THE PATHWAY TO CONFESSION
We go where Jesus goes! We do what Jesus does! We are what Jesus says we are!
THE CALLED
It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.—Mark 2:17
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.—Romans 5:1
It is our response to the call of Jesus that makes us righteous. Accept the call, and you will have a way to live a life not free from sin but free from the control of sin.
FROM DEATH TO LIFE
Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.—Romans 6:1-4
The atmosphere of sin presses us towards the turmoil of our souls. That turmoil brings out the worst in the human spirit.
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”—Genesis 3:8-13
There are three dimensions to sin:
- Sin done by us
- Sin done to us
- And sin done around us
ALL SIN TORTURES OUR SOUL
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.—1 Peter 2:11
THE TORTURED SOUL
WHAT TORTURES OUR SOULS?
1) WE’RE TORTURED BY THINGS WE’VE DONE.
…My bones have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.—Psalms 38:3b-4
2) WE’RE TORTURED BY LIES WE BELIEVE.
(The devil) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.—John 8:44-45
1) IT’S BETTER TO CONFESS YOUR SINS THAN HIDE YOUR SINS.
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.—Proverbs 28:13
Un-confessed sin is poison to the soul!
A vital aspect of the spiritual journey is the deliverance from sin.
There are three dimensions to confession:
- Admission will heal us from the sin done by us.
- Forgiveness will help us from the torture of sin done to us.
- Worship will protect us from the sin done around us.
We can go further in healing than we can in sin!
Healing from sin is about sitting at the table with Jesus, not just wanting answers from him.
We confess to God for forgiveness of sins.
If we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.—1 John 1:9
We confess to people for healing from sins.
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed—James 5:16.
CHRIST WILL SET YOU FREE.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.—1 Corinthians 10:13
Always a way out!
He breaks the cycle!
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.—1 Peter 2:24-25
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!—Hebrews 9:14
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