Confession Introduction: The basis for confession is Gods word. Gods word is the guideline for faiths confession.

The word of God is alive and active. Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intent of the heart. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 v16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: v17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. When the apostle Paul says that all scripture is inspired by God, the Greek term is theo-pneustos or God-breathed. God breathed His very life and nature into every scripture. When Jesus was confronted and tempted of the devil in the wilderness, He used the confession of Gods word to combat and defeat or ward off the temptations of the devil. In Matthew 4:4-10 and in Luke 4:4-10, Jesus responded to the tempter with It is written. Jesus quoted or acknowledged by His confession that Gods word was the final authority and the devil backed off and left. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. To submit to God is to submit to the word. Jesus is the Word. When we submit to God and His word, the devil will flee from us. It is important that we understand that when we are confessing Gods word we must believe that what we are speaking is true. Confessing and possessing without believing is not possible. My confession and my lifestyle must be in unity. I) Confession Defined

Strongs 3670- homologeo hom-ol-og-eh-o: to assent, i.e. covenant, acknowledge con (pro-) fess, confession is made, give thanks, promise. Strongs 1843 exomologeo, ex-om-ol- og-eh-o: to acknowledge or (by impl. of assent) agree fully: confess, profess, promise. Thus to confess means to speak the same as. It is to affirm that what God says is true. To profess or confess is acknowledging Gods word. It is speaking or saying the same thing that God says. Christianity is called the Great Confession. When we speak or say the same thing that God says out of a believing heart then we possess what God says in His word. The classic scripture is Romans 10:9-10 V9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. V10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Notice that it is what is spoken out of a believing heart that brings possession. Thus we make this profound statement: Gods word, conceived in our heart and spoken out of our mouth will produce the same results that God gets when He speaks His word. Why? Because it is Gods word and what he says is absolute truth and has absolute power and authority. God and His word are one. All of Gods power is in His word. Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; According to Gods inspired word, it is Gods word that is all- powerful and upholding all things. It is that word spoken out of a believing heart that expresses and produces Gods creative and sustaining power. Jesus cautioned the disciples about a mere profession without a heartfelt belief by pointing to the fulfillment of Isaiahs prophecy in Isaiah 6:9 when referring to the multitude of people. Matthew 13:14-15 V14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye

shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: V15 For this peoples heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Thus, a mere profession of ones lips without belief in the heart after God is simply a mere profession of words that even if after Gods word without heart belief will have no power. II) Principles of Confession Faith and unbelief are built by what one says and what one says is built upon by what one believes. Proverbs 6:2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Our words reveal what is going on inside of us. Proverbs 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness therein is a breach of spirit. That means a wholesome tongue has healing power in it. Proverbs 12:18 says the tongue of the wise is health. Proverbs 18:20-21 V20 A mans belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. V21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. To speak life is to speak what God says concerning the aspects of life. To speak death is to speak negative, to declare defeat or constantly complain contrary to Gods word. 1. There Are Four Types of Confession in Scripture

1. The Jews and their confession of their sins. Matt. 3:7 2. The sinner today John 16:7-11; Romans 10:9 3. The believers confession of their sins. 1Jn.1:9 4. A public confession Matt. 10:32-33 Dr. John G. Lake stated that in order to maintain a strong spiritual life that one must continually make a public confession as to who they are in Christ and what Jesus is to them. The confession of Gods word builds faith. Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed: for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 1Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. B) Five Main Points of Confession 1. What is ours in redemption 2. What is ours by the New Birth and Baptism in the Holy Spirit 3. What we are in Christ 4. What Jesus is doing for us now 5. What God can do through us C) Right and Wrong Confession Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. Matthew 12:34-37 V34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. V35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. V36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. V37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be

condemned. An unrenewed mind produces wrong thinking. Wrong thinking produces wrong believing. Wrong believing produces a wrong confession, which will come out of the abundance of the heart. That is why Romans 12:2 tells the believer to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. The only way to a renewed mind is to be a doer of the word. It is futile to think the mind can be renewed without being a doer of the word. James 1:22-25 V22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. V23 For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: V24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. V25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. A renewed mind produces right thinking. Right thinking produces right believing and right believing produces a right confession, which comes out of the abundance of the heart filled with Gods power. III) What Did Jesus Teach About Confession? Mark 11:12-14, 20-24 V12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: V13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. V14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever, And his disciples heard it. V20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. V21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. V22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. V23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be

thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. V24 therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. In this passage of scripture Jesus used His confession of faith to cause the fig tree to wither and die. Jesus spoke directly to the fig tree and told it that it would no longer produce figs. As a result, the fig tree died in a matter of hours. When the disciples inquired as to the withered tree, Jesus responded by telling them to have faith in God. He then went on to show them how the faith of God is activated and released. In Mark11:23 the basis is to believe in the heart and to confess with the mouth the desired results. Jesus also makes a profound statement by saying, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Thus the statement is made that confession brings possession or we possess what we confess from a heart of belief. A) What is a Faith Confession? We have already defined the word confession from the Greek word homologeo, which means to speak the same as God. It is to affirm what you believe. The word faith in the Greek is the word pistis, which means a conviction based upon hearing. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The main elements of faith are these: 1. Full acknowledgement of Gods word. Psalm 119:89, 128. 2. Personal surrender to God. John 1:12 3. A walk of faith inspired by the New Birth. 2 Cor. 5:7 4. Corresponding actions. James 2:17, 26 Thus, Faiths Confession is to speak and act upon Gods word. It is being fully persuaded that Gods word will work. Romans 4:20-21 Speaking of Abraham V20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; V21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able to

perform. B) Confession of Faith is always in the Now Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We could say faith is the grounds or the confidence or the reality of things hoped for, the things the word of God says is so. It is the evidence or proof of things we do not see. When we confess our faith we take hold of the things that God says is so and bring them into the realm in which we live, where we need them. C) How Jesus Used Confession Jesus used confession to help others. 1. Examples: 1. Defeating Satan Matthew 4:1-4; Luke 4:1-13. 2. The woman with the issue of blood. Mark 5:22-34 3. Jairus daughter Matthew 9:18-25 2. His word was with power. Luke 4:18-20,32 V18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. V19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. V20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. V32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. 1. Raising the womans son at Nain. Luke 7:12-15 2. The raising of Lazarus at Bethany. John 11:1-44. IV) Confession and Authority Matthew 8:5-13 V5 And when Jesus entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, V6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. V7 and Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

V8 The centurion answered and said, Lord. I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. V9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. V10When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel. V11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. V12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. V13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. Confession understands authority. Jesus spoke a word and it was done. When we speak the word then it is done. Authority overrides the circumstances and situations of life. Authority overrides sin, sickness, poverty, death and all the works of the enemy. Luke 10:19 Behold I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. When we utter Gods word in faith things happen. We have authority to change circumstances. Matthew 16:18-19 V18 And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. V19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Keys always represent authority. The authority to bind and loose, to forbid and to permit is given to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. What happens on earth is decreed by Gods sons with Gods authority here on this earth. What is spoken on earth from the heart of believers on earth is backed up and enforced by Almighty God in Heaven. What is declared as permitted or forbidden on earth is obeyed by

the forces of darkness on earth or in the heavenlies. Gods word is His will. 1John 5:14-15 v14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: v15 And if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. John 14:12-14 V12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. V13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified in the Son. V14 If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. Jesus is the revealed will of God. He performed creative miracles with His words and He continually confessed who He was. According to John 14:12-14, we will do the same. V) What the Apostle Paul taught About Confession Paul also taught that confession brings possession. Romans 10:9-10; Hebrews 3:1; Hebrews 4:14; Romans 4:17-21. From Romans 10:6-8, we learn that faith has a voice: V6 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring Christ down from above) V7 Or, who shall descend into the deep? (that is to bring Christ up again from the dead.) V8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach: This is the way faith speaks. The word of God is in our mouth and in our heart. It is the word of faith When we confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9), he becomes our Lord. When we confess by His stripes we are healed (1Peter 2:24), then we are healed. When we confess He shall supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19), then all our needs are met. When we confess Phil. 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengeneth me, then His

strength becomes mine to do all things. Jesus said in Mark 11:23 and Matthew 17:20 that you can have what you say. By the confession of Gods word our faith is built for health (Psalm 103:3; Psalm 107:20; Proverbs 4:20-22), Prosperity (3John 2; Luke 6:38, Deut. 8:18), and our identity of who we are in Christ (Col. 1:914; Eph. 1:3-14, 2:6; 1Cor. 1:30; 1 John 4:4, 5:4). Conclusion: The importance of the confession of Gods word from a heart of faith cannot be minimized or maligned. There is a spiritual law in the Bible of the words of our lips carrying the creative and sustaining power of God. To bless and to curse is spiritual law. God operates this way and he expects His creation to operate this way. Whether we believe it or not it is so because God says it is so and Jesus said we would have what we say. The confession of our lips is not a means of manipulating God to do what we want. It is coming into agreement with what God has stated what He wants in His word. Please note this final passage of scripture as to the dynamic law of the power of the tongue given to all of humanity by none other than God Himself. James 3:1-12 V1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. V2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. V3 Behold, we put bits in the horses mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. V4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. V5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. V6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue amongst our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. V7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:

V8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. V9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. V10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. V11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? V12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. This passage of scripture lays before us the power of the tongue. According to verse 2, our bodies will obey our words. In verse 6, our bodies are defiled or made clean by our tongue. The tongue sets on fire the entire course of nature or existence. In essence, everything begins, is perpetuated,.and comes to fruition by the words of our mouths. We possess the ability to bless and to curse, to set the course of existence in motion by what we say. This is not to instill fear in peoples lives. The fact that we are in a covenant of grace means that if we set something in motion in a negative way, then that negative cycle can be reversed. We can repent of words spoken, retract them, and replace them with positive words from God. No Christian should fear losing all that God has built in their life by one wrong confession. No Christian should fear the words of another person influencing them and causing bad things to happen to them because of negative words or words of cursing spoken over or at them. Gods word is the final authority, and when we align our hearts and mouths with what God says then no person or devil can prevent Gods word from our hearts and mouths from coming to pass.