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Title: “Confidence and Compassion in Prayer – VII”
FCF: thinking we can sin without consequence
D-Theme: Sin has a consequence for prayer
M-Thrust: confess your sin and ask for forgiveness
App: Since sin has a consequence to our prayers we must confess our sin and ask for forgiveness
Subject: unconfessed sin
Date: 33B834911BC740AF9D5AC27B9EE8C944
Text: Psalm 66:18
18If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.
• Introduction
• For the last two weeks we have been considering James…
• And his admonition/exhortation about prayer…
• That we do not have because we do not ask…
• And that when we do ask we ask for the wrong reasons…
• I asked the question…
• What keeps us from seeing answers to our prayers…?
• And you all said…
• Unbelief—doubt—lack of faith…
• Wrong motives—selfish desires
• Unforgiveness
• Unconfessed sin—unclean hands and heart
• Tonight we are going to focus on the last one…
• …unconfessed sin…
• Because I think the prevailing attitude amongst the church…
• Is that we can have sin—unconfessed sin—in their lives…
• And it won’t have any effect on us…
• That it won’t have any effect on our prayer lives…
• Our fallen condition is thinking we can sin without consequence…
• But the Bible teaches – and clearly – that…
• Sin has a consequence for prayer…
• Consider our scripture text tonight…
• Read Psalm 66:18
• If I regard iniquity in my heart
• What does it mean to regard…?
• ra˒ah (רָאָה), “to see, observe, perceive, get acquainted with, gain understanding, examine, look after (see to), choose, discover.”[1]
• 2334. θεωρέω thĕōrĕō, theh-o-reh´-o; from a der. of 2300 (perh. by add. of 3708); to be a spectator of, i.e. discern, (lit., fig. [experience] or intens. [acknowledge]):[2]
• to consider [τι] Ps 65(66),18 [3]
• If I know it is there and choose to do nothing about it…
• If I consider it—entertain it—if I experience it…
• If I acknowledge it, look after it…
• If sin is there and I know it and don’t confess it…
• Then it remains unforgiven sin…
1st John 1:9
9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• Sin in the believer must be confessed if it is to be forgiven…
Psalm 32:5
5I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
• So what about unconfessed sin…?
• Forgiven or unforgiven…? Unforgiven…!
• And if we are in a state of unforgiveness from God…
• What can we expect in regards to our prayers…?
• 18If I regard iniquity in my heart,
• the Lord will not hear.
Proverbs 15:29
29The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
Isaiah 1:15
15When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
John 9:31
31Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.
James 5:16
16Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
• So what is the key…?
• Confessconfess your sin and ask for forgiveness
• To confess is to…
• homologeo (ὁμολογέω, 3670), lit., “to speak the same thing” (homos, “same,” lego, “to speak”), “to assent, accord, agree with,” denotes, (a) “to confess, declare, admit,”; (b) “to confess by way of admitting oneself guilty of what one is accused of, the result of inward conviction,” [4]
• Conclusion
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[1] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W. (1996). Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words (1:219). Nashville: T. Nelson.
[2] Strong, J. (1997, c1996). The new Strong's dictionary of Hebrew and Greek words (G2334). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] θεωρέω Lust, J., Eynikel, E., & Hauspie, K. (2003). A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint : Revised Edition. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft: Stuttgart.
[4] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W. (1996). Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words (2:120). Nashville: T. Nelson.