Necessity of Confession of Sins

In this part of the sermon: The sermon begins by reviewing the ongoing series on private means of grace, specifically private prayer. It re-establishes the duty and privilege of secret prayer and introduces…

The various kinds of prayer (intercession, supplication, petition, adoration, worship, confession, humiliation) are likened to slices of a pie, emphasizing that believers are responsible to engage in all kinds of prayer.

We took that circle as the pie in the various slices as the kinds of prayer, and we established from the word of God that we are responsible to engage in all kinds of prayer. And then, thirdly, we've sought to define or describe the various kinds of prayer warranted by the word of God. And I have suggested that a practical way, certainly not the only way or any inspired way, but simply a practical teaching device, by which to collate and gather together these various kinds of prayer, intercession, supplication, petition, adoration, worship, confession, humiliation, is to think in terms of thre...

1:30 - 2:45 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The sermon begins by reviewing the ongoing series on private means of grace, specifically private prayer. It re-establishes the duty and privilege of secret prayer and introduces…

Prayer is described in terms of three dimensions of hand activity: hands full (worship), hands defiled (confession), and hands empty (receiving), serving as a practical teaching device to categorize prayer types.

We took that circle as the pie in the various slices as the kinds of prayer, and we established from the word of God that we are responsible to engage in all kinds of prayer. And then, thirdly, we've sought to define or describe the various kinds of prayer warranted by the word of God. And I have suggested that a practical way, certainly not the only way or any inspired way, but simply a practical teaching device, by which to collate and gather together these various kinds of prayer, intercession, supplication, petition, adoration, worship, confession, humiliation, is to think in terms of thre...

1:30 - 2:45 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Can there be contrition without confession? Of course not. No, the very essence or almost of the essence of contrition is the conscious acknowledgement of my sin.

The incident of Christ washing the disciples' feet (John 13) is used as an analogy for the continual necessity of spiritual cleansing through confession, even after being 'bathed' (justified).

Jim, I think that is raised up next, and then back to you, Paul. John, chapter 13, you have the incident recorded of Christ washing the feet of the disciples. It's symbolical of the washing, the spiritual washing that we receive from Christ through his marriage, through his blood. And you make the statement there, in verse 10, Jesus says to him, He that is bathed, he is not saved to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.

10:26 - 11:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Welcome the ministry of your conscience, allowing it to condemn you when you depart from God's law, but also learn to regulate it according to the Word of God.

Conscience is personified as a 'little nagging critter' or 'the worm and the gourd of all our sinful pleasures' before conversion, which Christians learn to welcome and regulate after conversion, highlighting its role in prompting confession.

I think it's in the same second area that Noel has spoken to, in that if one of the marks of regeneration is this desire to walk before God in the light of His law, then every time we depart from that law, conscience condemns. And we no longer sit down now and tell conscience he's all wrong and rationalize with him and debate with him and spit in his eye. We welcome his ministry. Before we're saved, we don't welcome. If there's one person on the face of the earth we'd love to kill and bury him and forever put him out of sight, it's this little nagging critter called conscience. Because he's th...

36:18 - 37:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Continually load your conscience with the awful reality of the defiling, crippling, polluting, and fellowship-breaking influence of sin, especially when being tempted.

John Owen's concept of 'loading our consciences continually' with the defiling, crippling influence of sin is quoted to emphasize the need to recognize sin's true cost beyond its immediate pleasure, especially when tempted.

unto me the joy of thy salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit. Do you see where the predominant emphasis is? Upon the defiling, crippling influence of sin in David, experimentally as a man of God. And he's confessing his sin and pleading with God to cancel those crippling effects. And this is one of the things that we need to use the language of John Owen, with which we need to load our consciences continually. That is the defiling, crippling influence of sin, even in us as believers. When we're being tempted to sin, there is but one proposition presented to the mind by the tempter. And wh...

43:12 - 43:54 Read in full sermon

The point: Continually load your conscience with the awful reality of the defiling, crippling, polluting, and fellowship-breaking influence of sin, especially when being tempted.

Sin is metaphorically described as always presenting 'the pretty side of its face' during temptation, but believers must 'grab it and turn it this way and see all the pus and the ugly sores on the other side' to recognize its defiling and crippling effects.

And to use the words of John Owen, we need to load our consciences with the awful reality of what every sin will bring to us. It's crippling, it's defiling, it's polluting, it's fellowship-breaking power. And we need to look that sin in the face and say, you have shown me the pretty side of your face. And grab it and turn it this way and see all the pus and the ugly sores on the other side.

44:14 - 44:40 Read in full sermon