Please join me in prayer as we confess our sins to the Lord.
Our heavenly Father,
We humble ourselves under your mighty hand knowing that you care for us. We want to confess our sins before you because you are both a holy God and a good God.
Your Word asks if we have any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, or any participation in the Spirit. And we have all those things. Our sin has been wiped away by the power of Christ and his work on the cross. We see your love for us in the gift of your own beloved Son for us. And we see how the Holy Spirit has also been given to us, drawing us into a greater fellowship with you and with your people. We have all these benefits.
And then you tell us we should do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility we should count others more significant than ourselves. And we want this. We see how this makes so much sense in light of who you are and what you've done for us.
But we have failed. We've done the exact opposite. We've been incredibly selfish. We're constantly concerned about our reputations. And so often we think of ourselves as much more important than others. Forgive us, Lord.
You also told us that we should do all things without grumbling or complaining because of your great salvation. You've made us lights in a dark place and you've caused us to be born again as children of God, redeeming us from a world that's crooked and twisted. So we have nothing to grumble or complain about.
And yet we grumble. We do it constantly. And we grumble and complain about the silliest, smallest, most petty stuff. Because things don't work out the way we want them to. And it's as if no one else seems to care about me or my needs - when you do. Forgive us, Lord.
But even as we confess these sins, we do it with great hope. We know that even these sins are forgiven through Christ. You tell us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling because you are working in us both to will and to work for your good pleasure. And we are working out our salvation by being honest with you right now about the sin that's still in our hearts.
And we set all our hope on your work in us. We know that you started a work in us when the light of Christ was shone in our hearts. And we believe your promise to finish the work that you began in us. You are the one who is causing us to see this sin and confess is. We ask that you would give us the mind of Christ, one that seeks to be humble like him, and to serve others like he did. Help is to be so satisfied in you that there's nothing to grumble or complain about.
We confess this is absolutely impossible for us to do ourselves. It would be a supernatural work to make me this kind of person, and to make us, as a church, a people who is blameless and innocent, selfless and humble, shining as lights here in Orange County. But this supernatural work is what we ask for because we believe that this is what you intend to do, and what you will do.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
(Sunday morning, April 15, 2018)
