December 23, 2021 -- I John 1:9-10 -- Powerful Confession

People loved by the Father, by the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
I John 1:9-10 ESV

Listening to a sermon by Sinclair Ferguson on this very passage made me chuckle. Let me explain. Early in his ministry, after preaching on this text, he’d spoken with a woman who claimed she had not sinned for the previous couple of years. Ferguson, noting he was then a young preacher and a bit mischievous, questioned her slightly taunting and slightly mocking her. She was angry. She was unkind in her words. Her very language proved she was making God out to be a liar, as if the word is not true. Yet she felt justified in her anger because she was putting a young preacher in his place. We have sinned. We may be adept at hiding it from others, or even in deceiving ourselves, but in the times of quiet, our conscience can convict us.

What a great promise John points out, the blessing given in Jesus Christ: confess your sins and He, your Father, will cleanse you by the blood of Jesus Christ. Do not cut yourself off from this great blessing. As soon as you are aware of your sin, confess it—plunge yourself into the healing streams of God’s mercy.

Man A Nothing

O LORD,
I am a shell full of dust,
   but animated with an invisible rational soul
   and made anew by an unseen power of grace;
Yet I am no rare object of valuable price,
   but one that has nothing and is nothing,
   although chosen of thee from eternity,
   given to Christ, and born again;
I am deeply convinced
   of the evil and misery of a sinful state,
   of the vanity of creatures,
   but also of the sufficiency of Christ.
When thou wouldst guide me I control myself,
When thou wouldst be sovereign I rule myself.
When thou wouldst take care of me I suffice myself.
When I should depend on thy providings I supply myself,
When I should submit to thy providence I follow my will,
When I should study, love, honour, trust thee, I serve myself;
I fault and correct thy laws to suit myself,
Instead of thee I look to a man’s approbation,
   and am by nature an idolater.
Lord, it is my chief design to bring my heart back to thee
Convince me that I cannot be my own God,
   or make myself happy,
   nor my own Christ to restore my joy,
   nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, rule me.
Help me to see that grace does this by providential affliction,
   for when my credit is good thou dost cast me lower,
   when riches are my idol thou dost wing them away,
   when pleasure is my all thou dost turn it into bitterness.
Take away my roving eye, curious ear,   
   greedy appetite, lustful heart;
   show me that none of these things
     can heal a wounded conscience,
     or support a tottering frame,
     or uphold a departing spirit.
then take me to the cross
     and leave me there.
“A Man of Nothing” Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers and Devotions. Ed: A. Bennett; Carlisle: PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 2020, page 166

https://youtu.be/NNbe9sthLz4

Copyright © 2021 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.