-Without doubt the most important element in prayer is confession of sin.
-”If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”(1John 1:9)
-The original Greek words express continual confession as an essential characteristic of true holiness.
-The forgiveness and cleansing are continual. As the Christian continually confesses, God continually grants pardon and purification.
-But the daily forgiveness Jesus taught us to pray for is a familial forgiveness. It is the remedy for God’s fatherly displeasure when we sin (Heb.12:5-11)
-the forgiveness we seek in our daily walk is not pardon from an angry Judge, but mercy from a grieved Father.
-So the primary feature of confession is agreeing with God that we are helplessly guilty. In fact, the Greek word for confession is homologeo, which literally means “say the same”.
-Confessing our sins therefore means acknowledging that God’s perspective of our transgressions is correct.
-You have not honestly confessed your sins until you have longed to be rid of them.
THE PURPOSE OF CONFESSION
-Confession is a healthy beginning for prayer because it provides a reminder that we do not deserve anything God gives us. A materialistic perspective on prayer gets eliminated when we go before God with the brokenness and the contrite heart of people who confess their sins.
-In Isaiah 66:2 the Lord says, “On this one will I look; on him who is poor and contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
-When any believer confesses his sin, God can chasten (discipline) him without being though of as unfair.
A RIGHT VIEW OF SIN
-First, a right view of sin is the recognition that sin deserves judgment.
-A right view of sin also recognizes an urgent need for cleansing.
-Another crucial part of having a right view of sin is accepting full responsibility for it.
-When we take personal responsibility for our sin, we will advance toward spiritual maturity.
-A right view of sin also recognizes that we sin because it is in our nature to do so.
A RIGHT VIEW OF GOD
-God is not concerned with external behavior but with the thoughts and motives of our hearts.
-David recognized God’s holiness.
-David also referred to God’s authority over sin: “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. “(Ps.51:7)
-David also recognized God’s compassion: “Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.”(Ps.51:8)
-Finally, David understood God’s mercy: “Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities” (Ps.51:9)
A RIGHT VIEW OF SELF
-David understood that he needed to turn from his sin and live a godly life for 3 reasons
-For the sake of sinners
-To glorify God
-For the sake of saints
-Only when we are in a right relationship with God can we intercede for others.
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