[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 2nd of August, 2020, at Pilgrim Reformed Church. This was an abbreviated service, also streamed live, due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic. Our YouTube streaming channel is:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg. Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg. Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
In my opinion, it would be difficult to find anyone who proclaimed that Jesus is Lord and the Son of God any more than did the Apostle Paul. Nor can I easily think of anyone who suffered more for his service to the Gospel. Last week I mentioned just some of the ordeals, trials, beatings, and hardships he endured. But no matter what happened to him, Paul never failed to confess that Jesus is Lord. He loudly proclaimed the Gospel everywhere he went and to everyone he encountered.
Such was certainly the case when it came to the church in Rome. It is unlikely that Paul actually founded the church in Rome, but he had every intention of going there and visiting the brethren of that widely known church. And he did indeed finally make it to Rome, but only as a prisoner.
While in Corinth, Paul wrote a letter to those Romans, partly as a form of introduction ahead of his planned visit, and in which he explained justification by faith. Listen and follow along to what Paul wrote about confession in the 10th chapter of his letter to the Romans, verses 1 through 13, and I’ll be reading this from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…
Such was certainly the case when it came to the church in Rome. It is unlikely that Paul actually founded the church in Rome, but he had every intention of going there and visiting the brethren of that widely known church. And he did indeed finally make it to Rome, but only as a prisoner.
While in Corinth, Paul wrote a letter to those Romans, partly as a form of introduction ahead of his planned visit, and in which he explained justification by faith. Listen and follow along to what Paul wrote about confession in the 10th chapter of his letter to the Romans, verses 1 through 13, and I’ll be reading this from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…
1 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with Himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in Him are made right with God.
5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. 6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” 8 In fact, it says,
“The message is very close at hand;
it is on your lips and in your heart.”
And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
--Romans 10:1-13 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, You sent Your Son to Your chosen people of Israel, to offer them salvation first. And Jesus sent Paul first to the Jews, to tell them the Good News and try to get them to believe. But so many refused to accept Jesus as Your Son, the Messiah. Many of the Gentiles did believe, though, and we are blessed to be counted among them. Father, please help us to always proclaim Jesus as Lord, just like Paul did. Help us to be fearless in our confession of faith. Grant us Your strength and the courage to let the world know just what Your Son means to us. And Father, please protect this family from all the effects of the coronavirus and all the troubles of the world around us. Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.
Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us for this day. Show us how to let others know about our Lord Jesus. Help us take guidance, strength, and encouragement from Your Holy Spirit within us. This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Four preachers met for a friendly meal. During conversation one preacher said, "Our people come to us and pour out their hearts, confessing certain sins and needs to us. Let's do the same. Confession is good for the soul." In due time all agreed. One confessed he liked to go to movies and would sneak off when away from his church. The second confessed to a fondness for smoking cigars and the third one confessed that he liked to play cards. When it came to the fourth one, he wouldn't open up. The others pressed, him saying, "Come now, we confessed ours. What is your secret or vice?" Finally he answered, "My vice is gossiping, and I can hardly wait to get out of here."
Confession is good for the soul. I bet you’ve all heard that somewhere along the line. It usually implies admitting to a sin or some other wrongful act. And indeed, that’s part of the dictionary definition for the verb “confess”. But another part is simply to admit something as true, to own up to the truth. When we confess to doing something wrong, we admit to the truth of our deed.
That word “confession” often brings two images to mind. One is the repentant person in the confession booth of a Catholic church seeking absolution of their sin from the priest. And the other is the person arrested for a crime, finally admitting to their guilt, with the detective saying, “OK, it’s time to ‘fess up”. Our little story had elements of both. But there is another act of confession I’d like to look at this morning that also deals with admitting the truth.
God knows everything we’ve ever done and will ever do, so our confession of wrongdoing is not for His benefit, but for ours, so that we will realize and acknowledge that we’ve done something He does not approve of. This type of confession does not of itself save our eternal soul, but it does show that we believe in God and are trying to be better in His eyes. Which leads to the confession I’m talking about.
Paul explains it quite clearly, I think, in verses 9, 10, and 13 of our scripture reading: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” By admitting the truth, by openly confessing that Jesus is Lord, we are assured of our salvation.
One synonym for “to confess” is “to profess”. You may have heard our Apostles’ Creed referred to as our profession of faith. When we profess our faith, we openly declare it, affirm it, acknowledge it for anyone to hear. This is the confession Paul writes of, and not only to the Romans, but also to his young protégé. In his 1st letter to Timothy, chapter 6, verses 11 through 14, Paul writes…
1 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing...
--1 Timothy 6:11-14 (NKJV)
Paul said that our heartfelt confession of Jesus assures our salvation. Jesus confirms this and takes it a bit further. In chapter 10 of his Gospel account, verses 32 and 33, the Apostle Matthew records Jesus saying...
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
--Matthew 10:32-33 (NKJV)
Sadly, too many people fall in that second category, denying Jesus in their actions and words, refusing to accept Him in their hearts and in their spoken words. And this is why we need to openly confess our belief, so that they might somehow listen and give the Holy Spirit an opening to show them the truth.
Remember that Paul said we must truly believe in our hearts that which we confess about Jesus. It isn’t enough just to give lip service. We must truly believe what we are confessing. And we must hold tight to that belief, that confession, no matter what we may be facing. After all, Jesus knows what we are going through. He endured much of the same, and so much more, during His time on earth as one of us. The author of the letter to the Hebrews put it like this, in chapter 4, verses 14 through 16...
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
--Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV)
In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, our Master, the one true Son of God. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, thank You for sending Your Son to us as one of us, so that He could better sympathize with our own human frailties and weaknesses. Thank You for allowing us to believe in Him and accept Him as our Lord. Thank You for the faith You give us. Help us, please Father, to not only hold fast to our faith, but to also profess before others, with the prayer that they too may be led to believe. Help us be strong and courageous in our confession and our witness to Jesus as Christ. And Father, help us be more trusting, more loving, more merciful, and more kindhearted toward others in our daily walk.
Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You straight from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help to do so…
Lord Jesus, You command us to love one another and to make disciples, more followers of You and Your truth. One way we show our love is in helping others to find their way to You, in making disciples. And one way we can make disciples is by confessing You as our Lord. Our public profession can make a huge difference in the eternal life of another. Help us, please Lord, to boldly proclaim that You are the Son of God, and to let others know that You are our Master and our Savior. Give us courage and strength in our confession no matter our circumstance. And Lord Jesus, please stop the conflicts in our society. Heal the divisions that creep in and separate us, even within Your church family. Help us to love one another as You love us, to see one another as You see us. Help us remain faithful and obedient through these troubling times, concerned more with the needs of others than with our own wants and desires. This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior. Amen.
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