Go Straight to God?
Go Straight to God?
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” – 1 Timothy 2:5-6
The other day the Pope made a monumental decree. In light of the restrictions we are currently under due to the coronavirus, he had been asked by Catholic parishioners what they should do since they cannot visit a priest for confession. His response?
“It is very clear: If you cannot find a priest to confess to, speak directly with God, your father, and tell him the truth. Say, ‘Lord, I did this, this, this. Forgive me,’ and ask for pardon with all your heart.”
This is much like what Lutherans and Protestants have been saying since the reformation. In fact, this was an important point of the reformation. The mediator between people and God is not a priest, it’s Christ, Himself!
We can go directly to God as His children, confess our sins, know that He hears us and forgives us. What a wonderful gift from God!
Don’t misunderstand me. Confession to a pastor or priest can be a wonderful thing. While we don’t do it as much, the Lutheran Church also practices personal confession with a pastor; however, we don’t require it or even give the impression that it’s required. It’s there for those who desire the additional assurance of forgiveness by hearing it from a pastor.
It Is Very Clear
The Pope said, “It’s very clear.” He was referring to the Catholic Catechism, but I would say that it’s very clear in the Scriptures! We have one mediator, Christ Jesus. You can go to Him any time of day lay the burden of your sin down before His cross. Then go on unburdened, knowing you are forgiven and loved. Amen!!
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for welcoming me before Your throne. Thank You for bidding me to come and for promising to hear and forgive my sins. Hear me now as I pray…
(Confess your sins)
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Tricked Me!
tricked me!
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” – Galatians 6:7-8
How’s your faith life?
Is it going well or are you struggling?
I remember being asked that question at a party once by a guy I hadn’t seen in years. I remember thinking, what does he expect from that question? Am I supposed to lay out all my struggles and sins in front of him in the middle of a party?
While his intentions may have been good, that person’s timing wasn’t great. Maybe ask again when we’re in a more private setting and after we’ve developed some trust over time.
Often, we don’t answer that question very honestly when others ask, even when they do ask in the right setting. Sometimes, we aren’t even honest with ourselves. We ignore certain sins or reason away bad motivation.
We may deceive others or even ourselves, but God is not deceived. He sees through it all. If we are chasing after sin, He knows.
So, what do we do?
Ask God to search us and show us our sin. Confess our sin and turn away from it. It’s not that we can get to the point where we don’t sin, but we can have a repentant heart and turn to God for forgiveness and help.
But Wait! I Know My Sin!
Not fully seeing our sin is something many people struggle with, but some people are the opposite. They see their sin and magnify it so it’s all they see. This isn’t good either. We certainly need to be repentant, but we also need to accept God’s Word of forgiveness.
Once God forgives your sin IT’S GONE!!!
Take a few minutes to pray, ask God to search you, confess, and ask God to give you a repentant heart. Once you have confessed, hear God’s Words of grace.
You Are Forgiven and Washed Clean!
Your Sins Have Been Removed!!
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for sending Your Son to die for me. When I don’t see my sin, make me aware and repentant. When sin and its shame overshadow me, remind me I am forgiven.
Amen
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
The Other Six
How To Use These Posts
The Other Six is a short, daily devotional blog post. You can use these posts for personal devotions, however, I’m also going to write them in such a way that you could use them for family devotions. I’ll include a Bible verse, questions and/or discussion points, and a closing prayer. I highly encourage you to do these devotions with your family or friends if possible.
Enjoy!
21 Days of Prayer – Day 15
21 Days of Prayer - Day 15
Heavenly Father,
Your steadfast love never ceases; Your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness, o Lord.
I confess that I have not always lived in such as way as to bring You glory. I have not loved You with my whole heart and I have not loved my neighbor as myself.
(take a moment to reflect on the past day and confess your sins.)
I am sorry for my sins and pray for Your great mercy. For the sake of Jesus Christ, please forgive me of all my sins.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen
Prayer of the Day:
Heavenly Father,
You do not treat me as I deserve based on my sin, but according to Your great mercy and grace. You do this not because I have earned it, but because of Your great love.
Help me to trust in Your promises, especially the promise that I am saved not by what I have done, but by what Jesus has done. Remind me again and again that Your mercy is greater than my sin. When the devil claims I’m not good enough, strengthen my faith say, “Yes, you are right, but my salvation is not because of how good I am, but Jesus work on the cross.”
Help me to rest in truth that my works have no role in my salvation. Give me peace.
Teach me to trust in Your mercy and, therefore, to gladly and regularly come to You in repentance, confessing my sin to receive Your forgiveness.
Be with Faith Lutheran Church. Help us to faithfully proclaim salvation by faith in Jesus apart from works. Help us to bring the message that brings rest to the weary soul and comfort to the tormented mind. May we be a church where people find Sabbath rest in the grace of Jesus Christ.
Lord, give us attitudes and actions that reflect Your grace and mercy. Help us to never look down upon anyone for their sin, as though we ourselves aren’t covered from head to toe in sin. Rather, help us to be a church where people can freely confess their sins not only to You through prayer, but to each other, that we migh support one another and proclaim God’s grace to each other.
Amen
The Psalms:
The Psalms have long been considered the prayer book of the Bible and have been used as prayers by countless Christians over the centuries. So, we join them in this practice and pray a Psalm.
Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(Take a few minutes to add your personal prayers, now.)
Conclude your time of prayer with either Luther’s morning or evening prayer, depending on what time of day it is.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank you, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Luther’s Evening Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray You to forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
I’m Sorry. You Are Forgiven
I'm Sorry. You are forgiven.
“Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
– John 20:21-23
Confession and absolution (forgiveness) is pretty straight forward. The guilty confess their wrong doing and then they are forgiven. However, the simplicity of what is done should not take away from how incredible this is.
Imagine if you committed a crime and got caught. When you are brought before the judge you confess and tell the judge you are sorry. In our courts, this may lessen your sentence, but you will still be found guilty. In God’s court, however, He pronounces you innocent and declares you free of all guilt and it’s associated punishment. How incredible?!!!
We all sin. Everyday, many times a day, we sin. We rebel against God. So, we are all guilty and in desperate need of forgiveness. God, in His great mercy has provided a way for us to be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. After Jesus had risen from the dead, He appears to the disciples, breathes on them, gives them the Holy Spirit, and then gives them the authority to forgive sins.
This authority is given to the whole church. The church then gives this authority to be used by the pastor as He is called by God and the church to administer the means of grace. As we confess our sins each week in the worship service (or in private confession) we hear the words of the pastor forgiving our sins. We take hold of this promise by faith. So, as we hear these words, we can be confident that we are forgiven as though Christ were standing before us speaking the words Himself. After all, it is by Jesus’ command that the pastor does so.
What sweet relief it is to know that you are forgiven.
Sadly, when we sin, sometimes the guilt of our sin and the lies of the devil push us to to avoid church and avoid God. We, like Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden, try to hide and avoid our shame. However, we are running from the very thing we need. This is just the time when we should run TO God and His church to receive the forgiveness we so desperately need.
We can all go to God anytime and confess our sins. However, God has also given us the gift of confession and absolution where we can hear the words of forgiveness audibly spoken to us and know that it is true.
If you feel the weight of sin on your shoulders, I encourage you to contact me (or whomever your pastor is), confess, and receive forgiveness.
Heavenly Father,
I confess that I have sinned against You. I am sorry for what I have done. For the sake of Jesus Christ and His suffering, death, and resurrection, please forgive me and renew me that I might walk in Your ways.
Amen
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt