The After Sermon /// What if confession is where freedom begins?

Welcome to the after sermon where we get to sit down with our communicator from the weekend.

And this weekend it's Doug Miller.

What's up, guys?

Good to see you.

All right.

Thanks for walking upstairs.

Appreciate it.

Of course.

We got a couple quick questions, but first tell us where you took your sermon this week.

Well, we uh transitioned from prayers of adoration from last week to prayers of confession this week.

I think that's a natural progression.

Once we're reminded of who God is and the character uh that he has, the things that he's promised, it will help us to be more comfortable to come into his presence to confess.

And so we kind of embedded this whole message in Psalm 51, which is the psalm that David wrote after his uh sinning with Bathsheba.

Yeah.

And all the things that were part of that.

And uh we we talked about what it looks like to prioritize uh prayers of confession and asking the Lord to search our hearts and show us where where we may have fallen short.

Right.

No.

So okay, so talk to me about David because what's really cool is last week we also took a psalm and kind of attached it to this idea of prayers of adoration.

Yeah.

Again, we're back in Psalm 51 now.

What is it about David and his life that seems to pair so well with like honest prayers, whether that's adoration or confession?

Yeah.

Well, I think the first thing is he's just a really normal guy.

They get chosen by God to be the king.

Yeah.

And there was something special about him.

Scripture talks about him being a man after God's own heart.

And um, even in a life of authentic failure, we know that he had some epic failures in his life.

His heart was always to come back and to make things right with the Lord.

And so the psalms are just it, I believe he was a really creative soul too.

So he was like that.

So he this part of the way that he probably knows he was a musician and he knew he wrote songs and wrote psalms.

And so, anyways, I I feel like he was just a great example to us of how in the highs and the lows of life to engage into this relationship with God.

Yeah, yeah, totally.

So, we also talk uh a lot about rearrangement, the rearrangement of our lives around what Jesus says is true.

Um, and when you were talking today, I think something that kind of popped up for me was like uh unconfessed sin patterns of life, I feel like those can really become a block to that idea of rearrangement.

So we we want to rearrange, and yet sometimes there's something in the way of that, that full rearrangement.

Talk to me about like what is how does that happen?

Like, what is what's the block and and how do we help ourselves um you know create a path forward?

I think um I've said this before when I was teaching, and I don't remember where I heard it the first time, but the enemy of our soul will quickly tell us that whatever it is that we're struggling with is not a big deal.

Right.

And then the second we fall to something and make a mistake, do something we know falls short of God's plan for our life, he's gonna tell us it's an absolutely huge deal.

And so there's two coins or sides to the coin of the way that he interacts in our minds with us.

And and so I think one of the reasons why this is so critically important is when we know that we've fallen short, we feel so utterly disqualified from being in the presence of God.

And then there's just like maybe some compartmentalization in our life of, well, we'll give them this aspect, but not this one.

And we kind of come in a little sheepishly before the Lord instead of realizing from the creation of humanity, there was an understanding that we have this sinful nature, which is why Jesus came.

Yeah.

And so we're belittling this massive aspect of God's provision for us when when we don't prioritize and spend some time confessing, because we end up carrying things sometimes for decades, maybe even our whole life, yeah, that we were never meant to carry.

And that does have a way of impacting us.

You know, David talked about that, all these different ways that his unconfessed sin had really um changed him.

And when he made it right, those things were that he was free from that.

And so I think it's important for us to just realize this is a big part of why Jesus came and did what he did.

Our heavenly father knew we were going to need it.

And so who who are we to not lean into that?

I think it's just foolish.

And and again, we all struggle sometimes to to make these things right when we know we've fallen short.

Right.

Something you said at the very top of your sermon, I thought was like really, really power powerful.

You said that prayers of confession, it's really not it's not meant to bring this feeling of shame.

It's meant to bring this feeling of freedom.

Um what happens in that exchange?

Do you feel where we are finally able to confess to God whatever it is?

Yeah.

Um, what brings about that that lifting of the weight?

So that is a really good question, Daniel.

And I think it starts with last week, like the prayers of adoration and being reminded of the thorough nature in which God loves us and that he's long-suffering and that he is merciful, and that you know, that he is uh one that wants to extend to us this forgiveness.

And when we when we approach him having been reminded of all of those things, these are just innate in the quality of who our God is.

We realize quickly this thing is not about performance, it's really about a relationship.

And there's this transaction that happens then when I carry the heaviness of what I've done that I'm embarrassed of, that that I wish I would have been stronger against, or whatever it is, sure.

To to just walk into the presence of you know Almighty God, knowing that I have the opportunity in this moment to to make these things right with the way that I'm thinking, the way that I'm speaking, and the way that my heart is connecting with it, and that if I allow God to do his thing in me, and sometimes it takes a little bit, it's not like it just happens instantaneously always, but I can walk from that place with a deep sense that God has forgiven me.

And and when I walk from that, it changes the way I think, it changes the way I behave, it changes the my relationships, and it gives me an opportunity to fully embrace more all that God has for me.

And so there's a beautiful exchange that happens.

Yeah, I love that.

Well, I something that really stood out to me also, like as we were kind of like walking into this week, uh, we talked about it a few times, and then you brought it up again during your sermon.

This idea of like adoration reminds us who God is, and confession reminds us of who we are.

And I just think that's so beautiful, not in like a shame-inducing kind of way, but just like kind of like right-setting the expectations of like God doesn't even expect us to be anything other than we are.

Yeah.

And uh, I just am so grateful you reminded us us of that during your sermon.

It's who he loves, he loves you and me for who we are, all the imperfections and the challenges and the struggles.

And I think so many times we feel like we gotta come to him all fixed.

Yeah.

And that's not it at all.

He says, Come to me and I'll fix you.

So yeah, you know, we gotta let him do his work, and and uh that's part of what this whole this whole journey of prayer is that we've been on together.

I love that.

I love how intentional it's been.

Okay, you guys know what to do.

If you want to watch the entire sermon that this conversation was based on, head to our YouTube channel, head to your favorite podcasting platform of choice.

We're right there.

Doug, thanks so much.

We appreciate you.

You betcha.

Love you guys.

We'll see you later.