{"id":7917,"date":"2019-01-20T09:30:12","date_gmt":"2019-01-20T14:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/?post_type=ctc_sermon&#038;p=7917"},"modified":"2019-06-22T19:29:59","modified_gmt":"2019-06-22T23:29:59","slug":"an-intimate-conversation-the-prayer-of-confession","status":"publish","type":"ctc_sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/sermons\/an-intimate-conversation-the-prayer-of-confession\/","title":{"rendered":"An Intimate Conversation: The Prayer of Confession"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-gdm-google-drive-embedder-viewer\"><iframe width='100%' height='100' frameborder='0' scrolling='yes' src='https:\/\/drive.google.com\/a\/scbc.com\/file\/d\/1MLehq3Qxkqg_fo_KlTyPgKKKOruQFrYx\/preview?usp=drivesdk' allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-gdm-google-drive-embedder-viewer\"><p><span class=\"gdm-drivefile-embed\"><img src=\"https:\/\/drive-thirdparty.googleusercontent.com\/16\/type\/application\/pdf\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/a\/scbc.com\/file\/d\/1ZVJLteexGN1RO0rSYOYNPErWue1qw_FX\/view?usp=drivesdk\" target=\"_blank\">View\/Download Sermon PowerPoint<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Psalm 51<br>Walt Whitman, the great American writer once said that he wished he could go and live among the cows of the field.  Why?  Because, he said, \u201cIt\u2019s my observation that cows never stay awake at night weeping over their sins.\u201d  <br>As I look at our culture I sometimes think that many people have achieved Walt Whitman\u2019s goal.  There are so few who weep over sin any more. <br>Think about it. We often hear of a criminal who is pronounced guilty, is sentenced by the judge, but sits through the whole process with no emotion.  Even when faced with their guilt there is no remorse and no tears of regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course that\u2019s an extreme example.  On a more personal level we have to ask ourselves how often do we lightly skip over sin, allowing our eyes to see what they should not see, allowing our tongue to speak what it should not speak, allowing our heart to feel what it should not feel?  All of it ungodly and unholy.  If that\u2019s not bad enough, we not only allow ourselves to sin, but afterward think nothing of it.  How often have you rationalized sin, denied sin, or ignored sin?  We do anything but see sin for what it is \u2013 a complete break from God.  It is rebellion against God, the cause of Christ\u2019s dying on the cross \u2013 and because we don\u2019t see sin for what it is and so we fail to confess it. <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was the place in which King David found himself before writing Psalm 51.  Perhaps you know the story.  King David seduced the girl next door \u2013 the beautiful Bathsheba \u2013 she subsequently became pregnant and in a panic David ordered Uriah, Bathsheba\u2019s husband, to the front of the battle lines so that he is killed.  Then the seemingly compassionate David takes Bathsheba into his home and for a time things go on as usual.  David rules the nation with impunity.  He has sinned and he rationalizes it, denies it, even suppresses it.  He does everything but confess it.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But all of this only brings distress, pain and anguish to everyone involved, especially to David.  In another Psalm (32), that I believe is related to this same event, David says that when he did not confess his sin, when he kept silent \u201cMy bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.\u201d  (Psalm 32:3,4)  <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course it didn\u2019t need to be that way for David or for us.  David realizes that he can confess his sin because of who God is.  He is a God of \u201cUnfailing love, and great compassion\u201d (51:1).  It is because of his love expressed for us in Christ on the cross that we can be forgiven.  It is because of his great compassion that we are not consumed by his holiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In your prayer journal this week, don\u2019t skip over the day of confession.  Take time to examine your soul and bring to God a \u201cbroken spirit, a contrite heart.\u201d (51:17)  Having done that, know that God will cleanse you through faith in Christ\u2019s sacrifice, so that you \u201chear joy and gladness\u201d. (51:8, 1 John 1:9)    <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Praying that God would create a pure heart in each one of us, Pastor Tom.  <br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Psalm 51:1-9<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","ctc_sermon_topic":[],"ctc_sermon_book":[55],"ctc_sermon_series":[465],"ctc_sermon_speaker":[105],"ctc_sermon_tag":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/7917"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ctc_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7917"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/7917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8377,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/7917\/revisions\/8377"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_topic?post=7917"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_book?post=7917"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_series?post=7917"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_speaker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_speaker?post=7917"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_tag?post=7917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}