"Spring Cleaning" - The Art of Confession
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I just finished eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I’m now licking the jelly off my fingers before I start typing. I’ve got to finish the church bulletin and get it to the church tonight to print it for distribution tomorrow morning. On the way back, I’ll pick up the church van, so I can pick up kids in the morning. After that, if I still have energy, I’ll put the finishing touches on the power point slides for Sunday Children’s worship. But if not, it’s ok… I’ll do it first thing in the morning. But before I could do any of that, today was a big work day at the Tune house: it’s fall cleaning day! OK, so maybe it’s not quite as exciting as spring cleaning, but it had to be done. And to be honest, it’s not finished yet. It’s been a long time since we’ve had the chance to clean like this, and it will take it more than one Saturday afternoon to finish the job.
But one thing is for certain: I now have the satisfaction of knowing that there is now a room filled with junk that will be transported to another house for a yard sale next Saturday. My wife and I stood and admired that room this evening, knowing that in less than a week, it would be empty of all that junk, and ready to start to put in order again. Yes, once in a while, some good house cleaning is just what the doctor ordered to free up space, and help us live a bit more efficiently.
The same has always been true for me, spiritually. It’s true for you, too. We are called to “clean house”, to keep the crud from building up. This is especially true for those who are in positions of leadership. Before you can stand up to serve others on Sunday, there has to be some cleaning done in your own heart on Saturday. From time to time, we need to sit still and search our own hearts, and see where some idols have begun to creep in; some spiritually unhealthy habits and behaviors; some impure attitudes and motives. It can get discouraging at times, when we recognize the vastness of our own sin, and just how far we have to go… For me, that discouraging recognition of my own inadequacy gets coupled with the weight of doubt and fear. The temptation is to just let it all pile up over time and ignore it. To lead and serve with a heart that is cluttered with some sinful attitudes and affections.
This may sound odd, but John (the Beloved) reminds us that there is joy in housekeeping through confession. We usually think of confession of something coming from sorrow and a broken heart. Well it is. But its ultimate product is the joy of renewed fellowship with God. “We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete… If we confess your sins, [God] is faithful and just forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned (pretend the house doesn’t need cleaning) we make him a liar, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:4, 9-10 John is giving us the remedy for renewing fellowship with God: honesty over our sin. It takes some work. It takes some rolling up our sleeves, digging deep and seeing the idols we harbor in our hearts that produce sinful behaviors and attitudes, and come between us and God.
In spite of his position as a spiritual leader, David didn’t make this subject taboo even in his own life. He prayed “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalms 139:23-24) We can't do this on our own, because we can deceive ourselves. In our home, my standard for clean dishes is not the same standard as my wife's standard. And what I may see as a pure heart may reveal something ugly and sinful to God. Who has better eyes for seeing what is truly in our hearts? So when you begin cleaning house, you MUST seek God's help to open your eyes to things you may not have seen before about your own heart.
This can be some dirty, discouraging work, just like cleaning a house that hasn't been cleaned in ages. So we need some encouragement in this. We must constantly talk to ourselves, preach to ourselves, remind ourselves of the fact that there is forgiveness to be had. Our work is not offering up a new sacrifice… our work is that of confession – of honestly, openly baring our sins before God, in all its shame, trusting that He will not let us dwell in shame and judgment, but that He will “give grace to the humble.” John tells us "if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."(1 John 2:1)
When we are faithful to confess and be honest about our sin, godly repentance will give way to godly obedience. This is a constant thing in the life of the believer. Confession is a way of life for the follower of Christ. He doesn’t clean us up over night, but little by little, over time, so that we do not grow proud, and to teach us to rely upon His grace to cover our sin, and His strength to overcome it.
Let's clean...
What attitudes or behaviors have you noticed beginning to creep up in your own life that you have hesitated to deal with? In what ways are you procrastinating? When you worship, do you do so with a clean conscience, or with a sense of guilt because of sin you have yet to deal with? When will you set aside time to sit with God this week and confess the sinful inadequacies of your heart? What other person will you share that with, so they can pray with you about it?
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)
But one thing is for certain: I now have the satisfaction of knowing that there is now a room filled with junk that will be transported to another house for a yard sale next Saturday. My wife and I stood and admired that room this evening, knowing that in less than a week, it would be empty of all that junk, and ready to start to put in order again. Yes, once in a while, some good house cleaning is just what the doctor ordered to free up space, and help us live a bit more efficiently.
The same has always been true for me, spiritually. It’s true for you, too. We are called to “clean house”, to keep the crud from building up. This is especially true for those who are in positions of leadership. Before you can stand up to serve others on Sunday, there has to be some cleaning done in your own heart on Saturday. From time to time, we need to sit still and search our own hearts, and see where some idols have begun to creep in; some spiritually unhealthy habits and behaviors; some impure attitudes and motives. It can get discouraging at times, when we recognize the vastness of our own sin, and just how far we have to go… For me, that discouraging recognition of my own inadequacy gets coupled with the weight of doubt and fear. The temptation is to just let it all pile up over time and ignore it. To lead and serve with a heart that is cluttered with some sinful attitudes and affections.
This may sound odd, but John (the Beloved) reminds us that there is joy in housekeeping through confession. We usually think of confession of something coming from sorrow and a broken heart. Well it is. But its ultimate product is the joy of renewed fellowship with God. “We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete… If we confess your sins, [God] is faithful and just forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned (pretend the house doesn’t need cleaning) we make him a liar, and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:4, 9-10 John is giving us the remedy for renewing fellowship with God: honesty over our sin. It takes some work. It takes some rolling up our sleeves, digging deep and seeing the idols we harbor in our hearts that produce sinful behaviors and attitudes, and come between us and God.
In spite of his position as a spiritual leader, David didn’t make this subject taboo even in his own life. He prayed “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalms 139:23-24) We can't do this on our own, because we can deceive ourselves. In our home, my standard for clean dishes is not the same standard as my wife's standard. And what I may see as a pure heart may reveal something ugly and sinful to God. Who has better eyes for seeing what is truly in our hearts? So when you begin cleaning house, you MUST seek God's help to open your eyes to things you may not have seen before about your own heart.
This can be some dirty, discouraging work, just like cleaning a house that hasn't been cleaned in ages. So we need some encouragement in this. We must constantly talk to ourselves, preach to ourselves, remind ourselves of the fact that there is forgiveness to be had. Our work is not offering up a new sacrifice… our work is that of confession – of honestly, openly baring our sins before God, in all its shame, trusting that He will not let us dwell in shame and judgment, but that He will “give grace to the humble.” John tells us "if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."(1 John 2:1)
When we are faithful to confess and be honest about our sin, godly repentance will give way to godly obedience. This is a constant thing in the life of the believer. Confession is a way of life for the follower of Christ. He doesn’t clean us up over night, but little by little, over time, so that we do not grow proud, and to teach us to rely upon His grace to cover our sin, and His strength to overcome it.
Let's clean...
What attitudes or behaviors have you noticed beginning to creep up in your own life that you have hesitated to deal with? In what ways are you procrastinating? When you worship, do you do so with a clean conscience, or with a sense of guilt because of sin you have yet to deal with? When will you set aside time to sit with God this week and confess the sinful inadequacies of your heart? What other person will you share that with, so they can pray with you about it?
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)
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