Doing Life Together – Come to the Table – Sermon – Pastors Marlee and Dave Page

There is a common misunderstanding of the relationship between the spiritual practices and the mysteries of Confession and Communion. There often seems to be a predominant idea that the link between these two is somehow a legal concrete thing – that there must be a 1:1 correspondence or some specific ratio and that any deviation from that formula constitutes a breach of tradition or put more simply – we’re doing it wrong. But this is not the relationship that really exists. While it is true that there is often a functional relationship that appears as though a formula exists, this is actually a coincidental observation.

These two mysteries, confession and communion, form part of a larger whole of the spiritual life and both form a closely connected but not dependent link in producing a spiritual life in community. There are other very important elements like prayer, fasting,  self denial, obedience, service, etc. to living a spiritual life which are also a part of this picture, however this morning we will stick to confession and communion as Bonhoeffer has done to finish the book.

As we start this discussion, let’s make sure that we understand a few crucial things:

• These two mysteries are not part of the same process, instead think of them as parallel and often intertwined processes.
• Communion is not dependent on Confession, nor is Confession dependent upon Communion; Each is independent but at the same time they work together toward the same goal.

Let us say a little more about confession.

Biblically speaking, the Bible uses the word “confess” in two ways.  One meaning is to declare faith in, or adherence to, God.

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession”

Hebrews 3:1

The second, and more common meaning of “confess,” and the primary focus of Bonhoeffer’s position, is to acknowledge guilt before God.

This “confessing” means admitting to having sinned:  to have transgressed, broken, or disobeyed one or more of God’s commands, or laws.  The Bible’s first use of the word “confess” with this meaning is found in Leviticus:

when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned.

Leviticus 5:5

Have you ever asked the question, why do we do this? The answer isn’t all that difficult – if there were no confession, there would be no forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

1 John 1:9

When we confess our sins, God forgives us – we are purified from our sinfulness.

From 1 John 1:9 we might ask other questions – Why does God forgive us? Forgiveness is offered to us by God on the sole ground of the death of His Son. To understand this let’s look at a few other texts:

for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins

Matthew 26:28

Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved

Romans 10:9

So we see the two meanings of confession are linked in this way:  The confession of sin is necessary to receive the forgiveness of God, and that forgiveness is only possible if we also confess Christ.

The Scriptures also make the link that confession is accompanied by repentance.

Now then make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers and do his will

Ezra 10:11

A determination to obey God – to do His will – is always the prerequisite to confession.

Confession isn’t genuine if it’s not accompanied by determination to live your life differently. Remember repentance means change – change is the action required of us after our confession.

Bonhoeffer: “In confession there occurs a breakthrough to new life. The break with the past is made when sin is hated, confessed, and forgiven. “Everything old has passed away.” But where there is a break with sin, there is conversion. Confession is conversion.”

Now often a follow-up question emerges here – to whom and what exactly do we confess?

Underline this statement – Confess ALL of YOUR Sins to GOD

Since it is His laws we break when we sin, we must confess to the lawgiver, God.  Even when we sin against others, God’s word first reminds us that every sin is ultimately against God.  Although David had clearly sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, and the entire nation of Israel, he prayed to God acknowledging that his sin was ultimately against Him.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

Psalm 51:4

This flows from a biblical understanding of sin. When the Bible speaks of sin, it does not mean wrongdoing in some abstract way. No, sin is always against a perfectly holy God. Sin is not merely doing something wrong, it is rebellion against God, in whose image we were created. He made us to be His image bearers in order to glorify Him. But here’s the problem we so often encounter – it can be really hard being honest with God about our sins. We get so good at concealing our sins from others that we sometimes lapse into thinking we can conceal them from God.

When we read, in Genesis 3, the account of Adam and Eve’s encounter with God after they sinned note that they thought they could hide from the God “among the trees of the garden.” We might shake our head at that but the truth is don’t we also make the same pathetic attempts to conceal our sins from God? You see, by refusing to confess our sins, hiding behind some created image of ourselves, we also hide from God.

Nothing about us is hidden from God, ever, and one day everything about us will be made known to all.

“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God”

Romans 14:12

There are some other forms of confessions to consider and Bonhoeffer touches on them

i. Confess to Another Person Your Sins Against Them

The Bible places great importance on maintaining right relationships with each other. It teaches that a right relationship with God is impossible without them.

“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  “Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the LORD, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong”

Numbers 5:5-7

So, confessing our sins against others is encouraged by Scripture.  This includes our Christian brothers and sisters in community particularly, but it is not limited just to them.  We have the same obligation to all others.

ii. Confess Your Sins to Your Church

In our corporate worship, we collectively confess, to God and one another, our sins of commission and omission. We think it’s important to experience that together, every week. We confess things we did that we shouldn’t have done; these are sins of commission.  We confess things we should have done and failed to do; these are sins of omission.  We confess sins against God, against our brothers and sisters, and against our neighbours as well.   When we do that as a congregation we’re reminded that we’re all sinners dependent on the mercy of God in Jesus Christ.

There’s another way that we might chose confession together. One we don’t often consider as an act of confession. Do you know that you Confess to the church when you’re baptized.

We first see confession associated with baptism is Scripture’s description of the work of John the Baptist.

“John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins”

Mark 1:4-5

In a Christian baptism, the person being baptized makes a public confession of their sins, professes faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour, and pledges to attempt to follow Him as Lord. This is what we practice here at FBK.

iii.  Confess Your Sins to Another Christian to Whom You Wish to be Accountable.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

This form of confession is one of the most difficult, which is also why it is one of the most powerful. Confessing to one or more fellow Christians whom we have not sinned against.  The Bible doesn’t give us specific rules regarding this.

This type of confession is a powerful tool for overcoming repeated, stubborn sins.  If your fear of God fails to keep you away from habitual sin, add the fear of your friends!

Bonhoeffer quote:

“In confession there occurs a breakthrough to the cross. The root of all sin is pride, “superbia”. I want to be for myself; I have a right to be myself, a right to my hatred and my desires, my life and my death. The spirit and flesh of human beings are inflamed by pride, for it is precisely in their wickedness that human beings want to be like God Confession in the presence of another believer is the most profound kind of humiliation.”

This form of confession is not easy. We do not want to be humbled by someone else seeing us as we really are. But remember, the church is not a place for those who have cleaned themselves up. No, the church is a hospital for recovering sinners who have all been cleansed by the precious blood of Christ.

Any Christian with a healthy understanding of sin will not reject you or seek to humiliate you when you confess your sin.  They will instead seek to encourage you to overcome your sin, by practical advice, prayer, and regular accountability. In fact,  good accountability partners will also ask you to pray for them too.

Confession is something that we as followers of Jesus, wanting to be obedient, are compelled to do…. but there are some real practical benefits for us as well…

Confession is how we receive forgiveness.

As we read in 1 John 1:9 and discussed earlier, we need to uncover our sins so that our God can forgive them.  Micah 7:18-19 speaks powerfully of God’s wonderfully merciful nature.

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea”

Micah 7:18-19

… and here’s the other really compelling reason to act on this. Confessing Sin to Others Can Help Us Overcome Sin.

If we refuse to confess our sins to others, their ability to pray for us is limited. They will be unaware of the spiritual battle that we are currently under.  In our church core values, we stater the following:

Relational People – loving authentically with integrity, valuing and encouraging everyone because they too are created in the image of God.

Repentant People – humbly acknowledging our sinfulness and freely receiving the gift of forgiveness and grace, and extending the same to others.

Hiding our sins prevents other Christians from caring for us. The other side of that coin however is that confession enables other Christians to intercede on our behalf.

Now many of us have also heard that a time of careful examination and confession should occur before taking the Lord’s Supper.

“28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself”

1 Corinthians 11:28-29

Recognizing the body of the Lord includes remembering that He died for our sins and confessing any sins we have not confessed previously. This requires confession to God at the least.

Now while we said at the beginning of our discussion that Communion is not dependent on Confession, nor is Confession dependent upon Communion; Each is independent but at the same time they work together toward the same goal. These two mysteries are not part of the same process, instead think of them as parallel and often intertwined processes.

So, here are some key questions that we should all be asking ourselves as we prepare to take communion.

They are:

Do you understand the meaning of Holy Communion?

• Are you hungry to take, eat and drink the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins?

Have you self examined your self prior to coming to the Lord’s Supper?          

• -Do you confess being a sinner and ask for forgiveness?
• Repentance – Do you desire and intend to lead a more Godly and Christ like life?

Are you at peace with everyone?

• if you are not, are you seeking God’s comfort, presence and strength through the elements of the table to resolve them?

Are you willing to share the burdens of others who receive this Holy Communion with you?

As you can see some of these questions are quite easy to answer and some may be not be so easy. So let’s go through them together this morning.

Do you understand the meaning of Communion?

This is a tad harder question. And there’s a reason to ask this question first.

1 Corinthians 11

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on him self.

That is why this morning we are discussing what Communion is all about. Because taking communion in an unworthy manner is mocking Christ.

Do you confess being a sinner and ask for forgiveness?

1 John 1:8-9

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

We must acknowledge our sinful nature and repent, confessing our sins, asking for forgiveness. If not remember what Numbers 32 says: Your sin will find you out.

Do you desire and intend to lead a more Godly and Christ like life?

Remember, repent means change – will you seek to change with the help of the Holy Spirit?

Matthew 5:23-24

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you; leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift”.

What does this mean?

It means as you come for communion you should be at peace with everyone. You harbour no hatred or vengeance in your heart.

If you are struggling with this or similar issues, are you seeking God’s comfort, presence, and strength through this Meal to resolve them?

Lastly, as Colossians 3: 12-14 says

As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Are you willing to share the burdens of others and forgive those who receive Holy Communion with you?

Bonhoeffer quote:

“In confession there takes place a breakthrough to community. Sin wants to be alone with people. It takes them away from the community. The more lonely people become, the more destructive the power of sin over them. The more deeply they become entangled in it, the more unholy is their loneliness. Sin wants to remain unknown.”

Now for the final and most important question:

Are you hungry and ready to properly take, eat and drink the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins?

Today is World Communion Sunday, we gather as God’s family at the gospel feast around the communion table. Today people from every corner of the globe come to focus not on differences but on our common need for forgiveness, grace, and guidance. Imagine the joy on God’s face. “You’re all here. Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.”

This table is both a foretaste and promise of the kingdom to come, available to us in the here and now.

Many scholars say that our word for kingdom doesn’t quite grasp what Jesus was trying to communicate because it merely implies a vertical relationship between humans and God. These scholars suggest that kingdom of God is a better fit because it emphasizes our relationships with one another in God’s beloved community. Bonhoeffer I suspect would agree. At this table there is Kin.

We come to the table today with people from churches throughout the world as one to receive grace and celebrate the goodness of life and one another.

Our unity is not and does not have to be uniform. We have different approaches, things we hold as important, and ways of worship. But there is something we have in common, a message of love and peace and forgiveness. World Communion Sunday reminds us of this.

It’s a reminder I need. The faith and the whole community we’ve been speaking of fractures where mere differences of opinion become pride fuelled oppositions. It’s as if anyone who disagrees with us is a threat to all that is good.  Today it seems everything is viewed through political prisms amplified by social media algorithms with the sole aim of dividing us into different teams.

So, I need this Table to remind me not to focus on how others fail but to follow what I think is important about the faith I cling to.

You see, my call is to work on myself. Jesus warned about the dangers of looking for the speck in someone else’s eye while ignoring the log in your eye.

So, on this World Communion Sunday, let us lock arms with each other and followers of Jesus, on every continent and come to the table, the feast.

Come to the table to receive grace and forgiveness and guidance, pledging to grow and live out the teachings of Jesus.

Come to the table to do our part in answering Jesus’ prayer that we would be one.

And yes, let us imagine how God smiles upon us, that we’re all here.