The Good Confession
PPT 1 Series title
Last weeks message we asked who is igniting your tongue?
PPT 2 tongue on fire
PPT 3 apostles on fire
Then we talked about the best of people can let their tongues get away from them, i.e. Peter. Jesus calls him satan for something he said, and Jesus said on his confession of faith, Jesus would build His church.
Recap last message
PPT 4 pic of someone being punched by words.
Today we are going to talk about what the bible calls the good confession, let me set that up by talking about the time we are living in.
We have entered the age of the antichrist. Our nation has changed in just the last 6 months in ways none of us would have been able to predict.
One little example, recently a man many believe will soon announce he is running for president, former VP Joe Biden said in comments he was making during a speech, "Mike Pence was a decent man." He was immediately bombarded and lambasted by the left saying, since he isn't pro lgbtq than he is an evil man. Facing the backlash from potential voters in his party, Biden came out with a statement shortly thereafter saying, you are right Mike Pence isn't a decent man. In the eyes of the world in the US a Christian cannot be a decent person if they hold to biblical views of sexuality.
Now let me show you an interesting verse:
PPT 5 text:
Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
I never understood why the image of frogs was given until someone recently pointed out that a frog catches its prey by attacking with its tongue which has an unusual almost glue like ability. In other words the frog image was used to convey the idea of demon spirits that entrap people with the power of their words. These frogs are gathering people to fight against God, how stupid do you have to be to do that. The fight going on in the world today is not against Christians, but against God Himself. All the pieces are coming together, and they are coming together quickly. I believe we are living in a time where God is shortening the days.
Let's talk about what is going on in China
PPT 6 pic of mega church
50 k members this is what it looks like now:
PPT 7 pic 2 of mega church destroyed by Chinese authorities
Recently Zion a mega church in Beijing was closed because they refused to allow the government to install video camera's with facial recognition software.
China has instituted a social credit system. We have credit reporting, they have social credit reporting. BTW employers are checking fb now and some have demanded access to fb to view a prospective hires online activity. A social credit system is growing in the US, just ask any democrat who disagrees with the socialist wing of the democratic party.
This social credit system in China:
You can find numerous articles describing this in very negative terms and also numerous articles saying it is not as bad as it seems. (Chinese bought and paid for influence??)
The Chinese call it A measure of trustworthiness.
It is believed that the system entails a series of big data and AI-enabled processes that compute an individual's behavior, from online purchasing to obedience to traffic laws, timely bill payments, or your choice of friends.
High scores beget social privileges.
According to a government document about the system dating from 2014, the aim is to "allow the trustworthy to roam everywhere under heaven while making it hard for the discredited to take a single step."
But it has broadened from now to limiting financial transactions. Bad score you can't buy real estate or take out loans. The slogan now is "Once discredited, limited everywhere". Recently a journalist who had done some negative reporting against the Chinese government reported he can't take out a loan, buy real estate, the government has financially shut him down. Read this link and you will see what life under the antichrist will be like: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/chinese-blacklist-an-early-glimpse-of-sweeping-new-social-credit-control/article37493300/
China has blocked millions of "discredited" travelers from buying plane or train tickets as part of the country's controversial "social credit" system aimed at improving the behavior of citizens.
According to the National Public Credit Information Centre, Chinese courts banned would-be travelers from buying flights 17.5 million times by the end of 2018. Citizens placed on black lists for social credit offenses were prevented from buying train tickets 5.5 million times.
Https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/01/china-bans-23m-discredited-citizens-from-buying-travel-tickets-social-credit-system
So what does all that have to do with this series on words?
Today we are going to talk about "the good confession."
Here is what I don't mean by good confession:
Joke of charismatic who died and went to hell:.
Charismatic - sure is hot down here, but I am not going to confess that. - that is not what I am talking about when I say, good confession. I am talking about publicly proclaiming the truth when life, or finances, or worldly approval are on the line
Lets dig in to the scriptures:
PPT 8 text
1 Timothy 6:13 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,
1 Timothy 6:14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1 Timothy 6:15 which He will bring about at the proper time... ?
Evidently Paul knew some of the facts that appear in Joh 18.
PPT 9-10 text
John 18:33 Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
John 18:34 Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"
John 18:35 Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what have You done?"
John 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."
John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
The reference to what Paul calls a good confession, is the fact that the Lord Jesus, when standing at the bar of Pilate, who claimed to have power over his life, did not shrink from an open avowal of the truth. Jesus told Pilate he had no authority over Jesus unless it was given him from above. However, Jesus knew that Pilate had been given authority to end His life, that was why he wrestled in prayer in the garden of Gethsemanee. A great lesson is to pray today for the day that may come where you will have to make decisions that will affect your income, your employment, and your life. Those days are coming, and for many in the world they are already here.
Facing death He didn't shrink from publicly proclaiming the truth.
One of my commentaries says this about what Jesus did: Nothing can be better fitted to preserve our minds steadfast in the faith, and to enable us to maintain our sacred vows in this world when allured by temptation, or when ridiculed for our religion, than to remember the example of the Lord Jesus. The good confession is speaking when it costs you, without regard to the cost, because your allegiance to the truth must be greater that concerns for personal well being.
That's my introduction, now for a couple brief points arising out of that foundation.
If we have entered the age of the antichrist then Jesus' coming is very very near. And that leads us 3 imperatives, and I will quickly cover them.
1. Imperative for Watchfulness and Readiness
PPT 11 text
Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Watch and be ready means to so live in Christ you are ready for His return. He that hath this hope in his self purifies his heart even as He is pure.
2. Imperative that we be prepared to give a good confession when called upon
PPT 12 text
Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 12:37 "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
We need to decide now how you will respond in that hour. This is a life and death issue if you deny Him, He will deny you! Recently I watched the movie, "Untouchables," in that movie Sean Connery plays a police officer trying to bring down the famous mobster Al Capone. When he first talks about joining Elliot Ness in that work, he asks him very directly, "how much are you willing to pay to bring him down?" (Implying that it will come at great personal sacrifice.) Later Sean Connery is gunned down, bloodied and near death, he asks again, "are you willing the pay the cost." How much are you willing to pay to live for Jesus? He paid all for you.
3. Imperative that we work while it is day for the night comes when no man can work.
PPT 13, 14 text
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men....
Luke 12:4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
Luke 12:5 "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!
Don't fear for your life, fear for their death. We need to wake up to the condition of the lost, they are facing eternity and at any moment our opportunity to minister to them will be taken from us. Lord help us to be more concerned about the eternal condition of the lost, rather than our temporal life conditions.
Close: Help me to be watching, and ready for the Lord's return. Help me to be prepared to give a good confession, help me to work while it is day, and to recognize night is fast approaching.
