Towne South Church of Christ
Repentance and Confession
THE ROAD: HOW I GET TO HEAVEN - Repentance and Confession Last week we began a sermon series The Road: How I Get To Heaven. We said the most important question anyone will ever have to answer is, “If I were to die today, am I confident I would go to heaven?” Last week we saw how Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the way. He is the road that leads to heaven. And the first step on the road that leads to heaven is faith or trust in Jesus. Last week we looked at the condition of faith. This morning, I want you to see two additional steps that need to be taken on the road that leads to eternal life: repentance and confession.
Locations & Times
Towne South Church of Christ, Elizabeth City, NC. 27909
2224 Peartree Rd, Elizabeth City, NC 27909, USA
Sunday 8:00 AM
Last week we began a sermon series The Road: How I Get To Heaven. We said the most important question anyone will ever have to answer is, “If I were to die today, am I confident I would go to heaven?” Last week we saw how Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14:6) Jesus is the way. He is the road that leads to heaven. And the first step on the road that leads to heaven is faith or trust in Jesus. Last week we looked at the condition of faith. The Bibles tells us…
6And without faith it is impossible to please God… (Hebrews 11:6)
We said true saving faith is more than intellectual assent. Faith is more than just believing certain facts about Jesus are true. It’s trusting him – trusting Jesus for salvation, trusting Him to remove your sins, to direct your life, and to secure your eternity in heaven with him.
A lot of people today believe in Jesus. They believe in his deity, that He was God’s Son, come to earth, that he died on the cross for our sins, was buried and raised back to life. But they only have intellectual assent. They have not made a commitment to trust Jesus for salvation and they do not trust him to lead and direct their lives. And what so many people don’t understand is that that kind of faith is not a saving faith. The Bible says…
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?…19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:14, 19)
A lot of people today may say they believe in Jesus, and because of that they think they’re saved, but the problem is, their faith really isn’t any different than that of demons. You see, the Bible gives us some insight into the faith of demons.
In the Bible in the book of Acts chapter 16 it tells about a slave girl who had and evil spirit. She kept following the Apostle Paul and his companions around as they were preaching the gospel, and she kept saying…
17…These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved. (Acts 16:17)
You see the demon has no doubt that there is a God and that the gospel is the way to be saved.
Over in the book of Matthew, when Jesus confronted two demon possessed men in the region of the Gadarenes, they said
29"What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" (Matthew 8:29)
The demons recognized who Jesus was and that he had authority over them. On another occasion, Jesus encountered a demon possessed man. The Bible says…
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" (Luke 4:33-34)
So, demons have a correct belief about Jesus, yet they are not saved. They recognize Jesus authority over them, but they will not willfully surrender to his rule. The problem is that demons are unwilling to repent.
This morning, I want you to see two additional steps that need to be taken on the road that leads to eternal life: repentance and confession.
Let’s begin by looking at…
6And without faith it is impossible to please God… (Hebrews 11:6)
We said true saving faith is more than intellectual assent. Faith is more than just believing certain facts about Jesus are true. It’s trusting him – trusting Jesus for salvation, trusting Him to remove your sins, to direct your life, and to secure your eternity in heaven with him.
A lot of people today believe in Jesus. They believe in his deity, that He was God’s Son, come to earth, that he died on the cross for our sins, was buried and raised back to life. But they only have intellectual assent. They have not made a commitment to trust Jesus for salvation and they do not trust him to lead and direct their lives. And what so many people don’t understand is that that kind of faith is not a saving faith. The Bible says…
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?…19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (James 2:14, 19)
A lot of people today may say they believe in Jesus, and because of that they think they’re saved, but the problem is, their faith really isn’t any different than that of demons. You see, the Bible gives us some insight into the faith of demons.
In the Bible in the book of Acts chapter 16 it tells about a slave girl who had and evil spirit. She kept following the Apostle Paul and his companions around as they were preaching the gospel, and she kept saying…
17…These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved. (Acts 16:17)
You see the demon has no doubt that there is a God and that the gospel is the way to be saved.
Over in the book of Matthew, when Jesus confronted two demon possessed men in the region of the Gadarenes, they said
29"What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" (Matthew 8:29)
The demons recognized who Jesus was and that he had authority over them. On another occasion, Jesus encountered a demon possessed man. The Bible says…
33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" (Luke 4:33-34)
So, demons have a correct belief about Jesus, yet they are not saved. They recognize Jesus authority over them, but they will not willfully surrender to his rule. The problem is that demons are unwilling to repent.
This morning, I want you to see two additional steps that need to be taken on the road that leads to eternal life: repentance and confession.
Let’s begin by looking at…
I. Repentance.
Repentance is an essential quality for following Jesus Christ. Jesus said…
32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)
47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)
What is the message of repentance that is to be preached? Well, repentance is a word that’s packed full of meaning. And there are three key words that help us to understand what repentance is. First of all, there is…
Repentance is an essential quality for following Jesus Christ. Jesus said…
32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)
47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)
What is the message of repentance that is to be preached? Well, repentance is a word that’s packed full of meaning. And there are three key words that help us to understand what repentance is. First of all, there is…
A. Conviction – Where sins is admitted.
We realize that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the Holy Spirit convicts us of our personal sins.
When Isaiah the prophet felt convicted of his sin, he said, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6)
Peter said, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5:8)
Paul said, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)
Repentance begins with a conviction of sin. But that conviction of sin makes most people uncomfortable and they don’t want to face that reality about themselves.
And somehow without any training at all we are experts at dodging repentance. And one of the ways we do that is we play the comparison game. We compare ourselves to others and conclude that we really aren’t so bad. Other people’s sins are whole lot worse than ours. We have no difficulty in seeing the sins in others, but it’s very easy to overlook our own sins.
Now we’ll all admit that we aren’t perfect. But we’re no Mickey Cohen. We’re all imperfect and God knows that and understands that. And most professors grade on a curve. Surely God will do the same when it comes to my sin. We tell ourselves that, but that’s not how it works. The Bible says…
10 …There is no one righteous, not even one. (Romans 3:10)
All of our good deeds and acts of morality will not rid us of the fact that we have sinned. And repentance means that we no longer ignore our sins but we acknowledge our sins.
The Holy Spirit causes us to have that conviction and we become very aware of the sins we have committed.
In John 16 Jesus describes the coming Holy Spirit to his disciples. And he says…
8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8)
Repentance begins with a conviction of sin.
A second word that describes repentance is…
We realize that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the Holy Spirit convicts us of our personal sins.
When Isaiah the prophet felt convicted of his sin, he said, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6)
Peter said, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5:8)
Paul said, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)
Repentance begins with a conviction of sin. But that conviction of sin makes most people uncomfortable and they don’t want to face that reality about themselves.
And somehow without any training at all we are experts at dodging repentance. And one of the ways we do that is we play the comparison game. We compare ourselves to others and conclude that we really aren’t so bad. Other people’s sins are whole lot worse than ours. We have no difficulty in seeing the sins in others, but it’s very easy to overlook our own sins.
Now we’ll all admit that we aren’t perfect. But we’re no Mickey Cohen. We’re all imperfect and God knows that and understands that. And most professors grade on a curve. Surely God will do the same when it comes to my sin. We tell ourselves that, but that’s not how it works. The Bible says…
10 …There is no one righteous, not even one. (Romans 3:10)
All of our good deeds and acts of morality will not rid us of the fact that we have sinned. And repentance means that we no longer ignore our sins but we acknowledge our sins.
The Holy Spirit causes us to have that conviction and we become very aware of the sins we have committed.
In John 16 Jesus describes the coming Holy Spirit to his disciples. And he says…
8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8)
Repentance begins with a conviction of sin.
A second word that describes repentance is…
B. Contrition – Where sin is abhorred.
Contrition means I am broken hearted. I am contrite. It pains me to think about the sin I have committed. Contrition means that you are sorry for the sin you’ve committed.
In the Old Testament, after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet confronted him. He was convicted of his sin.
In Psalm 51 he writes about that experience.
3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. (Psalm 51:3)
Then down in verses 11, 12 he says…
11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:11-12)
David is agonizing over his sin. He can’t stand the thought of being cut off from God. His sin has snuffed out his joy and he longs to have it restored. He cries out, “Save me oh God.” His words are full of remorse and sorrow.
Jack Cottrell in his book "The Faith Once for All" put it this way.
“We cannot sincerely accept what Jesus did for us on the cross without hating the sin that put him there. Every sin is like another nail in the hands or feet of our Savior.”
Repentance brings a hatred of sin. The Bible says…
9(Hebrews 1:9)
So repentance begins with a conviction of our sins, which leads to contrition where there is sorrow for sin, which should lead to… the third word that describes repentance, and that is…
Contrition means I am broken hearted. I am contrite. It pains me to think about the sin I have committed. Contrition means that you are sorry for the sin you’ve committed.
In the Old Testament, after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet confronted him. He was convicted of his sin.
In Psalm 51 he writes about that experience.
3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. (Psalm 51:3)
Then down in verses 11, 12 he says…
11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:11-12)
David is agonizing over his sin. He can’t stand the thought of being cut off from God. His sin has snuffed out his joy and he longs to have it restored. He cries out, “Save me oh God.” His words are full of remorse and sorrow.
Jack Cottrell in his book "The Faith Once for All" put it this way.
“We cannot sincerely accept what Jesus did for us on the cross without hating the sin that put him there. Every sin is like another nail in the hands or feet of our Savior.”
Repentance brings a hatred of sin. The Bible says…
9(Hebrews 1:9)
So repentance begins with a conviction of our sins, which leads to contrition where there is sorrow for sin, which should lead to… the third word that describes repentance, and that is…
C. Change – Where sin is abandoned.
What was the difference between Judas who betrayed Jesus and Peter who denied Jesus three times? Both were convicted of their sin. Both were contrite, both were broken hearted over their actions. But when it came to change, only Peter changed. Judas gave up.
When sins are committed there must be an effort made not to repeat them. It’s a decision to move in a new direction. Repentance includes a sincere desire to get rid of sin. We’re no longer content to make the same mistakes over and over again. If we’re truly repentant, as time goes on, we should sin less and less.
Many married couples that I’ve known through the years have told me that their first year of marriage was there toughest. They said it was quite an adjustment getting used to living with another person and adjusting to their habits and way. One the reasons it’s a rough year is because you don’t know each other as well, and you tend to argue and fight more and you end up hurting each other more in that first year. But the more you get to know each other and the more you fall in love with each other the less you hurt each other.
It’s the same with your relationship with the Lord. As you read God’s word. As you spend time in Christian fellowship, as you allow the Holy Spirit to transform and change you, you hurt God less, because you love him more.
That’s why the Apostle Paul said…
20…I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. (Acts 26:20)
The evidence of true repentance is a changed life. Repentance is a change in attitude that results in a change in behavior. In repentance we admit our sin, we abhor our sin and we make a decision to abandon our sin.
We talk a lot about being saved, but sometimes, I think, we forget what we’re saved from… we’re saved from sin. When Christ came into the world the angle told Joseph to give him the name Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. And we cannot be saved from our sin while we are still holding onto it in our hearts.
So then repentance, is a prerequisite to salvation. It’s turning away from sin and turning toward God for salvation. Listen closely to these verse of scripture…
10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. (Acts 3:19)
30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)
3…But unless you repent, you too will all perish. (Luke 13:3)
When we’re confronted with the gospel, we must make a choice between sin and salvation. To choose sin is to reject salvation. To choose salvation is to reject sin.
You can’t be a slave to sin and a slave to Christ at the same time. No one can serve to masters. The question we all must answer is: Which master do you want to serve?
A second step I want you to see this morning that we need to take on the road to heaven is…
What was the difference between Judas who betrayed Jesus and Peter who denied Jesus three times? Both were convicted of their sin. Both were contrite, both were broken hearted over their actions. But when it came to change, only Peter changed. Judas gave up.
When sins are committed there must be an effort made not to repeat them. It’s a decision to move in a new direction. Repentance includes a sincere desire to get rid of sin. We’re no longer content to make the same mistakes over and over again. If we’re truly repentant, as time goes on, we should sin less and less.
Many married couples that I’ve known through the years have told me that their first year of marriage was there toughest. They said it was quite an adjustment getting used to living with another person and adjusting to their habits and way. One the reasons it’s a rough year is because you don’t know each other as well, and you tend to argue and fight more and you end up hurting each other more in that first year. But the more you get to know each other and the more you fall in love with each other the less you hurt each other.
It’s the same with your relationship with the Lord. As you read God’s word. As you spend time in Christian fellowship, as you allow the Holy Spirit to transform and change you, you hurt God less, because you love him more.
That’s why the Apostle Paul said…
20…I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. (Acts 26:20)
The evidence of true repentance is a changed life. Repentance is a change in attitude that results in a change in behavior. In repentance we admit our sin, we abhor our sin and we make a decision to abandon our sin.
We talk a lot about being saved, but sometimes, I think, we forget what we’re saved from… we’re saved from sin. When Christ came into the world the angle told Joseph to give him the name Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. And we cannot be saved from our sin while we are still holding onto it in our hearts.
So then repentance, is a prerequisite to salvation. It’s turning away from sin and turning toward God for salvation. Listen closely to these verse of scripture…
10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
19Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. (Acts 3:19)
30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)
3…But unless you repent, you too will all perish. (Luke 13:3)
When we’re confronted with the gospel, we must make a choice between sin and salvation. To choose sin is to reject salvation. To choose salvation is to reject sin.
You can’t be a slave to sin and a slave to Christ at the same time. No one can serve to masters. The question we all must answer is: Which master do you want to serve?
A second step I want you to see this morning that we need to take on the road to heaven is…
II. Confession.
The Bible says…
9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
I want to quickly answer two basic questions about confession. The first is…
A. What is the meaning of confession?
Well, by confession we don’t mean a public disclosure of sin. Some of you may have a catholic background and when you hear the word confession, you probably think of going to confession where you stepped into a booth and verbally confessed your sins to a priest… “Forgive me father for I have sinned. I’ve lied, I have taken God’s name in vain”, or whatever the case may be. That’s not the kind of confession we’re talking about.
Now the Bible does say…
16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:16)
There is therapeutic value in admitting your sins to another believer, but neither a priest nor a trusted friend has the spiritual authority to forgive sin. And no amount of penance can erase the wrong that’s been done. Only the blood of Christ can.
That’s why the Bible says…
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
So the confession a person makes to become a Christian is not a confession of sin, it is a good confession. A confession of belief in Christ as Savior and Lord.
The first good confession is found in the Bible in the book of Matthew chapter 16.
13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:13-15)
“(On this confession…on this fact of my deity) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:16-18)
Peter’s good confession then became the standard “pledge of allegiance” for becoming a Christian. We also know from Church history that this confession of faith prior to baptism was the common practice of the early church.
That’s why the Bible says…
10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:10)
Now in some Christian circles when a person wants to become a Christian they ask them to repeat “the sinners prayer.” “God I confess to you that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ is your son. I want to receive him now as my savior.”
Now that’s not a bad thing to pray. And I certainly think those are some of the thoughts and sentiments that a person is thinking and feeling when they come to surrender their lives to the Lord and become Christians.
But you won’t find the sinners prayer, not one single time in scripture. You can read through all the conversion experiences in the book of Acts and you won’t find the sinners prayer. As a matter of fact in has only become a popular practice within the last 100 years. It’s not taught in the Bible and it was not practiced in the early church.
Now our desire as a church is to restore New Testament Christianity as it was preached and practiced in the early church that we read about in the Bible. Our goal is to speak where the Bible speaks and to be silent where the Bible is silent.
The good confession that we’ve been talking about, is scriptural and it was the practice of the early church. So we have a person repeat the good confession before they are baptized. The good confession is simply a verbal testimony to our belief in Jesus Christ. Our baptism is a visible testimony to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God.” That’s the confession of faith that we make before our baptism.
The second question I want to answer about confession is…
B . What is the significance of confession?
Confession is simply to say with your mouth what you believe in your heart. We’re not asking you to repeat by rote something we spoon feed you just so that can join the church. God is asking you to express the conviction of your heart so that you can have a relationship with him. The Bible says…
32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”(Matthew 10:32, 33 KJV)
Now if our confession is an expression our loyalty and allegiance we have for Christ in our hearts, it ought to come out in our actions, attitudes and words. If our faith is true and sincere then our confession of faith ought to be more than a one-time profession, it’s a lifelong obsession.
Think about it, people in the world are very bold about their loyalties and allegiances. They wear T-shirts about their favorite vacation spot, or rock singer, or ball team. Don’t you think Christians should be equally bold about their loyalty and allegiance to Christ? If there’s something, anything, that we should be proud of it is our association with Christ.
Jesus said…
38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38)
I think there are a number of positive ways to confess our faith in Christ before men. Maybe it’s bowing your head and praying before a meal in a restaurant, putting a bumper sticker on your car, wearing a distinctive lapel pin, maybe a poster on you wall or cubical at work, placing a Bible on your coffee table, or a scripture verse on your t-shirt.
It’s interesting that in God’s wisdom, the whole person is involved in the conversion experience.
We hear with our ears.
We believe with our hearts.
We repent with our minds.
We confess with our mouths.
We are baptized in our body.
We are transformed in our spirit.
No wonder the Bible says…
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The way we live our lives every day, in word, action, or attitude should be a bold confession of our faith in Jesus Christ.
I heard about a preacher who went to call upon a man who needed to make a decision for Christ. And the man’s heart was hardened. The preacher said, “Will you make Christ the Lord of your life?” And the man said, “I will become a Christian just before I die”.
And the preacher said, “Well, it doesn’t work that way.” And the man said, “Oh, really? What about the thief on the cross?”
And the preacher said, “Which one?”
You see there was one that believed in Jesus and even confessed his faith in Jesus. Not in the sense that he made the good confession, but he did say, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He believed Jesus really was king, and would establish a kingdom. He believe Jesus was the only one who could save him at that point. And he was humble and repentant in seeking salvation from Jesus. You see one thief confessed and repented the other rejected Jesus. To fail to repent and confess is to reject Jesus.
What will you choose today? Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father accept through me.” Will you accept him or reject him?
Try as we might, we can never change our behavior on our own. We can’t change our behavior and try to get it right before we come to Christ. Forsaking sin is a lifelong process. The question in, are you ready to begin that process? That’s what becoming a Christian is all about. If you have a sincere desire to be done with sin and to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you come. Just as you are. With all you sins failures and faults. You come with faith in Jesus Christ. You come with a repentant heart, ready to surrender your life to His leadership, and he will forgive your sin and bring about the change.
If you’re ready to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior today, we invite you to come.
The Bible says…
9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
I want to quickly answer two basic questions about confession. The first is…
A. What is the meaning of confession?
Well, by confession we don’t mean a public disclosure of sin. Some of you may have a catholic background and when you hear the word confession, you probably think of going to confession where you stepped into a booth and verbally confessed your sins to a priest… “Forgive me father for I have sinned. I’ve lied, I have taken God’s name in vain”, or whatever the case may be. That’s not the kind of confession we’re talking about.
Now the Bible does say…
16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:16)
There is therapeutic value in admitting your sins to another believer, but neither a priest nor a trusted friend has the spiritual authority to forgive sin. And no amount of penance can erase the wrong that’s been done. Only the blood of Christ can.
That’s why the Bible says…
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
So the confession a person makes to become a Christian is not a confession of sin, it is a good confession. A confession of belief in Christ as Savior and Lord.
The first good confession is found in the Bible in the book of Matthew chapter 16.
13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:13-15)
“(On this confession…on this fact of my deity) I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:16-18)
Peter’s good confession then became the standard “pledge of allegiance” for becoming a Christian. We also know from Church history that this confession of faith prior to baptism was the common practice of the early church.
That’s why the Bible says…
10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:10)
Now in some Christian circles when a person wants to become a Christian they ask them to repeat “the sinners prayer.” “God I confess to you that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ is your son. I want to receive him now as my savior.”
Now that’s not a bad thing to pray. And I certainly think those are some of the thoughts and sentiments that a person is thinking and feeling when they come to surrender their lives to the Lord and become Christians.
But you won’t find the sinners prayer, not one single time in scripture. You can read through all the conversion experiences in the book of Acts and you won’t find the sinners prayer. As a matter of fact in has only become a popular practice within the last 100 years. It’s not taught in the Bible and it was not practiced in the early church.
Now our desire as a church is to restore New Testament Christianity as it was preached and practiced in the early church that we read about in the Bible. Our goal is to speak where the Bible speaks and to be silent where the Bible is silent.
The good confession that we’ve been talking about, is scriptural and it was the practice of the early church. So we have a person repeat the good confession before they are baptized. The good confession is simply a verbal testimony to our belief in Jesus Christ. Our baptism is a visible testimony to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“I believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God.” That’s the confession of faith that we make before our baptism.
The second question I want to answer about confession is…
B . What is the significance of confession?
Confession is simply to say with your mouth what you believe in your heart. We’re not asking you to repeat by rote something we spoon feed you just so that can join the church. God is asking you to express the conviction of your heart so that you can have a relationship with him. The Bible says…
32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”(Matthew 10:32, 33 KJV)
Now if our confession is an expression our loyalty and allegiance we have for Christ in our hearts, it ought to come out in our actions, attitudes and words. If our faith is true and sincere then our confession of faith ought to be more than a one-time profession, it’s a lifelong obsession.
Think about it, people in the world are very bold about their loyalties and allegiances. They wear T-shirts about their favorite vacation spot, or rock singer, or ball team. Don’t you think Christians should be equally bold about their loyalty and allegiance to Christ? If there’s something, anything, that we should be proud of it is our association with Christ.
Jesus said…
38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38)
I think there are a number of positive ways to confess our faith in Christ before men. Maybe it’s bowing your head and praying before a meal in a restaurant, putting a bumper sticker on your car, wearing a distinctive lapel pin, maybe a poster on you wall or cubical at work, placing a Bible on your coffee table, or a scripture verse on your t-shirt.
It’s interesting that in God’s wisdom, the whole person is involved in the conversion experience.
We hear with our ears.
We believe with our hearts.
We repent with our minds.
We confess with our mouths.
We are baptized in our body.
We are transformed in our spirit.
No wonder the Bible says…
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The way we live our lives every day, in word, action, or attitude should be a bold confession of our faith in Jesus Christ.
I heard about a preacher who went to call upon a man who needed to make a decision for Christ. And the man’s heart was hardened. The preacher said, “Will you make Christ the Lord of your life?” And the man said, “I will become a Christian just before I die”.
And the preacher said, “Well, it doesn’t work that way.” And the man said, “Oh, really? What about the thief on the cross?”
And the preacher said, “Which one?”
You see there was one that believed in Jesus and even confessed his faith in Jesus. Not in the sense that he made the good confession, but he did say, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He believed Jesus really was king, and would establish a kingdom. He believe Jesus was the only one who could save him at that point. And he was humble and repentant in seeking salvation from Jesus. You see one thief confessed and repented the other rejected Jesus. To fail to repent and confess is to reject Jesus.
What will you choose today? Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the father accept through me.” Will you accept him or reject him?
Try as we might, we can never change our behavior on our own. We can’t change our behavior and try to get it right before we come to Christ. Forsaking sin is a lifelong process. The question in, are you ready to begin that process? That’s what becoming a Christian is all about. If you have a sincere desire to be done with sin and to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior, then you come. Just as you are. With all you sins failures and faults. You come with faith in Jesus Christ. You come with a repentant heart, ready to surrender your life to His leadership, and he will forgive your sin and bring about the change.
If you’re ready to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior today, we invite you to come.