In reading this lesson over, I almost can't stop laughing. God's providence brings a smile to my face. I had no idea how much this lesson was going to learn me, so to speak. The threads God started to weave last year continue work their way through my heart—and yet they're only the fringes of his ways. There's still such a long way to go.
Confession is not something that comes naturally to me; perhaps you can relate. The inclination of my heart is not to walk in the light, but rather to hide in darkness and shame. It is a deep, damaging and poisonous root that our First Parents planted, my own parents watered and I have willingly tended ever since. The mercy of God has been extended to me in that he—the Master Gardener—willingly tends to me, pulls at this root and heals its poisonous effects.
What is it about confession that makes us cringe? Easy. No one wants to be put to shame. However, what we often fail to see is that confession—telling the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, no pretense, no running, no hiding—as part of the repentance process is the very thing that abolishes our shame. Choosing not to tell the truth about your sin, your fear, your pain and all the subtleties of your heart keeps you in bondage to shame and secrecy. And let me tell you, shame is an exacting and debilitating vice with a grip that will surely sap every ounce of your vitality until it finishes you.
If you're afraid to break away from hiding and shame, perhaps you need a glimpse of what's on the other side. In his encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus paints a picture for her of what she wants the most: a well of living water that will never run dry, a satisfaction that never becomes stagnant, a comfort and a joy and a life that will last. She wants a love that won't leave. And when the woman says she wants this living water, how does Jesus deliver it? Through her confession. She needed to tell the truth of who she was, where she was, what she was trying to satisfy herself with (to no avail). She needed to step out of hiding in sin and shame and into worship. Jesus was after her heart. He went on to tell her that true worshippers worship in spirit and in truth; and that is the very thing he's after in us. Jesus longs for us to believe that he is the ultimate satisfaction of our souls, our only rescue, our only hope and to acknowledge the sin and shame that he is eager and completely resolved to forgive.
In this last year, confession has been the catalyst of the truest and most honest worship, deepest joy and most spacious freedom I have ever had. When I close my eyes, I can see it. Although confession is not the end, it serves us as a vehicle of gracious means.
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Lesson One: Confession
T e l l i n g t h e T r u t h A b o u t Y o u r S i n
Memory Verse: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight...” —Psalm 51:4a
One of the biggest problems with sin is that it is deceitful. You may be able to acknowledge that it is there. You may even be able to see the effects that it has on you and on those around you. But being convinced of its deadliness? Having no doubt about its severity? Those things can be allusive. King David, in Psalm 40, goes as far as to say that “his iniquities have blinded him and he cannot see.” Yes, your sins will blind you. Yes, you are sometimes inadequate to see these things by yourself.
There are a few things that can help expose our sin and free us from our blindness. One of those things is the Word of God. Let’s take a moment and see what else David has to say about his sin and answer some questions.
1O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!
2For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.
4For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
5My wounds stink and fester
because of my foolishness,
6I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
all the day I go about mourning.
7For my sides are filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8I am feeble and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my heart.
9O Lord, all my longing is before you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.
11My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,
and my nearest kin stand far off.
—Psalm 38:1-11
Who is David talking to in this Psalm? What does this say about who is most effected by our sin?
What are some of the ways David describes his sin?
What are some of the effects of sin?
This is an altogether disturbing picture of what sin does to us. It blinds us, crushes us, afflicts us, causes relational discord. The evidence of sin’s destruction is pretty blatant; not much convincing is needed.
In verse 9, David makes an interesting statement. He says that all his longing is before God and his sighing is not hidden from God. This—more than anything else—is the heart of confession. It is the disposition of a heart that desires to hide nothing from God and acknowledges that nothing is hidden from God. Also, it is acknowledgement of who the sin is truly against.
How does it feel to know that God sees your sin?
Is it easy to tell God about your sin, or hard? Why or why not?
Sometimes it’s easy to confess sin. Sometimes it’s not. It usually depends on where a given sin falls on our sliding scale. Key word: “our.” God sees all sin the same... as punishable by death (Romans 6:23). Every sin, even down to the smallest “white lie” necessitated the brutal death of Jesus as payment. Knowing the weight of his sin, David says this:
17For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever before me.
18I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin.
—Psalm 38:17-18
David doesn’t just reckon with the fact that God knows and sees his sin. He moves into feeling sorry for his sin. We’ll deal with this thoroughly in the next lesson, but for now, we’ll leave it at that.
It may seem as if this lesson is full of bad news, but be assured. The good news is far better. Keep in mind, this is a process. We need a complete picture of the bad news in order to feel the weight and light and heat of the gospel of grace. Remember that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) We’ll get there. For now, let’s close this lesson with our first action step:
- Ask God to open your eyes to your sin. Not just the sins on the surface, like lying, impure thoughts, etc. Ask God to dig deeply into your soul to find the roots of these sins. What does everything seem to boil down to? You may be surprised at what you see. Also, be brave and ask those closest to you what they see as sin in your life. Because sin is blinding, we need the eyes of others to help us see both our sin and God's gracious response to it.
