For our opening prayer this morning, let’s jump right into it. We are talking about repentance; let’s repent. Bob Kauflin reprinted a prayer of confession offered at the Worship God Conference 14 years ago. It still works just fine today.[1]
Holy and righteous God, we confess that like Isaiah, we are a people of unclean lips. But it is not only unclean lips we possess. We are people with unclean hands and unclean hearts. We have broken your law times without number, and are guilty of pride, unbelief, self-centeredness and idolatry. Affect our hearts with the severity of our sin and the glory of your righteousness as we now acknowledge our sins in your holy presence.
We have had other gods before you.
We have worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator.
We have sought satisfaction in this world’s pleasures rather than in You.
We have loved to praise our own glory more than yours.
We have taken your name in vain.
We have prayed religious prayers to impress others.
We have uttered your name countless times without reverence or love.
We have listened to others use your name in vain without grieving.
We have murdered in our hearts.
We have often destroyed our neighbor with our tongues.
We have been quick to uncharitably judge others.
We have considered revenge when we were sinned against.
We have committed adultery with our eyes.
We have loved temptation rather than fighting it.
We have lusted after unlawful and immoral pleasures.
We have justified our lusts by using the world as our standard.
We have stolen what is not ours and coveted what belongs to others.
Our lives overflow with discontent, ungratefulness, and envy.
We have complained in the midst of Your abundant provision.
We have sought to exalt ourselves through owning more.
We have lied to you and to others.
We have told distorted truths, half-truths, and untruths.
We have despised the truth to make ourselves look better.
Even in our confession, we look for ways to hide our guilt.
O God, we have sinned against your mercy times without number. We are ashamed to lift up our faces before you, for our iniquities have gone over our heads. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? How shall we answer you? We lay our hands on our mouths. We have no answer to your righteous wrath and just judgment.
We have no answer. But God Himself has mercifully provided one for us. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Is. 53:6)
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Repentance involves submission. We have to recognize that, if we choose to surrender our lives to Christ, there is a sense in which choices have been made for us.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
“Does any man here think it would be a pleasure to be his own? Let me assure him that there is no ruler so tyrannical as self. He that is his own master, has a fool and a tyrant to be his lord. No man ever yet governed himself after the will of the flesh but what he by degrees found the yoke heavy and the burden crushing. Self is a fierce dictator, a terrible oppressor; imperious lusts are cruel slavedrivers…Now, if it be true that we are not our own, and I hope it is true to many here present, then the inference from it is, "I have no right to injure myself in any way. My body is not my own, I have no right then, as a Christian man, to do anything with it that would defile it….if we are not our own, but "are bought with a price," we have no right to exercise any capricious government of ourselves. A man who is his own may say, "I shall go whither I will, and do what I will;" but if I am not my own but belong to God who has bought me, then I must submit to his government; his will must be my will, and his directions must be my law.” – Charles Spurgeon[2]
In moments of temptations, I find that it is easier for me to fall when I ask myself, “What should I choose?” I’m like the apostle Paul; there is a war within, and it’s too easy to go with what I want rather than what God wants. That’s rebellion. But I find that I respond very differently when I think, “This isn’t my choice to make. It’s already been made for me. God established the path of righteousness, and when I surrendered my life to Him, my steps were ordered in that path. The choice has been made.”
Question #1: What choices are you wrestling with that have already been made for you? What decision has already been made?
Repentance involves action. When we sin, we reject the holy plan God has for our lives and choose an unholy plan. Repentance literally means we “turn around” and to the other direction.
“Repent [μετανοέω – change your mind] therefore, and be converted [ἐπιστρέφω – change your actions], that your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19)
“I peach that they should repent [μετανοέω – change your mind] and turn [ἐπιστρέφω – change your actions] to God, and do works that demonstrate their repentance.” (Acts 26:20)[3]
God gives us the strength and the grace to repent, because when he calls us to do something, He equips us to do that thing.
Question #2: What change of mind and action will follow your repentance? How will you think and act differently on the other side of repentance?
Repentance involves honest humility. This means not just acknowledging your sin to God, but to others who were hurt by your sin so that peace can follow.
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
Sobering note: God doesn’t want your worship if it comes from an unrepentant heart.
Important note: repentance to others is meant to make peace where there has been hurt and strife. I talked to someone who had been lusting after another person in the church (this person didn’t know), and he wondered if he should go confess his sin to her. My answer? No. She doesn’t need to know. Telling her would probably do the opposite of bring peace and reconciliation. But generally speaking, when we know people have felt the harm from our sin, we need to acknowledge it to their face without equivocation or defensiveness.
I saw a model repentance this past week. It was written by someone who worked for RZIM, and it was written to acknowledge that the writer, a guy by the name of Carson, had deeply wronged the victims. I’m not going to read the entire letter (it’s long and very detailed about the scandal), but I do want to highlight the repentance parts.
Dear Brad and Lori Anne,
I wanted to write in an effort to acknowledge my shameful complicity in honoring Ravi, dishonoring you, and protecting myself. For my failure to seek the truth, show you proper respect, and advocate for justice, I contritely ask for you to consider forgiving me.
Such egregious wrong deserves a fuller accounting. This letter is my effort to explain where I failed in my obligations to God, to you, and to many others….
In dependence upon God’s grace, I now seek to repair the damage I have caused. First, I want to wholeheartedly apologize to you and your allies for the pain and heartache I have caused for over three years. I understand this has been far harder than I will ever know or understand. I am so sorry.
Second, I am personally contacting my friends and partners in ministry to make amends. I am telling them the truth, confessing my failings, and inviting them to join me in a righteous response to this grievous situation. I hope and pray that many more will join me in fostering a culture that is increasingly vigilant to expose abusers and earnestly committed to protecting everyone else, who would otherwise be vulnerable to predation. I will also be making a public statement in the near future.
Third, I believe RZIM must change its name, repent, and seek a restorative response to the harm you and others have experienced. I am advocating that an organization with credibility in the survivor community be hired to do a thorough assessment of the organization and its complicity. I believe their proposals for reform will need to be implemented. Apart from the board and senior leadership demonstrating a serious and wholehearted attempt to change course, I intend to resign.
If, in an abundance of mercy, you would be willing to give me counsel on any other measures that I might take to demonstrate my most sincere repentance and commitment to change, I would be most grateful.
sincerely yours,
Carson Weitnauer
That is a great example of “repent [μετανοέω – change your mind] therefore, and be converted [ἐπιστρέφω – change your actions].”
Question #3: To whom do you need to go and make peace through humble confession and repentance? What will an honest, non-defensive apology look like?
RECOMMENDED PRAYERS FOR THE WEEK
“Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.” (Episcopal Book of Common Prayer)
“Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and strength; through Jesus Christ your Son.” (Book of Common Worship, Louisville: Westminster/John Know Press, 1993)
“Almighty Father; we enter your presence confessing the things we try to conceal from you and the things we try to conceal from others. We confess the heartbreak, worry, and sorrow we have caused, that make it difficult for others to forgive us, the times we have made it easy for others to do wrong, the harm we have done that makes it hard for us to forgive ourselves. Lord have mercy and forgive us through Christ. Amen.” (Paul E. Engle, Baker’s Worship Handbook, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998)
“Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past that we cannot change; open to us a future in which we can be changed; and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.” (From the PCUSA Book of Common Worship Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1993; p. 88)
“Almighty and merciful God, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare those who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to the world in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O merciful God, for his sake, that we may live a holy, just, and humble life for the glory of your holy name. Amen.” Anonymous
“Almighty God, you love us, but we do not love you fully. You call, but we do not always listen. We often walk away from neighbors in need, wrapped in our own concerns. We often condone evil, hatred, warfare, and greed. God of grace, help us to admit our sin, so that as you move toward us in mercy, we may repent, turn to you, and receive forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.” Anonymous
“Merciful God, you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you. We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy. We have not loved you with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves. We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with you, our God. Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness. In your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. Do not cast us from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from us. Restore to us the joy of your salvation and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit. Amen.
Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our sinfulness, our shortcomings, and our offenses against you. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you. Forgive our sins, and help us to live in your light, and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.” Anonymous
In August of 1662 around 2,000 ministers left the national church of England for the sake of conscience. Two pastors, Edmund Calamy (d. 1666) and Thomas Watson (d. 1686), prayed prayers of confession and repentance the final Sunday of their parish ministry in the English state church.[4] “We have heard much of God, Christ, and heaven with our ears, but there is little of God, Christ, and heaven in our hearts…. Thou hast shown mercy to us, but the better thou hast been to us, the worse we have been to thee. Thou hast loaded us with thy mercies, and we have wearied thee with our sins… By our spiritual leprosy we infect our holy things …We confess we are untuned and unstrung for every holy action; we are never out of tune to sin but always out of tune to pray. We give the world our main affections and our strong desires…there is not that reverence, nor that devotion, nor that activeness of faith that there should be.… Oh, humble us for our unkindness, and for Christ’s sake blot out our transgressions; they are more than we can number, but not more than [thou canst] pardon.”
ENDNOTES
[1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/public-prayer-of-confession/
[2] https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/1004.cfm
[3] https://lectionary.blog/2020/07/24/turn-and-repent/
[4] https://reformedreader.wordpress.com/2017/01/12/prayers-of-repentanceconfession/