Psalm 32:5 & Romans
In the name of Christ Jesus, dear members of
the confirmation class of 2003:
English can be a funny and sometimes frustrating language. We have been taught to obey the rules of grammar, but there always seem to be exceptions to those rules. “I” before “E”…except after “C” for example. And it’s not just the rules that don’t always make sense. Sometimes it’s just as difficult to understand the words themselves. There are even some words that, depending on the context, can take on opposite meanings.
Take the verb, “to cleave.” The first entry for that word in my dictionary is “to split or separate, as with an ax.” That seems pretty straightforward, right? Now listen to the next entry for the same word: “to adhere, cling or stick fast.” So which is it? Does it mean to push things apart or to keep them together?
We come across a similar term in the two verses chosen for your confirmation sermon. Both King David and the apostle Paul use a word that is translated, “confess” in our Bibles. It’s the same word in English, but it can and does take on a couple of very different meanings.
By confession, David meant an acknowledgment of guilt. By confession, Paul meant a statement of belief. By confession, David meant an admission of wrongdoing. By confession, Paul meant a declaration of what a person believes to be good and right and true.
So who is right? And which use is the correct use of the word? It’s really not a matter of right or wrong. Both definitions are acceptable. Both definitions play a role in the life of a Christian. And both meanings have a special relevance on a day like today.
Every Sunday we confess our sins to God. Today nineteen of you will take your sins to the Lord’s altar for the first time and receive forgiveness in Holy Communion. Only a few moments ago we confessed our faith as a congregation in the words of the Nicene Creed. Later today the nineteen of you will stand and publicly confess your faith in God.
That’s a good thing, not just for your family and friends who have come here today, not just for the members of St. John’s who are here today, but for you. Let’s spend the next few minutes talking about the personal benefits and blessings of confession. And if you remember nothing else from the sermon today, I want to you remember this:
CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL
I. Confess your sins to God
So why are you
wearing those white gowns today? Is that
just what you are supposed to do on confirmation? Do they make this special day a little more
special? Or is there some other
significance, maybe some symbolism involved?
White is a symbol of
purity. White is a symbol of
holiness. And the white robe you are
wearing is a visible reminder that each one of you is holy. Isaiah picked up on this imagery when he
wrote: “I delight greatly in the
Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he
has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of
righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).
You are righteous in
the eyes of God. You are holy because
God has made you holy. But the very fact
that the Lord has covered you with the robes of his righteousness means that
there was something that needed to be covered in the first place.
When something goes
wrong, when you get yourself into trouble, whose fault is it? For teenagers parents make for an easy
target. I am not trying to encourage
this kind of behavior in every situation, but fathers and mothers do deserve
some of the blame.
Every one of you is
sinful because you were born to sinful parents. This original or inherited sin
is enough to condemn you by itself, but it is only the beginning of a perpetual
cycle. Sin gives birth to more sin. Sinful thoughts breed sinful words and
actions. Sin makes you look anything but
white and clean and pure.
It is one thing to
acknowledge that we are sinful. Very few
people will insist that they are perfect.
It is another matter entirely to figure out how to deal with the sin in
our lives. Let’s look at some of the
options.
I suppose that you
could try your hardest to avoid sin altogether.
I suppose that you could try your best to make good decisions. I suppose that you could strive for
perfection, but how good is good enough?
God says that if we slip up just once it is no different than if we
rebel against him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
If that doesn’t
work, I suppose that you could associate with people who are really, really
bad. Maybe if God is distracted by the
mountain of transgressions of the person next to you he won’t notice your neat
little pile of misdeeds in the corner.
The problem with that is even if you can find someone who is worse than
you are, there will always be someone who can say the same thing about you.
We can minimize
sin. We can rationalize sin. We can ignore sin. We can excuse sin. The only thing we can’t do with our sin is to
make it go away. But God can. God forgives sin. And that is the beauty of confession.
After King David had
tried to go his own way, after every other way turned out to be a dead end, the
Lord brought him to his knees. With his
bones wasting away, with his strength sapped, with nowhere else to turn, David
turned to the Lord: “Then I
acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to
the Lord’—and you forgave the guilt of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).
James Pennebaker is
a researcher who has studied the health benefits of confession. He recounts the story of one miserable man
who embezzled money from the bank where he worked. He was tormented by guilt for six months,
during which time he suffered from a steady stream of colds, flus and other
maladies.
When the bank worker
was finally called in to take a lie detector test, he immediately confessed to
the crime. For the first time in months
he felt relaxed and at peace, even though his confession meant that he would
likely go to prison.
James Pennebaker’s
findings led him to conclude that the act of confession is good for the
body. Physical health may a side benefit
of confession, but it is not the only benefit.
God wants us to remember that confession has eternal benefits for the
soul.
The devil would like
nothing more than for you to forsake the vows that you will make today. The world would like nothing more than to
drag you down because misery loves company.
And your sinful flesh is ready and willing to go along with whatever
they decide.
When you sin (and I
say when because it will happen), don’t make excuses. When you go down the wrong path, don’t blame
it on someone else. When you mess up,
don’t throw up your hands in despair.
Confess. Confess your sins to
God. Read his words of reassurance. Receive his body and blood for
forgiveness. Rejoice because he bled and
died to take away your sin.
God’s gift of
forgiveness makes a person want to confess.
Even though your slate has been wiped clean, even though there is no
need to confess your sins over and over, you can still confess. Confess your faith in God.
What do you want to
be when you grow up? You were probably
asked that question many times when you were younger. As you grow older, as you look ahead to high
school in just a few months, the future is much closer. As you ponder that question, I want you to
include the Lord’s work in your consideration.
But even if you
never preach from a pulpit, even if you never teach a Bible lesson in a
classroom, even if you never share God’s Word in a foreign country, God has
already called you into his service. God
wants you to confess your faith in him because confession is good for your
soul.
Paul wrote: “It is with your heart that you believe and
are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved”
(Romans 10:10). In a few minutes you will pledge your undying
allegiance to God and his Word. In a few
minutes, you will tell everyone here that God is the number one priority in
your life. That’s serious stuff. That’s nothing to be taken lightly.
If you are feeling
uneasy, if you are worried that you won’t be able to live up to your promises,
remember that your salvation doesn’t depend on your confession. Your salvation depends on God. He gives you the faith to believe. He gives you the power to confess. He gives you the ability to put your words
into action. And when you do, confession
is not only good for your own soul. Your
confession is good for the souls of others.
Christian education
is a blessing, but sooner or later you are going to be on your own. As a Christian, you might find yourself in
the minority. As a Christian, you might
be faced with difficult decisions: Do I do the easy thing, or do I do the right
thing? Do I let my light shine, or do I
hide it under a bushel?
When God allows your
faith to be tested, he is not punishing you.
Think of it as an opportunity.
Consider it an opportunity to preach a sermon without saying a word. Consider it an opportunity to give the reason
for the hope that you have. When you let
your light shine, when you speak the truth in love, you confess your faith in
God. He promises that your actions will
not go unnoticed and that your words will make an impact.
All of this talk
about confession this morning reminds me of a passage from I Timothy. Paul the experienced pastor is encouraging
Timothy, his young friend and co-worker, to stand firm in the faith. Because this is Confirmation Sunday, because
I want to encourage you to stand firm in the faith, I would like to close with
Paul’s words (modified slightly to fit the occasion):
But you, (young men and women) of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called (as you make) your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of
Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good
confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own
time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who
alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen
or can see. To him be honor and might
forever. Amen (I Timothy