Lecture 7 Christian Living II Confession

Reminder

Midterm Exam will be on Friday, February 16th.

“Confession: The Act of Declared Admission”

Ok, so now we get into chapter 4 of our textbook.

Confession is, quite possibly, one of the most painful aspects of prayer.

As humans, especially men, we have a hard time admitting when we are wrong.

If not, you will be amazed at what kind of problems you will have if you are not willing to make this admission at times.

Those things that you refuse to acknowledge as being wrong will only “fester” and hinder your relationship with your spouse (and will eventually destroy it).

It is the same way in our relationship with God.

If we are not willing to admit when things are wrong, it will hinder our relationship with God.

Uncontested sin is a wall between you and God in which you cannot climb over, tunnel under, or breakthrough.

Psalm 66:18-“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

Regard = to see

In other words, if I can see (either literally, or through conscience) that I have iniquity in my heart, then I can know that the Lord will not hear me.

If we refuse to regard our sin, then the Lord will not regard us.

When God looks at us, He must see the applied blood of Christ.

Through the sacrifice of Christ, we know that we can approach God anytime (day or night), but we also must know that God absolutely hates sin. Too often, we tend to think that God will overlook our sin or that it is really “no big deal”.

Sin always has been and forever will be a “big deal” with God.

Unconfessed sin will keep you from growing in the ministry, being faithful, serving God and yes, it will also keep you from heaven.

It’s important to recognize the difference between confession and repentance.

Confession= the acknowledgment of a crime, fault, or something to one’s disadvantage; open declaration of guilt, failure, debt, accusations, etc.

Repentance= sorrow for anything done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct

Repentance is a change of mind, that results in a change of action.

A criminal will confess to the crime merely because he was caught “red-handed”, but that does not mean that he is truly repentant.

He may merely be sorrowful, because he got caught and not that his actions have broken the law and violated the rights of others.

Many people will confess that they are sinners, but they do not have any desire to repent of their sin (because they do not want to change their lifestyle).

Many denomination (even some “Pentecostal” churches) emphasis a confession without a repentance.

We may confess our sinfulness and weakness all through our prayer time and not get anywhere unless we also exercise a Biblical repentance that willingly turns away from that sin looks to forward from that sin, and honestly, intends to never fall into that wicked again.

Don’t be tricked into thinking that you have to sin a little every day!

Don’t settle for the mentality that you have to go to God with a guilty conscience every day.

I believe that God intends for every one of us to live in victory every day.

At the same time, be willing to admit when you have done wrong and turn from that wrongdoing.

Eastman “Confession is a heartfelt recognition of what we are.”

(Preached at Mount Zion Tabernacle February of 2022)

Matthew 26:40-41 Praying Fervently and Effectively #3: Confession

We need to believe the promises of God in these matters. God has given us the way to deal with our sin. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " 1Jn. 1:9 We must confess our sin to God. This is the third part of our 'Praying Fervently and Effectively '.

Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

“He who falls into sin is a man, he who grieves over sin is a saint, he who glories in his sin is a devil.” Definition with Confess:

A. To confess means to agree with God concerning sin.

B. It also means to admit our guilt before Him. (He already knows we are guilty)

C. This is where our focus shifts to honestly look at our lives and see our shortcomings and failures.

D. Our prayer life will never rise above our personal life in Jesus Christ. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:" cf Ps. 66:18

“I have sinned…”

i. The Involuntary Confession of Sin. (Pharaoh’s confession of sin. Ex. 9:27)

Exodus 9:27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

a. What made him confess his Sin?

1. Hail, fire running on the ground. He had too!

b. How long did his contrite spirit last?

Exodus 9:34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

1. The repentance that was born in the storm, died in the stillness.

c. Have you broken vows? How long will your current vows last?

ii. The Insincere Confession. Numbers 22:34

Numbers 22:34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.

a. Balaam told the man that wanted him to curse the children of Israel, I can’t curse them, but if you want them to be cursed entice them to sin. Then You won’t have to curse them, I won’t have to curse them, God Himself will curse them.

b. An eloquent man, His prophesies were beautiful, but he wanted to benefit from God and evil.

c. He didn’t have the courage to serve the devil, nor the grace to serve God.

d. The new testament speaks of the “madness of the prophet.”

iii. The Indifferent Confession. 1 Samuel 15:24

1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

a. This is the confession that comes with excuses. (Excuse, explanation, alibi…)

b. This is the confession that proves you’re just sorry you’re caught.

c. “Don’t call weakness what God has called wickedness.”

d. Aaron’s excuse, “the people wanted a god they could see, so they gave me their earrings, bracelets and we put it in the fire and out popped this calf.”

e. Please don’t excuse sin in your life!

1. Mom’s don’t excuse sin in your children’s lives. “aww isn’t that cute.” No! It isn’t!

2. Dad’s don’t excuse sin in your children’s lives. “Well he comes by it honest.”

A. Sin is Sin! We make it harder on our children to even admit sin in their lives.

iv. The Incorruptible Confession. Luke 15:21

Luke 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

a. He came to himself. (Was honest about his wrongs, and was willing to humble himself.)

Confession opens the Way for Spiritual Surgery.

A. There can be no healing within until there is confession without.

B. A boil filled with infection must be lanced to release the poison within before the healing can come about.

C. "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Ps. 139:23-24

D. Before we pray for God to change our circumstances we should pray for Him to change our character.

The Necessity of Confession.

A. It is not optional for God's people.

B. Is. 59:2, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear."

C. It is the first step toward repentance.

D. Before we will ever willingly turn from sin, we must first admit that what we are doing is sin.

E. Note the example of Pharaoh.

1. Ex 8:8, "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD."

2. There is no confession of sin here.

3. Without confession our prayers are incomplete and faulty!

The "How-to" of Confession. (Ps. 51)

Psa 51:10-11 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

A. Cry out for Divine holiness.

1. Realize that cleansing and forgiveness must come from God.

2."Create in me a clean heart, O God;" v10a

3. Ask God to show us what needs cleansed in our lives...we cannot do it ourselves.

B. Ask God for a new attitude.

1. "...and renew a right spirit within me." v10b

2. A right relationship with God (a clean heart) necessitates a right relationship with others (a right spirit).

3. Illustration of Leonardo da Vinci. Painting the "Last Supper", used the face of his most hated enemy for Judas. He couldn't get the face of Jesus correct...after many attempts he erased his enemy's face from Judas and then he could paint the portrait of Christ.

C. Ask for God's guidance.

1. "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me." v11

2. We must recognize and confess our need for God's presence in our daily lives.

3. God will not take His Holy Spirit from us, but we need to realize that we cannot accomplish anything apart from the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

At different times in history it became necessary for God's temple to be cleansed. One such instance is described in:

2 Chronicles 29:16 And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron.

Today the dwelling place of God is not a temple made with brick and mortar, but it is the inner soul of the believer.

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Confession is necessary to private prayer because it initiates the process of cleansing our spiritual temple. Allow time for praise, waiting, and confession.