“Life Is a Grateful Heart”

Scripture: Colossians 3:5-17

So what is a life lived in gratitude? It is one that reflects joy in all that the Lord has done for us. After all, God is the only one who deserves life-long gratefulness! Do we show him our grateful heart? Does our life reveal a grateful heart? Our human relationships, most of the time, are blessings for our life, but there are always those times when friends and loved ones in this world hurt us, or disappoint us, or betray us, or even break us and abandon us.

But a life in Jesus Christ is unlike anything we will ever know through the world. The Lord does require patience on our part, but at just the right time, and in just the right way, God always comes through for our benefit and for our amazement!

Except, that as with any relationship, there is always the need to consider what we need to compromise on, as well as what we still have some flexibility with in our humanity.

Read Colossians 3:5-11

When the Lord created the human race, he placed two natures within us – and it all centers on our right to choose, on those decisions that we make within our “free will”. The “first nature” came into existence when we were created as flesh and bone. In that, we became a totally different being than our Creator God is. Our “second nature” came as a divine one. In Genesis 1:26, the Lord intentionally gave us a direct connection to his Trinity when we read “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
The “image” of God became the basis for our existence. This isn’t a physical image, as God is not a physical being – this “likeness” means that we have a relationship – a connection - with the Lord that nothing else in all creation can claim. Second, the Lord has given us authority and responsibility to care for the rest of his created order. We have received both God’s love and his trust for our use and pleasure throughout our lifetime.

Our life is rooted in the earth, but our being is rooted in God. And our passage from Colossians reminds us that if we want to grow in our “second nature” - in our relationship with the Lord - we need to keep our “first nature”, our worldliness, under control. Godly wisdom and Godly ability has given each of us beautiful gifts, but we have also been told that these gifts are to be used in Godly ways! And in this reading, Paul reminds us of what ISN’T of God’s way.

That “first nature”, our human nature, will always go against our “second nature”, and that is what breaks the relationship that we have in our Almighty God – Paul says that this is what constitutes idolatry. And he gives us a list of acts that make up a part of this “break” - this sin.

The first on the list is sexual immorality – sexual desire is one of God’s precious gifts that not only brings joy to our lives, but it brings new people – our children - into the world. But scripture is quite specific, in that this gift is only to be exercised between a man and woman who are married to each other, (Matthew 19:4-6) and in no other way.
Impurity – Impure thought can take any number of paths, but in general, these stand in direct contrast to pure thought, the thought and ways that God has ordained and the thoughts and ways that were exhibited in the life of Jesus Christ.
Lust – this goes beyond just acting or imagining in ungodly ways – this is the desire for unholy ways, the desire to have something or someone that is not yours. This is a difficult one to rein in, and it will require, primarily, a commitment to remain in our “second nature”, and to keep the “first nature” in check.
Evil Desires and Greed – many of these attitudes are interrelated, but greed is specific in that it is a longing for something that we don’t really need – to have more and more of earthly wealth and possessions, when we should be placing our focus on gaining more and more of heaven’s gifts.

And if rejecting these actions from our life isn’t enough, Paul says that we need to clean up our attitudes, too. Anger, rage, hatred, the tearing down of others for our personal benefit, and the use of language that is unbefitting of a child of God. Even lying – promoting untruths in our relationships with others – we are told that these are all actions and attitudes and ways of our “old self”, our “first nature”, and are all unsuitable if we have any hope of living a life in the Lord.

For Israel, they saw their great Jehovah as exclusively theirs and theirs alone. But one of Jesus’ purposes for coming to Earth was to open the way for all people to know the Lord, as well as his way and truth and life. There is no difference in people as far as God is concerned – not as Jews nor as non-Jews, not as marked or unmarked, not as friend or enemy, not as a slave or a free person – Jesus has come to help us seek and understand what our “second nature” is all about, that it has nothing to do with our “first”, and that it has nothing to do with the Lord’s excluding anyone. The way we choose to live our individual lives is the only reason for exclusion from the grace and glory of our Lord and King.

Read Colossians 3:12-14

So much for all the “don’ts” of life. Now we read of the attitudes and commitments that we need to claim if we are to live a more faithful way in the “second nature”. But before we go there, a quick thought regarding the term “chosen people”. For many, this refers to the children of Israel, but with Christ, it refers to all who come to him for salvation. It isn’t that God has chosen us, but rather that we have come to him, and in that, the Lord has “chosen” to do great things for and through each of us. And Paul writes that two of these Godly things are to make us “holy and dearly loved”. And that is a lot to live up to! And quite honestly, we probably never will.

But we can make a great start by striving for a life that is filled with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience! Are any of us comfortable with any of these on a consistent basis? Probably not, but I suspect that we all know that they define a life that is far more consistent with our “second nature” than they are with our “first”! Helping each other, forgiving each other, loving each other IS our “second nature”! Helping and Loving others – those aren’t too bad, and we all can probably do them, but that “Forgiving” one – that’s tough! But if these are God’s special blessings for us, shouldn’t we give ALL of them a chance to make a difference in and through our lives?

And quite honestly, that’s all that the Lord asks of us – to honestly and wholeheartedly work to make them an important part of this life. If we never give them an honest attempt to make a difference, we never will realize just what they can do for us and for others! And interestingly, every one of these attributes are not only God’s gifts for us, but they are also gifts that we are to give to others. Think about that – every one of them is something that we show to someone else, and not a single one of them can benefit us one iota until we give them away to someone who is need.

Read Colossians 3:15-17

We will never achieve victory in changing our life until we put our whole heart and soul into the change. Peace and thankfulness – that’s what it takes! “Let the peace of Christ rule… Let the word of Christ dwell..”
Godly Peace must take precedence and must be the basis for all that we are and all that we do. Without it, the world will rule our lives with their animosity, and self-centeredness, and arrogance, and ambition, and all of those other human traits that Paul has been writing about in this passage.
And if the word of Christ doesn’t dwell within our lives, we will never know his way or his peace. It is the word of God that gives us guidance for living our “second nature”, and to help us to keep our “first nature” under control.

It’s the Peace and Word of Christ that gives us the ability to rejoice, to be glad, to live with a grateful heart that is filled with Godliness and Righteousness. It allows us to be an example to others of what the Godly life is all about, and it gives us the courage and boldness to hold each other accountable for living in a way that brings honor and glory to our Lord.

Sing! Be Glad! Be Grateful! Give Thanks to Jesus for the chance to accept and live in his “nature” – the one that we were created in – that which we have rebelled against – that which through his coming into this world is our redemption and our salvation.

As our celebration of the season of Thanksgiving draws to a close, and we begin the season of Advent, may each of our lives be guided by a grateful and faithful heart for all that our Almighty God and Savior have given us.
Amen.

“Gratitude!” (Thanksgiving Eve)

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

How thankful are we really in life? Not just at Thanksgiving time, but all of the time? Yes, we’re thankful for family and friends, we’re thankful for Christian fellowship, we’re thankful for the Lord’s presence in the world, and for God’s love. But how deep do we really go in expressing our gratitude to the Lord?

Paul’s letters all seem to convey a pretty deep understanding of the difference between what he deserves, and what he has received. As Saul, he was totally focused on who he was and on what he could do to please his Jehovah God. In Philippians 3:2-11, he writes of all the pride and confidence he once had in himself. But he concludes with the thought that it is all worthless, that whatever he once held as glory has now become “rubbish” when compared to what Christ has gained for him. Once he trusted in his own abilities and understanding, but now he places his entire trust and hope in Jesus.

Read 1 Timothy 1:12-14

Paul is very intentional in describing all that he is thankful for in Christ Jesus. So on this night before Thanksgiving, which President George Washington declared to be the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America, to be held on November 26, 1789, that it was to be "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God". And I think that Paul would agree.

But Paul was a little more specific in our text for this evening, so let’s see what he was especially thankful for.

Strength (v. 12) – From a worldly standpoint, Saul had been mighty in faith as well as in his zealous fervor to destroy all heretical (by his definition!) thought. But how well did his human strength serve him when he met Jesus on the Road to Damascus? (Acts 9:3-9) He was thrown to the ground, blinded for 3 days, and rendered totally helpless and had to be led by the hand into the city, and it wasn’t until a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ placed his hands on the Persecutor and prayed for his healing that Paul was restored in life and service in the name of his Almighty Lord.
Worldly power is only effective in worldly ways, and during worldly life. Divine strength will see us throughout this life and into eternity.

Faithfulness and Service (v. 12) – Saul thought that he was being faithful to his Jehovah God in his violent attacks on Jesus’ people. But again, his basis for “truth” and “purpose” was centered in the Law of Moses, and not in the law of God. Trust in the Lord Jesus refocuses our thoughts, and establishes the foundation for our faith, and gives us direction for our service that rests squarely in Christ and his way.
Worldly ways and direction will always get us into trouble, but Godly way and guidance will lead us back into righteousness.

Mercy and grace (v. 13-14) – Divine mercy brings the Lord’s compassion and forgiveness into our lives – it is the power of God at work within us. Grace brings God’s unmerited hope, his help, and a worthy approval for our lives. Mercy is our blessed release from the penalty of sinful death, while grace is the blessing of growth and newness that comes through sanctification.
The world might show mercy to criminals and others who have wronged us, but it’s rare, and they have nothing to offer that even comes close to God’s grace.

Faith and Love (v. 14) – Faithful service is one thing, but faithful love is a totally different issue. Service is something that we do to help others, while love is the gift that completes our service. Consider Jesus’ efforts in these two areas – he served people through his healing, and teaching, and feeding, as well as in many other ways. He loved people in his restorative forgiveness and his care for their salvation.
The world’s love is nearly always conditional – “if you agree with me, then I will love you, but otherwise, forget it!” Jesus’ love is always offered to all people, without exception, and it begins to bless us when we accept it.

Read 1 Timothy 1:15-17

Finally, the apostle comes to the overall reason for all that he has already mentioned – salvation. “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners”. Without the Lord Jesus, there is no salvation. The Law of Moses was all about what we do and how we live this life, with the goal being the gaining of perfection, and through that, to earn a deserved place in heaven. Unfortunately, we can never even come even close to that kind of perfection – our only chance is to “fully accept” the mission that the perfect Son of God, and the perfect Son of Man, Jesus Christ, took on to gain salvation for us.

Paul claims, and confesses, that he is the worst of sinners, and therefore the least deserving of Christ’s great gift of eternal life. The truth of the matter is that sin is never relative – one little, minor sin (at least in our own eyes!) is just a bad as a lifetime of murder, abuse, hatred, blasphemy, and anything else that God’s law would condemn.
The truth is that we are all the worst of sinners, saved by the mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

And the last thought that this redeemed sinner offers for our consideration is his acknowledgement of just who this Redeemer of his life is – eternal, immortal, invisible, singular, and deserving of our honor, and praise, and our obedience.

And this is Paul’s offer of thanksgiving to his Lord and Savior, and is a pretty good way for each of us to begin, too.

AMEN!

“Petition in Prayer”

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-11, etal

Prayer should never be complicated or difficult. In truth, it is nothing more than a conversation with a close and cherished friend, which we do all the time. We share our joys with them, we can ask for their help in times of struggle, we tell them just how important a relationship with them is for us.
And that is what we tell the Lord in prayer. We’ve considered our praise for all that God is for us, we’ve seen the importance of confessing our sins and repenting of our love of them, we have given our thanks to God for what he has done for us, and for all that he will bring to our lives in the years to come.

Today we consider the last vital aspect of our prayers – the “S” of “ACTS” - our supplication, the requests that we raise up in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, and why we have the responsibility to give our needs and desires over to the Lord.

Read Matthew 7:7-11

The important issue in these commandments is that they are unconditional. There is never a hint of “If …”, or “But …” – there are only “Ands”. The only thought that may even hint of a condition is that we have to ask, seek, or knock first, and then God can provide his response. Isn’t it interesting, that we only have to take the first step toward the Lord, and it is then that he can care for our every need. We don’t have to share the load, we don’t have to start the overhaul of our life all by ourselves, we don’t have to plan the extensive details of what is needed – all we have to do is express our need, and the Lord will care for the rest!

Of course, in John 14:13-14, we read that in prayer, we are to ask in the name of the Lord. That doesn’t mean that we simply lift up the name Jesus – it means that we are to ask in Jesus’ way. If we ask for a blessing that is a sin, or is something that Jesus spoke against, it may as well never have been asked! But in his way, all things are possible.

Prayer is not a shopping list of our desires – it is lifted up in expectation that God can and will respond to whatever we ask, seek, or knock for, and that we are totally dependent upon this gracious and benevolent God. Jesus then cements his teaching with an analogy from human life, when he explains that if parents want only the best for their families, and will only give the best to their children, just imagine what your heavenly Father will do for you if you only ask! Bread and fish were the basic sources of nourishment for people who lived in the Galilee, and the Lord’s blessings will bring the best spiritual nourishment to the lives of all who will seek him as their heavenly Father.

Ask for his blessings, seek his way and his guidance, and knock on the door of the Lord’s life, seeking to enter into his grace and eternity, asking for only the best that he can bring to our lives.

Read John 16:23-24

When John writes “In that day…”, he is referring to the coming day, at that time, of his resurrection. That is the beginning of the era of God’s grace, and will not end until the day of his return. And when we read that “You will no longer ask me anything”, it is a reflection on the day when he once again comes bodily into our world, and all will be revealed and understood. But as we wait for that day, we have the power of the Holy Spirit available in whatever we do, if it is offered to the glory, and in the name, of Jesus.

Think about this for a moment – ministry and mission can always happen with the guidance, the authority, the wisdom, and the vision of our Almighty God, if we only ask him to be with us, to lead us, to inspire us in the name and grace of Jesus! But when John writes that we have not yet asked for anything in Jesus’ name, we need to understand that we are being challenged to examine the strength and commitment of our faith.
The question before us today, then, is this – when we pray, and when we proclaim the name of Jesus, how confident are we that it is going to make any difference in our life? When we speak the name of Jesus in prayer, seeking his creative spirit for our life and love, do we truly trust that his way will work to our benefit? When we “knock” on his door of faith and salvation, do we really want to enter his presence, or are we satisfied to remain out on the doorstep, looking in?

“Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete!” Are each of us ready, are we anxious, to receive the joy that prayer can bring?

Read Ephesians 3:20-21

Can you imagine the power that this passage describes for us? Beyond anything we can ask for, beyond anything we can even imagine, beyond our wildest dreams, far beyond every human ability or understanding? That is who our Incredible God is and that is what he wants to do for us! And his power and vision and purpose and plan are all at our disposal – IF we are willing to let him take the lead.

Consider the mission trip that we all were privileged to be part of this year. The team was formed with the intent of reaching out to people with the gospel and love of Jesus. We thought that this was supposed to happen in Haiti, but that, apparently, wasn’t the Lord’s plan. It reminds me of Paul’s plan to go to Asia, but the Spirit revealed the need for him to go to Macedonia instead. (Acts 16:6-10) Our plans for Haiti were changed, literally at the last minute, to a destination in Mexico. The time frame was identical, the mission was identical, the cost was almost identical, except for the cost of changing flight arrangements with only a week to go, and the DCI mission needed us on those same dates.

And what was the result of the change? The supplies that you and the other churches donated far exceeded our plans, and instead of having 20 suitcases of school supplies, and health products, and baby needs, and all the other items that we received, we had 33 full suitcases. The Vacation Bible School that we hosted reached 3 times as many children as we had planned, not to mention the many parents who came. You gave us enough school supplies to bless 50 school children instead of 30, and they received your gifts 1 week before the school year started (which we didn’t know about ahead of time!). 270 reading glasses were distributed instead of the 200 we had planned on. Baby clothing and health need donations were so great that we were able to set the items out for mom’s to choose on three or four different occasions. Our evening evangelism walks in two villages reached more people and families than we could count, and this, and so many of our other activities, opened the door to provide for some basic needs of the people of the Yucatan, to share the good news of the Lord with them, and to lead countless folks to salvation in Jesus Christ.
Was any of this our plan? If it had been, we would have been told that we were dreaming!

And how about the Gibson Corners church’s mission to Ecuador 20 years ago. Pastor Gary had challenged them to begin praying for what the Lord would have them do, but which they couldn’t do! The small rural church obediently prayed, and then went to Central America without a complete understanding of what they would be doing. Over a 10 year period, they built a three story school, which at last report, was educating nearly 250 children, including 35 or so who are emotionally challenged, with specific classes to help them in life. Fund raising, or at least the formal part of it, was through spaghetti dinners and some outreach presentations, but a majority of the hundreds of thousands of dollars came from other churches, and from other denominations, who had been inspired by the Holy Spirit to partner with them, including an Assembly of God Church in Brazil, who are now administering the school programs, and who, because of growth in the school, is considering a project to add an fourth story to the original building. And the initial project, through Godly vision, was designed to accommodate as many as five stories, which, by God’s grace, could come in handy in a few more years!
Was this the church’s initial plan? Not even close!

And the Lord is being glorified all the time through the efforts of faithful, obedient people who believe that their simple steps in faith, their belief in asking, their trust in seeking, and their expectations when they knock, are all that are required to open up the possibility of power and majesty and glory for those who have yet to come to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus.

Please pray with me:

Precious Lord, we are told that if we but pray in your name, that the possibilities of ministry and mission are infinite. In your word, we read that we can do all things through our Lord Jesus who strengthens us, but we can never imagine how glorious and how great your “all” is until we trust enough to step out in your way. We praise you Lord, that our “all” is only the beginning of yours, and that in your Divine “ALL”, that your glory will rest upon the multitudes of earth.
Lord Jesus, help us to believe, help us to trust that by simply asking, and seeking, and knocking at your holy door, that we will see your “ALL” at work through us. Glory and honor to you, in all that our humble lives do, and in all that we can’t even imagine. In your name, in your way, in your word, and always in your life.
Lord Jesus, in your marvelous promise of hope for eternity. Amen

“Rejoicing in Prayer”

This is the third week of our series on prayer. So far, we have considered the offer of glory and admiration to our Lord in prayer, we have offered him our confession, our admission, of the sin in our life and our repentance of those ways, and today, we consider the need to let God know just how thankful we are for all that he is and does in our lives.

Romans 12 give us an idea as to how deep this thanksgiving should be.

Read Romans 12:11-14

Zeal and fervor mean that we are to be passionate, eager, and dedicated in our relationship with Christ. We are to celebrate – not only what we have received, but the hope that we have, as we patiently and faithfully wait for all that the Lord is going to bring.
But the joy we experience in a life with Jesus isn’t meant to be ours alone – it is to be shared with others. It is for those who are struggling in life; it is for those who need to feel welcomed in their lives; it is even for those who oppose us, who hate us and all that we believe, who do everything that they can to hurt us.
And our passion for Christ can never lead us to harm anyone who has chosen a different path in this life. We are to love the saint and sinner equally.

Read Luke 6:22-23

In his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:43-45), Jesus told the crowd “43You have heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44But I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons (and daughters) of your Father in heaven.”
Showing love in the face of hatred will be just about the hardest thing that any of us will ever be called do, but we must remember that the animosity of the world is not actually against us – it is directed at Jesus. When Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus, He heard “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:1-4) Paul was on his way to arrest and torture and kill as many followers of The Way as he could, but not because he hated them so much – it was because he didn’t understand the message of Jesus, and hated the Lord out of ignorance.

And our response to persecution, what should it be like? JOYFUL! Not because of the persecution itself, but because it means that we have become worthy of the same worldly hatred that Jesus endured. And it won’t be just some momentary thrill – it’s a “jumping up and down”, a “falling over backward”, a “turning inside out” kind of joy! It will be overwhelming, because we know that this hatred is not for us – we receive it in honor of the very message of salvation that we carry, the very message of salvation that we have accepted.
And never think that the attack against us is unique – it has been directed against the faithful for thousands of years.

Read 2 Corinthians 13:9

Paul is reflecting on the contradictions between what the world perceives in us, versus that which the Lord has inspired in us.
In verse 7, he mentions that the world may see us as failures, which we certainly are by their standards, when the truth of the matter is, that by the grace of God, we are doing exactly what divine perfection would ask of us.
In 1 Corinthians 1:25 he uses another comparison, when he writes “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” God is neither foolish nor weak, and we are neither wise nor strong, but that is the world view of the Creator and his created, and we know that the truth of God and his creation is totally different.
And here, he uses that reverse analogy to remind us that when we weaken our own will, and surrender to the Lord’s way, our weakness is turned into a strength and resolve that defies understanding.

But we must remember the comparison – that it is through our surrender, through our admission of personal weakness, that God can begin to work his powerful ways within us. Our joy isn’t in our becoming mighty disciples of the Living God, but that the Lord of creation has a desire to work his ways, for the benefit of earth, through us. We serve him as servants, but he treats us as his beloved children. And that is a comparison that is worth rejoicing over!

Read Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice again, and again, and again! Rejoice with your whole heart, with the full depth of your soul, with the hope of Christ overflowing, with a vision of heaven and glory planted firmly in your entire being. But rejoice in gentleness, and never in arrogance or condescension or pride, because it is ours, simply because our Lord Jesus Christ is our Living and Loving God!

Isn’t that sufficient reason to rejoice? But what does Paul tell us about our reasons to pray? He is addressing these words of encouragement to individuals as well as a church, who have allowed issues of life to cause division in their lives. And as we all know from experience, if divisiveness is allow to continue and grow without addressing the underlying cause, it will, eventually, break us. The apostle wants them, and us, to refocus our lives, that we should all start remembering what it was that had once brought us together, and how the things that unite are so much more important than the things that divide.

But on our own, it is nearly impossible to refocus our thoughts, to set the things that hurt us aside and to let the joys of Christ rise to the surface of our hearts and minds. But Paul says that it is the peace of Christ that can. We must begin to concentrate on Jesus and on all that he taught us, and all that we can truly be thankful for. And that will become the beginning of healing for our earthly relationships. And this healing is also a reason for great rejoicing.

And Christ’s healing will lead to a generosity of heart, to consideration of the needs of others, to our willingness to allow God’s way to begin working within us. We don’t understand it, but then we don’t need to understand – God’s ways are seldom recognized by humanity, but we can become familiar with the results of his way. We don’t always see his work in action, but we can feel his work within us. And when the Spirit is allowed to work, thanksgiving will naturally rise up to overflowing.

And our apostle gives the church at Philippi a list of emotions to focus their lives on, but I believe that this is also a list of Christian attributes that we should be thankful for. Think about them for a moment:
Truth – God’s truth will never fail us.
Nobility – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords reigns, and his greatest wish is that he could reign supreme in the lives of all people.
Righteousness – the virtue, the justice, the glory of Christ can become ours simply through faith and trust in the Lord Jesus.
Purity – there is nothing that is corrupt or sinful or self-serving in following the truth of Jesus Christ.
Loveliness – beauty is all around us, but the exquisite splendor of God will exceed anything else that we will ever know.
Admirable – God alone is worthy, but by faith in Jesus, we take on the splendor that can only come from him.
Excellence – brilliance, superiority, distinction are perfect and unique in our Lord, and he uses them all for our benefit.
Praiseworthy – he is truly worthy of our praise and thanksgiving.

We must put this holy list into practice every time we offer our praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

Pray with me –
Holy Lord God, there is none like you. Your power and majesty astound us, and we rejoice that your grace lives within us. You are all we can possibly hope for, and by faith in the Lord Jesus, our life has grown in ways that we never imagined could be. We praise you Lord for being our King and our friend; we rejoice in you Lord, for the purity of thought and the truth of your way that we have learned from your word; we give you our eternal thanks for the life and the salvation that you gained through the surrender of your body; we rejoice in the love that you have shown to the people of earth, and for the love that we can offer to others through faith and love of you.
For all that you give, and all that we gain, and all that can be if we simply follow and celebrate our life in you, we give you our adoration and gratitude today and all days. In Jesus Christ we live and thrive and love. Amen.

“Confession in Prayer”

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11

Last week, we began a 4 week series on prayer. Until Thanksgiving, we will be considering what prayer should be about – that it isn’t just expressing some need to God, although that is certainly part of prayer – but there is no much more. We talked about the acronym A-C-T-S as a good reminder of 4 important aspects of prayer. The first letter stands for ADORATION – it is our joy in knowing the God of creation and his guidance for our lives. It is our praise for his goodness, our response to simply being in his presence, and being asked to share our life with him.

Today we take a look at the second letter, the “C” of ACTS – Confession. 1 John 1 tells us why confession is so important for every heart that would live in Christ.

Read 1 John 1:8-10

John tells us that it isn’t God who needs to hear our confession – it is something that each of us needs if our broken relationship with the Lord is to be restored! In sin, it isn’t the Lord who moves away from us – it is we who have moved away from him, it is we who have turned our backs on the ways of God. And even beyond that, we read that when we ignore our sin, or worst – claiming that it isn’t sin – we deceive ourselves into believing that everything is still OK. But the reality is that the truth of God cannot live within us when we deny our sin, and in our denial, his word will depart from us.

The other issue at play here is that the longer we try to hold sin in and hide it, the more stress we will have to deal with. It’s not a natural thing to try to hide anything from God – we all know that he already knows our deepest and innermost secrets, so why bother to even try to keep them to ourselves? It’s a failure from the start!

Confession is important for our lives.

Read Philippians 2:5-11

The call for us to submit and conform to God’s way is modeled for us by Jesus Himself. Even though his very nature was God, he never used that for his own benefit. He never sought any honor, never sought any praise, never sought any privilege for himself – Jesus Christ humbled himself to become our servant. And this servant’s heart led him to Calvary, to give his life in sacrifice, that if we would give our life to him, he would make us worthy to come before the throne of God without fear or hesitation. And as a sign that he was approachable by faith - at his death, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom, against the weave, to break the barrier that the ways of earth had set in place to divide us from the Holy of Holies – that very presence of Almighty God (Matthew 27:50-52), which in and of itself, is sin.

In the humility of Christ, he was raised to glory, and when we humble ourselves in confession, we are restored to that same God-promised glory that rests upon our Lord Jesus. But whether we surrender to him today, or wait for his glorious return to earth, we will be humbled, one way or another. The difference between the two is that if our confession is during this life time, we receive forgiveness. But if we decide to wait until the Day of Jesus’s return, condemnation will remain upon us, and eternal life will be but a distant memory.

It’s our choice – confession, or condemnation.

Read Romans 10:8-13

“If you declare with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is what faith must be – certainty, confidence, complete trust that his is the only way that will led us to eternal life. And faith must include confession – not just that Jesus is Lord, but that in and of ourselves, we are unworthy of his life.

Faith is more than just believing – there must also be a response to what we believe. Without a response, we will only be living a half-faith, and a shallow half at that. Paul tells us that faith begins in our heart, but that it doesn’t end there. A heartfelt faith is our preparation – our justification, if you will. Justification comes in that moment when we give our life to Christ, and proclaim that he is our Lord and Savior. But in grace, Justification must lead to Sanctification, which is the time that begins with our surrender to Christ, and continues until we leave this life and join him in his glory. But that time is in no way a passive time – it is a time of growing in trust and faith, it is a time of becoming a stronger and bolder disciple of the Lord, it is a time to continue to shed those things of earth and to replace them with the ways of Almighty God.

But as we all know, rejection of the ways of earth is a constant battle. Earth doesn’t go into the night quietly! To simply confess our sin is nowhere near enough – it demands a wholehearted commitment to end its influence, to end its incursion into our life, to stop it as soon as we sense its presence. Sin doesn’t give up, and neither can we.

Confession is the only way, because the power that Satan bestows on his aberrant ways will always be greater than our strength. Confession seeks the Lord’s power, the Lord’s forgiveness, the Lord’s destruction of Satan’s power over our lives. Confession acknowledges our weakness and inability to stand against the powers of Satan, and that without Christ, we will lose. Confession seeks the power and presence of Christ, to help us to stand against the dark onslaught, and to fill us with his light of grace and vision.

Confession is our kneeling before the throne of grace, seeking the right to return to the relationship that our sin has shattered. Confession is calling on the name of Jesus to seek his forgiveness for our sinful and weak hearted ways. Confession is our opportunity to let God know that we desire and desperately need his way to life, and that we know that our tendency is to follow the ways of earth, and that that way can only lead to destruction.

Confession truly is good for our soul.

Will you pray this prayer of confession with me:

Lord of Life and Love, my life has been anything but reflective of your way. I have sinned, and am unworthy of your hope and promise. But you have told me that if I confess my sin, and repent of its power over me, that your forgiveness will be mine, and that you will welcome me back into your glory. Lord, hear the individual prayers of your people, as we confess our sins, as we repent of our love for the ways of earth, as we seek your forgiveness.

- Silent Prayer –

Lord, by your grace, we know your forgiveness for our wayward ways, and desire nothing more than your joy, your word, and your way for us. Glory and honor to you for all that you bring and all that you have won on our behalf. May the purity and the righteous heart of God be ours once again. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.