For God's Sake!

It seems like this is a line from a British drama.

And if a lot of us had said this as children, our mom's would have washed our mouths out with soap.

But, it's actually quite a biblical phrase. One that is used often. Often in the Psalms. Often in prayers. 

It's a phrase that should be in our vocabulary and in our thoughts.

The prophet Daniel read the book of Jeremiah and discovered that the Babylonian captivity would last seventy years. Daniel's response was to break out in a prayer of national confession.

His prayer ended with a request.

It was not, "Lord, we have suffered enough. Please restore us to Jerusalem."

Or, "Lord, we can't take this anymore. Please show us your mercy and relieve the pressure."

Or, "Lord, we have humbled ourselves. Now reward us with prosperity."

Listen to this:

"Now 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. O 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. O 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" (v 17-19).

Daniel's plea was for restoration. But not to make his life better.

His plea was for restoration for God's sake.

The purpose of his prayer was that God's name would be made glorious.

That God's promises would be fulfilled.

That God's city would be rebuilt.

That God's temple would be restored.

That God's people would be returned.

What does your prayer life look like?

Are you praying for your sake?

Or maybe for the sake of someone else?

Or are you praying for God's sake?

Paid in Full

The writer to Hebrews is contrasting all the greatness of the Old Testament system with the greatness of Jesus Christ. He proves that Jesus is far greater than the angels, Moses, the Law, the sacrificial system, the temple and the High Priest. The thrust of this letter is to challenge those believers who wanted to go back to Judaism while remaining followers of Jesus Christ.

Why go back, when what you have is far superior to what you had?

Of course, the applications are relevant for those of us today who are followers of Jesus Christ, even if we never were a follower of Judaism.

Let's consider one example from chapter 7.

For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for His own sins and then for those of the people, since He did this once for all when He offered up Himself (v 26-27).

Jesus is being contrasted with the high priests. Since they were men with a sin nature, they had to first offer sacrifices for their own sins before they could represent the people before God.

And this they had to do every day. Because every day they would sin. Never did a day pass that the high priests did not sin.

Jesus is described as "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens."

Everything that the high priest wasn't.

Everything that you and I are not.

But look at the end of the verse 27: "...since He did this once for all when He offered up Himself."

Jesus, since He was "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens," was able to offer a sacrifice that is sufficient for our sins.

All of them.

Not one sin exists in your life that is too great to be covered by the blood of Christ.

Not one sin that you will commit is too great that the blood of Christ will not be able to cover it.

Several benefits arise from that:

1. We know that our sins are fully covered. Not 99%. We don't have to be afraid that when we get to heaven, Jesus will say, "Wait, you forgot to confess this one." "Sorry, you didn't do enough to earn forgiveness for that sin."
2. We don't need to keep sacrificing. Some will repeat the sacrifice of Christ each time they go to church and participate in rituals, hoping that it will be enough to cover their sins of that last week. "Once for all" means that it is completed.
3. We don't need to try to add to what Christ has done. Our sufferings, our good deeds, our obedience, our sacrifices will not add one drop of blood, not one ounce of protection, to the full price that Christ has paid.

"It is finished." 

Your debt has been fully paid.

All you have to do is to accept the truths of God's Word.

You can do nothing else.

Have you done that? Or are you still trying to do it on your own?

Mutual Confession - Part 3

James has explained to us the value of ongoing confession of sins to one another. Ongoing confession and prayer for one another are necessary for maintaining spiritual health (James 5:13-16).

What biblical principles guide us in our practice?

1. Only God forgives sin.

The Bible never teaches that believers need a human mediator to grant us forgiveness. Forgiveness of sins comes through the completed work of Christ on the cross. It is His blood that cleanses and forgives us (1 John 1:7-9). Only one mediator, Christ Jesus, is necessary (1 Tim 2:5-6).

Therefore, the purpose of ongoing mutual confession is not to grant forgiveness.

2. The penalty for sin has been paid.

The work of Christ on the cross paid the complete penalty for all of our sins (Col 2:13-14). Nothing more needs to be, or can be added to the make up for the sins which we commit (Rom 8:1).

Therefore, the purpose of ongoing mutual confession is not to dole out punishment. Confession of sin is not an act of penance, attempting to earn favor with God, or to appease His wrath.

3. Believers have a mutual responsibility for spiritual needs.

When a believer gives in to temptation, restoration is the responsibility of mature believers (Gal 6;1-4). Part of that restoration involves praying for those who have committed sin (1 John 5:16). Restoration may involve counsel, encouragement and definitely patience (1 Thess 5:14).

Therefore, one purpose of ongoing mutual confession is to restore that individual through prayer and encouragement to a right relationship with God. It may also involve helping to restore relationships with others who have been affected by the sin.

Putting it all together

The obvious parameters need to be established: Honesty. Integrity. Consistency. Keeping confidences. Not mixed genders. Maturity. Hard work. Trust.

Such a setting would take all of those ingredients.

But as two or three believers meet on a weekly, or bi-weekly, schedule, confessing the sins which have weighed them down to one another, the others can speak the truths of God's Word to them. Reminding one another of God's forgiveness, patience, and sovereignty, will bring encouragement toward godliness.

Another advantage will be an awareness of sin. Or, perhaps more aptly put, "positive peer pressure." Knowing that I will be confessing my sins to my brothers in a few days provides one more defense in the battle against sin.

If any readers have had experience with ongoing mutual confession, I'd like to hear about it.

Mutual Confession - Part 2

In the last post, a description was given of a fellow believer who was so spiritually downtrodden due to suffering, that he called the mature believers of the church to pray for him.

One particularly interesting instruction is given for the mature believers in this situation, "anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (James 5:14). While some have argued that this is a symbolic anointing with healing powers, the word translated "anointing" is the common, every day word for "rubbing with oil" If James had meant the ceremonial anointing, he would have used a different Greek word.

The setting then develops into the mature believers in the church not only praying for the suffering brother, but also providing medical treatment. If we continue the picture of a believer who had been suffering for the sake of the gospel, beatings could very well have been given. The mature believers were to care for the spiritual and physical needs of this suffering brother.

Their ministry was one of encouragement through spiritual and physical support in the name of the Lord - under His authority, as He would have done it if He had been physically present.

As the mature believers pray, their prayer of faith will save, or restore, the weakened brother. Again, James is not using words related to physical sickness, but to spiritual weakness. The weakened brother will be restored to spiritual strength through the Lord's intervention (v 15a). 

The forgiveness of sins underscores that this is a spiritual restoration, not a physical one (v 15b). While there are examples of physical ailment being a result of sin, the Bible does not teach that this is always the case. However, ongoing sin will always lead to spiritual defeat. The mature believers can help the defeated believer recognize his sins and confess them.

With that setting in mind, we arrive at the verse in question: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (v 16a).

It seems that James is transitioning, using the above example of a spiritually-distressed believer as a warning to the church.

The tense of "confess" is not a one-time act, but an ongoing practice. My paraphrase of this verse would be something like this, "So that this does not happen, keep on confessing your sins to one another and keep on praying for one another that you may stay in a continuous state of health."

Only by keeping short accounts with God and with one another, and by praying for those spiritual struggles and sins of one another, can we maintain spiritual health.

The next post will consider practical ways of confessing sins to one another and praying for one another.

Mutual Confession

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed" (James 5:16a).

Most of us like the middle part of that sentence. Praying for one another is what we say we'll do.

We're pretty uncomfortable with the confessing of sins to one another. And we're not real sure about how that is all related to healing.

So, we take the middle part and run with it.

But if we look at the verses before and after this command, it makes sense.

Not only that, it provides an excellent avenue of ministry, discipleship and encouragement that should be found among followers of Christ.

James begins, "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise" (v 13).

The word "suffering" refers to enduring evil treatment by people, not physical illness (2 Tim 2:9; 4:5). James is addressing those who are suffering at the hands of others. Those who suffer in this way are called to pray.

And if someone in the midst of their suffering is cheerful, he is to sing praise. The one who is suffering prays for strength. The one who is cheerful in the suffering praises God for the strength he has received.

The next person described has moved into a deeper struggle in his suffering. James uses "sick" to describe this person. The word translated "sick" can be translated physical sickness, but in the epistles it is primarily used to refer to spiritual weakness produced by the sufferings of life (2 Cor 12:10).

The Bible often connects physical suffering with spiritual struggles. In Psalm 38, David describes his physical ailments brought on by unconfessed sin. Paul explains that some in the Corinthian church are weak and ill, and some have died, because they have participated in the Lord's Table in an unworthy manner (1 Cor 11:30). And the author of Hebrews connects suffering with God's discipline (Hebr 12:3-13).

The weak brothers, those who are suffering at the hands of others, are to call the elders of the church and ask them to pray for them.

They are so downtrodden that they are no longer able to pray for themselves. The mature believers are called upon to bring them before the throne of grace. This parallels the idea of Galatians 6:1, "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness."

So far, we have a beautiful picture of mature believers coming alongside and praying for their brothers who are spiritually weakened due to extensive spiritual suffering.

We'll look at the rest of this passage tomorrow.

Rejection is Hard!

It starts in elementary school - or at least it was like this when I was in elementary school. Kickball teams get picked at recess. And someone is always the last one picked.

Sports career is ruined.

Then maybe through high school you get rejected from the star roles in the plays and musicals.

Drama career? Not likely.

And how many applications did you go through to get that job?

Rejection is pretty much a part of life. And we learn to deal with it. We learn that there are activities like sports and drama that you leave for others to do. And you learn that there are other things to do besides sports and drama.

But as an adult it seems that rejection keeps coming and keeps getting harder.

Maybe you got fired from a job.

Maybe you got served divorce papers.

Maybe an adult child tells you that he wants nothing to do with you ever again.

Maybe you've been abandoned and left in a nursing home with no one to visit you.

Rejection is hard. It causes pain. It causes awkward situations. It leads to sleepless nights.

It's a part of life. It hurts.

But let's turn that around and look at it from God's perspective.

Do we ever stop to think that every time we choose to disobey, we are rejecting God?

Does it even cross our minds when facing temptation, that to surrender to self is a rejection of God?

How it must hurt God, who is holy, loving and kind - all the time - and therefore does not deserve to be rejected!

Yet, He remains holy, loving and kind. Forgiving. Merciful. Gracious.

If we reject Him through our disobedience, He is ready to accept us back into fellowship. He hasn't turned His back on us; we have turned from Him.

The remedy for the broken relationship is repentance: turning from our sin and turning toward God.

"If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of His Son cleanses us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:7-9).

God has not rejected you. If the relationship with Him is broken, you can turn to Him.

You and Me are a lot like Gomer

I read through the first two chapters of Hosea this evening, preparing for our small group study.

I've read it before. I've taught it. I've preached through it.

But something struck me tonight.

You'll remember that God commanded Hosea to marry a whore, Gomer, and have children with her. Each child's name was a prophecy against Israel. It appears that the last two ("No Mercy" and "Not my people" - how'd you like to hear your mama holler that from the front porch?), were not Hosea's children.

Hosea had married a prostitute and as soon as she had weaned their first child, she was back to her ways.

Their marriage is a picture of Israel. Gomer is Israel and Hosea is God. God choose Israel to be His bride, but Israel continued the life of a hooker, chasing after other lords and masters.

And all along, God was providing for Israel's needs. She thought it was her lovers who were bringing her food and clothing. But it was God.

Then I thought about you and me (mostly me). How I am a lot like Gomer. God has rescued me. Chosen me to be the object of His love. Provides for me. Meets my needs. Longs to satisfy me.

Yet I so often choose to find my satisfaction in other things. I choose to submit to other masters.

And I think that they are the ones meeting my needs.

But all the time, God is there. Putting food on my table. Paying the rent. He even gives me the money to squander on my own idolatry!

Like Gomer and Israel, the path away from God is not a pleasant one. And God will not let me continue running from Him. Like Hosea did with Gomer. Like God did with Israel.

God will intervene.

So you and I can choose to keep running until God intervenes. Or we can come to Him willingly. Confessing and repenting. Being thankful and satisfied.

I'd like to choose God. How about you?

God's Plan for Victory

In his book, Sexual Sanity for Men, David White has stirred my thinking to a variety of new concepts related to victory over sin. It's a book that every man should read, even if sexual sins are not the current struggle. The principles are the same whether you are struggling with pornography or gluttony or bitterness - besides, I don't think God makes a distinction.

The "new idea" of this past week has been the teaching that confession to others is part of God's plan for victory over sin. And he's not talking about confession to those whom we have offended through our sinful actions, although that topic comes up in other sections.

1 John 1:9 is a common verse which talks about confession: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Usually, we read it, "If we confess our sins to God, He is faithful..." But that is not what the verse says.

If you look at the context of 1 John 1:5-10, John is talking about walking in the light, which includes fellowship with other believers.

Look at verse 7 :"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."

Consider also Proverbs 28:13, "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy." We can't hide our sins from God who sees everything. We can, however, keep them hidden from others.

And James 5:16 states, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

When we choose to sin, we not only wish that God would not see us, but we work very hard to keep it hidden from others. We keep our distance. We lie. We make excuses. We talk about other problems, but not the temptations that are keeping us from obedience and joy. We do good things to compensate for the bad. We are extremely creative in covering up sin.

Think of the freedom that can be had when you confess your sins to others!

You now longer have to hide from them. You may have driven some away from you, but you will know which people are truly brothers and sisters who are praying and encouraging you.

The hunger that you have for close fellowship and help will be there. God created us to have fellowship with Him and with others. If our fellowship with others is just fun and food, we might as well join the golf club.

But our hidden sin builds a barricade to that kind of brotherhood.

As the sin that has been weighing you down for years is exposed, you will experience a release from the pressure of hiding. You will be able to cry out to others for help. You will gain a team of prayer warriors.

Part of God's plan for healing, restoration and victory over sin includes other people. But YOU have to make the first step, confessing sin and crying out for help.

Accountability and the Fear of Man

We create quite a conundrum in our quest for spiritual growth.

We have a desire to grow. We know the principles of growth.
We have sins in our lives that we know are hindering our growth.
We know that we need the help of others to overcome those sins.
We want to be able to talk about our sins, confess them, ask for prayer, ask for help.
But we want to maintain our reputation, so we keep our mouths shut.

We have a desire to help others to grow. We know the principles of growth.
We know that others have sins that are hindering their growth.
We know that they need help and may even be crying out for help.
We want to come alongside another to help them, to pray with them.
But we want to maintain our reputation, so we keep our mouths shut.

On both sides of accountability an ominous fear of man looms.
We don't want to open up with our sins, because we are afraid of losing a friend.
We don't want to ask a brother or sister about their sins, because we are afraid of losing a friend.
And yet we know that we need an open relationship in order to help and to be helped.

Instead we lie. We avoid the topics. We minimize sin.
No one is helped. God is not honored. Sin is piled upon sin.

Is there any hope?

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself" (Galatians 6:1-3).

That verses commands us of the responsibility that we know we have. But I think verse three is the clincher: "If anyone thinks he is something" - free from sin, not really needing help, keeping up the false front.
"...when he is nothing" - a dirty, rotten sinner fighting temptation and losing often.
"...he deceives himself." - no one else is fooled. Your friends know. God knows. You know.

So there's no reason to keep up appearances. There's no reason to try to hide your sins. There's no reason to not reach out and ask others. No reason not to help, or to ask for help.

You need help. And so do I.

The Missing Chapter

Almost five years ago, I walked across the stage and received a Doctorate of Ministry. My project was the development of a spiritual growth program for men. I developed a week-long retreat that was to be integrated in the local church's ministry, held the retreat three different times to three different groups of men. Taught through the lessons two different times in our local church. Presented it writing to several for proofreading, evaluation and recommendations.

But I missed a whole chapter - at least.

I missed a chapter on the importance of confession and repentance. An admission of guilt and a turning from sin.

Three years ago, I heard a sermon on the demon-possessed man, who had spent years living in the tombs, unchained, unclothed and uncontrollable. No one would help him. No one could help him (Mark 5).

But then Jesus came.

Jesus came into this man's life and changed him in an instant. Jesus did what no one else could do.

Jesus changed this man's life forever. He is clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus, wanting to go with Jesus.

When I realized that Jesus had changed this man's life, I called out to Him and called out to a friend to help me.

It hasn't been an instant change, like the demon-possessed man, but change has taken place.

It hasn't been an easy change. Over the last three years, I have walked through some difficult times. But I've never walked alone. Jesus has always been there. My friends have been there when I've called out to them. Sometimes they have walked beside me. Sometimes they have pushed me. Many times they have prayed for me.

But I'm thankful for God's grace in allowing me the opportunity to change. And I'm thankful for God's grace in giving me true friends who have helped me along the way.

And a major component of the change has been confession and repentance. As I confessed my sins, the burdens were lifted off my shoulders. As I let others look into my life, the fear of rejection faded. As I repented, turning from sinful choices of decades, I experienced victory over temptation like never before.

I'm thankful that I did the work for the doctoral project.

But I will have to add another chapter, if I teach it again.

And if you're stagnant in your spiritual growth, maybe unconfessed sin is holding you back.

God is gracious and ready to forgive. And you'll be surprised that there are others ready to help you.

Dear Pastor, God Doesn't Need You

Dear Pastor,

God doesn't need you. I know that's hard to believe after a busy day at church.

If you weren't there, who would turn on the lights?

If you weren't there, who would organize the worship service?

If you weren't there, who would preach?

If you weren't there, who would lead the deacons' meetings?

If you weren't there, who would be on the camp board?

If you weren't there, who would make sure that the church was on fire for the Lord?

You know, those are all lies we believe when we are pastors. We wouldn't say it out loud, but we think that if we were gone for more than two weeks, the church would fall apart. The ministry of the Lord would come to a screeching halt. The church building would fall into disrepair and be a disgrace instead of a dispenser of grace.

And we humbly continue doing the work.

Even if our marriages are crumbling.

Even if our children are rebellious.

Even if we are losing the battle against temptation.

We can't ask for help.

We can't admit guilt.

We can't resign.

What would happen to the ministry?

Surely, God needs us to keep His work humming.

I know this because I've been there.

But now I'm on the other side. And you know what?

God really didn't need me.

God is still at work in the ministries that I left behind. The churches are growing. The camp ministry is bursting at the seams. People are getting saved and discipled. The church-planting effort that we were going to join is taking shape..

Without me.

And that's great.

Because God has put me where He intended to put me. He has worked in my life to make me the person that He wants me to be.

And He's still at work.

Better to Suffer

"For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil" (1 Peter 3:17).

Often this passage is used as a motivation to witness in a hostile environment.

You share Christ and your friends make fun of you. That's better than going to jail for robbing a bank.

That may be a valid application, but I think there are other possibilities.

We can suffer for doing the right thing when we are obedient to Christ. And we can suffer at the hands of other believers.

In April 2011, the Lord worked in my heart through the preaching of His Word and I confessed sinful behaviors and struggles that had been plaguing me for over thirty years. I had thought that there was no hope of overcoming these temptations.

Like the demon-possessed man in Mark 5, the situation seemed hopeless. But when I cried out to Jesus, He has helped. As I have submitted myself to His will, I have seen great victory.

I did the right thing, but I have suffered.

My wife determined that she no longer wanted to work on our marriage and split our family. One of my sons refuses to communicate with me. I lost my job. I'll never be a pastor again. I'm carrying mattresses and couches. A large circle of acquaintances no longer has contact with me. My opportunities for teaching and discipling have vanished. Being ignored and avoided at church by people who are supposed to care is discouraging. Loneliness is constant.

But I know I did the right thing. I did what God commanded me to do. He has heard my prayer and gives me victory over temptation.

The suffering for doing good is not easy.

Doing right and having a clear conscience before God is better than suffering under a life of hidden sin.

Public Confession of Sin

Sometimes you come across a blog that's worth passing on:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/rayortlund/2013/09/10/confession/

The author is not teaching that confession to one another brings about forgiveness, because that only comes from God. He's not promoting a priesthood with the power of absolution.

But he is encouraging the confession of sin to another believer (James 5:16) as a means to bring about restoration and spiritual growth.

For years I had put up a front, hiding certain sins from everyone around me. The wall was pretty sturdy and the relationships were pretty shallow.

As God worked on me, revealing that He alone could forgive and heal me, I learned that a beneficial part of that process was public confession. It was not easy and at the time I thought it unnecessary.

"Confession needs to be as wide as those offended," one of my professors often said. "It was a private sin, so why not keep the confession private?" had been my modus operandi for decades.

But my pastors encouraged and helped (i.e. gently forced). The sense of relief, the lifting of the burden and the knocking down of the walls were immediate. The healing and the growth began.

It's not been easy and there have been consequences which continue.

The author points out that we are afraid of public confession because of the ammunition that is placed in the hands of others when we admit our sins. It's true. It's going to happen. It's part of living in a world, a church and a family that are filled with sinners.

Just because it's hard, doesn't make it wrong.

What can you do to encourage a culture of confession in your church?

Confess your sins. Set an example. You probably shouldn't stand up every week in prayer meeting to confess all your sins to the congregation. But confessing to a close group within the church will set a pattern.

Accept the sinners. It's easy to rally around the cancer patients. It's easy to help those who lose their jobs. Those things get put in the prayer bulletin, and they should. But those who confess sins and those who admit failure in relationships need your support.

• Ask them specifically about those sins and relationships. Don't avoid the issues which have brought into the light. Asking shows concern.
• Don't spread rumors. Talk with them, not with others.
• Don't kick them when they're down. Support, not criticism. 
• Shunning will not help those who are bold enough to admit that they need help. They need friends and support.

It's radical. It's seldom practiced. But it's biblical and needed.

A Heart of Integrity

God told Solomon:

"As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, with a heart of integrity and in what is right..." (1 Kings 9:4a).

Wait! Wasn't David the king who committed adultery and murder?

What's this "heart of integrity and in what is right?"

That's usually what we think about David. How can God say that David walked with a heart of integrity when he committed those awful sins?

I wonder if it's an attempt to maximize the sins of David to make our sins look not so bad. We try to rationalize that our sins aren't so bad.

"God said that David walked with a heart of integrity, and I'm certainly not THAT bad!"

The heart of integrity is not seen in David's sin, but in David's response to the sin.

After committing the sins, he was in physical, emotional and spiritual anguish (Psalm 32).

When Nathan confronted David, the king's response revealed his heart of integrity (Psalm 51).

David confessed, repented and lived with the consequences.

Two lessons to learn:

1. We look at the sin and condemn. God looks at our response to the sin. David responded like God desired. He didn't remain in the sin, but chose to return to God and godly living.
2. God can use us, even when we fall into sin. It's not the end of life and ministry. We have to choose to get out of the pit of sin like David: confession and repentance.

Will God look at your life and say that you walked with a heart of integrity and in what is right?

Consequences of Forgiven Sin

Satan often will twist Scripture to lure us into sin.

Like the forgiveness of sins. We know that God will forgive us. His Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for all of our sins. He promises forgiveness if we confess our sins (1 John 1:9).

"So just go ahead and sin. You're covered." That's the lie that Satan would have us believe.

While it is true that our sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus, to think that we can get off easily is foolishness.

Consider David. He thought that his adultery with Bathsheba and the following murder of her husband was a secret. Only a couple of people knew what had happened. I suppose David thought they were loyal enough that they wouldn't betray his secret (2 Samuel 11).

But God knew. And He wouldn't let his servant continue in his miserable state of unconfessed sin and an unrepentant heart (Ps 32).

God sent Nathan, who tactfully confronted David with his sin (2 Samuel 12).

David did the right thing in confessing and repenting. But that didn't make everything okay.

Nathan told David that disaster would come upon his house at the hand of his own family and that Bathsheba's son would die (v 11-14).

The son did die. Another son raped his half-sister with the help of a half-brother. Another son committed adultery with David's concubines on the roof of the palace.

It was not a happy family, just because David confessed and repented.

David's relationship with God was restored. He was called a man after God's heart, even after these events.

Yet the consequences remained.

The best solution is prevention. Consider what God has paid to cover your sins. Consider the consequences of your sinful choices. Flee the temptation.

I think they've got it!

The wilderness wanderings are coming to an end. God is leading the people out of the wilderness and toward the Promised Land. They still have a ways to go and a few more lessons to learn, but following the geographic clues of Numbers 21-22, they are heading toward the east side of the Jordan River.

But God is not done teaching them.

Once again they become impatient. Once again they complain about Moses' leadership.

"Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food" (21:5).

This time God sent poisonous snakes into the camp, killing many.

But the response of the people is completely different here.

In the other instances of rebellion, Moses and Aaron interceded. Moses called God to defend His glory and not wipe out the entire nation. Aaron took the incense to the camp and stopped the spread of a plague.

The people were passive in all the previous accounts. They didn't ask for God's intervention. They didn't have to do anything to change.

This time it's different.

The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us" (v 7).

They admitted their guilt. That's confession of sin. That had not been the case in the previous events.

They asked for God's intervention. That's humility. That had also not been the case in the previous events.

God instructed Moses to make a fiery serpent and put it on the pole. The instructions were simple. If a person had been bitten by a snake, they would die - unless they looked at the serpent on the pole. Those who believed and simply looked at the serpent were restored to health.

The people had to act on their faith. They had to make a decision to believe.

This is a major shift in the attitudes of the people. It took lots of death and almost 40 years for them to get it, but it looks like they did.

And the pattern is the same through the whole Bible.

Confrontation about sin.

Confession of sin.

Humility in asking for help from God.

Trusting God.

Acting upon that trust.

Follow this through:

Your sin is keeping you from eternity in heaven in the presence of a holy God (Romans 3:23) - confrontation.

Admit that (1 John 1:9) - confession.

God has provided a solution through the payment of the penalty (1 John 2:2) - ask God for help.

God's Word promises eternal life to those who believe in the person and work of His Son (1 John 5:12-13) - trust God.

God only requires that you do what He has said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). - act upon the trust.

Do you get it?

Always God's Mercy

Daniel, the prophet in the captivity, read Jeremiah, the prophet who wrote in the final years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity. Close to 70 years had passed since Jeremiah penned those words. As Daniel read, he discovered why Jerusalem was in shambles and God's people had been scattered.

It was because they had sinned. Repeatedly. For generations. They had ignored God's prophets. They had rebelled. They chose to do evil. They turned aside from God's law. They had sinned against God. They had done wickedly.

Daniel describes God as great, awesome, keeping His covenant, loving steadfastly, righteous, merciful, forgiving, the great deliverer with a great name.

God is the complete opposite of His people.

Israel had sinned and received what they deserved. Now Daniel is praying that God would look upon them in mercy.

"For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy" (Daniel 9:18b).

It wasn't that Daniel thought they had been punished long enough. It wasn't because he thought they had cleaned up their act. It wasn't because they were trying harder to do a better job.

Daniel's plea was based solely on God's mercy.

No matter how much I confess, repent and change my ways, I will always be dependent on God's mercy.

I will never change enough to be deserving of God's forgiveness, grace, mercy and love.

It's always God's mercy.