Confession & Reconciliation
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Work Zone: Why We Do What We Do • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 38:18
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· 78 viewsWhy do we confess our sins in the worship service? Especially if God has already forgiven us when he saved us? Does it mean anything when we tell each other, "Your sins are forgiven"? Join us as we dig into the role of confession and reconciliation in our worship!
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Why do we confess?
Why do we confess?
Confession is the natural reaction to entering the presence of a holy God. (Isaiah 6:1-5, Luke 5:8)
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Sin disrupts our relationship with God—even when we’re “saved.” (Colossians 1:21, 1 John 1:8-10)
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Reconciliation requires the sinner to acknowledge their sin to God. (2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 32:5, Psalm 51:16-17, Proverbs 28:13, )
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
Why do we forgive?
Why do we forgive?
Reconciliation depends on the sinner hearing that they have been forgiven. (Isaiah 40:1-2)
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
God has assured us of his forgiveness through Scripture. (Exodus 34:6-7, Psalm 103:9-12, Joel 2:13, Matthew 11:28, Acts 7:25, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 John 1:9-2:2, etc)
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
God has commissioned the church to offer his forgiveness to the world (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:1).
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
What does “Confession and Reconciliation” do?
What does “Confession and Reconciliation” do?
Confession preaches the Gospel.
Confession trains us to see ourselves truthfully. (1 John 1:8-2:1
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Confession reconciles us to God. (James 5:13-16, John 20:21-23, Matthew 18:15-20, Matthew 16:15-19)
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Confession reconciles us to each other. (Matthew 6:12, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13)
Conclusion
Conclusion
Following Jesus means being honest about our failures—and his victories!
As God’s people we have the honor—and responsibility—to share God’s forgiveness.
Confession and forgiveness have the power to transform lives, communities, and the world.
Wherever the church truly proclaims the forgiveness of sins there the healing ministry is verifiably at work. Who can tell the incalculable results of the word of absolution for the integration of human personalities? Who can say how many demons are being exorcized, how many potentialities of mental trouble, neurasthenia and even organic disease are being rooted out by the assurance pf pardon and renewal?...Never let us doubt the immense tides of healing energy--for soul and mind and body--which may flow through every Church and every ministry that faithfully proclaims the apostolic word: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son goes on cleansing us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
James S Stewart