“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
– Proverbs 28:13
Main thought: We often mistakenly think that worship is a Sunday thing that we do and that no preparation prior to Sunday is necessary. But the reality is that throughout the week prior to corporate worship on Sunday, there should be and must be preparation for worship. To think that we can go to worship the Lord on Sunday giving little thought to Him during the week is a great error. The first way that I think that we should prepare for worship is a daily confession of our sins. As Christians, we have been given a new nature, we are a new creature in Christ, and our desires now are focused on pleasing our Lord. But we are still affected by sin and we still sin, and this sin while not severing us from our salvation in Christ (Philippians 1:6), can and does affect our fellowship with Christ. An example of this is seen in the life of David, who committed adultery with Bathsheba and his unconfessed sin definitely brought the displeasure of God and broken fellowship, but when he confessed that sin fellowship was restored (Psalm 51). Also, we see how Peter denied our Lord three times on the night of Jesus being falsely accused and taken away, but obviously, we see from the accounts in Acts that Peter was restored to fellowship with our Lord and was greatly used by God. We deceive ourselves if we think that we do not sin (1 John 1:8), and we also deceive ourselves if we think that the little sins that we commit and leave unconfessed do not affect our fellowship with God and our ability to worship Him with the people of God on Sunday. Our sins need to be confessed, for as Solomon writes here that if we conceal our sins, we will not prosper. I believe the application is that we will not prosper in any way, especially spiritually, if we fail to confess and forsake sin. We are assured here that if we do confess and forsake, God in His mercy will forgive us and cleanse us so that we might daily have right fellowship with Him, and when we do so, we will be truly prepared to worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23), when we come together with the people of God to worship Him.
David Webber
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
More from David Webber
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
“To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill all your good pleasure for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Matthew 16:6
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” – Matthew 16:6
Philemon 1:7
“For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” – Philemon 1:7
Hebrews 12:5-7
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and He flogs every son whom He receives.’ It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” – Hebrews 12:5-7
Isaiah 28:15-16
“Because you have said, ‘We have cut a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made a pact. The overflowing scourge will not reach us when it passes by. For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have hidden ourselves with lying. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.” – Isaiah 28:15-16
Psalm 84:11-12
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” – Psalm 84:11-12
Psalm 84:1
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!” – Psalm 84:1
Hebrews 2:1
“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” – Hebrews 2:1
John 4:13-14
“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him, will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'” – John 4:13-14
Matthew 4:17
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” – Matthew 4:17