Confession

Intro: The joke is confession is good for the soul but bad for your reputation. The truth of the matter confession is good for your soul and for your reputation. We should open ourselves up and be vulnerable before God. We need also to check on our selves and see how good we are from others.

Listen to the this story for example :

The druggist of the town drugstore overheard a young boy talking on a pay telephone. “Hello, sir, I was calling to see if you needed a lawn boy. Oh, you have one. Well, is he adequate? Oh, he is! Thank you, I was just checking,” said the young boy.

The druggist then said to the boy, “Sorry you didn’t get the job, son.”

“Oh, no sir,” said the boy. “I’ve got the job. I was just calling to check up on myself.”

Confession In The Bible

Two uses of the term Confess in the Bible:

Confession is to realize ones guilt before God and to repent of sin.

Confession is also to agree and proclaim that God is God and the supreme ruler of all creation who is faithful in his loving kindness toward his people.

Nehemiah 1:4–5 NLT

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,

Nehemiah 1:4 NLT

When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.

Sit and Make A List

Nehemiah 1:6 NLT

listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned!

Confess your sins before God.

Do not blame others.

Take full responsibilities.

Make the list as long as you can.

Remove your pride.

Write down what others say about you and ponder why.

Compare God’s Word to your list.

What in your list keeps your from being holy?

What moral and ethical actions does the word tell you to do?

God’s Word exposes our sins.

Nehemiah 1:7 NLT

We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.

New Living Translation Chapter 1

7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses.

Let God lead us in his will, because He is a good Shepherd.

Trust God who is right then trying to prove your are right.

Rest in God’s word and allow his peace to keep you.

Confess God is your God

Nehemiah 1:5 NLT

Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,

New Living Translation Chapter 1

O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,

New Living Translation Chapter 1

O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,

Know that God’s home is heaven and the earth belongs to him. We are only tenants.

How Great is our God and awesome he is.

New Living Translation Chapter 1

8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth,* I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’

Confession to God leads us to ask God to Remember.

Nehemiah 1:8–9 NLT

“Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’

Asking God to remember is to seek God’s grace in times of lament.

God’s covenant stands as a constant reminder of God’s grace toward us.

Asking God to remember in times of lament is to ask God’s favor and mercy to be shown.

This ask for remembrance is in light of the confession of sin.

Know your identity as God’s servants

Your People Nehemiah says:

The people’s Identity is based on their relationship with God.

Currently sin has damaged the relationship.

The brokenness of the relationship had damaged the city and the people.

Nehemiah in his prayer identifies himself land Israel as:

Servants of God

God’s people.

Keeper of God’s commandments

The redeemed by God.

The people’s Identity is based on their relationship with God.

Currently sin has damaged the relationship.

The brokenness of the relationship had damaged the city and the people.

Sin damages our relationship with God as it does with others.

Confess to God who can heal and restore.

Nehemiah 1:11 NLT

O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.” In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.

God in his covenant will restore the repentant.

God will guide us to our healing.

Trust God to lead you to where he wants you to be all through prayer and humility.

Let the healing begin by first confessing your sins to God and restore your relationship with God and others.