"The Confession of Sin to God"

"The Confession of Sin to God" Text: Psalm 32

I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Notice sin is in the plural. Confess "sins" specifically, not generally.

There are two types of confession. A right way and a wrong way to confess our sins -

* Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned and we would have had the opportunity to talk with them before the Lord found them. What if we could have asked them- "Adam, Eve are you sinners?" O yes, they both would have said, we are sinners.

They admitted they had sinned when they tried to cover up their sin and hide themselves from the presence of God. But when they were pinpointed on the specific sin they both began to blame. Notice their confession- it is a false confession.

Genesis 3:11-13 -- And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

* Adam was basically saying to the Lord-
Yes, I sinned, but God, it was Your fault and Eve's fault.-

* Eve basically said-
Yes, I sinned, but it was that serpent's fault-

If you ever add a "but" to your confession then it is probably not a true confession.
It is much more difficult to identify the sin and admit that we did it

-- Lord, please forgive me for that lustful thought I had toward so and so. or for the jealousy I felt toward so and so's success.

ILL. It is like the criminal who says "not guilty" until he has been tried and proven guilty. Only then is he sorry. That is not true confession. If the only reason that you admit guilt is because you got caught, then that is not true confession.

Had he never gotten caught, he would have never admitted guilt.

A true confession is a complete admission of guilt.

No rationalizing, no blaming. It is my fault and no one else. I did it.

True confession is turning yourself in without being coerced to do so. I am guilty,
When we come to the Lord in confession, we must come to Him with these words- Guilty, Guilty!

You can never have the peace of God until you can openly admit your guilt to God.

You must be anxious to free all others from the blame of your sin.

I. The Reasons for Confession (v. 1- 2)

Why do we even need to confess our sins to God?

A. Because we are all sinners

(Rom 3:10-18) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: {11} There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. {12} They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. {13} Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: {14} Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: {15} Their feet are swift to shed blood: {16} Destruction and misery are in their ways: {17} And the way of peace have they not known: {18} There is no fear of God before their eyes.

(Rom 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

B. Because all sin is against God

(Psa 51:4) 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.

C. Because all sin can be forgiven

(Psa 86:5) For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

* In (v. 1- 2)- David gives a threefold description of sin:

(1) "transgression" - which depicts a spirit of defiant disobedience against God;
(2) "sin" - which denotes a missing of the mark, a deficiency with respect to intent or purpose
(3) "iniquity" - which represents a perversion, a distortion of that which is straight.

The counterpart is a threefold description of forgiveness:

(1) "forgiven" means "to lift up" (as a burden), "to take away," "to bear";
(2) "covered" means "to conceal or hide," as from the eye
(3) "not impute" pictures the canceling of a debt

II. The Reluctance to Confession (v. 3- 4)

David is referring to those times that we try to hide our sin.

We know that we have sinned, but rather than confess it, we try not to think about it and try to fill our minds with something else.

Matthew Henry- say's
The wounds of sin, not opened, will fester, and grow intolerably painful. If the conscience is seared, the sin is even more dangerous.

(V. 3,4) David suffered spiritually but he also suffered physically. He became like an old man.

* Have you ever felt that you were in the desert spiritually? That is what unconfessed sin will do.

Pr 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

** Do not expect God to cover what you are not willing to uncover. **

III. The Result of Confession (v. 5- 8)

(2 Sam 12:7-9 KJV) And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; {8} And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. {9} Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

* We have all sat in services that the preacher was preaching and it sounded as if he had been reading our mail.

What if he had said- "This would have not happened if Bathsheba hadn't been bathing on her rooftop where I could see her. It is really her fault.

(v. 6)- …in a time when thou mayest be found…

* This means- in a time of finding- (two meanings)-

1. Confess in a time when we find out our sin- (immediately)
2. Confess in a time when God may be found- (first sign of convicting)

IV. The Reward of Confession (v. 10- 11)

A. Mercy

These verses assure us that God protects and upholds those who belong to Him.

B. Righteousness

When we are forgiven, Christ's righteousness is deposited to our account.

C. Joy and Gladness

(v. 11)- …shout for joy…

David ends this Psalm by shouting- The past is forgiven, the present is joyful, and the future is secure in the hands of the Lord.

Conclusion:

(v. 9)- Notice
David urges us to follow his example of honesty before God in confession.

David is referring to two extremes in this example.
The horse that rushes ahead impulsively.
The mule that lags behind stubbornly.