Powerful Prayer: Confession and Release

Welcome/Prayer/Intro

Good Morning Church! How is everyone doing this morning? It is good to be back in PA. The MDS team had a great time in Kentucky! One recurring theme that came up in my life and the groups life this past week was reflecting on “Why?”. Why did we go to KY? Why are we serving and doing dirty work that no one really wanted to do? I know its the Sunday school answer to say, “Jesus” but as we gather here together this morning we have the chance to ask the same question, “Why are we here?”. We gather because of Jesus. To worship Jesus. To encounter Jesus. Personally and in the body. To be transformed and look more like Jesus. Jesus is my why this morning, I hope Jesus is your “why” too lets pray together.

Prayer: God we come before you this morning simply as we are. Wether thats tired, broken, sad, full of joy. content. or excited. Here we are. Our prayer this morning is that as we continue this series on powerful prayer, would you continue to give us ways to expand and ignite our personal and corporate prayer. Holy Spirit, as we dive into this topic of confession, I ask that you drive out any pre-existing ideas and fears that we have that are incongruent with your desires for us. Lord, I confess I am neither perfect nor worthy of this position to speak to your people and yet, everytime we ask, “Who am I?” you respond, “who am I my child”. Let that answer be enough for us today. Amen.

Introduction-

Me- I struggle with the practice of confession, for several reasons, shame (if i ignore the evil i create) I dont have to face.

Confession was something that I did every week and it just became another ritual combined with a rote script.

You- Does anyone else struggle with confession? (Raise your hand)

Why do we struggle with confession so much? Why is it not more of a positive thing? Why isnt it more of a part of our prayer lives?

God: My hope is that as we explore confession and release in the scriptures in this morning, practice confession, we can have a fresh and postive sense of confession and release.

Transition: If you havent already, please turn in your Bibles to Psalm 51 and follow along as I read David’s confession out loud. Before, I read I just want to point out the text says this comes from the time in David’s adultery with Bathsheba.

Walking through the Text

What does Biblical Confession Look Like?

In Response to a Relationship with God

It Confesses Openly with an Invitation to Look within

It Involves a Release or Letting Go

Requires us to earnestly desire for a change of heart!

In response to Relationship with God

As we have been learning Prayer always happens in and as a result of relationship

The first thing that David says is “Have Mercy on Me according to your unfailing Love”

David isnt coming to God out of fear. He isnt saying God dont kill me or zap me, but have mercy because you are faithful.

He continues to appeal to God’s character as the starting point of the conversation.

Open confession with a invitation to look-in

David does two things- He brings these things to light. Even though he does not go into detail. God knows what He did and we do.

Its important to go into details when confessing so that we can wrestle with what we did, sometimes saying it actually helps us understand how it was wrong.

This happened to me this week as I was sharing something with the crew leader on my project, I did not intend for what I shared to be gossip, but I could tell he was upset by what I said, Later on when we were alone, I brought it up and apologized and explained what I meant but also acknowledged where I went wrong.

David than says, in verse 6, (Slide)

vs 6- this "truth in the most hidden places" refers places we have plugged up. This phrase is most commonly used to hide water from enemies throughout the Bible.

David’s saying, You want to see all of me even the places I have tried to cover up, to plug up.

Did you know that when a well, is plugged up and not properly sealed it actually contaminates other sources of water?

Its the same way with sin in our hearts, when sin isnt properly dealt with it will seep into the good parts of our hearts.

David ask God to purify him with hyssop and wash him making David whiter than snow.

Confession Involves Letting Go

David asks for reprieve from the weight of sin. He says let the bones you crushed rejoice once more!

Release is a hard part of confession- We need to get better at releasing when we confess. Wether it is something we have done that we keep kicking ourselves over we must give it to God. Otherwise, it will be a useless burden that we carry.

Another aspect of this is releasing when others sin against us. This is perhaps the most difficult part for me. Honestly it is something I have deeply struggled with in the past few months. Yet, if we dont release even what others do to us, bitterness can take root and the plant that pops up from this is an ugly beast.

In what ways are we holding on to things we need to release from God?

Your own feelings of shame from sin youve commited

or pain from the sins others have done against you?

How can we take what we have plugged up and just bring it before the Lord?

Confession means we want to change and grow!

In verse 10, David says create a clean heart and me and put a new faithful spirit it me.

David wants to change and I think this one point right here that seperates true and false confession: the desire to change. to be made new.

Yet, this also is the part that makes confession so beautiful. It gives us room to grow.

Confession says God I messed up Here’s what I did, cleanse me, but make me new. Make me a different person so I am different.

How many have you seen Catholic confessions in a movie?

Describe it for us please?

What the movies leave out is the advice from the priest in order to not just avoid the sin, but to live differently.

Confession has to be earnest.

I think where the David lands is the right place he says you dont want sacrifices Lord. You dont even want the best sacrifice I could give

You want a broken spirit. You want someone who is genuine about their sorrow and desire to grow in the relationship.

I love how it says you wont despise a heart that is broken and crushed. In other words, if we come to God burdened He wont reject us or tell us get over it, its not that bad.

On the other hand, it also means that God wont accept lip service.

David knows He doesn't want religious practices or sacrifices that fit the bill. He wants us.

My mom used to say, talk is cheap! when I would say Im sorry, but doing chores or cleaning the house meant nothing if my heart wasnt in it.

Its the same way with God, He wants us completely, not empty words or sorrys or even outward displays. God wants our hearts.

He wants to be able to see our hearts so He can change our hearts. Confession is only bad if we refuse to see it as a way to change and grow.

Application

We are going to close the service with a time of confession.

On the pews there is a piece of disolvable paper.

Write your confession that you want to bring to God

This can be a sin that youve struggled with

This can be shame yove carried that you need to release.

Or even pain you have carried that someone else caaused.

I want to invite you to see this time as an opportunity not just to renew your approach to confession, but as a time for God to renew you!

Then when you are ready, come up and put your paper in the bowl and swirl it with your finger. As you do this say the same words David did in verses 7 and 8 (Slide)

Weekly Challenge/Prayer Practice

Challenge for this week: Spend 10 minutes this week in prayer and confession before the Lord, bring the things that you have left unconfessed or the burdens you carry before Yahweh.

A good way to do this would be to pray through Psalm 51.