Getting real

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets." (Matthew 23:29-31)

The Pharisees witness against themselves by not admitting they were sons of Ahab and would have sought to murder Elijah just as much as he did. They are lying to themselves and acting out a part to everyone else (the root meaning of hypocrites). Their way out of woe and into blessing is through reality - not fantasy stories. And its the same for us. We can be honest and confess that we find Jeremiah and Ezekiel very weird and scary. We can confess that we would have dismissed Jonah as a religious nutcase.

We only condemn ourselves by our own words and we should do just that. We cannot justify ourselves (that is declare ourselves just), because it is "God who justifies". And praise God that in Jesus he does just that!

The words of Jesus on the cross - "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" - belong to those who crucified Christ, and those like us who would have done the same.

Responding to confession

Good headings from Stephen Altrogge, with my thoughts afterwards:

• Do Respond Humbly
• Requires you to know yourself a sinner
• Do Identify With Their Struggle
• Requires you to know yourself to struggle with similar, if different, sins
• Don't Act Shocked
• Requires you to know them, and all humanity. Sin is not a surprise, even in a Christian.
• Don't Blow It Off
• The initial, very strong, temptation. Count to ten, let the sinfulness of sin sink in. They know the sinfulness of sin so show that you know it as well.
• Do Follow Up Later
• Change is slow, and until we die temptations will probably recur. Even if not, the devil's accusations about past sin can eat away at assurance.
• Do Remember the Gospel
• The most important. Absolution should overshadow all confession. The announcement of their forgiveness. Also talk about the promise of freedom in Christ and our future hope.

Always open to more thoughts if people have them.