Confession

Happy Sunday. Years ago, right before church was to begin, a man stood up and asked me if he could speak. He had messed up royally. The little town we lived in knew what he had done.

There was a live grape vine there. He stood there and he confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness. It was a powerful moment, one I'll never forget. As it turned out, he turned his life around and is to this day a very respected member of his church and community.

Today, we're going to talk about the spiritual discipline of confession. Now, many think that confession is only for Catholics. Not true. It's a discipline that each of us must engage in.

In fact, without confession, we cannot be saved. 1 John 1:9 teaches that truth to us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But it begins with if we confess our sins.

That verse is sandwiched between two verses that warn us of the danger of not confessing. Listen to verses 8 and:es 10 from 1 John 1 verse 10. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. And then the next verse, if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

To become a follower of Jesus, we must be willing to confess our sins to him. That's where it all begins. In today's culture, confession seems almost non-existent. I'm amazed at criminals who plead not guilty after there's video evidence and multiple eyewitnesses of their crimes.

Over the years, I've seen celebrities and athletes say that they're innocent, even though there's overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Sadly, some do escape justice in this world. But there will be a payday someday. And God will ultimately be the judge of each and every one of us.

One of the greatest confessions in scripture is in Psalm 32. It was written by David. Remember his sin of adultery and murder recorded in 2 Samuel chapter 12. And reflecting on that chapter of his life, David wrote these words in Psalm 32.

You can hear relief in these words. Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty. And then David said this, "When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away.

I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy upon me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. And about confession, David says, "Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, I'll confess my rebellion to the Lord, and you forgave me. All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place.

You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. In that psalm, David celebrates forgiveness. Confession precedes forgiveness.

At times, we may choose to share our confessions with another person. James 5:16 says this, "Therefore, confess your sins one to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." Over the years, I've had friends come to me with their confessions.

I will go to the grave with what I have been told. It is so interesting to note that after I have heard people confess, I have thought more of them, not less. I've loved their biblical take on sin and their obedience to practice the discipline of confession. At times, it may be wise to confess our sins to a friend or to a trusted individual.

That person can then pray for us, encourage us, and point us to what God says about confession. Let me close today with these words from Proverbs 28:13. No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Pray with me.

Father, thank you for hearing our confessions. Thank you for loving us so much that you will forgive us when we confess. and we confess to you of things you already know we have done. Help us to be free.

If there's somebody watching listening to this that has something they've never confessed to you, let them confess and let you cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Father, help us to be disciplined in our spirit. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

God bless. Thanks for watching. Hope you have a happy Fourth of July.