What Is It to Confess Christ?

Q: What does the Bible say about confessing Christ?

The Bible teaches that confessing Christ means openly acknowledging Him as Lord and Savior. To confess Christ is to openly acknowledge Him as the Lord and Savior, as stated in Matthew 10:32-33, where Jesus emphasizes the importance of confessing Him before others. This confession is not merely a verbal acknowledgment but an affirmation of faith grounded in the heart. Romans 10:9 further clarifies that if one confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in their heart that God raised Him from the dead, they shall be saved. This underscores the necessity of a genuine faith that manifests itself in public acknowledgment of Christ.

Q: How do we know Jesus is our Lord?

We know Jesus is our Lord through heartfelt belief and open confession. Knowing Jesus as our Lord begins with an internal conviction in the heart, as Paul explains in Romans 10:9, where he states that one must believe in the heart for salvation, followed by confessing with the mouth. This acknowledgment cannot be merely superficial; it must arise from a deep-seated faith that recognizes Christ’s lordship over our lives. As we confess Him publicly, we demonstrate our faith and allegiance to Him as both Savior and Lord, affirming all that He represents and has accomplished.

Q: Why is baptism important for Christians?

Baptism is an outward confession of an inward faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism is significant for Christians because it serves as a public declaration of faith in Christ, symbolizing one's identification with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. The New Testament records numerous instances where new believers were baptized as an act of obedience and confession—showing their commitment to follow Christ. Matthew 28:19 commands believers to baptize followers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, illustrating its importance as a foundational act of Christian obedience that reflects inward faith outwardly.

Q: What does it mean to be identified with the church?

Being identified with the church means associating with fellow believers and the body of Christ. Identifying with the church signifies embracing a community of believers who share the same faith in Christ. This relationship is essential for believers, as it extends beyond mere attendance; it involves participation in the life and mission of the church. The early Christians exemplified this by continuing in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, as seen in Acts 2:42. As members of the body of Christ, we are called to support one another, share in worship, and serve together, reflecting the unity and diversity of Christ’s Church.

Q: How can Christians confess Christ daily?

Christians confess Christ daily through their actions, words, and lifestyle choices. Confessing Christ daily involves aligning one's life with the teachings and example of Jesus. This includes how we speak, behave, and engage with others, ensuring our testimonies reflect Christ's character. Paul encourages believers to have their conversations seasoned with grace and to conduct their lives in a manner that glorifies God (Colossians 4:6). Therefore, our daily actions should publicly signify our faith, whether through kindness, integrity, or sharing the gospel, making Christ known in our everyday interactions.

Now, I'm going to speak to you
today on this subject. I want you to listen carefully.
What is it to confess Jesus Christ? Now, that's my subject. And this
message will be on a cassette tape. You listen to it. If you want to order the tape,
we'll tell you about ordering it at the end of the program.
What is it to confess Christ? Now, I have two scriptural texts
for this message. The first one is found in the
book of Matthew, chapter 10, verse 32. In Matthew 10, 32,
our Lord says, Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men,
him shall I confess before my Father which is in heaven. But
whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before
my Father which is in heaven." Now, that's the Master speaking.
And then the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10. Here's my second
text. In Romans 10, verse 9, Paul wrote
these words, "'If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus
Christ to be Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Now, my
question is this, what is it to confess Christ? Christ said,
if you confess Me, if you confess Me, whosoever shall confess Me
before Me, I'll confess him. And Paul said, if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth Jesus to be Lord, and believe in thine
heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Now, here's the question. What is it to confess Christ?
Now, there can be no doubt as to whom we're to confess. The Master said, if you confess
Me. Now, I'm not talking about just
believing there's one God. You say, well, I believe in God.
Well, James wrote this, thou believest there's one God, thou
doest well. The devil also believes there's
one God. This is to confess Christ. He
said, if you confess Me, I'll confess you." He said, you deny
me, I'll deny you. Paul said, if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth Jesus Christ to be Lord. So it's not just to
confess that there's one God. And it's not just to confess
religion. Well, I have religion. Sure, everybody has some type
of religion. And it's not just to confess
the law or even to confess that I'm a sinner. What we're talking
about here is to confess Jesus Christ. That's the subject. We're
to confess Him. If you confess, it's not just
to adopt a religious form or join a church or join a denomination
or pick up religious traditions or go through the forum or celebrate
the holidays or pay your tithe. It's to confess a person. Do
you understand that? If thou shalt confess me, he
said, before men, I'll confess you. But if you deny me, whatever
else you confess, but if you deny me, I'll deny you." Now,
you understand that? We'll move on now. First, it's
to confess Him. This, the whole issue here is
Jesus Christ. Now, what is it about Him that
we're to confess? What are we to confess concerning
Jesus Christ? Paul tells us, he said, if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth, Jesus Christ, to be Lord, your
Lord, ever man's Lord, the Lord of the dead and the living, the
Lord of heaven and earth. Thomas summed it up when he fell
on his knees before the risen Redeemer. He said, My Lord and
my God, my Lord and my God. You know, the angel said when
he announced the birth of Jesus Christ, He said, call His name
Jesus, call His name Jesus, Joshua, Old Testament word Joshua, Savior,
Jehovah, my Savior, for He shall save His people from their sins.
And that same angel said, this is a fulfillment of Isaiah's
prophecy, call His name Immanuel, God with us, Lord God, my Lord
and my God. Now, who is He? Who is he? You remember when Moses went
to the Mount Moriah and God appeared to him in the burning bush and
told Moses that he was sending him down to Egypt to deliver
the people of Israel. And he talked to Moses about
this. Moses had several objections. And finally Moses said, Well,
now, Lord, when they asked me down there who sent me, I go
down there and tell them that the God of of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob sent me down here. And they say, What's his name?
What shall I say? And the Lord replied, Moses,
you tell them, I am hath sent thee. I am that I am. Do you know this is the way the
Lord Jesus Christ identified himself? I'm talking about Jesus
of Nazareth. I'm talking about the one who
lived on the earth and died on the cross, was buried and rose
again. He called himself, I Am, on occasion after occasion, numerous
times. He said, well, they said, you're
not 50 years old. He said, before Abraham was,
I Am. When they came to arrest him
in the garden, you remember the soldier said, we seek Jesus of
Nazareth. He said two words, I Am, and
they fell backward. And again, he said, If you believe
not that I am, you'll die in your sins. In John 7, I am. He said, I am the bread of life. I am the door by me if any man
enter in, he shall be saved. I am the light. I am the good
shepherd. I am the true vine. I am the
way, the truth, and the life. I am the resurrection and the
life. And he that hath seen me, had
seen God. That's what Isaiah said about
Him. Isaiah, prophesying hundreds of years before Jesus of Nazareth
was born on this earth, said, Under us a child is born, under
us a son is given, a child born, a son given. The government shall
be on his shoulders, and thou shalt call his name Wonderful
Counselor the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace." Who is He? Thomas summed it up, my Lord
and my God. Now, we're going to talk about
confessing Christ, but we've got to find out what it is we
confess. Who is He? Now, what did He do? Well, Paul
said He came into the world to save sinners of whom I'm chief. And he said he took upon himself
the likeness of sinful flesh and the habit of a servant and
was made in the likeness of our flesh. It says he was tempted
in all points as we are, yet without sin. It said he bore
our sins in his body on the tree. It says he arose from the grave
victorious over sin and death and hell. Yes. What did He do? He came into this world, born
of a woman, made under the law to redeem sinners. Now, why did
He do this? Why did He do this? This is what
we confess now. We confess. You don't confess
a half of Christ, part Christ, Christ, prophet, priest, and
king, all that He is and all that He has done. Why did He
do this? Well, the Scripture says He did
it that we might be made the righteousness of God. He was
made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God, that we might have in Him the forgiveness of sins,
redemption, that God may be just and justifier, that He might
be Lord of the dead and the living. That's why He did it. It was
the only way. There is no other way. You see,
the law is given to man, and man's got to keep that law if
he has any dealings with God. And justice, the soul that sinneth,
shall surely die. God said, I will in by no means
clear the guilty. So somebody's got to die for
sin. Where is he now? Who is he? My Lord and my God.
What did he do? He became a man, walked this
earth, obeyed God's law, died under God's wrath and justice
for sin. Where is he now? He's seated
at the right hand of the majesty in the heavenlies, the one mediator
between God and man. And Paul rejoiced. He said, who
can condemn me? Who can condemn me? The Christ
has died. Yea, rather is risen again, who
is even at the right hand of God, whoever liveth, whoever
liveth to make intercession for us. You see, my friends, God
the Father appointed him, ordained him, and sent him into the world. As my Father sent me into the
world, so send I you. And the Father said, This is
my beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye Him. And you know the angels, they
worship Him. Let all the angels of God worship
Him, the Hebrew writer wrote. The angels worship Him. They
told the shepherds, unto you is born this day in the city
of David a Savior, Christ the Lord. To him give all the prophets
witness." Abraham, he said, Abraham saw my day. Abraham was glad. He rejoiced to see my day. And
they said, well, we read after Moses. He said, Moses wrote of
me. If you'd have believed Moses, you'd have believed me. Moses
wrote of me. What I'm saying is this is serious
business. If you and I wish to know God,
if we wish to know God, if we wish to worship God, if we wish
to be in the kingdom of God, we'll confess Christ, because
that's the only way. John wrote in I John 5, 20, And
we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding,
that we may know him that is true, And this is the true God,
and this is eternal life. Do you understand how serious
this is? What is it to confess Christ? I don't say you have
to be a scholar or a theologian or know all there is to know
about the Bible, but I'm simply saying if you confess Christ,
you've got to confess the right Christ. You've got to confess
the real Christ. You've got to confess the true
Christ. And know in your heart who He is. Who is it you're confessing? And what did He do? And why did
He do it? Why was this necessary? And where
is He now? It's the true Christ. You see,
my friends, there's no way of knowing God except to know Christ. Now, just perish the thought.
Just banish the thought. You're not going to know God.
How are you going to know God? No man, listen to the scripture,
no man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and He to whom the Son
will reveal Him. The disciples said, Lord, show
us the Father. We'd like to see God. He said,
He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father. There's no way of
knowing God except to know Christ. There's no way of approaching
God except through Christ. Didn't He say that? No man cometh
to the Father but by Me. That's what the Word says. No
man cometh to the Father but by me." There's no way of having
eternal life except in heaven, except in Christ. Scripture says,
this is the record. This is it. God hath given us
eternal life, and this life's in His Son. And he that hath
the Son of God hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God
hath not life. And there's no way, listen to
me, there's no way of having any part in the first resurrection. except in Christ, because he
said, I am the resurrection, I am the life, he that liveth
and believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. All right, now that, now we come
into the answer to the question. Then what is it to confess Christ? How does one confess Christ?
Well, here are four areas. in which those who believe Christ
confess Christ. Now, you remember what I've said.
And if you can't remember what I've said, get a tape and go
over it again because these things are vital, absolutely imperative. Who is he? What Christ am I confessing? Not just a name, a person that
goes by that name, a person. And what he did and why he did
it and where he is, and all the glorious attributes that are
contained in Him. Now, what is it to confess Christ?
Well, first of all, listen, it is first of all to confess Him
in my own heart. There's no need for my mouth
confessing something that I don't believe. That's hypocrisy. So
listen, Paul said, if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus
to be Lord, and watch it now, believe in thine heart that God
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation." My friends, we don't need all of this high-pressure
evangelism and coercion and persuasion that's going on today when preachers
count three and get people to raise their hands and hurry down
the aisle and hurry and make a profession and strike while
the iron's hot, I'll tell you what we need. We need to preach
the gospel, the Word of God, preach Christ Jesus, preach the
gospel of God's grace and glory and wait till the Holy Spirit
reveals it to the heart of the sinner. You see what I'm saying? See, Philip, when God sent him
to preach to the Ethiopian He joined him. He was in that chariot
and he joined him and got up in the chariot and sat beside
him and preached Christ to him. He began at the same scripture
and preached Jesus. And when he finished preaching
to him, he didn't have the eunuch raise his hand or sign a card. He put no pressure on him whatsoever.
In fact, the eunuch asked Philip. They came to a certain body of
water and Philip, the eunuch asked Philip, he said, What does
hinder me from being baptized? May I be baptized?" The preacher
didn't ask him to do it. He asked the preacher to baptize
him. The preacher didn't give him a prayer to pray. This man
asked out of his own soul. He believed with his heart. And
Philip said, all right. He said, I will baptize you if
you believe with all your heart. And he said, I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God, and He baptized Him. Now that, this
is where a true confession of Christ begins, in the heart.
With the heart, man, believe it, the righteousness. See, I
hear the gospel, and I don't need anybody twisting my arm,
I don't need anybody dragging me down the aisle, I don't need
anybody telling me what to say and what to pray and what to
do. I need to hear that gospel and be persuaded and convinced
in my own soul, in my own Spirit in my own heart, the truth of
that gospel. Leave me alone and let me contemplate
and consider and count the cost and allow the Holy Spirit of
God to do what only He can do. I know I'm a sinner, and I know
that I cannot justify myself, and I believe the record that
God had given concerning His Son. I believe that He's the
Christ. I believe those things. And that's
where confession starts. It's, I confess it to myself
and I confess it to God. Now, what's next? To confess
Christ is to follow him in baptism. Now, listen to me. Listen to
me. Our Lord himself was baptized
to fulfill all righteousness. That's right. He went down to
John and John baptized him. And when he came up straightway
out of the water, The Spirit of God descended upon him in
the form of a dove. He commanded his disciples to
preach the gospel and to baptize those that believe. He said,
you go into all the world and make disciples and baptize them
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Those who were
converted at Pentecost, how many, 3,000? They were all baptized
confessing Christ. all through the New Testament.
I could just name them all. The eunuch, Saul of Tarsus, arise
and be baptized. And I said to Lydia, Philippian
jailer, Cornelius, all of these people followed the Lord in baptism.
You see, a confession of Christ, and we go back to what I said,
is to know who He is, be persuaded in your own heart. Don't be baptized
prior to believing He that believeth and is baptized, baptism is not
to confess what I might get someday, it's to confess what has taken
place. Christ died for my sins, was
buried and rose again. Baptism is identification with
Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. And baptism
is a confession that I am crucified with Christ, dead to this world,
buried, and risen to walk in newness of life. And this, the
way to confess Christ, my friend, is not walking an aisle. It doesn't
say in the Bible that we're to walk the aisle. That's, back
then, they didn't even have any aisles to walk. And it's not
raising my hand or signing a card or going to a room and talking
to a professional soul winner. Confessing Christ is to follow
Him in baptism. That's exactly right. Confessing
His death, burial, and His resurrection. and we're buried with Christ
in baptism. Don't confess what you don't
believe. But if you believe in your heart, then confess Christ
in baptism. That's the way to confess Christ.
That's the New Testament way of confessing Christ. That's
the Scripture way of confessing Christ. I'm telling you. I'm
not ordering you to do anything. I'm not even trying to convince
you to do anything. I'm just telling you what Scripture says.
He confessing Christ is following Him in baptism. Thirdly, those
who believe in their hearts that Christ is all that God says He
is, that He's the only Redeemer and Savior, they confess Christ
in this way. They're identified with the church
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's right. They're identified
with the things of Christ on this earth. You see, we're pilgrims
here. We're sojourners. We're walking
through this world. And we confess Christ every day. And especially when we're identified
with His people. If Christ has got a church on
this earth, if I'm one of His own, I'm going to be identified
with it. If the Lord Jesus Christ has a people in my town, I'm
not talking about religious folks. I'm talking about those who know
Christ, preach Christ, love Christ, honor and glorify Christ. If
He's got a people like that in town, I'm going to be identified
with them. If they're persecuted, I want
to be persecuted. If they're blessed by God's presence,
I want to be there when God blesses them with His presence. If God's
got a true preacher in town who's preaching the gospel of God's
grace, those who are confessing Christ will be identified with
that man. I am not confessing Christ if
I refuse to be identified with His true gospel, with His true
church, and with His true people. That's exactly right now. Our
Lord has no secret disciples. Somebody may say, well, I believe
these things, but I don't want to be identified. I don't want
to be called a fanatic. I want to be called a radical.
I don't want to be called... Jesus, shall it ever be, a mortal
man ashamed of Thee, ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise,
whose glories shine through endless days, Paul was in prison for
preaching the gospel. And he wrote to young Timothy,
the young pastor, and he said, Now, Timothy, don't you be ashamed
of the Lord. Don't you be ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, his
prisoner. Yes, sir. You read the book of
Acts, chapter 2, and you'll find these people who were converted
at Pentecost. Listen to what it said about
them. They confessed Christ. They heard the Word. They received
it. They were baptized. They continued
in the Apostles' doctrine, in the truth, in fellowship with
one another, and in prayer, and in breaking of bread. They were
together. They had all things common. They
watched over one another, took care of one another, and saw
that no one lacked or needed. This is the body of Christ. This
is the church. This is the fellowship of true
believers, not just religious social organization. I'm talking
about believers. And they continue steadfastly
in one accord. That's exactly what I've been
saying. What is it to confess Christ? It's to hear the gospel. And you read chapter 2, how that
what Peter talked about the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is, what
He did, why He did it, where He is now, God hath made this
same Jesus, both Lord and Christ. And they heard it. And they received
the Word in their hearts and they were baptized. And they
continued in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship with one another
in breaking of bread and prayers. They were together and they had
all things common. That's the family of God. And
if I wear the name I'm going to associate with the Father
and with the rest of the children. And then last of all, to confess
Christ is to confess Him daily in my walk, in my talk, in my
works. Confessing Christ by letting
my conversation be seasoned with grace and my walk not after the
flesh but after the Spirit. in my conversation, in my behavior,
in my attitude, in my dealings with other people, to adorn the
doctrine of God my Savior and continue in that faith and continue
in that walk until He calls me to go to be with Him. As you
have received Jesus Christ your Lord, so walk ye in Him. You know, the Word of God tells
us, speak those things which become sound doctrine. When you're
carrying on a conversation with your neighbor or with your friends
or with the men you work with, do you sound like a believer?
Do you sound like a child of God? Do you speak those things
that to become sound doctrine? Do you speak those things that
your conversation's seasoned with the grace of God? When you're
walking before people, when you have a business dealing with
somebody, do you treat them like a child of God would treat them?
like the Lord would treat them. Let your light so shine before
men that they can see your good works and glorify your Father
in heaven." And then Paul said to Timothy, adorn the doctrine. Don't just hold to a doctrine,
adorn it, garnish it, beautify it with good works. All right,
what is it to confess Christ? You can have this tape and one
I'll preach next week on why did Christ come to the earth
for $2. We'll mail it to you. Here's
the address on your screen. Write for it. Send $2. We'll
mail it to you. Until next week, may God bless
you, everyone.

What Is It to Confess Christ?

What does the Bible say about confessing Christ?

How do we know Jesus is our Lord?

Why is baptism important for Christians?

What does it mean to be identified with the church?

How can Christians confess Christ daily?

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What Is It to Confess Christ?

What does the Bible say about confessing Christ?

How do we know Jesus is our Lord?

Why is baptism important for Christians?

What does it mean to be identified with the church?

How can Christians confess Christ daily?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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