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We talk about confessing Christ all the time. Well, what does that mean? Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” So, confession has to do with salvation. If you confess certain things with your mouth, you will be saved, right? Kind of like magic words, right? Wrong. Confession is more about the content of belief than uttering the right words. Confession is just as much a heart action as it is a mouth action. That doesn’t eliminate the need for a public confession of words and actions. But it does give those things substance. And the true substance of confession isn’t a one-time action. It’s a continual reality. That’s what it means to confess the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is Lord of my life. That means He is King. He’s not just here to pull us out of trouble. He’s not just here to make us feel better about ourselves. He’s not just here to give us a get out of hell free card. He’s here to rule and reign over every aspect of our lives as our Lord and Master and King. And that doesn’t just happen as a onetime event. That kind of confession is a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute confession that we can’t do it. Christ has to do it through us. We will serve our Lord and Master as He continually quickens and empowers us to do it. In that respect, we can’t ever say we’ve got it all down pat. We can’t ever say that we’ve got it all figured out. Because as long as we live in this fallen flesh, we will have to continually struggle to confess Jesus as our Lord. Because my flesh wants to be Lord. I don’t really want to submit. So, because of that, I must continually confess Jesus as Lord. I can’t do it. He must do it through me. Just like He had to do it through Peter. Turn with me to Matthew 16. We know that Peter has been saved for a while. He believed Jesus back in John 2. As we looked at last week, we know that Jesus has called Peter to fish for men. The fact is, by the time we get to the passage we’re getting ready to read, Jesus has called Peter several times. But now, Jesus asks him a question. And when Jesus asked him the question, Peter made a bold proclamation. True confession begins with proclamation.
MATTHEW 16:13-17
The first step of true confession is proclamation. The area was buzzing. All that people could talk about were the miracles that Jesus was doing. Huge crowds had been seeing His signs and wonders. He had miraculously fed huge groups of people two different times. The first time, there were 5000 men there. That meant that the crowd was well over 15-20,000 people with all the women and children. The most recent time, there were 4000 men there. With all the women and children, there were at least 12-16,000 people. Do you think that would make people talk? And of course, all the talk was about the miracles. It wasn’t about Jesus’ teaching. So, there were some huge misconceptions about who Jesus is. Jesus asked His disciples about it. But He didn’t ask them as some sort of opinion poll. He asked them to confront them with their own beliefs. And He asked them to illicit a response from Peter. He asked them, “I know the people are talking—who do they say I am?” The disciples threw out some of the more spectacular claims. John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, one of the other prophets. They didn’t take the bait the first time, so Jesus asked them directly. He said, “Who do you say that I am?” Do you suppose that there was a pause? I know how it is when you’re teaching a class. As soon as you ask a question, everybody quits looking at you. If somebody thinks you’re going to call on them for something, they look everywhere but in your eyes. I imagine that’s what happened here. When Jesus asked the question, I imagine that they all looked at anything but Jesus’ eyes. Except Peter. Peter looked Jesus right in the eye and made a bold proclamation. He said, “You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” You know what? Peter was right. And Jesus told him so. Jesus said, “you are blessed. You couldn’t have figured that out on your own. God Himself had to reveal that to you.” So Peter got an attaboy for his profession. We are all called to profess Christ for who He is. That’s why Romans 10:9-10 talks about confessing with our mouth. Publically professing Christ is not an option. It’s not a nice add-on. It’s a requirement. Publically professing Christ in the waters of baptism isn’t an option either. That is part of what it means to profess Christ. But we can’t do those things in our own strength. Just like Peter couldn’t make his proclamation in his own strength. When you truly proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord with your mouth and in baptism, that proclamation has been given to you by God. God reveals Christ to you in salvation and you are responsible to proclaim Him publicly. But that’s not where it ends. True confession doesn’t end with a proclamation. Almost immediately, true confession moves from proclamation to preparation. Turn with me to Luke 22.
LUKE 22:31-34
The second step of true confession is preparation. Wouldn’t it be nice if getting saved meant that everything was going to be smooth sailing from now on? Wouldn’t it be nice if all the prosperity and health and wealth preachers were right? If all we had to do was name it and claim it and anything we want could be ours. Wouldn’t that be nice? No, that wouldn’t be nice. It sounds nice, but it would really be horrible bondage. Because if that were true, then Jesus wouldn’t really love us like He says He does. How do you love your children? Do you love them by babying them and giving them everything they ever ask for? Or do you love them by disciplining them. Do you love them by teaching them and molding them? Do you love them by doing what’s best for them, even if they might be angry and sad and broken by it? That’s the way that Jesus loves us. He loves us enough to test us. If you remember back to our study of James a while ago—that’s what that whole book is about. It’s about experiencing joy in the midst of trials. How can we experience joy in the midst of trials? Because God either gives or allows trials in our lives so that we will be strengthened and grown and so that we will endure until the end. So that we will grow up. So that we will finish well. So that one day, our Daddy will be exalted by what we’ve done for Him and who we’ve become in Him. That’s what happened with Peter. He made his great proclamation. That proclamation was so good that Jesus Himself bragged on him. But then, just a few verses later, Peter blew it. Jesus told the disciples that He was going to have to be killed. Then from the same mouth that made the wonderful proclamation just a few verses earlier… Peter pulled Jesus to the side and scolded Him. He said, “Be it far from thee, Lord. This shall not be unto thee.” Of course, you remember Jesus’ response. He said, “Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offense unto me, for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Wow, that was a quick fall. How did that happen so quickly? Because, as the passage we just read says, Satan desired Peter. The roaring lion was walking about seeking whom he may devour. And he had a taste for Peter. So he did what he has to do. He asked God if he could sift Peter. See, Satan isn’t in control of anything. As a matter of fact, he is completely under the authority and control of Almighty God. He cannot do anything without God’s permission. And God only grants permission when Satan’s acts will accomplish God’s ultimate will. How many things will God work together for good? All things. That even included the terrible way Satan was going to be allowed to sift Peter. But why would God allow Peter to go through all that? For his preparation. For his endurance. And ultimately, so that Christ would be magnified in the enduring and true confession of Peter. Supplied by God and prepared by God. But it doesn’t stop with preparation for the test. Because the test must come. Faith that isn’t tested might not really be faith at all. A confession might just be idle words until it is truly put to the test. True confession doesn’t stop with preparation. The preparation has to lead to examination. Look a few verses down at Luke 22:54-62
LUKE 22:54-62
The third step of true confession is examination. Why do Christians get cancer? Why do Christians have rebellious children? Why do the babies of Christian parents die? Why do Christians lose their jobs and homes and businesses? Why have Christians throughout history and around the world been persecuted and beaten and tortured? Because those are the ways that God is shown great in our worst times of weakness. Those are the times when the grace of Christ is magnified in our lives. James 1:3-4 says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” We all say that we want to grow in our faith. Did you know that the only way you can do that is when you are tested? The only way that Peter could grow in faith was to endure the test that we just read about. He had professed his faith in Jesus. He had left everything he had to follow Him. He had sat under His teaching for three years. He had even healed and cast out demons in Jesus’ name. But the only way his faith and his endurance could grow was when he was tested. And what a test it was. We see this event and we like to look down our noses at Peter. What a coward! How could he openly deny Jesus after being so bold before? Think about it. How many times have you kept quiet when people were mocking Jesus around you? How many times have you refused to share the Gospel with other people when you had the opportunity? Well, it’s not really the right time. The boss might get mad at me. I might get in trouble at school. They might make fun of me. That pales in comparison to what Peter was afraid of. He had already seen how they had unmercifully beaten Jesus. He knew what the charges were against Him. And he knew that if he stood up in support of Jesus that they would kill him too. That’s a whole lot more serious than simply being laughed at or scorned by a co-worker. Peter’s examination was a whole lot tougher than the examinations we face on a daily basis. But how often do we fail just like Peter did? But do you know what the beautiful thing is? When we fail the examination, that’s not the end. Failing the examination doesn’t mean that Jesus quits loving us. It doesn’t mean that Jesus quits holding on to us. You see, when Jesus saves us, there was nothing that we could do to earn it. Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ—by grace ye are saved.” And because it is God’s only great love and grace that saves us, it is only God’s great love and grace that keeps us. It is only God’s great love and grace that will make us endure and persevere till the end. Peter didn’t pass his examination. I don’t pass many of my examinations. And neither do you. They are there to make us grow and give us endurance. Sometimes we pass them. Many times we don’t. And when we don’t, we can thank God for the fourth step of true confession. And that’s restoration. Turn back to where we started in John 21.
JOHN 21:15-17
The fourth step of true confession is restoration. Peter had done something unimaginable. He had publicly and openly denied Christ. The same lips that, just a few days earlier, had proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the very Son of God… had denied even knowing who He was. Jesus had told Peter what was going to happen. He told him that the rooster would crow upon his third denial. Peter had just finished telling Jesus that he would go to prison for Jesus. He would even die for Jesus. Bold words. And when Peter said them, I’m sure that he really believed he would. Peter thought he was strong enough and bold enough to do that for Jesus. He didn’t realize that it didn’t matter how strong he was. Because it wasn’t about his strength. It was about Jesus’ strength in his weakness. And so the test came. And when Peter miserably failed the test that God had placed before him, he was broken. Remember that Peter was saved. He believed Jesus back in John 2. But even though he was saved, he still failed. But when he failed, he knew it. All Jesus did was look at him. And when Jesus looked at him, it cut him to the quick. He remembered the Word. He saw his Savior. He knew his sin. And he was crushed. But Jesus didn’t leave him that way. Jesus didn’t let him go. In John 10:27-28, Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” That means that if Jesus saves you, He’s going to keep you. Not because of your works. But because of His great grace. And when you fail the tests that are placed before you—and you will. He will restore you just like He did with Peter. So, the question for you now is, do you love Jesus? Jesus said, if you love me you’ll follow my commandments. Do you love Jesus? Oh, we love to say that we love Jesus. But is He the Lord of your life? Are you boldly proclaiming His name everywhere you go? Are you passing the tests and fleeing from the temptation that’s before you? Are you growing in His grace every day? Or have you failed Him? Are you failing Him now? If you are, He’s waiting to restore you. He has just one job for you—feed His sheep. On down in verse 19, Jesus told Peter the same thing He had told him three years before. All Jesus said was follow me. If at one time in your life, you have professed faith in Christ. But since that time, you have failed the tests and walked away from Jesus… He’s got the same word for you today. Follow me. Lay all the shame and rebellion at His feet this morning and turn from your sin and follow Him.
