Elements City Church
Got Prayer? We know we’re to make prayer a part of our lives in following after Jesus and his example. We will never stop growing in our journey of prayer. How do we engage more in it so we hear from God? We’re spending this year – this summer in particular – trying to grow in prayer. These messages and the practices we learn together will deepen our understanding of prayer and strengthen our relationship with God.
Thanks for joining us!
As we continue to navigate this Covid-19 situation - we're doing all we can to keep your family safe AND continue to connect as God's church. Thank you to all who are watching via our live online stream. YOU are Elements City Church, and we pray that God continue to bless you, lead you, and use ALL OF US to bring His hope and presence on earth as it is in heaven!
elementscitychurch.org
We’ve been in this Summer of Prayer series since the beginning of June. We've looked at:
The Lord’s Prayer (2 wks)
Hearing from God (3 wks)
And now we're turning our attention to the A.C.T.S. model of engaging in prayer.
A - Adoration
C - Confession
T - Thanksgiving
S - Supplication (asking for something)
Last week Jack looked at the Adoration of God. Tonight, our Worship Director, Lyle, will be speaking on Confession.
There’s something about confession that is powerful - something that cleanses our soul - and yet it’s something few of us have made a regular practice in our lives.
Confession Defined
Biblically speaking, Confession means "to agree with" or "to tell the truth."
Daniel 9:4-7 ESV
Confession should be specific.
Sin Defined
The word "sin" is an archery term that means "to miss the mark."
When we say we've sinned, we say we missed the mark God has set for us.
God cares about our sin because He is holy (which means "set apart") and He will preserve His holiness.
Why is our sin such a big deal?
Because we’re, in essence, telling the One who created it all that we know better and that we don’t actually trust Him enough to live according to His standard.
Daniel 9:5 ESV
Daniel 9:8 ESV
Honest confession means we accept the consequences of our sin.
We must partner Confession with Repentance.
Repentance Defined
Repentance means "to turn away from."
Romans 2:4 ESV
What if we began to see God’s kindness toward us? What if we saw that, yes, He’s angry and He’s disappointed we sinned. But what if we saw His disappointment was in the fact that we took something temporary and fleeting and ugly, and we chose it over Him - the One who is infinitely great, whose beauty is completely unmatched? How would that change our attitude toward confession and repentance?
We have a gracious God who, even in our sin, still makes provision for us to bear the consequences of our sin.
1 John 1:7-9 ESV
As you pray ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in your confession. The Spirit nudges us toward confession by giving us feelings of conviction.
Benefits of Confession
1. Health Benefits - mental and physical
James 5:14-16 ESV
Benefits of Confession
2. It allows us to fully live in the joy of the Father
"Confessing our sin is the agreement with God that we have sin and it must be fought and killed. [It] is not the basis of our forgiveness; it is one of the traits that shows we are truly in Christ, where all our sins are covered by his blood." - John Piper
If we want to live in right relationship with the Lord, we have to wage war on our sin in order to put it to death. And you can’t put to death what you don’t acknowledge is there.
Time of Confession
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
*REMINDER: join us for service via www.elementscitychurch.org and click the WATCH button Sundays at 5pm.
By Tuesday evenings the entire service will also be available in our app, on our website, our Vimeo channel, and our YouTube channel.
Have a blessed week everyone!