Opening illustration: A woman said to a preacher, "I have a habit that I know is hurting my testimony—the habit of exaggeration. I start to tell something and I go on and on enlarging the story. People suspect that it's not true, and they lose confidence in me. I'm trying to get over it. Could you help me?"
He responded, "Let's talk to the Lord about it." She prayed, "Lord, You know I have this habit of exaggeration …" At this point the preacher interrupted, "Call it lying and you may get over it!" The woman was deeply convicted and confessed her wrong.
We often excuse our pet sins by giving them more acceptable names and meanings. Our bad temper we call "nerves"; our untruthfulness, "exaggeration"; our dishonesty we call "good business." In seeking to overcome these sins, we need to bring them out in the open, call them honestly by name, and sincerely repent (Proverbs 28:13).
A man entered a dentist's office and sat down to have his teeth fixed. "I can feel a huge cavity with my tongue," he said. The dentist examined the man's teeth and said, "It'll only be a small filling." "But why does it feel so large?" asked the patient. "Just the natural tendency of the tongue to exaggerate," replied the dentist with a twinkle in his eye. We may smile, but aren't we all prone to blow things out of proportion? Indeed, "the tongue is a little member and boasts great things" (James 3:5). (Henry G. Bosch, ODB)
Meaning of Confession: First off, the word "confess" simply means to agree with God. The word in Greek means homologeō - ὁμολογέω is to say the same thing as another, i.e. to agree with, assent. Let's be crystal clear; confess does not mean to ask for forgiveness.
Confession has a much deeper meaning than what most people think of it. The very word to confess has a much deeper meaning to agreeing with God about the whole aspect of what Jesus did on the cross and what sin really is all about. For a person to confess has to do with the person agreeing with God about the person and the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
A person can either choose to agree with God or not. A person can either choose to confess it or not. God is asking everyone to believe in Jesus, who is continually faithful, that He took away our sins (forgiven for all time), and cleansed us of all unrighteous for eternity.
Come on, let's get real here. That is spitting in the face of God. Because every time a person is asking for forgiveness today to God after hearing the complete Gospel, is telling God they don't believe He did it all. It is double talk and is the exact opposite to confess (agree with) God. For a person to keep saying "if then" and think that asking for forgiveness is the meaning of "confess" in spite of the Greek word studies, is simply displaying a prideful attitude that a person doesn't care what the Word of God is really saying, and simply wants to stand with the teachings of men.
Let us turn to Proverbs 28:13 and focus on what true confession entails …
Who shall find MERCY? The ones who have …
1. Uncovered Sin (v. 13a)
Sin is the source of misery and ruin: It has turned angels into devils, and peopled the regions of horror with those that once dwelt in the abode of perfect bless. It has brought misery and woe into the world that might have been a lower heaven, if we had not revolted from God, and destroyed ourselves by our iniquity. But blessed be the Lord, our condition is not desperate like that of the angels who kept not their first habitation. God looked upon humanity with an eye of compassion and provided us effectual relief. The Son of God became our great atonement and we are called to enjoy the pardon through faith in His blood.
We cover our sins with our words. This is lying - deceiving others and ourselves and lying to God. Lies are darkness, whereas God's truth is light. When we lie, our character erodes (Proverbs 28:13). When we cover sin, we lose God's light, fellowship and character. (Ed: We cover our sins by making excuses for them and by refusing to come to the light where they may be exposed. Some "cover" their sin by trying to have it legalized by the laws of the land, so they can sin shamelessly. Some "cover" their sin by blaming someone else. Some "cover" their sin by simply [deceptively] denying it.)
Disobedience chokes the channel of blessing. "He who covers his sins shall not prosper" (Proverbs 28:13). Unconfessed sin in the heart of a believer is like a worm at the root of prosperity. "If I regard iniquity in my heart - the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18), prayer is then futile. Unless we keep short accounts with God - we shall not enjoy His smile. Jeremiah 10:21 tells us what prevents "pastors" from prospering - self-sufficiency, failing to be cast entirely upon the Lord.
"He who covers his sins shall not prosper" no matter how well versed he is in the Truth, or admired by his fellows; for there is a worm eating at the root of his spiritual life. You make conscience of what men term "little sins" and excuse them not. See to it that you keep short accounts with God, penitently owning unto Him every known fault, if you would not miss His best. Acknowledge your transgressions, even though you have done so a thousand times previously. Avail yourself daily of the Fountain "opened for sin and for impurity" (Zechariah 13:1). They are missing Gods Best.
Augustine comments: “Each man's sin is the instrument of his punishment, and his iniquity is turned into his torment.”
God and man each cover sin; God in free unbounded grace (Isaiah 43:25, 44:22); man, in shame and hypocrisy. The sinners here contrasted are chargeable with the same guilt. But how opposite are the remedies adopted, and their several results! The contrast is not between great sins and small, but between sins covered, and sins confessed and forsaken.
The moment Adam became conscious of having sinned; He hid himself from God's eye. He sought concealment from the endearing presence of Him who had been used to walk in the cool of the evening through the bowers of Paradise, in sweet and confiding communion. It is so now! Guilt upon the conscience, sin unconfessed, imparts misty, gloomy, distorted views of God. We lose that clear endearing view of His character which we once had. We dare not look up with holy, humble boldness. We misinterpret His dealings; think harshly of His ways; and if providences are dark, and afflictions come, in a moment we exclaim, "I have sinned, and God is angry." And so we seek concealment from God. We sink the Father in the Judge, and the child in the slave.
Illustration: (a) Certain great iron castings have been ordered for a railway-bridge. The thickness has been calculated according to the extent of the span and the weight of the load. The contractor constructs his molds according to the specifications, and when all is ready pours in the molten metal. In the process of casting, through some defect in the mold, portions of air lurk in the heart of the iron, and cavities like those of a honey-comb are formed in the interior of the beam; but a whole skin covers the entire surface, and the flaws are effectually concealed. The artisan has covered his fault, but he will not prosper. As soon as it is subjected to a strain the beam gives way.
(b) How about covering leprosy with an exquisite piece of attire (cloth). The leprosy can’t be seen but the pain, anguish, disease and its mark remain. You can hide it but the rottenness will get to the flesh and bones and the unpleasant odor will make it evident. That’s exactly how sin is …
2. Confessed Sin (v. 13b)
Admit and judge them - agree with God about your sin. This involves the heart and the will (Ed: The Lord will not despise a broken and contrite heart - this is the heart that is willing to confess! Psalm 51:17). Some people have died because they repeatedly, willfully, proudly and arrogantly defied the will of God. (Achan is a good example in the times of Joshua – he seemed to be a good guy externally but was covetous secretly and took the spoils of war and hid and made excuses – he paid it with death) Admit you are a sinner, say what is wrong and then come to Him and name it. Confess your sin only in the circle of those influenced by it - individuals or family. (Don't become an exhibitionist with the public.) Confession brings release, freedom, forgiveness and a new beginning.
Beloved we need to be aware that unconfessed sin and lack of prosperity is an immutable divine principle, for far too often we still think that we can defy God's call to confession and escape the consequences! This is self-deception run amuck, for instead of escaping the consequences, we end up compounding the consequences! The greatest loss of prosperity is the loss of fellowship with God. John puts it this way...
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth but if we walk in the light (Confessing our sins, owning our sins, with a broken and contrite heart) as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6, 7)
There must be confession before forgiveness. This is clearly taught everywhere in God’s Word. “If thy brother trespass against thee seven times a day, and seven times a day turn to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him.” But he must turn and say, I repent. This is the clear condition. You may and must use every method of inducing him to say this; but he must be brought to say it, before it is right to pronounce the gracious formula of absolution. There may be the disposition to forgive, but there cannot be the declaration of forgiveness, until the wrongdoer perceives the wrong and expresses his regret and sorrow.
When confession is real, it is complete. The same conviction which shows a sinner that he ought to confess shows him that he ought to confess all. If it is not a confession of all, it is not confession. It is the old trick of covering the sin. When the spirit of adoption is attained, the confessor, with the simplicity of a little child, gives the keys of his heart to God, and welcomes the Omniscient Searcher into all its secret chambers.
3. Forsaken Sin (v. 13c)
There is also a relation between making confession of sin and obtaining mercy from God. Sin is confessed, forsaken, forgiven; so lay the links of this short chain. When sin is cast out of the heart, it neither works any more as a ruling power in the man's members, nor lies as condemning guilt in the book of God. It is sin hidden, and so made still the object of your choice, that has power either to pollute or destroy. Sin cast forth from the heart is harmless. It cannot then pollute the life; and it will not then remain an element of treasured wrath. Similar facts and laws may be found in nature. Some substances which on the surface of the earth cannot hurt a child, may, if pent up within the earth, rend the mountains or engulf a city.
If a man confesses his sin without forsaking it, he seems almost to aggravate his transgression; for he acknowledges that he sins knowing that it is sin, and that it is useless to pardon him today, because he will do the same thing tomorrow. And if he forsakes sin without confessing his guilt he knows that he does it from some other motive than abhorrence of evil. Certain sins are sometimes forsaken from expediency, or from self-righteous motives, but in such cases there is no guarantee that there will be a return to them. Our Lord describes such when He speaks of the unclean spirit going out of a man, but returning to find an empty house – a soul with none of the newborn hopes and desires and aims which always come with true repentance – and of such He says that, “the last state of that man is worse than the first." But when hearty and sincere acknowledgement of sin is joined with earnest endeavor to forsake it, God sees a soul which will know how to value His pardon, and will find strength in it to fight against evil and finally to overcome it. And to such a soul it is given to know the “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.”
Illustration: A young woman named Jessie received a parrot as a gift. Over time the parrot developed an extremely bad attitude. It got to the point that every word out of the bird's mouth was rude and obnoxious. Jessie tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else she could think of to change the bird's attitude and clean up its language. Finally, thoroughly fed up, Jessie lost it, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked, kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that she'd hurt the parrot, Jessie quickly opened the door to the freezer.
The parrot calmly stepped out onto Jessie's outstretched arm and said “I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my unforgivable behavior.” Jessie was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As she was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change the bird spoke-up and asked very softly, “May I ask what the turkey did?”
Application: Do we think that we will find God’s mercy with the kind of confession we practice today? Is our focus just getting things off our chest or to genuinely forsake the sinfulness in our lives so that we walk righteously before God and please Him with our actions through our lives rather than with our talk?
