"He Who Confesseth Shall Have Mercy"

The point: Ascertain what God meant when He said the terms upon which mercy will be obtained are confession and forsaking of sin, rather than manipulating these words to mean something less.

An analogy of a firm requiring $500 for a product, where the customer must present what the firm means by $500, not their own interpretation. This illustrates that obtaining God's mercy requires understanding and conforming to God's definition of confession and forsaking, not our own.

If a certain firm says that by the presentation or upon the presentation of $500 you will obtain such and such a product, it will not do for you to decide what $500 is. You must present what the firm meant when it said $500. You may bring 500 pieces of paper scribbled over with a little green ink saying on each one of them $100, and you may bring five of them, but the company, the company is not impressed. When they set the terms upon which they would deliver the goods, it is your responsibility to conform to their intention in the setting of the terms and not to alter that to suit your own no...

6:38 - 7:20 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines biblical confession based on Old and New Testament word usage, outlining four essential elements: honesty about sin's presence, honesty about sin's nature (as…

A story of a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, hiding it behind his back, then 'fessing up' by showing what he took. This illustrates the elementary level of confession as being honest about the presence of sin, opening the closed hand.

Going back to even the root concept of the word, and this is not always a safe thing to do, but it's a beautiful illustration here. In the state of covering my sin, the hand has been closed. In confession I am saying, in God it's there. It's like the little kid who's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and when his mama comes through the door, he quick takes it out and hides it behind him.

9:23 - 9:47 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin defines biblical confession based on Old and New Testament word usage, outlining four essential elements: honesty about sin's presence, honesty about sin's nature (as…

An example contrasting Roman Catholic confession to a priest with evangelicals who 'mumble a few words' to themselves, both failing to truly seek God's absolution. This illustrates the danger of psychological self-absolution instead of genuine confession that presses one into God's presence.

In other words, true confession is not psychological self-absolution. You see, the Roman Catholic goes to the Black Veil and to the appointed priest and says through the little veil something of his sins and he gets absolution, supposedly, from the man behind the Black Veil.

11:37 - 12:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin highlights that confession and forsaking are 'Siamese twins of spiritual experience' that God has joined. He warns that attempting to forsake sin without confession leads…

An example of an alcoholic joining AA and getting delivered from alcohol without true confession to God. This illustrates how forsaking sin without confession can lead to self-justification and a seared conscience, rather than genuine spiritual dealing with God.

Therefore all efforts to forsake sin under the proddings of a guilty conscience, self-esteem, whatever the motive may be, if that attempt to forsake sin is not undergirded and preceded and interpenetrated with true confession it will always lead into one of two damning states of mind and heart. It may lead on the one hand to self-justification or on the other to despair. Look how it works. Here's the person who is gnawed by the realization he's in bondage to alcohol. He's ashamed to his father and his mother, his relatives, his wife, the husband, whoever it may be. And his conscience is galled...

20:41 - 21:46 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The best definition I've ever found of mercy is this. It is pity joined to suitable action. That's mercy.

An example of a child about to be spanked asking a parent for mercy. This illustrates the common understanding of mercy as pity joined to suitable action, setting up the definition of mercy in the sermon.

then in the second place, not only the certainty of the blessing, but the suitability of the blessing in its nature. And what is the blessing? It is the obtaining of mercy. Now what does mercy mean? Now you think for a minute and see if you can come up with a good word for the working layman's definition of mercy. Here's the kid who's disobeyed his mom and dad, and he knows he's going to get spanked. Blessed is the child who knows that when he disobeys, he'll be spanked. Blessed is the child who has that much assessment of the righteous character of his mom and dad to know that they're walking...

32:25 - 33:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The best definition I've ever found of mercy is this. It is pity joined to suitable action. That's mercy.

An example of a death row criminal asking the governor for mercy. This further illustrates the common understanding of mercy as pity joined to suitable action, specifically for someone condemned.

He's in death row, he's condemned to die, and he's given the privilege of an audience with the governor the day before his appointed execution, and he says, oh governor, please have mercy on me, have mercy on me. What's he asking for? There's the beggar held in the vice-like grip of his poverty. Unable to extract himself, and the wealthy man passes by and he takes hold of his garments and he says, sir, have mercy upon me.

33:30 - 34:01 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The best definition I've ever found of mercy is this. It is pity joined to suitable action. That's mercy.

An example of a beggar asking a wealthy man for mercy. This further illustrates the common understanding of mercy as pity joined to suitable action, specifically for someone in poverty.

He's in death row, he's condemned to die, and he's given the privilege of an audience with the governor the day before his appointed execution, and he says, oh governor, please have mercy on me, have mercy on me. What's he asking for? There's the beggar held in the vice-like grip of his poverty. Unable to extract himself, and the wealthy man passes by and he takes hold of his garments and he says, sir, have mercy upon me.

33:30 - 34:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Be honest about your spiritual state; if you are not prospering in vital communion with God, it is likely because you are covering sin.

An analogy of sugar cane after all the sweetness has been sucked out, leaving only dry, tasteless pulp. This illustrates how the Word of God can become dry and tasteless to Christians who are covering sin, leading to a lack of spiritual prosperity.

Now, it's been a long time since you were able to say thy words were sweeter than honey. They've been like dry sawdust. Or like that sugar cane after Pastor Blaise and Pastor Blois get done with it. When we're down there in Jamaica, you stop by the Rose side and they whack off a piece of sugar cane where man's there selling coconuts and sugar cane and they break off a piece of it, strip the outer core and then they just chomp on it and chomp until they've sucked all of it. Nothing left but pulp.

47:11 - 47:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not go on as a monument of hollowness and sham; confess and forsake your sin so that God can restore the joy of your salvation.

An example of David's sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, his confession, and God's restoration of the joy of his salvation despite temporal judgments. This illustrates that God restores believers who confess and forsake their sin, even after tragic declension.

Read 2 Samuel tonight at your leisure. A whole new offering is sin. And prophet, the prophet is sent. And the words come from David. I have sinned against the Lord. And the prophet says, the Lord hath my sin. Oh, yes. There were some temporal judgments. He says, because of this thing you've given occasion of the enemies to blaspheme, the sword shall not depart from thy house. David had to bear the tragic fruits of that sin. But there were some psalms of joy written after that experience. God did restore unto him the joy of his salvation.

50:56 - 51:35 Read in full sermon