Confession Is Good For The Soul Series

OPEN: Years ago, a young man had just gotten out of Bible College where he’d spent several years learning all the theological terminology that he thought would make him a successful preacher. He’d just been hired at a country church and he was determined to begin bringing new people to Christ set out to win his first soul for the Lord in the community.

He came upon a Farmer busily working in his field and, not sure the man was a Christian, he asked “Are you laboring in the vineyard of the Lord, my good man?"

The farmer didn’t even look up "Naw, these are soybeans, not grapes."

Realizing he’d asked the question wrong he said "You don’t understand what I’m asking. Are you a Christian?"

With the same amount of disinterest as his previous answer the farmer said, "Nope my name is Jones. You must be looking for Jim Christian. He lives a mile south of here."

Undaunted, the determined young preacher tried again asking the farmer, "Are you lost?"

"Nope! I’ve lived here all my life," answered the farmer.

"Are you prepared for the resurrection?" the frustrated preacher asked.

This caught the farmer’s attention and he asked, "When’s it gonna be?"

The young Preacher smiled and replied, "It could be today, tomorrow, or the next day!"

Taking a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiping his brow, the farmer remarked in a monotone voice, "Well, I’m terribly busy with harvest right now, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to my wife. She don’t get out much. If she hears about it she’ll want us to go all three days!"

APPLY: What that preacher and the farmer were having was a “failure to communicate”

They weren’t talking the same kind of language.

They weren’t referring to the same kinds of things.

They weren’t “saying the same things” to each other and as a result their conversation was going nowhere fast.

Romans tells us that the same thing can happen to our salvation.

If we’re going to spend time with God, we need to use the same kind of language.

We need to “say the same things” He says.

Look again at Romans 10:9 It says: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The word CONFESS in that verse is the Greek word “Homologeo”.

If you break that word down it is “homo” (the same) and “logeo” (to speak).

Thus homologeo literally means “to speak the same thing”.

When I “confess” that Jesus is Lord (as Romans 10:9 says I should) I’m agreeing with God.

I’m echoing His words.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was.

And Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.” Mt 16:16-17

When Peter recited what we call Good CONFESSION, Jesus said he was merely parroting God. What Peter said had been revealed to him by the Father in Heaven.

Thus to “confess” that Jesus is Lord - is to echo back what God says is true.

It is to say the same thing He says.

Now, Romans 10 tells us that “confessing Jesus as Lord” is part of our response to God’s gift salvation. As we’ve noted over the past couple of weeks, we are saved by the grace of God. His grace, and His grace alone is what really saves us. But God calls upon us to respond that grace by (1) Faith, (2) Repentance, (3) Confession of Jesus as Lord, and (4) being buried in the waters of baptism and rising up to a new life.

Today we’re looking at confessing Jesus.

This is a very important part of our response, and the reason it is so important is because – IF I’m unwilling to agree with God that Jesus will be my “Lord” I’m not going to be saying the same thing God is.

I’ll always be trying to make my relationship with Him to be based on ME… on what I think is right and wrong.

But if I confess that Jesus is Lord – I am surrendering that right. When I confess Jesus is Lord I’m surrendering control of my life I’m putting Jesus in charge.

ILLUS: Back in the days of Jesus if you called someone your LORD, that meant they owned you. They were the Master and you were the slave.

Now (quiz time) – did a slave OWN anything?

No, they were slaves.

They didn’t own their homes/ their families/ their clothing.

Everything they possessed belonged to their Lord and Master.