Pray #2 Pray Honestly: The blessing from confessing sin Mark Henderson 1John 1:5-2:2 6.24.2018 Pray. Last week David reminded us from 1Timothy, what a confused world truly needs now is a church (and especially men) who PRAY. It is our desire out of this summer series that each one of us would reconnect with God through praying praying that would change us, our ministry, and our community. Prayer Wall - As we walk together through this series on prayer, we want to act on it. At the front of each Gather space stage is a small, interactive prayer wall". During these weeks, we invite you to fill this with your written prayers. As you feel comfortable, write your prayers on the provided card, roll it up and leave it in the wall. As you do, grab one of the others left there. Spend time throughout the week praying over it. This is a church-wide invitation and you are encouraged to write your request anonymously. Let s see what God will do as we pray together. That brings us to TODAY... Today I want to encourage you to be honest. Brutally honest with yourself and with God. To reconnect with God in prayer, we have to PRAY HONESTLY! (Big Idea) A life defined in Christ is shaped by confessing prayer. Is your spiritual life limping along because your relationship with God is pretty fake and inauthentic? If your relationships with friends and family are struggling or you are finding it difficult to joyfully live with purpose right now... then God has called you here this morning to hit the reset button. Begin turning back to Him by praying honestly and confessing your sin to Him. Let me share a story with you about where the road leads that begins with confession... Confession, Repentance, and Redemption Jacob King Jacob King wrote these words back in 2012. Everything I had in my life that I spent time, energy, passion, and love in was taken away from me. I was a broken man with no hope in sight. He gave me permission to share his story of confession, repentance, and redemption. He shared the quote on the screen as he reflected back on the work God did beginning with his confession. You made a holy fool of me, and I ve thanked you ever since (-Me without You) I want to share Jacob s story to encourage you that the road to redemption can begin here today for you, with a decision to Pray Honestly. In college Jacob was a passionate youth leader and musician. But, his faithfulness was occasionally interrupted by flashes of anger, followed by apologies and regret. After one of these incidents, I and
some other staff decided we needed to ask Jacob to take a break from ministry and learn to deal with his anger. It was a very difficult conversation to consider. We were asking Jacob to confess (agree that he had a problem), repent (turn 180 degrees and live in a new way), and then be restored (walk in the light with God, and when ready, jump back into ministry). How would he handle that? How would you handle that? For Jacob, this came after months of heart-breaking decisions and events, in what he would describe as the hardest year of his life. In his hurt and anger, none of us, including Jacob, were sure how this would go. After a gut-wrenching conversation, he eventually agreed that he had a problem and began to meet with me weekly and sought help for his anger from a trusted counselor. Later, Jacob would write, I got started on my path of figuring out my anger issues and other problems in life. Now I didn t do this just so I could get back to ministry as fast as possible or working with kids again or playing in the worship team on Sunday. I did this because anger has always been a huge deal in my life and if I wasn t going to use this opportunity now, years later down the road doing ministry or whatever it would come back to bite me. I then used everyone s wisdom to humble myself under God s mighty hand, that he will lift me up in due time. (James 5:6). I m very thankful for all these people taking the time to talk, love and invest in me. The lyrics from this song became Jacob s prayer of confession and repentance. (Maybe this is you today... ) The struggles go on, The wisdom I lack, The burdens keep piling Up on my back. So hard to breathe, To take the next step. The mountain is high, I wait in the depths. Yearning for grace and hoping for peace. Dear God... Increase. Healing hands of God have mercy on our unclean souls once again. Jesus Christ, light of the world burning bright within our hearts forever. Freedom means love without condition, without a beginning or an end. Here's my heart, let it be forever Yours, Only You can make every new day seem so new. - Every New Day by Five Iron Frenzy I am still incredibly proud of the strength and courage that Jacob showed in that difficult year. This week as I read the 10-page reflection paper he wrote, I was brought to tears at the pain he experienced and the humility he showed in confessing his sin. Jacob wanted me to share that God has changed his heart and done an amazing work, but it is far from easy or perfect. He would describe himself as a recovering jerk, but now he openly confesses that and leans into God s grace to change him and use him anyway.
As we turn to 1John would you silently ask God right now, that you would bring that same humility of heart and be honest with Him today? Read 1John 1:5 2:2 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. If we are going to pray honestly, we must FIRST be aware of The Need for Confessing Prayer A priest shared this story in the Reader s Digest. Because the younger children at our parochial school often forgot their sins when they entered my confessional, I suggested that teachers have the students make lists. The next week when one child came to confession, I could hear him unfolding paper. The youngster began, I lied to my parents. I disobeyed my mom. I fought with my brothers and... There was a long pause. Then a small angry voice said, Hey, this isn t my list! God doesn t need to hear our LIST in order to forgive us, but he desires our honesty. 1 John 1 says, it s like this, walking in the light does not mean living perfectly. But it does mean living with an active, open willingness to become every day what pleases God. To be honest about sin, and want God to change me so that my life increasingly matches His LIGHT. When that is true, verse 7 indicates you ll see two results: #1 WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER, there is a freshness to our relationships with God s other children, and 2) WE EXPERIENCE FORGIVENESS for sin through JESUS BLOOD. But none of that is possible, closeness with God is not possible, if we cling to secrecy. We need to confess in prayer.
Many people are caught up in passing off sin. I don t sin; that wasn t a sin. But here s the truth: you cannot become intimate with a holy God when you continue in two-faced denial. Walking in the light means saying the same thing that God says about our actions...and letting His light and character clean it out when it happens as we stop lying to ourselves. Look at my life as an example of the need to confess: What do I need to confess? Here s my short list. I got angry and fought with my little brother I borrowed money and paid it back without telling anyone. I have wanted to watch and watched things that I shouldn t I have lied because it seemed easier than telling the truth I have spent money I don t have I have reacted out of anger I have secrets that I hope no one ever finds out about me I have stayed silent in the face of injustice I went to a party and ran from the police I break the law and speed on a regular basis I don t love God... with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength I don t love others... like I love myself I broke the window in the garage and tried to hide it I am selfish I have looked the other way and walked by instead of helping someone in need Perhaps you don t think you have much sin in your life to confess. Or perhaps you think that your sin is just between you and God and there is no need for others to know. I trust this morning that God s Word will give you motivation for a more honest prayer. God wants us to walk in the light as he is in the light, and not to hide in the darkness with our secret sin. If we are going to pray honestly, we must SECONDLY be aware of The Hope of Confessing Prayer 1. God is faithful to forgive believers and cleanse us from all sin. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You can TRUST Him to forgive. 2. Through confessing our sins we experience the forgiveness that Jesus purchased on the cross. By that, I mean this: When we confess our sins, we will experience the forgiveness of God which became ours the moment of our salvation.
It is in the confession of sin with repentance and a desire to change that God meets us with the assurance of his forgiveness. That s where the forgiveness of the cross becomes real to us. It is when we experience guilt for sin, and have that guilt removed by God s continual assurance that Jesus sacrifice paid for our guilt. It s like knowing you have a million dollars in the bank, but it s just knowledge until you actually go to the bank and withdraw 10 $100 bills. Then you experience the reality of your wealth. Confession of sin is how we experience the reality the forgiveness that is ours by God s promise. And when we experience that reality, we gain deeper affection for God, and greater amazement at the grace of God. 3. Through confessing our sins we experience the removal of sin from our lives that Jesus also purchased on the cross. 1John 2:2 refers to propitiation (Gk. hilasmos) here means a sacrifice that bears God s wrath and turns it to favor, John refers here to both the righteous life of Christ and his propitiating death, which together are the grounds of a believer s justification (cf. Rom. 3:24 26; 2 Cor. 5:21). It is on these grounds his sinless life and substitutionary death that Jesus stands as our advocate before the Father. We can PRAY HONESTLY when we see our NEED for confessing prayer and are reminded of the HOPE of confessing prayer. And finally... If we are going to pray honestly, we must be aware of The Practice of Confessing Prayer To begin to pray honestly, we have to deal with THE PROBLEM OF DISCOURAGEMENT because of persistent sin 1 John 2:1-2 Truthfully, even when you are open and honest with God about your life, you and I will still sin. Sometimes repeatedly. How easy it is to think, God...you must be fed up with my failures. Yet John says, My children...yes, I want you to take sin seriously. I write these things so that you will. But if you
take sin seriously and still sin, God the Father hears from your RIGHTEOUS ADVOCATE whose own violent death took all of God s anger for your sin. When you sin, that ADVOCATE appeals to the Father based on what He has done for you...and if you are not all wrapped up in denial or hypocrisy, you are absolutely welcomed into the presence of a holy, loving God. Don t be discouraged. James 5:16 says, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. We are to confess our sins to one another. Confessing our sins to others is a way of walking in the light, a way of bringing others into our lives so they can help us to say no to sin and yes to a life-defined in Christ. In your PRACTICE of confessing sin, remember these three things: Confess without qualification - Confess sin specifically - Be open to other people s assessment of your sin. CONCLUSION John finishes up this section of chapter 2, if you read ahead, by saying this. If you are WALKING IN THE LIGHT by being honest with your Father about your sin, then your closeness to Him is going to show up in very practical ways. WALKING IN THE LIGHT...BEING OPEN WITH GOD ABOUT YOUR SIN...EAGER TO OBEY...READY TO LOVE...it s what God s children do as they draw close to him. The Valley of Vision Pardon all my sins Merciful Lord, Pardon all my sins of this day, week, year, all the sins of my life, sins of early, middle, and advanced years, of omission and commission, of morose, peevish and angry tempers, of lip, life and walk, of hard-heartedness, unbelief, presumption, pride, of unfaithfulness to the souls of men, of want of bold decision in the cause of Christ, of deficiency in outspoken zeal for His glory, of bringing dishonor upon Thy great name, of deception, injustice, untruthfulness in my dealings with others, of impurity in thought, word and deed, of covetousness, which is idolatry, of substance unduly hoarded, improvidently squandered,
not consecrated to the glory of Thee, the great Giver; sins in private and in the family, in study and recreation, in the busy haunts of men, in the study of thy Word and in the neglect of it, in prayer irreverently offered and coldly withheld, in time misspent, in yielding to Satan s wiles, in opening my heart to his temptations, in being unwatchful when I know him nigh, in quenching the Holy Spirit; sins against light and knowledge, sins against conscience and the restraints of thy Spirit, sins against the law of eternal love. Pardon all my sins, known and unknown, felt and unfelt, confessed and not confessed, remembered or forgotten. Good Lord, hear; and hearing, forgive. Arthur Bennett, ed., Sins, in The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions, (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth, 1975), 87. As you pray and reflect, please remember this. You are KNOWN. You are LOVED. 3 minutes of reflection: Book of Common Prayer Confession Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against thee in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved thee with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in thy will, and walk in thy ways, to the glory of thy Name. Amen.