Introduction: A package was sent from England to S. Africa. The man to whom the box was sent didn't know what it was, and he refused to pay the delivery charges. So, the box sat around for about 14 years, being used as a footstool in the express office. Eventually the would-be recipient died, and the box was put up for auction along with several other unclaimed articles. A man was curious about the box, and got it at a low bid. When he opened it, he found several thousand pounds in English banknotes. I wonder how often we're standing right on top of a treasure and don't realize it.
I believe confession is kind of like that. It's the abandoned, cast off, dust-on-it, "thing" of today's Church. It lies neglected in the corner, so that when we pick it up, we need to blow off the dust and ask, "Hey! What is this? I wonder what it does. How do we make it work?" Yet it's so valuable!
joke - 3 preachers all realized the value of confession. They were all out fishing in a boat. One began to share: “I’ve just really been struggling with greed. I get jealous of other people, and it’s really affecting how I feel toward them.” The other joined in: “Well, I’ve been struggling too. I have just felt so unmotivated lately, I’m not even writing my own sermons. I’m just copying some I find on the internet.” The 3rd said, "I have something to confess too. I have a sin I keep giving into - it's gossip, and I can't wait till we get home!"
When I say the word "confess," you probably think of a dimly lit room with an accused guy at a small table and 2-3 police harassing him until he admits he committed a crime.
There may be some from a Roman Catholic background who picture a booth with a divider and a little window inside, where a priest sits on one side while the church member spills his or her guts. This past week, there was an item in the news that a Catholic priest had set up on Instagram a way that you could send him your confession over your smart phone. I guess that would save a trip!
It’s true that confession often has to do with admitting things we’d rather not talk about. But it’s much bigger than that. In fact, in the NT, the word confession is used over 30X, but only 5 of those are about confessing sin – 5 out of 30. The rest have to do with confessing our faith in Jesus – and that’s not about admitting anything or talking about something we’d rather not talk about.
So, I want to begin this morning with a reminder, or a first time notice for some, that confession literally means "to say the same thing." It means that someone says something about me, and I agree with them. “You ate the last cookie, didn’t you? Didn’t you?!” Yes, what you say is true. I ate the last cookie. I confess. I say the same.
But in the NT, confession especially means that Someone says some things about Himself, and I agree with them. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” I agree, don’t you? Do you say the same thing? That’s also a confession. You don’t admit that it’s true. You affirm it. You say “Amen” to that! You might even repeat it to someone and try to convince him that it’s true.
Remember, the Bible is always talking about being in one of 2 groups. There isn’t a 3rd.
Dark or light
Broad or narrow
Goat or sheep
Lost or found
Dead or living
Not a people or people of God
Shut out or inside
Condemned or having life
Unprepared or waiting
There’s never a middle ground, never a 3rd group. To us the lines may not always be so clear, but in God’s eyes (also known as reality), there are only 2 sides. Jesus said,
John 5:24 (NIV)
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
Up front, the goal of this series is to get people who haven’t done it to cross over – out of death, into life. It’s that simple.
When we talk about crossing over, making the transition from death to life, confession becomes important in 2 basic ways:
1. Confessing that we need a Savior, because we’ve all sinned and
2. Confessing that Jesus is King, because He said He is.
When I start to chase it through the Bible, I find that acknowledging Jesus' Lordship and admitting my sinfulness are a package deal. So we're going to take a look at confession. What does it accomplish? What does it have to do with crossing over to the Lord? Confession is vital because...
I. It Honors God
Israel had just leveled Jericho. God had told them to destroy everything there. The walls fell down, the army rushed in, and they did destroy the city -- except one guy named Achan. Achan saw a Babylonian robe and some silver coins and a wedge of gold that caught his eye. He snuck them off to his tent. Later, when Israel went up to destroy the little city of Ai, they were routed.
They turned-tail and ran and 36 of them were killed. God told them the reason was because someone had broken the rules. So they cast lots and singled out Achan. (Josh 7:19) Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me." In other places in the Bible that becomes synonymous with saying you should confess: "C'mon. Give glory to God. Confess what you did." God says we've sinned.
So Jn writes, (1Jn 1:10) "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." Why is that? Because God says we have sinned. Is He right or not? Does God know what He’s talking about, or not?
You can’t honor God and insist that sin isn’t a serious issue in your life. Why not? Because God has said otherwise. Do you say the same? You must, if you want to honor Him.
Paul said in Philippians 2 that God has given Jesus the name that is above all other names, "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
There will be a day when everyone will finally have acknowledged that Jesus is Lord. Not only will every knee bow out of submission, but also every tongue will say the same thing that Jesus said about Himself: Jesus Christ is Lord. Some may do that out of admission. Even more, I expect, will speak it out of sheer terror, because they refused to acknowledge Him before it was too late. But even then, it will be to the glory of God the Father.
Saying the same thing that God says about His Son honors God.
II. It’s A Part of What Frees Us From Sin
Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would take a live goat, place both hands on its head, and confess the sins of the nation before the Lord. In this way he symbolically placed the sins of Israel on what was called the scapegoat. Then it was led away into the desert and released. God was teaching Israel, and us, that part of dealing with our sin is confessing it.
David wrote about this in Psalm 32. Until he confessed his sin, it bound him, it sapped the life from him.
Ill - In his book Pastoral Psychiatry, Dr. John S. Bonnell tells of 4 cases. A university student experienced drumming noises in his head, blurred vision, and dizziness. A woman suffered from neuritis. A medical student struggled with mental disorders. And a patient lived with persistent indigestion. In each case, relief came when the patient finally broke down and confessed sins that were hidden away.
It's not too surprising that in Acts 19, in Ephesus, as people accept Jesus, they're coming forward to confess the evil things they'd done. James writes, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Confession is often the only way to be freed from the weight of guilt.
I John 1:8-9
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
John isn’t talking about just running over the list of things we’ve done wrong once a week, or making a blanket statement at the end of our prayers. He’s saying we don’t claim to be without sin. God says we have a sin problem, and we say the same thing. We confess our sins.
Confession is also the only way to be forgiven by God. God says we do have sin. And if we deny that, we're self-deceived. But if we live in continual agreement that we do have sin, that we do need forgiveness, If we'll keep on saying the same thing God says, there's forgiveness. That's a great promise, isn’t it?
You want to be freed from the headlock of sin? Making confession a part of our lives is vital because it frees us!
III. It Prepares Us for Service
18 years ago, over million men gathered in Wash. DC. The media had all kinds of things to say about Promise Keepers’ “Stand in the Gap” rally. But, Randy Phillips, one of the executive directors, said the #1 reason they were there was to confess their sins and failure before the Lord! I would say PK got this right: they realized that before there can be much excellence, there has to be confession.
David wasn't much use to the Lord when he had failed and not confessed it. Finally, after he was rebuked, he did confess his sin. God said through Nathan, "You blew it, David." and David proceeded to say the same thing in Ps 51: "I blew it, God." He prayed for a clean heart and a right spirit. v13 "Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you."
We can't be much use to God unless we’re being honest about sin in our lives.
Nehemiah, the man of God who oversaw the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls, knew that to lead his people effectively, there needed to be confession:
Nehemiah 1:6-7
… I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father's house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
Nehemiah knew that confession is part of preparing to serve.
I wonder how many people, seated here this morning, are holding back from serving in some way because there’s an old, dusty skeleton in the closet. Really? Satan is glad to keep reminding you that you can’t jump in with both feet because you’ve got this “thing” that someone might find out about or that you would rather not deal with. And there you are, keeping God from giving the gifts He’s waiting to give through you, letting Satan have his way instead. What would change that for you? Confession.
Let’s keep saying this out loud: the Church isn’t a group of people who are here because they all have gotten their act together. It’s the one group of people who are openly saying, “We can’t get our lives together – not without Jesus! And there’s not one of us here this morning, not one, who is here because we think we’ve mastered it! We’re here because we need the Lord to Master our lives!”
I’m happy to confess that to you this morning. Are you?
IV. It Begins Our Relationship With Jesus
All of these things accomplished by confession point here: Confession is at the beginning of a relationship with Jesus Christ. God says all have sinned. Do you say the same thing?
You can’t deal with the sin problem in your life until you’re saying the same thing as God about the sin in your life.
But here’s something else God has said:
God says that Jesus Christ is His Son. Jesus also said that. Do you say the same thing?
Jesus said that no one can come to the Father except through Him. Do you say the same thing?
That's a prerequisite for a relationship with Jesus -- the ability and humility to agree with those things.
Remember, for the last 2 weeks how we talked about the most fundamental and important condition to be saved is [faith]. We can point out how there are other conditions that must be met, but without faith, those are all empty.
Years ago, to help explain how a person becomes a Christian, someone came up with what was called “The 5 finger exercise.” The point was to show, with something right on hand, the conditions a person needs to cross over to Jesus. So, they showed that with 5 fingers: believe, repent, confess, be baptized, live the new life in Christ. Someone else suggested a different way of showing that a few years back, and I think it’s more accurate. It uses 4 fingers, but it shows how each one depends on faith in the first place. So, if someone has faith in Jesus, here’s the outcome – repent, confess, be baptized, live the new life in Christ.
So, reach over and give your neighbor a “high 4” this morning!
One of those 4 conditions is confession – agreeing that what Jesus said about Himself is true. That’s so much a necessary part of being a Christ follower that it’s singled out in…
Romans 10:10-11
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
I am so proud to call Jesus my brother this morning. And, I’m amazed to say, Jesus is proud to call us who have accepted Him His brothers and sisters too!
Hebrews 2:11 (NASB)
For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Jesus is not ashamed to call you brother! Do you realize how incredible that is?
One of the joys I find in studying genealogy is to point out some of my relatives who did neat things. I had one relative who was the co-founder of Juneau, Alaska. There’s one Nichols, from Scotland, who was named William Wallace Nichols – that’s for all you fans of the movie “Braveheart.” I have another who fought in the American Revolution under George Washington, who was honorably discharged by Washington. When you have a family member who you’re proud of, you don’t hide it, do you?
Jesus is unashamed to call us His family!
That being true, why is it that we sometimes cover up the fact that we’re a part of that family? Why do we not mention that family name? Why, when some make it obvious that they’re from a different family line, are we ashamed to speak about our godly bloodline by adoption into the Family of God?
Do you suppose Jesus notices?
Matthew 10:32-33 (NASB) Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
When we begin this eternity-long relationship with Jesus, part of that beginning involves simply acknowledging that what Jesus said is what we say too: Jesus says He is Lord of all. We say the same thing. It matters to Jesus that we speak and live like we believe that. If we don’t, if we deny Him, why should He acknowledge us when we stand before God the Father one day in Heaven?
It’s because this is so crucial a part of becoming a Christ-follower that we’ll often talk about “receiving someone’s confession.” We’ll ask them what they believe about Jesus or ask them to confirm their belief that Jesus is King and the Son of God. Confession begins our relationship with Jesus.
Application: Confession is something we can all do. It begins with belief in Jesus. If you believe Who He is, say it! The rest will follow.
1. Try it right now!
This is not a trick. If you believe it, say it after me, "Jesus is King! The Son of God! My Lord! My Savior!" Do you believe it? Do you believe it? Even "amen" is our confession - It's saying, "I say the same!"
2. Confess to the Father.
Follow the example of Scripture. Confess your sins to Him. He knows them anyway, but He knows there's value for you repeating them and seeking forgiveness from Him.
3. Confess to people you've sinned against.
James wrote “Confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed.”
Maybe you've spoken hard words out of anger. Maybe you've slandered someone. Maybe you've cheated them or slighted them in some way. Go to that person. Confess that sin, and be healed! Talk about a healing service! There'd be more healing going on than we could handle if we just all took time to openly confess our sins to one another!
4. Say the same thing at your job, your school, your home.
Say it with your life. Don't admit Jesus is your Lord. Proclaim it! Jesus should be there when you make decisions. Do you have Him along? Jesus should help you choose your friends. Do you let Him?
It's one thing to stand with this group of people here this morning who agree with you. This should be the easiest place in the world to stand and say, "I believe Who Jesus is!" Say the same thing "out there."
Conclusion:
It's something we must all do.
1 Timothy 6:12-13 (NASB) Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
Jesus stood before Pilate, who asked Him if He was a king. Jesus said yes, He indeed was King.
Years later, a young man named Timothy said the same thing about Jesus in front of witnesses. And for centuries since then, people who believed have made that same "good confession" -- that Jesus is Lord, the King, the Son of God. Will you?
