ACKNOWLEDGE CHRIST AND HE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE YOU

PROCLAMATION

“Whoever acknowledges Me before others, I will also acknowledge before My Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before My Father in heaven.”  Matthew 10:32-33 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to the Apostle Matthew.  After Jesus saw the multitudes that were following Him, He had compassion on them. (Matthew 9:36-38)  He gathered His disciples together, gave them the authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons.  He gave them instructions to govern their behavior, and then he sent them out in pairs among the people. (Matthew 10:1-20)  He told them that not everyone would welcome them and that some would hate them. (Matthew 10:22)  Jesus told them not to be afraid of those that hate them. (Matthew 10:26-28)  Then He told them how valuable they are to God, The Father. (Matthew 10:29-31)  He made it clear to them that whoever should deny Him before men, that He would deny them before His Father in heaven.  Jesus, The Christ, said anyone who welcomes them, welcomes Him, and anyone who welcomes Him, welcomes His Father who sent Him. (Matthew 10:40)  He also said that anyone who welcomes a prophet or a righteous man, even to just give him a drink of water, will be rewarded. (Matthew 10:41-42)

APPLICATION

There is a reward for openly confessing Christ, and there is a penalty for denying Him.  Christ will acknowledge us or disown us before God in heaven depending upon our acknowledgement of Him before men.  If we confess and believe we will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)  This confession implies the receiving of His Holy Word (Mark 8:38), and the obeying of His commandments. (Luke 9:26)  Kindness shown to a man of God or to a righteous believer will be rewarded, even if the act of kindness is only a small seemingly insignificant act.  Therefore it is a good idea to practice random acts of kindness towards the people of God.  The world will know that we belong to Him by the way that we treat one another. (John 13:35)  No man has seen God but they see us, and He dwells within us and His love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12)  When men see our good works and our acts of loving-kindness, they see the light of Christ within us and God will be glorified. (Matthew 5:16)

Confess And Repent To Regain God's Favor

"Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, 'You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel's guilt.  Now make confession to The LORD, The God of your fathers, and do His will.  Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.'  The whole assembly responded with a loud voice: 'You are right!  We must do as you say.' "  Ezra 10:10-12 (NIV)

When Ezra, the prophet and a priest, learned that the people of Israel, including some of the priests and the Levites, had not kept themselves separate from the neighboring peoples with their detestable idol worshipping practices and had even married them, he tore his clothes, wept, fasted, and prayed because they had gone against the commandments of God not to do so.  (Ezra 9:1-15)  As the people saw him and heard him, they began to join in with him.  They confessed, repented, and promised to correct the error of their ways.  (Ezra 10:1-5) 

When we sin, we go against The Word of God and we fall out of His favor.  In order to get back into the goodness of God' favor, we must confess our sins, and repent, and turn from our sinful ways.  "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  2 Chronicles 7:14 



 

We Must Confess And Renounce Our Sins

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."  Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)

This saying of King Solomon makes it clear that it is better for them to confess and renounce their sins than to hide them.  It is God who grants them mercy and on one cannot hide their sins from Him.

Confession is good for the soul, but only if it is followed by turning away from the sinful activity.  It does us no good to pray to God for mercy, if we have not admitted that we have sinned.  Confessing a sinful act and then continuing to repeat it, calls into question the sincerity of our confession.  We cannot hide our motives and intentions from God.  If we really enjoy our sinful habits and do not plan to stop them, then we should not ask to be forgiven for committing the sins.  But if we truly want to be more Christ-like, then we ought to ask God for His help to change that part of our sinful nature.

You Must Believe in Jesus To Be Saved

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Rome that the law of Moses will not save them. It is their belief in God that will save them.

If you believe in Jesus, then you will be saved. Our salvation is not based upon our works, our salvation is based solely upon our belief in Jesus Christ. Eternal damnation awaits those who do not believe.

If We Confess Our Sins God Will Forgive Us

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-9 (NIV)

John, the youngest of the twelve disciples of Jesus, writes this letter in his old age as the last of the twelve. This general epistle is not addressed to any particular church or group and is therefore considered to be applicable to all believers. Here they are told that if they confess their sins to God, then they will be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness.

Romans 3:23 states that of us have sinned, believers included. The issue is not "if we sin," the issue is "are we willing to confess all of our sins." When we pray and confess our sins, it would be better for us if we identify each sin that we want to be forgiven for committing. Stating each of our sinful acts, thoughts, and spoken words may result in some very long prayers. However,
if we want to be forgiven for each sin, then we ought to confess each sin. It can be a humbling experience trying to list all of the sins committed in a day. Such an activity might help us to realize that we are not as good as we would like to think that we are, and it might help to become more Christ-like by causing us to commit fewer sins.

Confess Sins Or Continue To Feel Guilty

"When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to The Lord' and You forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalms 32:3-5 (NIV)

David reports that when he sinned and did not confess it, he was miserable afterwards. Only after acknowledged his sin and confessed them to God was he able to feel better and be guilt free.

We all have sinned, and we will continue to sin as long as we continue this human existence. However, as believers we will not enjoy our sin as we used to before we were saved. We will feel bad and guilt ridden after we sin. Our sins will take a physical and emotional toll on us. We need to acknowledge our sins, confess them to God, and ask for His help so that we do not continue to commit the same sin over and over again. When we pray and confess our sins, we should be specific and name the sins that we are asking Him to forgive. Listing our sins may help us to realize just how much we need His help in order to be Christ-like. Let us not lose the joy of our salvation because we won't acknowledge and confess our sins. (Psalms 51:1-15)

Confession Is Good For The Soul

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the man who always fears The Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble." Proverbs 28:13-14 (NIV)

This Proverb of Solomon is one of several that deals with man's relationship to God. While we all commit sins, those in good standing with God will admit that they have sinned. He who conceals his sins through lies and deceit is not a wise man and he will be in trouble with God.

Sin should not be covered up or lied about. It is better to confess ones sins unto The Lord, and to ask for forgiveness and help in avoiding them in the future. There will be a price to pay for being less than truthful. God does not expect us to be perfect, but He does require that we are truthful and honest with Him about our behavior. When we mess up, we should "fess" up.

Praise And Prayer During Trials

"Do not withhold Your mercy from me, O Lord; may Your love and Your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O Lord, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me." Psalms 40:11-13 (NIV)

David was quick to praise The Lord and to pray. He praised The Lord when things were going well and he prayed whenever he was in trouble. He confessed his many sins and asked for God's forgiveness and His help.

We could learn a lot from David. For even though he committed many sins, he acknowledged them and asked for forgiveness. He never broke his communication with God and he was aware of his relationship to God. That is probably why he is often referred to as "a man after God's own heart." We would do well to imitate that part of David's behavior.

Confess Believe And Be Saved

"That if you confess with you mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

Confession is more than an acknowledgement, for even the devil and his demons know this to be true. (James 2:19) Confession is a personal conviction, repenting from sin, trusting in Jesus, and submitting to Him as Lord. Justification means that the sinner is declared innocent in the sight of God by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

If we confess and believe, we will be saved from the penalty of sin.

Admit Being Christian, Don't Deny Jesus

"Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33 (NIV)

Do not be ashamed to admit that you believe in Jesus The Christ. Do not deny Him in order to be accepted by people here on earth. If we deny Him now, He will deny us later.

Do your family and friends know that you are a Christian? They should not only hear you say it, but they should see you live like it.

Create In Me A Clean Heart

"Hide Thy face for my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51:9-10

All of us have sinned and we need to ask God for forgiveness daily. Sinful thoughts are still sins. We all need to be cleansed. We need God's help to create within us clean hearts and minds.

Be honest with God and confess to Him your short comings. Don't beat yourself up because of them. Ask Him for His help in making you more Christ-like. Be determined to be a better Christian today than you were yesterday.

Acknowledge Our Sins And Confess

Whether we know it or not, every sin we commit is a sin against God. See Psalms 51:4 Recognizing that, we need to do as David did.

"I acknowledge my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I will confess my transgressions unto The Lord ... For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee ..." Psalms 32:5-6

David knew that he was wrong and that his sins were an affront to The Lord. He confessed his sins unto The Lord and we should do likewise. All Christians, "... every one that is godly ..." should pray, confess our transgressions, ask for forgiveness, and ask for the help and strength not to repeat a particular sin.

We can become more Christ-like if we can eliminate one sinful thought, deed, or spoken word from our behavior each day. That will by no means make us sinless or perfect. It just means that we will be more Christ-like today than we were yesterday, and even more so on tomorrow.

Being like Christ requires an active effort on our part including prayer, confession, not yielding to temptation, and thinking before we speak or act. We should ask ourselves beforehand, will this give God glory and would Jesus say of do this?

If Christians acted more Christ-like, the world would be a better place.

Are Your Words And Works Consistent?

A lot of people call themselves 'Christians', but their actions suggest that they are not. We live as if we don't believe what we say. What are we as 'Christians' teaching the world by our actions?

"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Titus 1:16

Eventually, the 'works' of those, who claim to know The Lord with their 'words,' will betray them and reveal that they are actually unbelievers. When your 'words' and your 'works' are inconsistent, you are not a true believer in Jesus Christ.

By posing as Christians, where our practice does not match our profession, we disqualify ourselves from any good work for Christ.

If we are Christian, then we ought to talk like one, act like one, and live like one. Talk alone is cheap. "Actions can speak louder than words." (Unknown) To say one thing, and then to act in such a way that is the exact opposite, is to deny what you say.

None of us do this perfectly, but our works should be consistent with our words. To say that we are Christian, and to never act like one, is to deny that Christ is in our lives. The right doctrine leads to the right behavior.

Confess And Forgiveness

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." 1 John 1:9-10

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23

The question is not did we sin, but did we confess our sins to God and sincerely ask Him for forgiveness.

Every sin is a sin against God. "Against Thee, and Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight ..." Psalms 51:4

So, pray to God, confess your sins, ask for forgiveness, and He will cleanse you.