A Confession Message
Here is a Confession Message. It is based on a sermon given by C H Spurgeon. He reflected on the words, “I have sinned’ – which appear several times in the Bible. However, there were many who uttered these words insincerely. That spoke of false confession. David on the other hand had a true confession, when he said, I have sinned! 2 Samuel 12.13.
Before we go into the message, let us remember three important verses regarding confession. The first is 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.” The second is Proverbs 28.13: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” The third is a portion from Psalm 32:1-5: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavey upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (We must remember that it took David one full year before he confessed his sin, and that too, when he was confronted by the prophet Nathan.)
We are taking up seven confessions based on the words, “I have sinned”. Of these there are 5 insincere confessions and 2 sincere confessions. We remember Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. He repeated cried, ‘I have sinned!’, but it was only when he was in trouble, and when God sent his terrible judgments upon Egypt. Read Exod 9.27, 10.16. It was merely a cry from the lips; when the judgment passed, owing to Moses’ intercession, Pharaoh continued to harden his heart. Beware of mere lip confessions!
What about Balaam the false prophet? In Num 22.34, he cried, ‘I have sinned’. But in his heart he still coveted money and riches. Balaam, too, like Pharaoh, had a wicked and unregenerate heart, for he taught Balak to seduce the children of Israel, Rev 2.14. After Balaam, we have Achan in Josh 7.20. He confessed, ‘I have sinned’ – after he was found out. He ought to have confessed beforehand. Then we have king Saul. He cries out repeatedly, ‘I have sinned’, in 1 Sam 15.24 & 30, but we notice that he puts the blame upon his people. He does not own responsibility for his sin. Again in 1 Sam 26.21 he cries out to David, ‘I have sinned’ – but yet he continues to seek the life of David. Finally, we have Judas Iscariot, who cries out, ‘I have sinned’, in Matt 27.4, but it was too late and he went and hanged himself. Many in hell will cry out, “I have sinned”, but it will be too late. This is not repentance; it is endless remorse.
On the positive side, we have two glorious confessions, from which we have much to learn. First, the confession of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:18-21, which reflects true repentance and brokenness. It was a confession that led him back to his father’s house, and he received a wonderful set of blessings. The other confession is that of king David in Psalm 51. This is a psalm of true penitence. David realizes the wickedness of his own heart, and he cries out with a broken spirit and in utter contrition, “Against You, You only, O God, I have sinned, and done this evil in Your sight…” Psalm 51.4. Meditate on Psalm 51 if you want to learn what true confession is. Study also the parable of the prodigal son. May God deliver us from shallow, insincere and false confessions.
© Pratonix/ Roland Olivier
