Thursday, February 18, 2016

5 TRUTHS BELIEVERS KNOW ABOUT CONFESSION













WE ARE BLESSED BY GOD’S GRACE!

Psalm 32:6-11
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! 

David began this psalm by praising God for the mercy He shows to those who repent of their sins. He knew very well the freedom of knowing for sure that one is forgiven and the weight of remaining in a state of unconfessed sin.

After being autobiographical in the preceding verses, David invites all those who know and love God to be swift to confess sins. David’s example, through the inspired Word of God, should be a challenge to all of us. I trust that as we read these verses, we would be reminded of the unnecessary weight we carry when we do not confess our sin and turn to God for mercy.

1 - True confession and repentance restores fellowship with God.
Confession allows us to return to fellowship with God and this brings the relieving freedom and peace that only God’s children can know. We should fear for our salvation if we do not feel the weight of sin and have never experienced the freedom of forgiveness. I am not implying that one can lose his salvation, but am that such a one has never become a child of God. David speaks of the instruction God gives His children. As we continue to progress in our spiritual walk, the Word of God will continue to expose sin. The process of sanctification in the life of a believer includes regular times of confession of sin. John reminds us of this in his epistle.

1 John 1:6-10
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

2 - We should never believe the lie that God is ok with our sin.
In these verses a few truths become clear. Believers do sin, and when they do, they are not in fellowship with God. Our sin also affects our fellowship with other believers. The solution is so easy! We must recognize and confess sin. There are no sins that God cannot forgive and cannot cleanse us from.

3 - Nothing is better than our sweet fellowship with God.
When we allow sin to come into our lives, we forget the privilege of resting in sweet fellowship, trading our relationship with God for temporary pleasure that brings sorrow and bitter consequences.
The imagery of this psalm is so vivid: do not become like an animal that has no ability to obey without being controlled by his master!

4 - Wise men turn to God for cleansing!
There are blessings for those who confess their sin and sorrows for the wicked. What a privilege we have to know and enjoy the unconditional and faithful love of God.

5 - God’s grace is complete and amazing.
The last verse of this psalm is truly astounding. David invites the righteous to be glad and rejoice in the Lord. The amazing gift of grace is that a person who commits transgressions, sins, and iniquities can be declared righteous! Even though we rebel and sin, we can be washed by the blood of Christ and we can be restored to fellowship with God.

We should, we must, live differently because we know God. We are blessed! We do not have to carry the weight of sin! We can hide in the loving care of our merciful God!

Dear friend, those who know this love, this freedom, this joy, this peace should never be slow to confess sin and should be a light to those around them.

Ephesians 2:4-7
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 


God through the ages has displayed His grace and love by saving sinners like us! We are blessed!

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