Confession Of Sin Series

Series: Intercessory Prayer Training - Lesson 2

Topic; Confession of sin

Last week we began a spiritual journey on intercession. The objective of this lesson is to enable us to be more effective in our prayer lives. It is designed to take us from praying for 60 seconds to at least 60 minutes or more

This training course is a prayer strategy based on 12 Biblical Steps of Intercession, which is to be divided into two parts as we had indicated in our previous lesson: INTIMACY and then INTERCESSION

We began by looking at how to BE STILL in the presence of God. Our scriptural foundation was Daniel 11; 32b and Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am thy God..."

Today we want to look at lesson 2 and our topic is confession of sin

Confession of Sin……..Daniel 9;5-13, psalms 4;4

Psalm 4:4 “Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.”

Jesus emphasized the need to deal with sin each time he spoke of prayer.

In the Lord's Prayer he pointed out the need to forgive as well as ask for forgiveness as a condition to answered prayers.

In Matthew 5:23-24 Jesus further deals with sin in prayer by saying that when we come to God's altar with an offering we must first do something about broken relationships before we pray and offer praise!!! ;vs23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; vs 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Isaiah wrote in chapter 1 from vs 11-20

1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

1 John 1:8 John, the beloved disciple, warns us against an attitude of innocence before a holy God “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

• To say that we have nothing to confess to God is to call Him a liar, and to practice self deception before our Maker.

David says in (Psalm 51:5): "Behold I was shaped in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."

And Isaiah adds to his own unworthiness before a holy God when he says: "All of our righteousnesses (that is, our best efforts) are as filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6) Most of us misread that passage and think that God means “all of our unrighteousnesses.” But it is all our best effort at right living that are still as filthy rags.. He saw himself in the light of God’s holiness and cried "Woe is me I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips." (Isaiah6:1-5)

a) We are not just to come into God's presence presumptuously, but humbly (2 Chronicles7:14) contritely, with a sincere perspective on our own nature.

b) We need a vision of ourselves, our true fallen nature, our minds which are unclean, and of which God knows every passing thought. (Psalm 139:1-5)Bankruptcy Until we recognize our own state of bankruptcy before a holy God we cannot truly lean upon His Righteousness, without which no man will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

c) Most of us come into his presence as the Pharisee, proud, bragging of his kept laws, righteous deeds, his right to gain the Father's favor.