What is your confession?

Scripture Lessons

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Psalm 91:1-13

Romans 10:8-13

Luke 4:1-13

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the common themes of our lessons this week is the question, what is your confession? I’m not talking about confessing your sins. I’m talking about confessing your faith. What is your confession of the faith?

Remember that Deuteronomy is a sermon that Moses preached to the Israelites just prior to their entrance into the promised land. “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you…you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him…” Notice that God prescribed a liturgy for the Israelites to follow. He prescribed a manner in which they are to approach God through the appointed priest. And notice that the liturgy entails a confession. They are to confess, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.” Yes, they also brought an offering, but the point of all of this is the confession of their faith. And the confession is centered on the word of God and His promises which always come to pass. He promised the land, they have entered it, and as they dwell in it, they are to constantly remember and offer their confession of the faith to God. We know that the sacrifices were a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Thus, it was never the lamb, the firstborn, the sheaves of wheat, and so forth that God needed to receive, but their confession of the faith. That was the sacrifice that always needed to be offered and still does to this day.

I encourage you to look now at Deuteronomy 26. Versus 5 through 10 are a confession that the faithful Israelites are to make. “A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt…and the Lord brought us out…and he brought us into this place…and behold, now I bring the first of the fruit…which you, O Lord, have given me.”

The confession is principally that God provides, the God fulfills His promises, and that all we have is a gift from God. Psalm 91 carries this theme also. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Got that? You want to dwell in the shelter of God and abide in his shadow. His protective wings encompass you to keep you from evil, to protect you, to strengthen you. How? Verse 2, “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” This confession is the means by which you abide in the shelter of the Most High God. You may say that life has brought trouble your way…does that mean that you have fallen outside of God’s shelter? I think that the gospel lesson will answer that question thoroughly. Also, we sang the great hymn by Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” or “Ein Feste Berge Ist Unser Gott” if you prefer. Regarding this hymn, let me read from the Lutheran Service Book, Companion to the Hymns:

“A mighty fortress is our God” was likely written sometime between 1527 and 1529, a period that saw an epidemic hit Wittenberg, a serious illness befall Martin Luther, Turkish forces threatening the German borders, further threats from [Roman] Catholic armies, and theological attacks from both [Roman] Catholics and more radical Protestants.”

This is a hymn of comfort. God is our fortress and He is a mighty fortress. And the gate to the fortress is the confession of faith. Satan can’t make that confession and can’t enter that fortress. As James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” So the confession of the faith is not that God exists. The fallen angels make that confession. The confession of the faith is that God loves, protects, shows mercy. The confession of the faith is that the Lord is longsuffering, not wanting that any should perish, but that all should reach eternal life. The confession of the faith is that Jesus is the Christ and that in Him, God has come in the flesh, taken upon Himself your sins, and removed the sting of death on the cross.

Isn’t this what Romans 10 is saying? “The word is near you; in your mouth and in your heart.” God is not distant, but near you, in your mouth, i.e. in your confession of Him. “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved…the same Lord [of both Jews and Gentiles] is Lord of all, bestowing riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Yes, this is so clear. To confess the faith is to call out to God in all circumstances. “Lord, I need you! Lord, I am in trouble. Lord, I can’t do this without you.” God knows that all mankind needs Him. The trouble is that some people don’t think they need God. He’s still there for them, but as they persist in hardness of heart, they go further and further away from His grace. Pray for such people. Pray that you remain close to God by confessing Him. By professing your need for Him. By petitioning Him. “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6b.

I’m almost finished with the sermon and I haven’t even gotten to the gospel lesson. Remember the theme, “what is your confession?” Now consider Luke 4 in light of this question. Jesus was lead into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and for forty days went without food. He was tempted by Satan. “The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.’”

The devil acknowledged that Jesus is the Son of God, but Jesus confessed that He is Man! He did not grasp His divine prerogatives. He chose to submit Himself to deprivation. 100% God and 100% man means he could 100% turn that stone into bread and eat. It also meant that he did 100% suffer hunger. Jesus shows us that you are free to trust in God your Father above all things. Jesus shows us that suffering does not mean that you are outside of God’s shelter and it is the confession of God’s word which Jesus used three times to repel the attacks of Satan.

The text records three specific temptations, but it also says, “when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” Meanwhile, Satan, his demonic angels, and your own flesh wage war against you. How have you done when faced with temptation? Some people are tempted by greed, some by lust, some by fury. Whatever temptation it is that besets you, how are you doing? Do not despair. God has not forsaken you. In this life you will both succeed and fail to resist temptation. But in Christ Jesus, you have succeeded perfectly. Because He has resisted every temptation, you have resisted every temptation in Christ Jesus. Glory be to Christ the Savior!

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.