Confession and Freedom

(Lk. 18:13)

              “And the publican, standing afar off, would not even lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his chest, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

              The PEOPLE of the parables of the NT are selected by Christ to illustrate to us traits of character.  They illustrate how we should act in every situation of life, no matter who you are or where you are.  What would you think if Jesus were to pen a modern day version of the Good Samaritan, but instead of using a Samaritan, Jesus uses a radical sect of Muslims called Shiites. 

               Jesus replies, “There once was a man going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho” and he was overtaken by robbers and left for dead.  Now, by chance a preacher came by, and passed by on the other side.  And likewise, a pack of elders and deacons came by and looked on Him, but passed by on the other side.  But then a Shiite Muslim passed by and had compassion on him and bound up his wounds and took him to an inn and paid the innkeeper.  Then Jesus turns to US and asks US at the end of that parable, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves?” (Lk. 10:36).  And what would we have to say?  The Shiite.

                In our parable this evening of the Pharisee and the publican, Christ (desiring to set before us the necessity of humility in prayer) didn’t select some great saint of the past, but Christ chose to use a tax collector.  A publican, probably guilty of extortion and unjust gain (as the Pharisee proclaims as he says, “God, I thank thee that I am not like other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.” (Lk. 18:11)  Our Lord and Savior, in order that we might see that there was nothing in this publican’s character to boast about, set this unjust tax collector to be a pattern and model of how we should pray.

              We know little about this tax collector, but we can (without reading too much into it) assume near to what it might have been.  This publican was a Jew (no doubt), and as a Jew, he must have been trained in all the rights and rituals of Judaism.  Yet, he became one of the corrupt class of Jew that collected taxes for the Romans.  The Roman government gave a publican far greater power than they should have, and a tax collector (implied by the vicious hatred of the people toward them) was never slow to use this power to his advantage.  We don’t know how many times this publican stole from the inheritance of a widow and her children…robbed from the friendless and unprotected orphans of the day.  Probably half of all he had was gained by robbing his own people if not more.  It wasn’t very often that this publican was seen in the temple; the priests very seldom saw him coming with a sacrifice.  He was an outcast to his people.  He was a traitor to his country and to his own Jewish blood.

               But it so happened that the publican thought upon his ways, and the blackness of his deeds.  He was alone, and the sins that he committed were heavy on his heart and soul.  God was against him…his own people were against him, and at last he comes to the house of God on the Mt Zion.  He thinks within himself as we sing, “Where could I go but to the Lord?”  He walks up to the place of worship, and he feels ashamed knowing that his feet have not entered this place for some time.  He sees the Pharisee (the holy whited sepulcher full of dead men’s bones) go up to the very entrance of the holy place and there he begins to shout his prayer in boastful language.  But the publican, chooses some secluded corner of the outer courtyard, where he will not be seen or heard.  HE IS ABOUT TO PRAY, not with hands lifted to the heavens, not with eyes gazing to the skies, but fixing his eyes upon the ground and bowing his head, he doesn’t dare to look up toward heaven.  He begins to speak, but not with long and eloquent words.  He simply states, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”------There are two things we are going to talk about this evening: 1), Confession.  2) Freedom

I. Confession

              We can see the publican’s confession: God be merciful to me a sinner, but who was it confessed to?  Did the publican ever think of going to one of the priests that were no doubt surrounding the holy place? NO. The publican directs his prayer and his confession towards one place----God! 

              Notice also that this confession was secretive: all you hear in this man’s confession is “sinner.”  All this man said was that I am a sinner.  Some people today make a big to do about a person not confessing specifically what they have done.   What did the publican do?  All he said was, “Be merciful to me a sinner!”  I urge you…if you ever make a confession of sin before men…make it a general confession, not a particular one.  We ought to confess often that we are sinners to our fellow man, but to tell people in what respect you have been a sinner, is really none of their business.  Don’t pollute your fellow Christians with your specific sins; keep the specifics to yourself and to God, because God is the only one that cannot be polluted with our sin.  Make a full confession before God, but to your fellow creatures merely say, “I am a sinner.”

              The confession of this publican was spontaneous.  There wasn’t a preacher asking him if he was a sinner or not.  There wasn’t a priest that came up to him and asked, “Did you break the seventh or eighth commandment?”  His heart was full of penitence, and it was seen in his prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

              We MUST confess our sins because we cannot keep from confessing them.  They have to come out before God…they MUST come out because, as a Christian, we know that we CANNOT bear our load of transgression.  This is the character we must have before God.  You don’t need me to tell you you’re a sinner.  You know if you have sins before the Lord…and those sins (if not confessed) will find you out.  This publican made a confession to God secretly and spontaneously.

              But what did he confess?  He confessed that he was a sinner.  This is the most suitable prayer for all of us to pray.  Is there ONE TONGUE here that this confession can’t be uttered by? “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”  None of us have ever committed any of the sins that the Pharisee mentioned: extortion, unjust, adulterous.  Have any of us ever been like this publican who was lost in a world of sin, but now comes to Father for forgiveness?  The word “sinner” applies to you, and you know it does, if you are in a right condition with God.  Remember the sins that you have sinned against the light.  You may have been raised in the church and receive the best of Bible education, but have ever strayed away from the faith?  We have all sinned against the light, against the conscience, against the love of God, against the mercy and grace of the Lord.  To the greatest of Christians, come and answer this question: does this prayer not suit even you?  Even the most righteous has to bow low…even the most prideful must cower under the phrase, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” 

              I beg you to use this prayer, because it suits us all this evening.  Do you have any sins to confess at work?  Do you leave this place on Sunday and Wed to lead entirely different lives in front of others?  Wives, do you not have any household sins to confess?  Teenagers, do you not have any sins of rebellion against your parents and God?  Have we loved the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Have we loved our neighbor as ourselves?  We have nothing to brag or boast.  We have nothing to show off and no righteousness to claim as our own.  But let this phrase be ours tonight:  God be merciful to me a sinner.

              If you and I want to be heard, we must come to Christ as sinners.  Don’t attempt to make yourself better than you are.  When we come before God, we don’t boast of our great virtues!  We don’t brag about how good we are!  We would think that would be ridiculous.  So, why would we even think about living that way?  Confession is a fruit of our lips (Hb. 13:15).  God, be merciful to ME, a sinner.  This is the only way I can pray to God! 

              Are there not so many here that know this to be true?  Are there not those souls this evening that are groaning and sighing over the burden of sin that lies on your conscience?  I am glad you feel and know yourself to be a sinner, for with that confession the keys have been put into your hands.  When we realize our sins, we begin to walk toward mercy.  If you come to Christ in sinful rags, you can claim Christ’s righteous robes.  If you come to Christ hungering for right, then you can eat of the Bread of Life.  If you come to Christ with nothing, he will reward you with everything.  Confess before the throne, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”  This is what the publican confessed (that he was a sinner)!  He pleaded it!  And so should we.

              How did he come?  First, I want you to see that he stood afar off.  What did he go so far away for?  We have often made general confessions of sin, but how many of us make specific confessions to God?  There is never a confession accepted, except it be done in godly sorrow (II Co. 7:9).  There is never a confession accepted without heart felt, heart-wrenching pain.

              Here’s this publican in the place of worship.  There are all the people gathered together for their accustomed worship service.  They join in singing Psalms of praise, but the publican stood far away from them.  The people pray to God together, but the publican doesn’t come near them.  He came to this place for himself, so he stood afar off by himself.  He’s like a wounded deer that seeks the deepest and darkest part of the woods to bleed and die in solitude, so did this poor publican seem to feel he must be alone.

              Have you ever felt that I was just preaching to you?  Have you ever felt that the Lord kind of picked you out of the congregation and said, “Listen to this!”  Has it ever seemed as if there was a black wall around closing everyone off, but you, the preacher and God?  Almost as if every word was aimed at you, every rebuke and call meant for you, every solemn admonition for you!  If you have ever felt like that, congratulations!  You know what it’s like to be as this publican was…A solitary, lonely sinner.

              But next, “he beat upon his chest.”  This publican was the best theologian…he was the best doctor of divinity…because he knew where his sin was: in his heart.  He didn’t hit his head, like we do when we’re confused or mistaken.  This man knew right where the problem was…with his heart.  He beat on his chest as if he were angry with himself, and all the while praying, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

              Can you come to God like this?  There are sins only you yourself know.  There are things amiss in your life that only you know.  If our sin is only known to ourselves, then we must ourselves go to God and confess alone.  We all must meet God alone.  If we understood that we must go to God OURSELVES, there wouldn’t be any bickering and backbiting brethren.  We would rebuke ourselves, not others.  Rip your own heart apart before you go after the reputation of others.  How often have WE (INDIVIDUALLY) neglected prayer?  How often have we forgotten to go to God?  How often have we neglected and broken the fellowship of the saints on Sundays?  How often has our Bible laid unread?  Surely, as these things flash across our memories, they hold our head down because we can’t even gaze toward the God of heaven.  AND AS FOR SMITING THE CHEST, what person here doesn’t need to do it?  What person here isn’t angry with themselves, because we provoke God to be angry at us when we sin?  The publican smote upon his chest and said, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

              Lastly, there is one part of this prayer that we cannot overlook.  What reason did this man have to expect that God would grant him mercy?  The Greek explains better than the English.  The phrase might better be translated, “God be propitiated to me a sinner.”  We know what propitiation is from I John 2:2, “And he (Christ) is the propitiation for our sins…” This publican is appealing atonement.  This publican is appealing propitiation! 

From this, we learn that if we are going to come before God with confessions, we have to plead the blood of Christ.  There is no hope for a sinner apart from the blood.  We can cry out, “God be merciful to me a sinner” all day, but the prayer will never be answered apart from Christ and His blood.  When you have your prayer aimed at the mercy-seat…you have to have your prayer aimed through Christ’s blood.  If you want rest to your conscience…it’s in the blood.  There can be no mercy apart from the blood.  When we approach God, we must approach Him through His Son (the Divine Sacrifice).  We must come to God through the blood of His Son. “Jesus the Faithful Witness…washed us from our sins in HIS OWN BLOOD!” (Rev. 1:5)  “Without the shedding of blood there can be no remission.”  Get into the watery grave of His blood…and have your sins blotted out.  Repent, confess, and plunge into His blood through baptism.  As Christ Himself has said, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved…”

II. Freedom

              With all of these things fresh on our minds, we come to the heart of the matter…his freedom.  It doesn’t say that publican went to his house having eased his mind, but Christ said he went to his house JUSTIFIED!  Don’t we all want to be justified this evening?

              As sure as God is God, him that comes to Christ will in no way be cast out (John 6:37).  Why do you linger?  Arise, be baptized and wash away thy sins!  Why linger?!?  Go to God.  You are His child…and He will never give you up.  You may have run from Him for years…you may have gone down the wrong path, but He still waits for you to come.  He has never forgotten you.  As we go home this evening to our houses and beds, let each of us---preacher, elder, deacon, member have on your lips this song, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

              Do you need forgiveness from God?  Go to Him and get it.  Do you need Christ’s blood?  Be buried with Him in baptism, and ever walk in newness of life.