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Devotional Readings

Confession Brings Freedom

Week 3

Peace Be With You

Week 3 Devotional Guide – “Confession Brings Freedom”

Day 1

Read John 3:16

1. What did God do so that we could be reconciled to Him?

2. How serious do you think your sin is if God sent his Son to die for you?

3. How much do you think God must love you to be willing to give his only Son so that you might not perish but have everlasting life?

4. What does this verse teach you about the value God places on reconciliation?

It is so easy for us to overlook the power of this verse because of our familiarity with it. Ken Sande has some powerful comments about this verse in his book The Peace Maker. Ken states:

“This incredible news reveals our radical sinfulness – nothing could save us except the death of God’s only Son. But it also reveals the depth of God’s radical mercy – he gave his Son to die for us! As we reflect on and rejoice in the gospel of Christ, two things happen. Our pride and defensiveness is stripped away, and we can let go of our illusion of self-righteousness, honestly examine ourselves and find freedom from guilt and sin by admitting our wrongs. At the same time the gospel shows us how important reconciliation is to God, which inspires us to do everything we can to repair any harm we have caused to others and to be reconciled to those we have offended.”

5. Why do you think Ken would say that the gospel inspires reconciliation?

6. Describe a time when God led you to be reconciled to someone. If that has not happened why do you think that is?

Day 2

Repentance

Read Luke 3:1-20

Have you ever had somebody special come to your house to visit? Often, when we have a special guest come to our house we prepare for their arrival by making sure our home is in order. This means going through and putting things in their right place. Making sure things are tidy and clean, maybe preparing a special meal or snacks so our guest knows how excited we are that he/she is with us.

In the gospel of Luke, John the Baptist is identified with a passage from the Old Testament scriptures (Is 40:3-5). His cry to the people of Israel is get prepared. The promise that God himself would come and visit and judge his people is about to be fulfilled. John calls the people to be baptized in the river Jordan for the forgiveness of sins. John wants the people of Israel to prepare themselves for the visit from God that is coming.

Baptism itself was a symbol of crossing from one place to another. Earlier in Israel’s history the people of God had crossed through the water of the Jordan. On one side of the Jordan they had been nomadic wanders, freed from Egypt and being led to the land of promise. On the other side of the Jordan they were the recipients of the land God had promised to them hundreds of years prior. They were no longer nomads but the nation of Israel who resided in the land of promise.

1. What do you think the baptism that John was calling the people of Israel to was for?

2. How were they supposed to prepare their hearts to receive the forgiveness of sins God was getting ready to bring through Jesus?

John calls the people of Israel to repent. Repentance seems to be the means through which people’s hearts are prepared to receive the forgiveness of sins God is going to be bringing through Jesus. Look at the practical instructions John gives to the people about what repentance looks like to groups and individuals.

3. If you were to ask John what you needed to do to repent what would he say to you?

Last week we talked about the fact that true resolution to conflict cannot occur until we first remove the plank from our own eye. That means we take a look at how we are in the wrong, which is identifying the plank, and then we repent. Repentance literally means to change directions; One day we are walking towards a “me” centered life and we change directions and are walking towards a God centered life. Repentance is not feeling remorseful because we got caught; it’s understanding that our actions grieve God’s heart and turning from them because we no longer desire to grieve God in that way.

4. For John, repentance was a means to help prepare people for what being reconciled to God would mean. In the same way, when we are going through conflict repentance helps us be prepared for what being reconciled to the people with whom we are in conflict means. Think back to the last conflict you experienced. Where do you need to repent?

Day 3

Examine Yourself

Read Psalm 139

Repentance involves a close examination of one’s life. It means taking a hard look in the mirror and coming face to face with our own sinfulness and broken nature. The Apostle Paul says in the book of Romans that we have all sinned and fall short of God’s glory. The prophet Isaiah writes that each of us, like sheep, has gone our own way. John the beloved disciple writes in one of his letter that if we say we are without sin we are liars. Each of us has chosen in some form or fashion to rebel against God through sin. These sinful actions, the desires that we read about in the book of James last week, affect our relationships with other people. These are the sources of our conflict with others. To be able to repent means we have to be able to identify where we missed the mark (missed the mark is the literal definition of sin). This comes as we, in partnership with the Spirit, examine our own life.

1. In your reading of Psalms 139 what does the Psalmist say about God’s knowledge of us as individuals?

2. How does it make you feel to understand how intimately God knows you?

This is a pretty amazing passage to me. God knows every detail about me. He knows my darkest sin, my most wicked thought and yet he is not repulsed by me. As a matter of fact, the Bible asserts again and again that God loves me. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans that we know what love is because while we’re sinners, Christ died for us. God knows us and loves us.

Read verses 23 and 24 of Psalm 139 again. The Psalmist asks God to examine his life carefully, to make him aware if there is any wicked way in him. When we are in conflict God wants us to invite his Spirit who knows every detail of our life to search our hearts. When we invite God into this promise, God will show us where we’ve missed the mark.

3. What do you think would be the hardest part of asking God to search your heart immediately after a conflict?

4. What do you think having an awareness of how you sinned in the midst of a conflict might do to the way you perceive that conflict?

When I recognize how I’ve contributed to a conflict it births a sense of humility in me and a desire to deal graciously with the person I’ve been in conflict with. This happens because I remember that I am an individual desperately in need of grace as well. Pray that God will give you the courage to examine your own life and how you’ve missed the mark in each conflict you find yourself in.

Day 4

Read 1 John 1:5-10

The Apostle John is the biblical master of metaphors. We see them in the gospel he wrote, in the book of Revelation, and in the letters he writes. In this passage John uses the metaphor of light. He tells us God is light and in him there is no darkness. Darkness therefore symbolizes anything that is opposed to God’s character. Darkness then, of course, would include the selfish desires that cause conflict among us that James, the brother of Jesus, describes in his letter. To walk in the light would mean to not hide the darkness but to allow it to be exposed so that it can be dealt with.

1. Describe some of the darkness that has been exposed in your life or heart as you’ve allowed God’s light to shine upon it.

John then goes on to describe how we allow our darkness to be exposed to God’s light. We confess our sins. We are honest with God. We agree that we have missed the mark. The act of confession is hard because it means acknowledging that we are wrong. Most of us like to justify our actions or blame shift.

Ken Sande in his book The Peace Maker shows some phrases we use to make our confessions non-confessions.

“Perhaps I was wrong”

“Maybe I could have tried harder”

“Possibly I should have waited to hear your side of the story”

“I guess I was wrong when I said those critical things about you.”

Or how about the infamous “but” statements.

“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, but you really upset me”

“I should have kept my mouth closed, but she asked for it”

“I know I was wrong, but so were you!”

2. In what circumstance do you feel tempted to make non-confessions like the ones Ken Sande describes?

3. What do you think are the components of a true confession?

4. When is the last time you can remember making this type of confession? What was the result of making that type of confession?

John says that if we confess our sins God will forgive us and cleanse us. Confession is really an act of being honest with God, with ourselves and with others.

5. When you are in conflict, what do you think offering a heartfelt confession of the areas where you are in the wrong would do for the situation?

Day 5

Read Psalm 51

This is one of the seven ‘penitential’ psalms (see also 6, 32, 40, 102, 130, 143). It is David’s prayer of repentance after Nathan the prophet had confronted him with his sins (2 Sam. 12). David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had covered it up by having her husband killed and taking her as his wife (thereby making it appear as if the child was the premature by-product of their marriage).

David responded to Nathan’s message by saying, ‘I have sinned’ (2 Sam. 12:13), and then, we may suppose, slipped away to a quiet place to pray along the lines recorded here.

As we analyze this psalm, we can discern three distinct elements.

David admits his sin (vv. 1–5)

The seriousness of it (vv. 1–3)

The fact that David uses four words to describe his sin shows that he is not trying to evade the issue or trivialize it. ‘Transgressions’ refer to rebellion or deliberately crossing over a boundary. ‘Iniquity’ suggests a perverseness or twistedness. ‘Sin’ is falling short of God’s standard or missing the target God has set. ‘Evil’ (v. 4) simply refers to the ugly, repulsive nature of sin against God.

The essence of it (v. 4)

Here, David comes to grips with the issue that makes sin such a serious matter. It is the creature thumbing his nose at his Creator. Sin is directed against God. It is nothing less than saying we wish God were not God and that his laws would disappear.

It is true that David also sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, and even the whole nation of Israel, but it is God who defines proper behavior towards others. Any sin against others is ultimately, then, a sin against the God who set these boundaries.

The origin of it (v. 5)

David leaves no stone unturned in his repentance. Here, he goes to the very root of sin—human nature. We sin because we are born sinners. In doing this, David is not seeking to excuse himself but is rather taking an honest, hard look at the truth about himself.

David honors God (vv. 4b–6)

By accepting the rightness of God’s verdict (v. 4b)

In acknowledging his sin, David was agreeing with God about it. Prior to his confession, he was in a state of dispute with God. God was, as it were, on one side of the fence, and he, David, on the other. Here, however, he leaps over the fence and joins God in condemning his sin.

By acknowledging the correctness of God’s standard (v. 6)

David further recognizes that God’s standard for behavior is right, and that standard is not only outward conformity to God’s laws, but inward delight in them.

David pleads for mercy (vv. 1–2, 7–12)

The basis of this plea (v. 1)

Some might think David to be terribly audacious. How could he possibly muster the courage to ask for mercy from the very one he had so deeply offended? The answer is he knew something of the nature of God; that he is lovingly kind and delights in showing ‘tender mercies’.

The nature of this plea (vv. 1–2, 7–12)

David wasn’t content just to mutter a quick ‘forgive me for all my sins.’ His repentance was thorough and earnest. He sees his sins being written in a book, and he longs for God to blot out that handwriting (vv. 1, 9). He sees them as being a deep stain and longs to be thoroughly washed and cleansed by God (vv. 2, 7—‘hyssop’, used by priests in cleansing rituals, symbolizes cleansing). He sees his sins as being robbers of his joy and gladness, and desires the restoration of these things (vv. 8, 12).

He further sees his sins as the cause of God’s chastisement (v. 8—‘the bones you have broken’), and he desires to have that chastisement lifted. He sees his sins as provoking God to avert his face, and now he longs to have God’s face turned towards him again (v. 9). He sees his heart being polluted by his sins and desires to have a clean heart (v. 10).

He sees his sins depriving him of his steadfastness in the Lord’s ways, and longs to have that changed (v. 10). He sees his sins depriving him of God’s presence and God’s spirit, and longs for these to be reversed (v. 11). He sees his sins trampling him and prays to be upheld (v. 12).

These things lead to two conclusions: (1) David took sin with utmost seriousness and (2) David believed in a God who abounds in mercy.

The confidence of this plea (vv. 13, 17)

A twofold confidence gripped David’s heart as he offered this prayer to God. Firstly, he knew that God could use his experience to influence others (v. 13). Secondly, he knew that God would not fail to hear his plea (v. 17). Psalm 32, the sequel to this psalm, shows that God did indeed hear David’s prayer.[1]

1. What can you learn from David’s confession?

2. What would God need to do in your life so that honest confession like David’s would be the norm for you?

3. If our church modeled this type of confession and humility to one another what do you think the results would be?

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[1] Ellsworth, R. (2006). Opening up Psalms (70–73). Leominster: Day One Publications.

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