Confession

The Call to Corporate Confession

Talk about the altar and how it now is a decoration in the church. that’s not a knock however, my goal is to get us back to coming here. using it.

Corporate Confession isn't about beating yourself up in public. It’s about courageously naming your woundedness and wickedness in the presence of a loving community as you journey together toward wholeness. [PAUSE] Confession, like all other spiritual practices, can’t be done without God's aid and guidance. We can't do it without Him, and He will not do it without us. [LONGER PAUSE]

So why Corporate Confession? [PAUSE]

PRAY

Why We Hide Our Sin

The human response to our sin is to feel ashamed, to be afraid, and to choose isolation. [LONGER PAUSE] To state the obvious, we sin, and we sin often. [PAUSE] Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it?” We are prone to sin, and our first inclination is to hide it. [PAUSE] Maybe this instinct comes from our first parents; either way, we become ashamed, afraid, and choose to be alone. [PAUSE] This is understandable, but we fail to recognize the dangerous ramifications. [LONGER PAUSE]The human response to our sin is to be ashamed, to be afraid, and to choose to be alone

Earlier in his letter, James gives us a clear understanding of how sin works. [PAUSE] James 1:14–15 says, “But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.” [LONGER PAUSE]

It’s so easy to hide our sin and to live in darkness, [PAUSE] not realizing that what we're doing is allowing sin to spread and grow. [PAUSE] Sin can’t mature if we stay in the light. [PAUSE] Sin can’t grow if we confess it to God and to a loving community. [LONGER PAUSE]

Confession is a lot like going to the doctor's office. [PAUSE] When we’re there for a checkup or a specific issue, we don’t look at the doctor and stay quiet or say, “I can’t tell you.” [PAUSE] Why? [PAUSE] Because they can't provide aid and healing if we don’t tell them what’s wrong. [PAUSE] Confession is our part in dealing with sin. [PAUSE] God is the physician; we’re the patient. [PAUSE] All we can do is set our sin in His light. His job is to deal with our sin; our job is to confess our secrets. [PAUSE] It's about living in a way that is open, true, and laid bare before God in community. [LONGER PAUSE]

When was the last time you confessed? [LONGER PAUSE]

Our Father's Overwhelming Grace and Mercy

I'm going out on a limb and saying that you want to live a life worthy of the Gospel—a life committed to Jesus in every way. [PAUSE] You know that we sin and may feel some resonance with the idea of unkept sin... [PAUSE] But the idea of confession isn't always appealing. [PAUSE] Maybe you’ve had bridges burned in the past and can't trust, [PAUSE] or maybe you can't imagine an all-powerful, holy God forgiving you. [LONGER PAUSE]

Up until recently, when I struggled with habitual sins, I used to feel like I needed to start all over with God. [PAUSE] I felt like I had to go to the altar or on my knees and pray the "sinner's prayer," [PAUSE] as if God had left me when I sinned and I needed to ask Him back in. [PAUSE] How far from the truth that is! [PAUSE] We can confidently choose confession because our Father is overflowing with grace and mercy. [LONGER PAUSE]

What was so profound about the story of the Prodigal Son in the context of confession was two things: [PAUSE]

The son knew that the father had some ounce of forgiveness in his heart. [PAUSE] He said, “I will go back to my Father and at worst, I’ll be his servant.” [PAUSE] The son knew his father, in his heart, would have forgiveness; he just didn't know the extent of it.

The father was abounding in mercy and love. [PAUSE] Just as God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6... the father was also merciful and gracious, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. [LONGER PAUSE]

How do we know this? [PAUSE]

When the son was still far away, the father saw him from a distance and ran toward him, hugged him, and kissed him. [PAUSE] The father was actively waiting and looking for his son. [PAUSE]

The son, midsentence, was interrupted by the father who gave him a robe and a ring... [PAUSE]

Notice, though, the father didn’t send the son back out. [PAUSE] Being back with the father implied that the son’s reckless living was over. [LONGER PAUSE]

Confession can be ugly and hard. [PAUSE] I get it. [PAUSE] But we are not confessing to someone who will later turn it against us or use it as blackmail. [PAUSE] God is not waiting for us with His arms folded, face scrunched up like, "Why won't you get it?" [PAUSE] No, He's running after us, [PAUSE] leaving the 99 to find us, [PAUSE] arms wide open, ready to pour out His mercy and love. [PAUSE] Some of us need to hear that because we’ve only experienced the opposite. [PAUSE] God doesn’t count our sins toward us. [PAUSE] He’s not keeping score. [PAUSE] He wants to forgive, redeem, and restore. [LONGER PAUSE]

But things can’t be made right if we do not confess

The Truth About God and Sin

Someone once told me that the way I view God reveals my relationship with Him. [PAUSE] When I look at confession, I see this to be true. [PAUSE] We make false claims and views about God because of our sins. [PAUSE]

"I'm bad. God is mad." [PAUSE] — "He doesn't want anything to do with me; He's upset because of what I did."

"I'm bad. God is sad." [PAUSE] — "I've done enough already; I can't go to God and continue to hurt Him. I've done enough damage already. I hurt Him enough." [LONGER PAUSE]

Our sin doesn't determine God's character. [PAUSE] His mercy and grace go on forever. [PAUSE] His goodness will continue in spite of our sin. [PAUSE] We know this because we can look to the cross as proof. [PAUSE] Jesus clung to the cross so that we might be justified and restored back to the Father. [LONGER PAUSE]

"I'm forgiven. God is glad." [LONGER PAUSE]

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” [PAUSE]

Confession isn’t only about confessing sin but also confessing what is true—who you are, [PAUSE] who Christ is, [PAUSE] and who you truly are in Christ. [PAUSE] It's about coming out of hiding into acceptance, [PAUSE] leaving behind all shame. [LONGER PAUSE]

How to Confess

What we experience through the practice of confession is: [PAUSE]

Radical self-awareness, honesty, and confession. [PAUSE]

Total surrender to God’s power. [PAUSE]

A loving, tight-knit community to both love you and hold you accountable to becoming your true self. [LONGER PAUSE]

Take away any one of these three elements, and the proverbial stool will fall. [PAUSE]

Consider confessing to: [PAUSE]

God [PAUSE]

A spouse [PAUSE]

An accountability partner [PAUSE]

The one you have wronged [PAUSE]