Groups Discussion Guide

Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.

Pastor Justin Jenkins

I Need to Confess

Scripture

Psalm 24:3-4 (GW)

Who may go up the Lord’s mountain? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart and does not long for what is false or lie when he is under oath.

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Main Idea

Many people haven’t thought a lot about confession. But Martin Luther once said, “If you are Christian, you should be glad to embrace the opportunity for confession.” There is power to confession, as we’ll discuss today.

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Confession is about getting freedom.

Discussion Questions

How did you think about confession prior to this sermon? How has your understanding changed?
In today's sermon, Pastor Justin discussed two ways of viewing confession that can be an obstacle to people. What are these "ditches" that people fall into when it comes to confession?
Is there a time where confession has brought healing to your life?

Summary

Confession is agreement with God. The most fundamental confession we see in scripture is the confession of Jesus’s Lordship. (See Romans 10:9 ESV) Confession follows revelation. Paul told Timothy, “Fight the good fight for the faith, take hold of eternal life that you were called to and have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12 HCSB) I recommend declaring God’s word during your prayers. Not as a way to manifest something, but setting yourself in alignment with something God has already said.
Identity and formality. A second type of confession, and one we’re all likely less familiar with (or might avoid), is this sacrament: acknowledging God’s holiness and agreeing with his verdict concerning our unrighteousness. There are two ditches that people often fall into concerning confession: an identity focus and a formality focus. Too much focus on identity, on a person being made new in Christ, leads some people/churches to believe that dwelling on sin is counterproductive. The flip side is too much focus on formality, and confession becomes a routine rather than relationship. When confession is seen as a requirement to stay on God’s good side, you’re always working to be saved rather than resting in God’s grace. What so many miss, though, is that when you confess, it’s the channel by which God’s grace comes into your life. It’s about restoration, not condemnation. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NIV)
What you keep hidden isn’t healthy. When you hide your sin, it grows. It festers. Confession is a means of bringing it out into the open to deal with it. “You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up, then God will show mercy to you.” (Proverbs 28:13 GNT) So then, confession is a success hack. If you want to succeed, you need to bring things out into the open. Keeping things secret gives them power over you. We all fall short, and the reason so many people are so judgmental is because we’re not honest and open with our own sins. What is concealed can’t be healed. “Lord, I prayed to You again and again, but I did not talk about my sins. So I only became weaker and more miserable. But then I decided to confess my sins to the Lord. I stopped hiding my guilt and told You about my sins. And You forgave them all! Selah (Psalm 32:3, 5 ERV) Make room for repentance, make room for cleansing. Stop hiding your guilt. (See James 5:16 NIV)
I confess my sins to God to be forgiven, but I confess my sins to people to be healed. Confession is our opportunity to get free from what has a hold in our lives. You can and should go directly to God with confessions in prayer, but there can be value to going to a spiritual authority (like a parent, spouse, trusted friend, pastor) when struggling with a chronic issue.

Take Action

Visit vel.city/confession to access our Confession Guide. It provides a prayer and questions to lead you on your own confession journey. Can you try it this week? Can you commit to using it once a week?

Announcements

Next week starts our new service times. Beginning February 23, our Sunday service times will be 8:30am, 10:00am, and 11:30am.
February 23 is Bring a Friend day! Who can you invite to church?
Our next Legacy Social will be February 25 from 11:30am to 1:00pm.