What Is Confession?
The season of Lent, which started last night with Ash Wednesday, is a time to reflect on your life and be honest with God about how things are really going. We can't fool God so to try and act like things are well when they aren't, doesn't work with God. When we realize the ways in which we have drifted away from God and done things we know are wrong, we confess our shortcomings. The bible calls it sin, but often we don't really understand what this means so it is not always helpful.
What is helpful is not hiding from God and coming into the light, which we call confession. In the Old Testament today we see Daniel, confessing the sins of the nation of Israel. He pleads with God in sackcloth and ashes on behalf of the people. Last night we placed ashes on each person's forehead reminding all of us, "Remember we are dust and to dust we shall return." Daniel basically says, we have turned against you God and rebelled against the covenant you made with us. We have not obeyed the commands you have given us. Daniel basically is saying God is righteous and they deserve all of the consequences they are experiencing. Later he will prophesy about a time coming when God turns from judgment to restoration. He says according to Jeremiah's prophecy this will be seventy years.
Then in 1 John we see similar words:
"5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 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, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."
John the apostle is saying essentially the same thing. God is light by his very being and essence. So if we walk in darkness, we will be separated from God. Light and darkness have nothing in common, they are the opposite. Darkness is the absence of light. But in light there is no darkness. What does this mean? When we walk away from God, we walk away from the light. We walk away from fellowship/friendship with God. It says we also we have fellowship with others. When we walk away from the light, we walk away from other believers and the community we enjoy in the body of Christ.
But the Good News is if we confess our sins, or admit where we have walked away from the light, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness. Do you hear the Good News? Though we can be unfaithful, if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us and bring us back into the light and fellowship with Him. John's desire is that the people would understand this so that, "our joy may be complete".
Fellowship with God and others brings joy and peace. When we walk away from God we don't experience this. It is refreshing for me to know I can be honest with God. I don't have to cower around him, trying to cover up my shame like Adam and Eve. God sees us as we are, and wants to have fellowship us. So what are we waiting for? Let us confess our sins to God, who is faithful and just.
Thanks God for being faithful even when we are not. Thanks for sending Jesus who forgives of our sin by His love for us, when He willingly went to the cross. I come to you in my sin and shame to be honest before you. You have called me to walk in the light and enjoy a fellowship with you that begins here and will last forever. Amen.
Daniel’s Prayer
9 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes[a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian[b] kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
What is helpful is not hiding from God and coming into the light, which we call confession. In the Old Testament today we see Daniel, confessing the sins of the nation of Israel. He pleads with God in sackcloth and ashes on behalf of the people. Last night we placed ashes on each person's forehead reminding all of us, "Remember we are dust and to dust we shall return." Daniel basically says, we have turned against you God and rebelled against the covenant you made with us. We have not obeyed the commands you have given us. Daniel basically is saying God is righteous and they deserve all of the consequences they are experiencing. Later he will prophesy about a time coming when God turns from judgment to restoration. He says according to Jeremiah's prophecy this will be seventy years.
Then in 1 John we see similar words:
"5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 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, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."
John the apostle is saying essentially the same thing. God is light by his very being and essence. So if we walk in darkness, we will be separated from God. Light and darkness have nothing in common, they are the opposite. Darkness is the absence of light. But in light there is no darkness. What does this mean? When we walk away from God, we walk away from the light. We walk away from fellowship/friendship with God. It says we also we have fellowship with others. When we walk away from the light, we walk away from other believers and the community we enjoy in the body of Christ.
But the Good News is if we confess our sins, or admit where we have walked away from the light, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness. Do you hear the Good News? Though we can be unfaithful, if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us and bring us back into the light and fellowship with Him. John's desire is that the people would understand this so that, "our joy may be complete".
Fellowship with God and others brings joy and peace. When we walk away from God we don't experience this. It is refreshing for me to know I can be honest with God. I don't have to cower around him, trying to cover up my shame like Adam and Eve. God sees us as we are, and wants to have fellowship us. So what are we waiting for? Let us confess our sins to God, who is faithful and just.
Thanks God for being faithful even when we are not. Thanks for sending Jesus who forgives of our sin by His love for us, when He willingly went to the cross. I come to you in my sin and shame to be honest before you. You have called me to walk in the light and enjoy a fellowship with you that begins here and will last forever. Amen.
Daniel’s Prayer
9 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes[a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian[b] kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
Comments
Post a Comment