Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of 1st John, chapter 1, verse 9. 1st John, 1st John 1, 9. The scripture declares, if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Every person born into this world
is born lost. in trespasses and sins. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. And the penalty of our sin, Scripture
says, for the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now there's a blessed
truth that is declared in God's Word concerning a people everlastingly
loved of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is a truth, a blessed
truth. 2 Corinthians 5, 21. We've read this so often. He hath made him to be sin for
us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. So the Lord Jesus Christ, as
we said in the first message, and the message before that,
and the message before that, and before that, and that, and
that, and Lord willing, forward. Christ came to finish the work
given Him by the Father to save his people justly, according to God's good pleasure,
mercy, compassion, that they might have life in Christ and
be forever with God. Now, concerning those for whom
Christ died, The Holy Spirit has set forth
a glorious truth concerning those sheep, the elect. Here's my first point. I've got
three points. Here's my first point. The promise of God concerning
forgiveness. Here's the promise of God concerning
forgiveness. I just read it. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. Now, souls made alive in Christ
know that they are sinners. They know that they're sinners.
1 John 1 says, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us. They know, according to the Spirit
of God speaking through the Apostle Paul, For I delight in the law
of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity
to the law of sin that is in my members. We perceive by experience the
force It's a law of sin. We know it, we feel it, we experience
it. That force of that inbred corruption
that is working within us. It's a law of sin that is within
every man, every woman born in Adam, but even after conversion. It's still there. The Lord has
put away the debt of our sin, but listen to me. Sin is still
within. That's what the apostle Paul
just said. And not only that, that law of
sin demands obedience. It demands obedience. It's totally opposite to the
law of God That law in which a believer delights. But it is a law of sin that demands
dominance. It's only by the grace of God.
It doesn't dominate. Sin shall no more have dominion
over you. But it demands it. It still demands
it. We're kept by the power of God
through faith and we struggle all the way. We just tore up
all the time. A believer struggles. He sees himself. He knows himself. A believer loves the Lord. He
loves God. He's like, Peter, Lord, you know
all things. You know I love you. You know
I love you. And I'm telling you, he struggles. He struggles. He sees that sin. So here's the promise. to those
made alive in Christ, those who continue to behold the presence
of sin and they grieve over it. If we confess our sins, He's
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness. Now, listen to what I'm saying
and listen to the whole message. Don't let what I'm about to tell
you throw you off and just, you know, but I'm going to tell you
the truth. I'm going to tell you the truth right now. But
listen, because believe me, when I say there's a silver lining
to what I'm about to say, there is a silver lining. But listen
to what I'm going to say. When it says, if we confess,
that is, assent, acknowledge, covenant, we're in complete agreement
If we confess our sins, all of us will confess, I am
a sinner. And that is absolutely true.
But I looked this up to make sure I could back up what I'm
about to tell you. If you want to run the references,
I invite you to do so. I got this, what I'm about to
say right now out of Vimes. That means if we confess, admitting
or declaring oneself guilty of what one is accused. Thayer's concordance says confession
of the committed offense. If we confess our sins He's faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Now that's the promise. The promise
of God. Here's my second point. The problem
concerning my need of confession. Here's the problem. I don't know
what I've done. Now here's the promise. If I will confess Everything
that I have done. Everything I've done. He's faithful and just. And I
mean when I say confess it, I mean confess it with the right heart.
If I confess it, broken before God. He's faithful and just. But I don't know what I've done. Listen to these scriptures. Psalm
73, 22. So foolish was I and ignorant. I was as a beast before thee. Isaiah 59 8, the way of peace
they know not and there is no judgment in their goings. Jeremiah
5.4, Therefore I said, Surely these are poor, they are foolish,
for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of
their God. Amos 3.10, For they know not
to do right, saith the Lord, who store up violence and robbery
in their places. Romans 10.3, for they, that is
the Jews, being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about
to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. Isaiah 1 verses 5 and 6, the
whole head is sick, the whole heart is faint, but from the
sole of the foot, even unto the head, there is no soundness in
it, No, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores, they have
not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
One might say, I could go back and read those again, and then
you could say why I'm saying what I'm about to say. But you
could say, yes, but all those verses refer to men before they
were converted. It refers to them before they
were converted. I'll just read the first one, just so you can
remember. Psalm 73, verse 22, So foolish was I and ignorant
I was as a beast before God. You say, yeah, but that was before
one was converted. Well, let me ask you, my friend, since you were converted, have
you perceived the depth or the height or the breadth of our
daily transgressions? Have we perceived it since then?
Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul. He says, for we know that the
law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin, for that which
I do, I allow. Now you may want to go back and
read it in your Bible. and see what that word allow means. Allow
not, here's what it means. I know not. I don't understand. I don't know my actions. I'm
not aware. I don't perceive the depth of
my rebellion. I'm baffled. I'm bewildered.
This is what he said. We know that the law is spiritual,
but I'm carnal so he was a believer. He's talking about that old man
that's there. I'm carnal, soul to understand.
For that which I do, I don't know. I don't know the depth
of what I'm doing. I don't perceive it. I don't
know where the lines are. That's what I used to tell about
raising kids. You know, we put restrictions
on our kids. They love it because you set the lines. And that's
where security is. I don't even know where the lines
are. I don't understand the depth of what I'm doing. So according
to the Scriptures, man, before and after conversion, he is ignorant
as to the depth of his rebellion. Not only the sins of commission,
what I do, but what I don't do. I don't even know, Mike, what
I should have done. Somebody said to know to do good
and not do it is evil. It's sin. I don't even know what
I didn't do. What was I supposed to do? Well,
you didn't do something. I didn't even know it. I didn't
realize it. I was driving through a little
old town here a couple of years ago. I'd never been there, I just,
Glenda and I were going somewhere, and I was just driving, and when
I came into the town, it was 45 miles per hour. I looked at
my speedometer, and I, you know, I try to stay close. And 45 miles
an hour, and I'm just driving, we're just talking. All of a
sudden, Pat, sign goes right by, end of school zone. End of school zone. I didn't even know I was, I didn't
see it. I didn't see. Gary and I experienced that.
We were going to Louisiana one day. Going through a little old
town in Louisiana. Waterproof Louisiana. All of a sudden, we get pulled
over. We had no idea that we'd gone through a little old reduction
of the speed limit from what we were doing down to about 20
miles an hour less than what it was. I didn't see it. He didn't see it. We just didn't
know. But you know what? Guilty. I didn't know. So if I confess
my sins, everything of which I'm accused, If I confess my sins, He's faithful
and just to forgive us our sins. He cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
But I don't know what I've done. Here's my third point. The prayer
of confession that is accepted before God for my complete forgiveness. Now as we consider this situation
of our need of confession for forgiveness, and our desperate
ignorance of the reality of the depth of our sin, we rejoice,
God's people rejoice in the revelation of the intercession of the great
high priest before God. I think about that scripture
on the day of the Lord's crucifixion and there were those that were
there wagging their heads and you know, You know, he saved
others himself. He can't save. If y'all be with
Christ, come down, we'll believe you. You know, mocking him. And
the Lord said in Luke 23, 34, Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do. Forgive them. They know not.
Obviously, there were some sheep that were in that crowd that
was yet to be called out of darkness, and the Lord was praying for
them. Because He said in John 17, 6,
I've manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest to
me out of the world. Thine they were, and Thou gavest
them Me, and they've kept Thy word. I pray, I ask, I request,
I entreat, I beseech, For them, I pray for them, for their benefit,
for their advantage. I pray not for the world, but
for those that thou has given me out of the world, for they
are thine. Father, forgive them. Father,
forgive them. They don't know what they're
doing. I think right now, here's a group of believers sitting
in this room right here, and we don't even know what we're
doing. We don't realize it. We're wanting to worship. We
don't realize that we don't know the depth of our rebellion. Our
minds have wandered. We're so flighty. Oh, the wonder of the One who
has everlastingly loved us and stood for us and lived for us
and died for us, that He prays for us. That He prays for us,
makes intercession for us. Sheep that don't even know what
to pray, but need to pray. Romans 8, 26 says this concerning
intercession. It talks about the intercessory
work of the Spirit of God. Romans 8.26, likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. What he's saying
is the Spirit of God lays hold to bear our trials and troubles
and comes to our aid in our weakness and pleads in our and for our
behalf before the throne of God with groanings unspeakable, yearnings too deep for utterance. Though the Spirit of God, the
Scripture says, makes intercession for us, but also does the Word
reveal the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as He makes intercession
for us. We've read this before. Turn
to Revelation 8. Revelation 8. I want you to look
at it. Revelation 8, verses 1 to 4. Revelation 8, verses 1 to 4. And when He had opened the seventh
seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels, which
stood before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. And
another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden
censer. And there was given unto him
much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of
all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne. And
the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the
saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand." Now,
here the scripture sets forth that the seventh seal was open
and there was silence in heaven. That silence that reveals the
respect that all in heaven possess for the Lord of Glory. Silence
and adoration for the Master. That's the effect of the solemn
work of God's Spirit. in the heart of His people. Seven
angels with seven trumpets. Trumpets that would give the
distinct sound of jubilee and liberation and freedom from those
sealed objects of God's mercy, but also give the distinct sound
of God's judgment and wrath upon the wicked. And in the midst
of that solemn announcement of those trumpets being blown, Here
stands the Lord Jesus Christ, the intercessor, that great high
priest of the people of God. And he stands at the altar of
incense, that golden altar that stood in the holy of holies in
the wilderness, that stood just before the veil that would be
into the holy of holies. And that altar, that set forth
the inaccessory office, that golden altar of incense, that
altar of incense, that set forth the inaccessory office of the
Lord Jesus Christ, the great high priest, that golden censer
set forth and it represents the merit and the obedience of the
Son. And it was by the Father's obedient
servant The Lord Jesus Himself, that God was honored and glorified
and satisfied with His life and with His death. And so here's
that golden altar of incense, and all that He did, all that
He is, all that He accomplished, that incense that was put upon
those coals on that altar and that smoke that went up, that's
the smoke of the merit. of His precious blood. And so
here now, in Revelation 8, here's another angel that came and he
stood before the altar of golden censure. And there was given
unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers
of all saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne.
And now as he intercedes for his people, As he prays for them,
interceding for them, he takes the prayers of his saints. Neil,
I don't even know what to pray. I don't know what to say. I try to pray for you, I don't
know how to pray for you. I told you before, in my mind
I go down, you know. You're always sitting right there,
David, in my mind. Mitch, Nancy, Mark, all of you. That's the only way I can remember
where you are. And I'm trying to pray and I'm
thinking, I don't even know how to pray for you. I don't know
what to ask. I don't know the depth of what
I've done. I don't know what I should have done. And here
he is now, the great high priest, as he perfumes heaven and he
offers up the prayers of his people that they didn't even
know what to say. And He takes the prayers and
He presents them before the throne of God in the incense and the
merit, as I said, of His precious blood. And He offers them and
God accepts them. And here we are. Here we are
struggling servants of Jehovah, heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ. Sinners, yes, saved by the grace
of God and washed in the blood of the Lamb. And the Scripture
declares that there is now therefore no condemnation to them that
be in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit. But while we're walking in this
world, we're still spiritual Mephibosheths, helpless, lame
on both our feet. And without Him, we can do nothing. Always in need of being seated
at the table of the King and to feast upon Him who is our
heavenly bread. Always in need of continually
having our sins confessed, kneading our feet, our walk, washed by
His precious Word. Confessing. Let me close by saying
this. What is it truly to confess our
sins? Turn with me to Leviticus 16.21. How are our sins confessed? I know we all struggle trying
to, you know, Lord forgive me, we just happen to think of something.
You know, we thought of something that kind of stood out to us,
but here, we don't know. We don't know. Leviticus 16.21. on the Day of Atonement. And
Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat,
and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of
Israel, and all their transgressions, and all their sins, putting them
upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand
of a fit man into the wilderness. As the high priest under the
law, Aaron would lay his hands upon the scapegoat. There was
two goats. One goat would be slain and sacrificed
on the altar, the other one would have his sins confessed over
that goat, and it was a scapegoat, and he was taken away. And Aaron
would confess all the sins. upon the scapegoat. And he would confess all the
transgressions. And now, here we are, as suffering
saints, struggling, and all of the hope that we've got is that
now by faith, and here's the heart of confession, the confession
of sins that we're not even aware. We by faith lay hold upon Him,
asking Him, beseeching Him to confess the evil of our sins
before the throne and to do so in the merit of His own glorious
shed blood. I don't know what to ask for. But since He knows Every infraction,
every sin of commission and omission, He knows every one of them, Mark,
and if He knows every one of them. And He asks, in the merit
of His own blood, if He asks for God Almighty to forgive us,
Confessing all of them. He knows all of them. All of
them are confessed. Every one of them confessed.
He confesses all of our sins as our great high priest and
does so in his own merit. We have confidence that Almighty
God forgives us of all of our sins. All of them. Every one of them. Have every
one of the sins of God's people been confessed? Every one of
them. Every one of them. Not one infraction left out. Now with that thought, I want
you to turn with me to a passage of scripture and I'll end with
this. That is, without a doubt, now
you listen. Without a doubt, they are the
words of a broken sinner. They are the words of a broken
sinner. One just like God. One born in Adam that was made
aware of his iniquity and one that was truly confessing his
sins before God. One that needed though his confession
to be presented in the merit of the high priest before God. And I want you to turn with me
to Psalm 51. And as we read, I'm going to read this, I'm going
to read Psalm 51. And as we read Psalm 51, I want
you to understand something. That our Lord who was made sin
for His people, He was made sin, He bore what they, He became
what they are, what we are, what all of us, all of God's people,
He became what we are. And I want you to listen. You
say, well these are the words of David. Okay, I'm with you, I'm with
you. But I tell you what, I could say the words of Marvin, I could
confess what I know to do, and I don't know what all to confess.
But I want you to listen to these words from Him who loved us,
Him who has made sin for us, One who has made what we are. Here is the words ultimately
of the Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of his people and asking in holiness,
holiness, righteousness, one that's worthy to be heard in
his own merit and God Almighty, for Christ's sake, does for God's
people what only the Lord could accomplish. Listen to these words.
Have mercy upon me, O God. According to thy loving kindness,
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out
my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions
and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest
be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive
me. You say, yeah, but only that
happened to David. Christ was made sin for us. Now here he is bearing our guilt
and confessing what we need to confess. in his merit. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth
in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me
to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall
be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter
than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness,
that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy
face from my sins. Blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me
a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast
me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit
from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I
teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted
unto thee. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God. Thou God of
my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness,
O Lord. Open thou my lips, and my mouth
shall show forth thy praise. For thou desirest not sacrifice,
else I'd give it. Thou delightest not in burnt
offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken
and contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise. Do good in thy good pleasure
unto Zion. Build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
with burnt offering and whole burnt offering. Then shall they
offer bullocks upon thine altar. I would desire to pray like that
and mean it with a pure heart, a sincere, pure heart. But every prayer that I've ever
offered falls so short of worthiness because of what I am. Thanks
be unto God. All of the sins of God's people,
every transgression, every infraction, every one of them has been confessed
before God. And in the merit of the great
high priest, God has forgiven them for Christ's sake. Salvation
is by the grace of God. I pray the Lord bless it to our
heart for His glory and our good. Amen. Gary.