Confession

Peter’s Confession

Jesus traveled to the region of Caesarea Philippi (v. 13) where Baal and Augustus Caesar were worshipped as gods. Jesus used questions to teach His disciples. On this occasion, He asked, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Jesus has no interest in dispassionate, hypothetical views …

Refusing to Be Ashamed of Sin

Jeremiah ends his first message by exposing the spiritual harlotry of Judah. The first verse introduces his theme: God’s law (Deut. 24:1-4) forbade a wife, divorced by her first husband and married to another, to return to her first love. Yet Judah, who had separated from h …

David Cries Out For Mercy.

David begins this psalm by rehearsing the sad condition in which he found himself. We don’t know the cause of David’s pain but whatever the cause, he sought God for the remedy. Here was “a man after God’s own heart” who had not only fallen but who persisted in pretending publicly that …

A Nation Asks For Forgiveness

Psalm 105 covers events up to the Exodus from Egypt, and Psalm 106 covers events from the Exodus to the Babylonian captivity. Like Psalm 105 this Psalm traces the history of Israel but for a different purpose. In Psalm 105 the emphasis was on God’s grace and faithfulness. In this Psalm …

The Joy of Forgiveness

This chapter records the experiences that David went through as he faced his sins, confessed them, and received God’s forgiveness (vv. 1-2). He was a very miserable man after he seduced the wife of his most loyal soldier, and arranged with Joab for the murder of this man. I …

The peoples need for holiness

In the opening verses of this chapter the Lord reminds the people of His holiness and of their need for holiness if they were to live near His dwelling place. In the Old Testament covenant, the community’s spiritual holiness was linked to and symbolized by physical, bodily, holin …

A Call to Repentance

In these verses we find that the people did not understand the depth of their sins. They did not turn from their idols, regret their sins or pledge to make changes (vv. l-2). It seems that they thought …

IllustrationLearning to Live in Fellowship Moment by Moment

From Texas history comes the story of the conversion of Sam Houston. At one time, the Texas hero was called “The Old Drunk as he stayed drunk most of the time.” Later, he moved to Texas, where he became the great hero of the Texas revolution and became known for H …

IllustrationLittle boy – “Hey, this isn’t my list!"

Because the younger children at a parochial school often forgot their sins when they entered the confessional, it was suggested that teachers have the students make lists. The next week when one child came to confession, he was heard unfolding paper. The youngster began, &q …

IllustrationNewspaper Publisher Apologizes to a Politician

In the washroom of his London club, British newspaper publisher and politician William Beverbrook happened to …