[1 John Series 3] CleansedSample

Three confessions

Let’s talk today about one more notch of confession. There is a confession to God that is unto salvation, a confession to continue the relationship with Him, and a confession to other people. 

How does a person become a Christian? You confess with your mouth that you aren’t in charge of your life anymore, and now Jesus Christ is in charge. Have you declared this to the Lord?

“Lord, I know that I have sinned. I know that I have done things wrong. Jesus, I know that you are the Savior. It is not going to church, doing the right thing, or my willpower that is going to do it. I need a savior. I need Your blood to wash me clean. I want to confess to You I’m a sinner. I’ve done wrong. I have wronged You, God. In faith, I place my life in Your hands. I trust You to be my Savior. Wash me clean of my sins. God, save me. I want my heart to be changed.”

Your only hope for forgiveness of sins is the resurrection and the cross. If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, then you will be saved.

We also confess to God and to our fellow humans in order to restore and keep existing relationships so that they can continue with nothing coming in between. 

Let me give you an example. You wake up one morning a little grumpy. You get to the office and you just decide to let everybody else have it. What you have to do is go back in your office to say, “Lord, forgive me that I have been grumpy. Help me to not be grumpy.” Then you walk out of your office and say, “I’m sorry that I was grumpy.” You began to throw it out horizontally because you didn’t get it straight first vertically. There has to be times in our lives when we say, “Lord, right now, I’m feeling angry (or greedy, lustful, jealous) and I want to confess it to You before I take it out on anybody else. I want to ask You to give me the strength not to make a mess.”

There is one confession unto salvation when you become a Christian, one to continue that relationship, and one to make things right with others. Confession makes all the difference.