Getting Back on Track: Confessing our Sin

Introduction

-I read a story about a large truck that went out of control hitting the supports of a bridge. The bridge collapsed, falling onto train tracks which it went over. A warning message went out, but one particular train was unable to stop in time and crashed. It took several hours to get the engineer out of the train, but he survived. This accident took out train service in that area for numerous days until the tracks could be cleared. Once the tracks were cleared of wreckage, the trains were back on track.

-To me, this is a good picture of what happens when we sin. No one knows this more than King David, some of whose psalms I have been covering the past few weeks.

-We know the story==David committed adultery with Bathsheba, then killed her husband to cover the crime----there were so many times he could have stopped, could have looked out for vulnerable moments, could have looked out before he magnified his guilt, he could have thought about God’s indignation----but this great man of faith crashed and burned

-With his fellowship with God bruised and broken, David went on with life as if nothing happened—hardening his heart toward what he did and hardening heart toward God—months later his life was still a wreck

-It doesn’t have to remain that way—we’re human, and so sometimes we sin and make a wreck of our lives—but it is possible to pull our lives out of the rubble and get back on track—HOW? BY FULL HONEST CONFESSION TO GOD!

-For David, it took a visit from the prophet Nathan for him to finally open his eyes, and see his need. Nathan confronted him with a story about a man stealing and killing another man’s pet lamb, and David condemned the man in his rightful indignation. And Nathan finally told David that David himself was that man.

-What resulted from that encounter is David repenting and confessing so as to restore his fellowship with God—Psalm 51 is the fruit of that, and from this psalm I hope we are encouraged to always keep a short leash on our sin—always ready to confess so that we don’t suffer a train wreck in our lives

I) The Foundation for our Confession

Psalm 51:1–2 ESV

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

-What is the basis for us to come to God and confess and ask forgiveness? Do we come based on who we are and what we’ve done?

-NO—David approached asking for mercy—seeking God to show him some grace because there is no basis for relationship with God in any other way—and we know specifically that any forgiveness comes from grace shown us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

-We come to God saying: I don’t deserve anything from you but judgment, but I ask for grace—that’s the foundation----you approach God thinking that you deserve something from Him you will have rude awakening—you think you can make points with God because you’re “special” you obviously don’t know Holy God

-Even for us believers, our sin puts up a barrier between us and God, and yet God says “if you confess {that is, agree with My view of sin} I will forgive and restore fellowship—but not because of you, but because of Me, in order to give Me glory, to make a name for Myself through you”

-Why would God show sinners like us grace—According to the psalm it is STEADFAST LOVE=chesed=loyal, faithful love—God loves us just because He does, and He remains faithful to that love

-Also according to the psalm is also is because of ABUNDANT MERCY =compassionate bond of love, like a father looks on his children

-true genuine confession comes to God realizing what we truly deserve, but knowing what God is willing to give: grace and mercy based on finished work of Jesus at the cross

II) The Recognition in our Confession

Psalm 51:3–6 ESV

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

-True heartfelt confession involves acknowledging/recognizing some things about ourselves and our actions

(1) David recognized his actions were sinful (v. 3)

-In his confession, David acknowledged sin for what it was—he didn’t sugarcoat it or call it cute names—sin is sin, transgression=rebellion against a holy God

-when you confess, you don’t tell God you made a mistake or an error in judgment (which may be true) but what you did was sin=you offended holy God----true confession means full realization and acknowledgment that we committed evil----true confession calls it out by name too----don’t just say “forgive me of my sin,” name them, agree with God that this or that is evil according to His revealed Word

(2) David also recognized Who he sinned against—v. 4a

-now our sin may have effect on other people’s lives, but ultimately all sin is committed against God—our confession recognizes what exactly we did and Who did against

-There is no such thing as victimless sin—

When I worked in the criminal justice field people tried telling me there were victimless crimes: drugs, drinking, prostitution, etc.; they say they didn’t hurt anybody

-We have people/Christians try to say there were victimless sins so somehow they are not as bad—what I did didn’t hurt anybody, it was victimless sin—NO SIR/MA’AM you grieved God, you hurt God—that’s the worst thing you can do—don’t try to make yourself feel better saying is was “victimless”—agree with God that you sinned against Him

-but I do not want you to walk away today thinking that if you wronged someone you can just give lip service to God and not pay restitution—if in your sin you wronged someone, you sinned against God and the person, and confession needs to be given to both and if need be offer restitution to the offended party—God will be your guide in this, whether confession to others is needed

(3) David recognized God’s Righteous Judgment-v. 4b

-David agreed that God had every right to punish, chastise, and judge him by whatever seemed right in God’s sight at the time----David lifted no defense; he didn’t try to argue his way out of it; he didn’t try to make excuses—he knew God had every right to do whatever to him

-True confession isn’t trying to excuse our sins, offering God the “Yeah, Buts”—true confession is recognizing it is sin against God Who is right to judge, but we fall upon His grace

(4) David recognized his sinful nature—v. 5

-He recognized that from the moment of his conception the sinful nature of humanity was passed down to Him----if you’ve read Romans 5 it tells us how we are all in Adam when he sinned, so the sinful nature is passed along by Adam’s seed

-This is one trait passed from every generation to the next—your folks had it, they passed it to you, you passed it to your kids, and it will keep going until Jesus returns

-David recognized that with that sinful nature there is nothing inherent within us that should cause God to hear and respond to our confession—it truly is by grace alone that God chooses to respond positively toward us through our confession to restore and maintain fellowship with us

III) The Aspiration from our Confession

Psalm 51:7–12 ESV

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

-in these verses David lifts up what it is he desires his confession to accomplish in his relationship with God—David confesses that his desire above all else is to be reconciled to God—and he uses numerous pictures to make this point

-in v. 7 he desires cleansing—“purge w/ hyssop”=hyssop was used numerous Mosaic rituals, including the sprinkling of a leper to declare he was clean

-David is saying his sin made him like a leper=cast out of the city, anyone who would come near you need to yell “unclean, unclean”—that was David with his sin until he confessed—he felt like he was cast out of fellowship with God, but thank goodness through Jesus we are clean

-in vv. 8-9 he desires restoration—David, a man after God’s own heart, knew what close, intimate companionship with God was like—and with his sin he lost that—and David is crying out to God to bring it back—restore it—he wants things to be like they were

-in vv. 10-11 he desires renewal—first, it is personal--David wants to be spiritually upright before God—he wants the inner man to be right in his relationship—GOD RENEW ME SPIRITUALLY—if ever read Psalm 32 it talks about the effects of sin physically, spiritually, and emotionally—it was draining—and he wants God to bring him back to a place of wholeness

-but then it is also relational—he does not want God to cast him away because of sin—in no way does v. 11 speaks of losing salvation—it speaks of losing the power of His presence in one’s life—he wants renewed relation

-In v. 12 he desires joy—David is a saved man, and all who believe in Jesus are saved for eternity—when we are first saved our lives are filled with joy and peace because of the great things God did—but sin doesn’t take away salvation, but it takes the joy of salvation away—the zeal is gone, it doesn’t have same thrill—when we confess we desire to return to as it was

IV) The Culmination of our Confession

Psalm 51:13–17 ESV

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

-You’ve probably heard it said that confession is good for the soul, and truly it is—there is freedom and joy and power that results from confession to God—we leave God knowing that the blood of Jesus had already paid for those sins, and we have reconciled our fellowship and there is now no hindrance between us and God

-In this section, David proclaims the grand outcomes of being renewed and reconciled with God

-v. 13 speaks about a confident witness=when something great happens in our lives we just want to tell people about it—when get a good grade, receive an honor / reward, when we are engaged to be married, when expecting a child—we can’t stop speaking about it----well when a man is forgiven by God Himself, and is in right relationship with Him the natural outcome is desire to tell the world about this great treasure we have found

-vv. 14-15 speak about bold worship and praise=when we confess, our spirits are opened up again to God’s majesty and we cannot help but ring forth His glories—our mouths cannot be shut because our hearts are overflowing with praises of a loving, saving God who cleansed us and forgave us and wants to be close and intimate with us

-vv. 16-17 speak about a right religion=God does not desire for people to go through external trappings of religion or go through motions with nothing coming from the heart—what is real religion=a broken and contrite heart

CONCLUSION

Before you allow a train wreck of sin to derail you, confession is needed, and only then will you have a restored and maintained fellowship with our Loving God

-Today, will you confess based only on God’s unmerited grace, recognizing the extent of what you did and Who did against, aspiring toward reconciling with God, it will culminate in freedom of your spirits

-For the Christian, your sins were already paid at the cross, but your sins caused you to turn away from God, and God is lovingly waiting for you to return to Him, with arms open wide if only you would confess

-But for those who have never believed or trusted in Jesus Christ alone, there is no other place for forgiveness or salvation-- Acts 4:12 says "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."—when the Philippian jailer asked Paul what he must do to be save, Paul said: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ & you will be saved—will you do that today…