Confession Study #6

Psalm 51
God, be merciful to me because you are loving. Because you are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs. Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again. I know about my wrongs, and I can't forget my sin. You are the only one I have sinned against; I have done what you say is wrong. You are right when you speak and fair when you judge. I was brought into this world in sin. In sin my mother gave birth to me. You want me to be completely truthful, so teach me wisdom. Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you crushed be happy again. Turn your face from my sins and wipe out all my guilt. Create in me a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again. Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach your ways to those who do wrong, and sinners will turn back to you. God, save me from the guilt of murder, God of my salvation, and I will sing about your goodness. Lord, let me speak so I may praise you. You are not pleased by sacrifices, or I would give them. You don't want burnt offerings. The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin. Do whatever good you wish for Jerusalem. Rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with right sacrifices and whole burnt offerings, and bulls will be offered on your altar.

• Another example of confession and humility together. David had sinned with Bathsheba and made this Psalm in response. 

Micah 7:8-10
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness. Then my enemy will see it and will be covered with shame, she who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will see her downfall; even now she will be trampled underfoot like mire in the streets.

• Coming out of the darkness into the light through confession and humility! What a great combination!

Confess is a verb.
Definition: admit, confirm
Synonyms: acknowledge, affirm, allow, assert, attest, aver, avow, blow, blurt out, chirp, clue in, come clean, come out, concede, confide, declare, disclose, divulge, dump on, evince, finger, fink, grant, humble oneself, leak, let on, level with, make clean breast of, manifest, narrate, open one's heart, own, own up, post, profess, prove, rat on, recognize, relate, reveal, sing, snitch, sound off, spill the beans, spit out, squeal, tip hand, unload, vent, weasel
Antonyms: conceal, deny, disavow, disown, hide, mask, repudiate, secrete

Confession Study #5

Leviticus 16:20-22
"When Aaron has finished making the Most Holy Place, the Meeting Tent, and the altar ready for service to the Lord, he will offer the living goat. He will put both his hands on the head of the living goat, and he will confess over it all the sins and crimes of Israel. In this way Aaron will put the people's sins on the goat's head. Then he will send the goat away into the desert, and a man who has been appointed will lead the goat away. So the goat will carry on itself all the people's sins to a lonely place in the desert. The man who leads the goat will let it loose there.

• A way to get rid of sin: the scapegoat. The only way this works is if people confess the sins. If the hide the sin, then it doesn't work.

Leviticus 26:40-42
" 'But maybe the people will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors; maybe they will admit they turned against me and sinned against me, which made me turn against them and send them into the land of their enemies. If these disobedient people are sorry for what they did and accept punishment for their sin, I will remember my agreement with Jacob, my agreement with Isaac, and my agreement with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

• God just wants me to be sorry for my sin and accept the punishment. I've noticed how my son is closer to me than before his punishment. I think really God doesn't want me to sin in the first place, but if I do sin, to have a heart of confession first instead of trying to hide it or ignore it.

2 Samuel 12:7-14
Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I appointed you king of Israel and saved you from Saul. I gave you his kingdom and his wives. And I made you king of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you even more. So why did you ignore the Lord's command? Why did you do what he says is wrong? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and took his wife to be your wife! Now there will always be people in your family who will die by a sword, because you did not respect me; you took the wife of Uriah the Hittite for yourself!'

"This is what the Lord says: 'I am bringing trouble to you from your own family. While you watch, I will take your wives from you and give them to someone who is very close to you. He will have sexual relations with your wives, and everyone will know it. You had sexual relations with Bathsheba in secret, but I will do this so all the people of Israel can see it.' "

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord."

Nathan answered, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die. But what you did caused the Lord's enemies to lose all respect for him. For this reason the son who was born to you will die."

• A sign of humility. David acknowledges that he has sinned and immediately confesses to Nathan. And by doing so, he receives some grace. He still receives some consequences, but he also gets some grace.

Luke 15:11-20
Then Jesus said, "A man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, 'Give me my share of the property.' So the father divided the property between his two sons. Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living. After he had spent everything, a time came when there was no food anywhere in the country, and the son was poor and hungry. So he got a job with one of the citizens there who sent the son into the fields to feed pigs. The son was so hungry that he wanted to eat the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he realized what he was doing, he thought, 'All of my father's servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dying with hunger. I will leave and return to my father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son, but let me be like one of your servants." ' So the son left and went to his father.

• The younger son already had some consequences but is still restored to his family. He received some grace from his father. He was humble and wasn't expecting the loving reception from his father. The first thing he did was he confessed.

Confession Study #4

Nehemiah 1:1-7
These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, I, Nehemiah, was in the capital city of Susa. One of my brothers named Hanani came with some other men from Judah. I asked them about Jerusalem and the Jewish people who lived through the captivity.

They answered me, "Those who are left from the captivity are back in Judah, but they are in much trouble and are full of shame. The wall around Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned."

When I heard these things, I sat down and cried for several days. I was sad and fasted. I prayed to the God of heaven, "Lord, God of heaven, you are the great God who is to be respected. You are loyal, and you keep your agreement with those who love you and obey your commands. Look and listen carefully. Hear the prayer that I, your servant, am praying to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we Israelites have done against you. My father's family and I have sinned against you. We have been wicked toward you and have not obeyed the commands, rules, and laws you gave your servant Moses.

• You can see the humility of Nehemiah here. It's humbling to read it. It is interesting how he takes on the sins of others in his confession. He chooses we instead of I...

Ezra 10:1-4, 9-11
As Ezra was praying and confessing and crying and throwing himself down in front of the Temple, a large group of Israelite men, women, and children gathered around him who were also crying loudly. Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel the Elamite said to Ezra, "We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying women from the peoples around us. But even so, there is still hope for Israel. Now let us make an agreement before our God. We will send away all these women and their children as you and those who respect the commands of our God advise. Let it be done to obey God's Teachings. Get up, Ezra. You are in charge, and we will support you. Have courage and do it."

So within three days all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered in Jerusalem. It was the twentieth day of the ninth month. All the men were sitting in the open place in front of the Temple and were upset because of the meeting and because it was raining. Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have been unfaithful and have married non-Jewish women. You have made Israel more guilty. Now, confess it to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Do his will and separate yourselves from the people living around you and from your non-Jewish wives."

• Confession to the Lord is how confession should be done. If you don't confess it to God, but just people, then I think you are wasting your time. God should be who confession is mainly done to but people should be included, mainly someone who is in your life on a consistent basis.

1 Samuel 7:5-6
Samuel said, "All Israel must meet at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you." So the Israelites met together at Mizpah. They drew water from the ground and poured it out before the Lord and fasted that day. They confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord." And Samuel served as judge of Israel at Mizpah.

• Because you sin against the Lord is the reason you should confess to the Lord. But notice, as they confessed, Samuel was the one that was there. The confessed to a spiritual guide (Samuel) and to God.

Joshua 7:19-21
Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, tell the truth. Confess to the Lord, the God of Israel. Tell me what you did, and don't try to hide anything from me."

Achan answered, "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I did: Among the things I saw was a beautiful coat from Babylonia and about five pounds of silver and more than one and one-fourth pounds of gold. I wanted these things very much for myself, so I took them. You will find them buried in the ground under my tent, with the silver underneath."

• Sin in secret will be found out somehow and someway.

Confession Study #3

Daniel 9:20-23
While I was saying these things in my prayer to the Lord, my God, confessing my sins and the sins of the people of Israel and praying for God's holy hill, Gabriel came to me. (I had seen him in my last vision.) He came flying quickly to me about the time of the evening sacrifice, while I was still praying. He taught me and said to me, "Daniel, I have come to give you wisdom and to help you understand. When you first started praying, an answer was given, and I came to tell you, because God loves you very much. So think about the message and understand the vision.

• Confession was something that was done in the Old Testament. It's not just a New Testament thing. Daniel was confessing to God in this passage.

Proverbs 28:12-14
When good people triumph, there is great happiness, but when the wicked get control, everybody hides. If you hide your sins, you will not succeed. If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy. Those who are always respectful will be happy, but those who are stubborn will get into trouble.

• Confessing sins will give you mercy.

Psalm 38:17-18
I am about to die, and I cannot forget my pain. I confess my guilt; I am troubled by my sin.

• Carrying sin around is like carrying a heavy bag, full of guilt. Guilt is pretty heavy and causes you for feel troubled.

Nehemiah 9:1-5
On the twenty-fourth day of that same month, the people of Israel gathered. They fasted, and they wore rough cloth and put dust on their heads to show their sadness. Those people whose ancestors were from Israel had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins and their ancestors' sins. For a fourth of the day they stood where they were and read from the Book of the Teachings of the Lord their God. For another fourth of the day they confessed their sins and worshiped the Lord their God. These Levites were standing on the stairs: Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani. They called out to the Lord their God with loud voices. Then these Levites spoke: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. They said, "Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who lives forever and ever."

• They stood and confessed their sins, worshiping the Lord. Confessing sin is another way to worship God. I had never thought of it like that before reading this passage, but I guess it makes sense. To confess is to worship.

Confession Study #2

Acts 19:16-19
Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them. Because he was so much stronger than all of them, they ran away from the house naked and hurt. All the people in Ephesus—Jews and Greeks—learned about this and were filled with fear and gave great honor to the Lord Jesus. Many of the believers began to confess openly and tell all the evil things they had done. Some of them who had used magic brought their magic books and burned them before everyone. Those books were worth about fifty thousand silver coins.

• They began by confessing sins and then they burned the books they led them to sin. They took radical steps in their repentance as they did in their sinful ways.

Matthew 5:29

If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell.

• Tells us how to be extreme in our repentance as we were in our sinful ways.

Mark 1:4-5

John was baptizing people in the desert and preaching a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins. All the people from Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him. They confessed their sins and were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

• Before they were baptized, they confessed their sins. This was John's baptism, a baptism of forgiveness.

Matthew 3:4-6
John's clothes were made from camel's hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food, he ate locusts and wild honey. Many people came from Jerusalem and Judea and all the area around the Jordan River to hear John. They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

• This goes along with Mark 1, you need to confess your sins to be saved.

Confession Study #1

2 John 1:7-8
Many false teachers are in the world now who do not confess that Jesus Christ came to earth as a human. Anyone who does not confess this is a false teacher and an enemy of Christ. Be careful yourselves that you do not lose everything you have worked for, but that you receive your full reward.

• This is a passage about false teachers. False teachers do not confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

1 John 4:13-16a
We know that we live in God and he lives in us, because he gave us his Spirit. We have seen and can testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God has God living inside, and that person lives in God. And so we know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.

• There has to be a confession that Jesus is the Son of God.

1 John 1:5-10
Here is the message we have heard from Christ and now announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars and do not follow the truth. But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin.

If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done. If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and we do not accept God's teaching.

• Forgiveness of sins is conditional. You have to confess the sins to be forgiven of the sins.

James 5:13-16
Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises. Anyone who is sick should call the church's elders. They should pray for and pour oil on the person in the name of the Lord. And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will heal that person. And if the person has sinned, the sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you. When a believing person prays, great things happen.

• Confession should be done between each other so that God can heal.

Matthew 21:21-22

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

• With confession, there has to be prayer. With prayer, there has to be belief. If you believe when you pray, then it will be done. Condition: It has to be a righteous prayer. 

Daily Reading

Leviticus 1

• Rules for the Burnt Offering. I find it interesting that the goat's death removes the sin from the people. In another it says that blood must atone for sin, so that makes sense for the goat's death, but what is really interesting is that God finds the smell pleasing. 

Leviticus 2

• Rules for the Grain Offering. It says that the Grain Offering is the most holy part of the offerings. I can't help but think of the similarities between communion today and the Grain Offering. And if you consider Leviticus 1 and that the juice represents the blood of Christ, then there is a TON of similarities between communion and these two chapters.

Leviticus 3

• Rules for the Fellowship Offering. It doesn't say why someone would need to make a Fellowship Offering...

Leviticus 4

• Rules for the Sin Offering. God knew that there would be a King someday, as he has rules of what a ruler must do when he sins.If someone sins by accident, then they are guilty.

Leviticus 5

• Rules for Special Types of Accidental Sins. "When anyone is guilty of any of these things, he must tell how he sinned." Confession was something that happened in the Old Testament. We are responsible for our sin. 

Leviticus 6

• Rules for lying, stealing, and other sins. Very interesting stuff. The general response is to return and make amends by paying an additional 1/5 of the value. Then there is the rules for the Whole Burnt Offering, the Grain Offering, and Sin Offering. 

The Battle for Righteousness

Romans 7:14-25 

We know that the law is spiritual, but I am not spiritual since sin rules me as if I were its slave. I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what I want to do, and I do the things I hate. And if I do not want to do the hated things I do, that means I agree that the law is good. But I am not really the one who is doing these hated things; it is sin living in me that does them. Yes, I know that nothing good lives in me—I mean nothing good lives in the part of me that is earthly and sinful. I want to do the things that are good, but I do not do them. I do not do the good things I want to do, but I do the bad things I do not want to do. So if I do things I do not want to do, then I am not the one doing them. It is sin living in me that does those things. So I have learned this rule: When I want to do good, evil is there with me. In my mind, I am happy with God's law. But I see another law working in my body, which makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and it makes me its prisoner. What a miserable man I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death? I thank God for saving me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Point #1: FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES 

James 1:12-15
When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy. After they have proved their faith, God will reward them with life forever. God promised this to all those who love him. When people are tempted, they should not say, "God is tempting me." Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. But people are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them. This desire leads to sin, and then the sin grows and brings death.

1 Corinthians 10:14
So, my dear friends, run away from the worship of idols.

1 Timothy 6:11
But you, man of God, run away from all those things. Instead, live in the right way, serve God, have faith, love, patience, and gentleness.

2 Timothy 2:22
But run away from the evil desires of youth. Try hard to live right and to have faith, love, and peace, together with those who trust in the Lord from pure hearts.

What is a moral compass? How disgusting is my non-disciple life? Lot LOST his wife!!! Flee means to not stick around, don't flirt, don't challenge, just get out!!

Ephesians 5:1-7
You are God's children whom he loves, so try to be like him. Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.

But there must be no sexual sin among you, or any kind of evil or greed. Those things are not right for God's holy people. Also, there must be no evil talk among you, and you must not speak foolishly or tell evil jokes. These things are not right for you. Instead, you should be giving thanks to God. You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God who sins sexually, or does evil things, or is greedy. Anyone who is greedy is serving a false god.

Do not let anyone fool you by telling you things that are not true, because these things will bring God's anger on those who do not obey him. So have nothing to do with them.

Colossians 3:5-10
So put all evil things out of your life: sexual sinning, doing evil, letting evil thoughts control you, wanting things that are evil, and greed. This is really serving a false god. These things make God angry. In your past, evil life you also did these things.

But now also put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and using evil words when you talk. Do not lie to each other. You have left your old sinful life and the things you did before. You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God.

2 Timothy 2:22 (see above)
Grow Up! Flee from sin. Don't walk where it is slippery!

Point #2: STAY ON THE OFFENSE

Am I 'sitting on the ball'? Confession is not sitting on the ball, but staying on the offense.

Scriptures on Secret Sin:

Ecclesiastes 12:14
God will judge everything, even what is done in secret, the good and the evil.

Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him, and to him we must explain the way we have lived.

Romans 2:16

Psalm 32:3

James 5:16

Fumbling the ball: CONFIDENTIALITY

Proverbs 11:13

Proverbs 18:8

Proverbs 20:19

1 Corinthians 10:1-13