THE ATTITUDE OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2022.

SUBJECT : THE ATTITUDE OF CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS!

Memory verse: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (First John 1 vs 9.)

READ: Mark 11 vs 25 - 26:

11:25: And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 

11:26: But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

INTIMATION:

As imperfect being we are, we are always sinning; knowingly or unknowingly. Therefore, we need to continually be confessing our sins so as to receive forgiveness of our sins from the Lord, occasioning continued fellowship with the Lord. As enumerated in our memory verse, God is so faithful that if we confess our sins, we are assured of His forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness, and our fellowship with Him is restored.

David confessed his sin and prayed, "Cleans me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins (Psalm 19 vs 12 - 13.) Presumptuous sins are the sins we commit unknowingly, or when we take certain things for granted; when we believe that something is true without proof. Most times we end up apologizing for the wrong done unwittingly.

Most believers are plagued by guilt; they may have committed a sin unknowingly, done something good with selfish intentions, failed to put their whole heart into a task, or neglected what they should have done. With an attitude of confession, we will always present ourselves to God as sinners that needs forgiveness. God fully and completely forgives us—even for those sins we do unknowingly.

When our sins are forgiven, we can stand boldly in His presence and make our petition. Therefore, it is to our own advantage that we ask for forgiveness of sins, so that our Heavenly Father can hear our prayers.

The psalmist said in Psalm 66 vs 18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear." When we refuse to repent or when we harbor and cherish certain sins, we place a wall between us and God. We may not be able to remember every sin we have ever committed, but our attitude should be one of confession and obedience. 

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, He made forgiveness the cornerstone of their relationship with God. God has forgiven our sins; we must now forgive those who have wronged us. This is for our own interest because it is upon doing so that God may hear our prayers. 

In the passage we read today, Jesus warned us that whenever we stand to prayer, we must come to Him with a clean heart; loving and iniquity free. Therefore, we should check ourselves to ensure that we don’t have anything against anyone, forgiving and setting everyone who have wronged us free in our heart. In so doing, we would have set a platform for our own forgiveness by God. Jesus gave the  startling warning about forgiveness because when we don't forgive others, we are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God's forgiveness. 

God's forgiveness of sin is not the direct result of our forgiving others, but rather it is based on our realizing what forgiveness means. It is noteworthy that Christ said; "that your Father in heaven 'may' forgive you, not 'must' forgive you. It is easy to ask God for forgiveness, but difficult to grant it to others. Whenever we ask God to forgive us our sins, we should ask ourselves, "Have I forgiven the people who have wronged me?"

The apostle Paul admonished us on forgiveness in Ephesians 4 vs 32, saying, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." He re-emphasized this In Colossians 3 vs 12 - 13, "Therefore, as elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you must do." 

The key to forgiveness is remembering how much God has forgiven you. For most people it is difficult for them to forgive someone who has wronged them a little when God has forgiven them so much. Realizing God's infinite love and forgiveness can help you love and forgive others. God forgives us solely because of His great mercy. As we come to understand His mercy, however, we will want to be like Him. Having received forgiveness, we will pass it to others. Those who are unwilling to forgive has not become one with Christ, who was willing to forgive even those who crucified Him (Luke 23 vs 34). 

To remain unforgiving shows we have not understood that we ourselves deeply need to be forgiven. Because God has forgiven us our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness from others. Realizing how completely Christ has forgiven us should produce a free and generous attitude of forgiveness toward others. When we don't forgive others, we are setting ourselves outside and above Christ's law of love—"Love your neighbor as yourself."

Prayer: Abba Father, Your love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit indwelling us, enabling us to live by His power. May I serve You in complete obedience, trust, true love for You and my neighbor, that I may be at peace with everyone, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!