others.
There is only one way for him to restore the relationship - confession and forgiveness. His sins must be confessed, then God could provide the forgiveness. The forgiveness brings reconciliation. The break in the relationship will be healed and David would once again feel the presence of the Lord in his life.
2. Just like David we face the pain of broken relationships when we wrong someone else. How earnest can we be in seeking restoration? We need to confess our sins also. We need to confess to God for forgiveness but we also have to seek forgiveness through confession from the one we wronged.
When someone wrongs us and we are hurt what should we do? Do we fight back? Do we hold on to the pain and leave the relationship broken? Or do we do something about it? Go to the person and talk it out. Forgive the person. They may not have known you were hurt, or they may not care. But letting go of the pain through forgiveness keeps us from carrying the pain around and letting it eat us up.
Tell the dirty diapers story.
D. To forgive as one has been forgiven is a sign of humility not weakness.
1. Forgiveness is a choice we make. Then, it is a process. A process that brings healing and restoration to the broken relationship. Jesus insists that we make the choice to forgive because we know how it feels to be forgiven from all wrongdoings we have committed against Him. Jesus encourages us to extend forgiveness.
2. Ps. 51:17
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
A broken spirit will confess wrongdoings, a haughty spirit will not. A contrite heart will put others first, an arrogant heart will not. So, let’s be humble with broken spirits and contrite hearts. Forgive others just as God in Christ Jesus forgave us.
Closing
Confessing and forgiving is hard work because it will demand we make an honest appraisal of ourselves.
When we honestly and humbly confess our sins, we get to experience the joy of being forgiven, a joy that comes at the realization that all of our corruption that separated us from God has been forgiven, removed, and will not be taken against us. Oh, what a relief!
This new appreciation of God’s mercy and grace cannot be one-sided. It must be shared, communicated, and experienced with others.
When godly people pray, “Forgive us as we forgive others,” they are willing to strip away all disguises so they can really expose love, grace, and mercy as it has been bestowed by God to them.