Introduction

As the book of Ecclesiastes tells us, there is a season for everything in the life that we live under the sun. There is a season to weep and there is a season to laugh. There is a season to mourn and there is a season to dance (Ecc. 3:4). The people of God, under Nehemiah's and Ezra's leadership, rejoiced on the first day of the seventh month. Then, they had a week-long celebration from the 15^thto the 23^rdof the same month. Now, it is time to mourn.

· This is beautiful prayer of confession, 2.

· They are mourning before God because of their sins, 3 – not only their sins, but the sins that have been plaguing God's people for centuries.

· God brought them to the place where they realized the sinfulness of their sin against him and that drove them to mourning and confession, 33b.

Confession is good for the soul. It restores the joy of the Lord in our hearts. It also brings freedom to our souls and healing to our relationships. Before we look at the passage in detail, I would like for us to consider the subject of confession as a whole.

The Holy Spirit gives us this wonderfully freeing verse in Proverbs:

Pro. 28:13– He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

God's grace, as revealed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the driving force behind confession of sin.

Jn. 3:16– For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This incredible news reveals our radical sinfulness – nothing could save us except the death of God's unique Son. But it also reveals the depths of God's radical mercy – he gave his Son to die for us! As we think about and rejoice in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, two things happen. Our pride and defensiveness are stripped away, and we can let go of our illusion of self-righteousness. We can honestly examine ourselves, and find freedom from guilt and sin by admitting our wrongs and say about our sins what God says about them.

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.

This restoration process involves four activities: repentance, self-examination, confession, and personal change.

I. In Order for Confession to Be True, Repentance Needs Happen.

A. Repentance is the first step in gaining freedom from.

B. Repentance is not something we can do on our own.

1. It is a gift of God for which we should continually pray.

2. In repentance God convicts us of our sins and shows us the road to freedom.

2 Tim. 2:24-26– And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and thatthey may come to their senses andescapethe snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to dohis will.

C. Repentance does not mean we simply feel sad and uncomfortable.

1. It is not a mere apology.

2. To repent literally to change the way we think.

3. Sometimes it is described as coming to our senses.

Lk. 15:17-19– But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."'

2 Tim. 2:24-26– And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and thatthey may come to their sensesandescapethe snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to dohis will.

4. It involves a waking up to the fact that we have been deceiving ourselves and that our ideas, attitudes, values, or goals have been wrong.

D.Although repentance is often accompanied by sorrow, simply feeling bad does not prove that one is repentant.

1. There is a world of difference between mere remorse and genuine repentance.

2 Cor. 7:9-10– Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leadingto salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

2. Worldly sorrow means feeling sad because we got caught doing something wrong or because we must suffer the unpleasant consequences of our actions.

a. Before long, worldly sorrow dies away, and most people begin to behave just as they did before.

b. Instead of changing their thinking and conduct, they simply try harder not to get caught again.

E. Godly sorrow means sincerely regretting the fact that what we did was a sin against God, regardless of consequences.

F. Godly sorrow will not always be accompanied by intense feelings, but it will always involve a change in thinking, which should lead to a change in behavior.

WSC 87– What is repentance unto life? Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.

II. True Confession Necessitate Self-Examination

A. One evidence of sincere repentance is a willingness to examine ourselves thoroughly, so that we can uncover both our mistakes and our sins.

1. Read this chapter and you will see that the Israelites spent a lot of time looking at themselves in relation to God and his Word.

2. Because most of us do not like to admit that we have sinned, we tend to conceal, deny, or rationalize our wrongs.

3. If we cannot completely cover up what we have done, we try to minimize what we did, rationalize it shift blame.

a. The wife you gave me made me do it.

b. Their sin cancelling our sin.

4. By doing these things, we can divert attention from ourselves and avoid repentance and confession.

B. As we think of self-examination, I would like for us to do it in a practical way in the context of relationships – let me bring up a few areas in order to help us think through this idea of self-examination.

1. Using our tongue as a weapon.

a. Sinful speech can take several forms:

1) Reckless words, spoken hastily and without thinking destroy relationship.

a) Although we may seldom set out deliberately to hurt others with our words, sometimes we do not make much of an effort notto hurt others.

b) We simply say whatever comes to mind without thinking about the consequences.

Pro. 12:18– There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promoteshealth.

2) Grumbling and complainingirritates and discourages other people.

Phil. 2:24-16– Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

3) Falsehoodincluding lying, exaggeration, telling only part of the truth, or distorting the truth by emphasizing favorable facts while minimizing those that are against us.

Pro. 6:16-19– These six thingsthe Lord hates, yes, sevenarean abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness whospeaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.

4) Gossip

a) To gossip means to betray a confidence or to discuss unfavorable personal facts about another person with someone who is not part of the problem or the solution.

b) The information may even be true.

Pro. 16:28– A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends.

5) Slander – speaking false and malicious words about another person.

6) Worthless talk,empty chatter.

Eph. 4:29– Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

2. Controlling others – Some attempts to control others are blatantly self-serving, but the more common type of control involves trying to persuade, manipulate, or force people to do things that simply make our lives more comfortable and convenient.

3. Breaking our word – God expects us to keep our word, even if it is not convenient to us.

Ps. 15:1, 4– Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he whoswears to his own hurt and does not change…

4. Failing to respect authority

5. Forgetting the Golden Rule

Mt. 7:12– Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

6. Serving sinful desires

a. Improper desires for physical pleasuremay lead to sexual immorality, overeating, gambling, laziness, etc.

b. Pride and desire to always be right can make us defensive, reluctant to admit our wrongs, slow to accept advice, and quick to find fault with others.

c. Love of money or other material possessionscan lead to a preoccupation with financial security, tempt us to lie, etc.

d. Fear of man

e. Good things that we want too much– Some of the most difficult idols to deal with are good desires that we elevate to demands, such as a longing for love, respect, comfort, convenience, or success.

C. So, we examine ourselves and confess our sins to God because all our sins are against him.

Ps. 51:3-4b– For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin isalways before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done thisevil in Your sight….

D.In sinning against God, we may also have sinned against people and need to confess to them as well.

III. Confession – the 7 A's of Confession

A. As God opens our eyes to see how we have sinned against others, he simultaneously offers us a way to find freedom from our past wrongs through CONFESSION.

B. Address everyone involved

1. As a general rule, we should confess our sins to every person who has been directly affected by our wrongdoing starting with God.

2. One thing to take into consideration is that not every sin needs to be confessed to a person.

a. Sins that remain in the heart but do not turn into an action may not need to be confessed to anyone besides God.

b. Sometimes it is helpful to confess attitudes that are the foundation for certain behaviors.

3. Whatever the case, our confession should reach as far as our offense.

C. Avoid if, but, and maybe

1. The best way to ruin a confession is to use words that shift the blame to others or that appear to minimize or excuse your guilt.

2. The most common way to do this is to say, "I'm sorry if I've done something to upset you."

a. The word ifruins this confession because it implies that we do not know whether or not we did wrong.

b. This is usually a superficial statement designed to get someone to stop bothering us or to transfer fault for breaking a relationship.

3. Other ways to dilute a confession.

a. PerhapsI was wrong.

b. MaybeI could have tried harder.

c. PossiblyI should have waited to hear your side of the story.

d. I guessI was wrong when I said those critical things about you.

e. I shouldn't have lost my temper,but I was tired.

4. The word butis especially harmful because it has the strange ability to cancel all the words that precede it.

a. I am sorry I hurt your feelings, butyou really upset me.

b. I should have kept my mouth closed, butshe asked for it.

c. I know I was wrong, butso were you.

D.Admit specifically

1. The more detailed and specific we are when making a confession, the more likely we are to receive a positive response.

2. Specific admissions help convince others that we are honestly facing up to what we have done, which makes easier for them to forgive us.

E. Acknowledge the hurt

F. Accept the consequences, which might include restitution.

G.Alter your behavior

H.Ask for forgiveness (and allow for time)

I. Not every confession will require all seven steps.

1. Minor offenses can often be handled with a fairly simple statement.

2. The more serious the offense, however, the wiser it is to make a thorough confession.

IV. The final step in finding freedom from a particular sin is to work with God to change our attitudes and behavior, 38.

A. God is eager to help us to grow and change.

Phil. 1:6– …being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete ituntil the day of Jesus Christ…

B. Pray

1. This sounds simple and superficial, but it is powerful.

Heb. 4:16– Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

2. We need to take up fervent prayer.

C. Delight yourself in the Lord

1. The best way to squeeze idolatrous desires out of our hearts is to learn to love and worship God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul.

2. As we focus on the Lord, we will discover that he can provide what idols promise but can never deliver.

D.Study

1. The Bible emphasizes the close connection between transformed thinking and growth in character.

Rom. 12:2– And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what isthat good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

2. There is no better way to transform our thinking than to mediate on God's Word.

E. Practice

1. We cannot change unless we put what we learned in practice.

2. So, let's put the things we are learning here to practice!

Conclusion

The Israelites sinned against God, so they confessed it to God. This is happening in the middle of revival. Conviction of sin is a sign of revival and conviction of sin leads to confession. Confession is good for the soul.

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