Confession
We’ve been teaching on the subject of faith for the past several weeks. The last 3 week we’ve been on “Faith which Worketh by Love.” But you can’t fully teach on the subject of faith without teaching on the subject of confession or we should call it the “Confession of our Faith.” 1 of the reasons that we’re not receiving the promises of God is that our confession is not in line with the Word of God. But it goes even further than that, if our confession is wrong and negative it may bring the problems into our life or even cause us to fall into bondage.
I. Turn with me to PRO 6:2
A. The word “Snared” means “caught or taken into bondage.”
1. If we look at this V in context it refers to giving our word to someone in order to guarantee someone else’s loan.
a) This V is a warning not to do that, or you can be brought into bondage by the word of your mouth.
b) But there is also a spiritual side to this that we’ll begin to see.
2. Many of us are brought into bondage because of the words we are speaking.
a) (HEB 2:1) Says, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let {them} slip.”
b) Many of us have heard the message of confessing the Word of God. And many of us have let our confession slip.
B. Jesus said in (Matthew 12:34) “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
1. If it’s in your heart you’re going to speak it out of your mouth.
2. Not only are you going to speak it or confess it, but you’ll also think on it and you’re going to see yourself in light of it.
a) If you have it in your heart that you’re ugly, then you’re going to see yourself as ugly.
b) If it’s in your heart that you’re a failure then you’re going to see yourself as a failure.
c) That’s also true for the positive side. if you have it in you heart that you’re a success then you’re going to see yourself as a success.
(i) Look at Proverbs 23:7a
(ii) “For as he hath thought in his soul, so is he.”? young
C. An important aspect to the subject of confession is seeing yourself in the proper image. The way you see yourself is what you’ll be confessing and what you will become.
1. Remember, Solomon said in (PRO 23:7) “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
2. Jesus said, If it’s in your heart, then you’re going to be speaking it. (Matt. 12:34)
a) If you put the 2 Vs together then it would say, “If it’s in your heart, you’re going to be speaking it, and If it’s in your heart and you’re speaking it that what will come to pass in your life.”
II. Turn with me to NUM 13:33. I’ve used this V before but it backs up the V I just read to you in (PRO 23:7). (“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”)
A. Evil Report – Num 14:37
1. What is an evil report?
a) I’m sick is an evil report.
b) WHY?
c) It’s the words of the devil. Anything that is contrary to the Word of God is an evil report. It is siding in with the devil.
B. Notice the part that says, “We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” We need to see ourselves in the proper image, seeing ourselves according to the Word of God; as the head, not the tail, Victorious, An overcomer.
1. Seeing ourselves as healed and walking in divine health.
C. ROM 1:16
1. Paul said here that “The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.”
a) What is the GOSPEL?
(i) It’s the Good News.
(ii) Even when God corrects us it is good news because He does it to help us.
(iii) You can look at Heb 12:6-11
D. Amp says, “For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. (7) You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline? (8) Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all]. [Prov. 3:11, 12.] (9) Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? (10) For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness. (11) For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].[1]
i. The Gospel is also the Word of God.
ii. This V is telling us that “The Word of God is the power of God unto Salvation.”
(ii) The word “Salvation” comes from the Greek root word “Sozo”
(iii) Which also means, “Save,” but it means much more than that it is an all inclusive word meaning, salvation, healing, deliverance, safety, and soundness of mind.
(iv) In other words it’s all the promises of God.
(v) If we use the Definitions that I just gave you (ROM 1:16) would say, The Word of God is the power of God unto healing, soundness of mind, deliverance, safety and salvation.
(vi) It’s the power of God unto all of His promises.
2. HEB 4:12
a) The Word of God is alive and it is powerful, that sounds a lot like (ROM 1:16). (“The Word of God is the power of God.”)
III. Look at MARK 11:24
A. Notice that in this V it says that “When you pray, believe that ye receive.”
1. You have to believe or have faith before you’ll receive.
a) There’s power in faith.
(i) (1 Peter 1:5) Says, “Who are kept (The New American Standard Bible says “PROTECTED”) by the power of God through faith unto salvation.” Amp guarded
(ii) It’s through faith that you tap into the Power of God and into the promises of God.
(iii) But how do you get the faith to receive?
b) (ROM 10:17) Says, “So then faith {cometh} by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (KJV)
2. The best way to get the faith needed to receive is to hear God’s Word and the best way for you to hear it is to confess it yourself, “Speak out the word of promise.”
a) (2PE 1:3) Says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that {pertain} unto life and godliness.”
b) It’s not a matter of God doing something, He’s already done it.
(i) Now it’s a matter of us doing something.
(ii) We need to release the Power of God.
3. We already said that faith releases the Power of God, but where is it that faith takes place? It’s in you heart.
a) If it’s in your heart then you are going to speak it. Your going to speak the Word of God.
b) Matt 12:34, Matt 15:18 Luke 6:45
c) Rom 10:8-10
(i) V 9 saved = Sozo
(ii) V 10 Salvation = Soteria
d) Soteria means “Delivered, Perseveration, Safety, Soundness, for peace, Wealth and Prosperity[2]
e) But there is more to confession then it just being a evidence of your faith, but confession itself plays a very big role in receiving the promises of God.
(i) Confession and faith go hand in hand. You can’t separate them and expect your faith to work.
B. MAR 11:23
1. Lets read it again, but this time notice the “say, says, saith, and saith.” (read)
2. ISA 55:11 When you speak out the promise of God it will not return void, or empty as the NIV puts it.
a) But it will accomplish that which it was sent out to do.
C. Now someone always ends up thinking, “Well, what if God didn’t want us to have one of those things that we are confessing?”
1. 1st of all is it the Word of God that you’re confessing, if not you have no business confessing it.
2. And 2nd if it’s a promise of God and He doesn’t want you to have it, that would make Him a liar.
a) (Numbers 23:19) Says, “God is not a man, that he should lie.” KJV
(i) If God gave us His word on something than that is His will for us.
b) We need to be a little more like Abraham.
(i) In (ROM 4:20, 17) It says, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;”
(ii) We also need to realize that if God said it He will perform it.
(iii) Paul said in (1THES 5:24) “Faithful is He that called you, who will do it.”
(iv) God is faithful to perform it.
(v) In (JER 1:12)The Lord said, “I will hasten my word to perform it.”
c) Turn to HEB 10:23
d) The word “Profession” in this Verse is the same Greek word for “Confession”.
(i) So in other words this V says, “Hold fast to your confession of faith, for God is faithful that promised.”
IV. MAT 8:5-10, 13
A. Jesus spoke the Word and the servant was healed.
1. But notice something else that Jesus said in V 10 (read)
2. How did this man have such great faith? V 8
a) He had revelation of the power and authority of the Word of God.
b) If you get this revelation for yourself you too will have great faith.
B. HEB 11:3
1. The worlds were framed by the Word of God.
a) There is power in the spoken Word of God. (Pro 18:21) (Turn to)Says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
(i) You are going to eat your word.
b) Listen to this verse from the MESSAGE TRANSLATION. “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”[3]
c) From the BELIEVERS BIBLE COMMENTARY 18:20 We sometimes say that a man has to eat his words. If they have been good words, they will yield satisfaction to him. He will be rewarded according to the nature of his speech.
(i) 18:21 The tongue has great potential for good or evil. Those who love to use it a lot must be prepared to take the consequences.[4]
d) (Deut 30:19) “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”
e) Get that revelation for yourself and you’ll begin to change Situations through the Word of God.
V. Look at LUKE 17:5-6
A. The NKJV says, “you can say.” The KJV says, “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say...”
1. But in the Greek it’s a little different.
a) The Greek interlinear (along with the Wuest Translation and New American Standard Bible says, “If you had faith as a seed you would say...”
b) The ASV says the same thing. It’s worded like this, “And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, YE WOULD SAY unto this sycamore tree, Be thou rooted up, and be thou planted in the sea; and it would OBEY YOU.”
2. The Swanson Dictionary of Biblical Languages says it means “To show certainty in the second part of the clause, “if” (such and such had happened in the past, then (such and such) would have happened [5]
a) So in other words, “If you had faith you would say”
b) Faith speaks and when it does the circumstance will change, it must obey you.
3. This did not say it would obey God, and it did not say that it would obey the H.S. It says that it would obey you.
4. Now notice that the apostles said, “Lord, Increase our faith,” “Lord, why don’t you just give us more faith? That’s what we need, we need more faith.”
a) Jesus replied to that statement, “You don’t need more faith. You need to understand that faith works like a seed, unless you plant it, it will not do you any good.”
b) Faith does not come by asking, it comes by hearing the spoken Word of God and it works like a seed.
c) A seed will do you absolutely no good unless you plant it.
B. In (LUK 17:6) Jesus said to the apostles, “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this sycamore tree.”
1. Jesus tells 2 great faith secrets here.
a) 1st, Faith is as a seed; it works like a seed.
b) 2nd, You plant it by speaking it.
c) Again (Mark 11:23) “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
VI. . Let’s just look at some important truths in the Word of God that give us more light in this area.
A. (NUM 14 turn there) I shared this with you last week. Moses sent 12 spies into the promise land to spy out the land, but only 2 spies came back with a good report, 10 came back with an evil report.
1. The people listened to the evil negative report of the 10 spies.
a) The people began to murmur.
2. Look what God said because of it. NUMBERS 14:26-29.
B. We also have the story in the book of JOSHUA where the children of Israel came to the city of Jericho. Joshua told the people that they could not even say a word.
1. JOSHUA 6:10
a) If the people would have been allowed to talk then I’m sure there would have been a lot of negative talking.
(i) The wrong confession, like how are we ever going to take this city, they are going to destroy us.
(ii) There had to be a stop to it before they would reap the fruit of their lips.
b) However, the people of the city knew who Israel was. The words coming out of their mouths must have been negative.
C. In the book of (LUKE 1:13, 18-20) an angel appeared to Zacharias and told him that he was going to have a son.
1. Zacharias could not believe it. Because of it the angel said in (Luke 1:20) “And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.”
a) Why was he not able to speak?
(i) 2 things were happening here, 1st he was in doubt and unbelief and his doubt and unbelief would have caused him to speak out the wrong thing.
D. Just as (Proverbs 18:21) “Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue.”
1. (Mark 11:23) “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
a) Get that revelation for yourself and you’ll begin to change Situations through the Word of God.
VII. JOHN 1:1-3
A. “Without him”, was not any thing made that was made. Who is the “him” that we're talking about?
1. It's actually talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God.
2. Without the Word, nothing was made.
a) In the beginning, all creation was made by the Word.
b) John said that the Word was God in (V 1), & God is all powerful. If that's true then the Word is all powerful to change your situation.
B. Just in the natural, we can see the power in words. John Knox a Scottish reformer said when he preached, his words were more powerful than 10,000 trumpets.
1. Who of us can forget the words of Martin Luther King “I have a dream,” or some other famous speech.
2. Words can fulfill or hurt or bless. They can build up or tear down. There are those tender, healing, affirming words, like, “Welcome home.” “Congratulations, it’s a girl.” “I love you.”
a) Or those angry, destructive, cutting words, “I want a divorce.” “I hate you.” “She’s dead.” What meaning they carry and what they do to you on the inside,—far more than mere sounds hanging in the air.[6]
C. But the WORD that John speaks of here is far beyond the natural.
1. All creation was called into existence by the WORD of the Lord. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Gen. 1:3).
2. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, [7] (NKJV)
a) The Word of God is an all creative force, and there is power when we speak.
3. Look at Gen 27:30-38
D. When you use the Word of God & quote it by faith to bring a situation under control, you will sometimes face religious people that will say, “You're just trying to act like God.”
1. We're not trying to be God. All we're doing is to act the way God would want us to act in any given situation. (& be followers of Him.) EPH 5:1
2. Say what the Word of God says about the situation, regardless of what the circumstances say.
a) That doesn't mean ignore the circumstances.
b) What I am saying is to do something about the circumstances.
(i) EXAMPLE: Car with a flat tire. You don't ignore the flat, you fix it.
(ii) In the same way the Word of God will fix the situation that you're in.
VIII.Back in HEB 11:1 let's just turn there.
A. It says that faith is the “substance” of things hoped for.
1. The word “substance” means “essence, assurance, confidence, confident, substance.”
a) Faith is the substance what causes the things you've prayed for to manifest. (Godly things)
b) This V also tells us that “Faith is Confidence.”
(i) Faith is always confident that the Word of God is true & that the Word of God is bringing the answer.
2. I like to read (HEB 11:1) like this, “Faith is the substance of things.” (How did this pulpit come into existence? How did this Church come into existence? It was by the faith of God & with our faith, but look at Heb 11:3
B. God did not see the world when He created the earth.
1. But God had faith in His Word that what He spoke out would come to pass.
2. He framed the worlds with His Words.
a) You can't build something without substance.
b) Faith filled Words was the substance that was needed.
3. God never does anything without saying it 1st.
a) Look at Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26.
b) Even in the Gospels Jesus did the same thing.
(i) MAR 5:34
(ii) LUKE 5:23-25
(iii) JOHN 5:8
(iv) Jesus always spoke & said, “Be whole, or rise up & walk.” These were statements of His faith, confessions of His faith. He spoke these things before the person received there healing.
i. He was calling those things that be not as though they were. (Rom 4:17)
(v) It doesn't only have to be God the Father or the Lord Jesus Christ to speak out the Word & see the action.
i. ACTS 3:6
ii. Matt 13:58 (Couldn't do any mighty works because of their unblief.)
c) Faith filled words is a powerful spiritual force which will manifest in this natural realm.
(i) Begin to change your situation with your faith in His Word that you speak.
d) You may have heard people say, "Sticks & stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me."
(i) Nothing could be further from the truth.
(ii) Words can kill you.
e) If you don't know what you're doing with words they can destroy you.
f) PRO 11:3
(i) The word “perversity” “PERVERSENESS” according to my Wilson's O.T. word study, here means "smoothness, flattery, he that is turned in his tongue"
(ii) This V is telling us that those that have a turned tongue, those that speak contrary to the Word of God, those that speak out t negative -- it will destroy them.
C. You may have heard people say, "What you don't know won't hurt you."
1. There are some things that if you don't know about them it could kill you.
a) Jesus said in (JOHN 8:32) "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (KJV)
(i) I take that to mean that if you don't know the truth you will be in bondage even death.
b) (ISA 5:13) Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because {they have} no knowledge.
(i) (HOS 4:6) "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
(ii) If you don't have a knowledge of t Word of God you're in trouble.
Taken from CONFESS.DOC and CONFES.DOC 7/11/90 WED PM TFC and WOLCC 6/6/91 THURS. PM. WOLCC 3/13/94 SUN AM
Confession.doc
Taken from CONFESS.DOC and CONFES.DOC 7/11/90 WED PM TFC and WOLCC 6/6/91 THURS. PM and WOLCC 3/6/94 SUN AM and Thursday6/25/98 Order of sermons: Confession, Confession A, Confession B, then Confession #2 preached 9/1/2002.
I took all the new material from Confession A.doc and I preached this message on November 9, 2004 and taken from Confession 2.
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[1]The Amplified Bible, Containing the Amplified Old Testament and the Amplified New Testament., Heb 12:6. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1987.
[2] Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
[3]Peterson, Eugene H. The Message : The Bible in Contemporary Language, Pr 18:21. Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress, 2003.
[4]MacDonald, William, and Arthur Farstad. Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments, Pr 18:20. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995.
[5]Swanson, James. Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament). electronic ed., GGK323. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
[6]Fredrikson, Roger L., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. Vol. 27, The Preacher's Commentary Series, Volume 27 : John. Formerly The Communicator's Commentary. The Preacher's Commentary series, Page 26. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1985, p. 26.
[7]The New King James Version, Heb 11:3. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996, c1982.