Life Prayers - Confessing Sin

Sermon from CCM Ladybarn

LISTEN

This sermon was preached by Mike Knight at the Ladybarn site of Christ Church Manchester on Sunday 31st March 2019.

SERIES

This message was part of the ‘SERIES NAME’ series, preached at Christ Church Manchester’s church in Withington in EARLY/MID/LATE YEAR. The full series included the following sermons:

BIBLE VERSES

This sermon was based on Daniel 9:1-20.

Daniel’s Prayer for his People

1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

3Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16“O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

KEY POINTS

What is Confession?

Confession is two things: admitting that you have sinned, and asking for forgiveness.
Daniel describes different ways in which he and God’s people have sinned – “we have been wicked, we have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws, we have not listened to your servants the prophets.”
Daniel admits his sin and he turns to God for forgiveness.

Why is it Important?

It’s important because of the reality of the problem of sin.
Daniel knows that a holy God, and a corrupt and sinful people does not go together. Daniel sees that more than anything else in this moment he and God’s people need forgiveness, they need restoration and redemption in their relationship with God.
As Christians we know freedom from sin and forgiveness through Jesus, and his ultimate sacrifice for us on the cross. Jesus, on the cross, crying out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”, experienced the separation from God that should be ours.

What Does it Mean for me Now?

God has dealt with my sin. So why do I need to continue to confess sin? Is there a list that builds up over time and I need to make sure I confess every thing I do wrong to be right with God?
as a Christian confession is not about our position before God as righteous or unrighteous, it is about relationship. To understand why confession is a vital part of the Christian walk we need to understand sin.
Sin isn’t only bad for us if God judges us for it, sin is always bad for us. Yes, we will one day be totally free from the effects of sin, but for now we live in a broken world where we encounter sin, both individually and in the world around us. We can often see sin as a solely spiritual thing, where if I sin, God won’t be happy and it will affect my standing with him. But sin is a poison that destroys, and can have a dramatic effect on us now.
Confession is a tool that God graciously gives us to help us stop sinning.

MORE SERMONS

To see more sermons from Christ Church Manchester, you can visit our sermons page, or why not consider subscribing on iTunes.