2 Corinthians 5, verse 18. See, God wants to be close, close, the heart close, with you and with me. Jesus came to reconcile us to God. Here in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 18. What a beautiful, wonderful truth that every one of us have a ministry, every one of us have a responsibility if you name the name of Jesus as your personal Savior. In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 18, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled this to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God. I wanna ask you, do you think reconciliation's important? He just mentioned it three times in three verses. God is concerned with reconciling. God is concerned with me being close to his heart. Do you also realize, look at me at Revelation 7, verse 14, that reconciliation, God wants us to be close to Him. There in the last book of the Bible, in the last book of the Bible, in Revelation 7, verse 14, God wants His believers to be pure. Does this mean we never mess up? Does this mean we never sin? No, it doesn't mean that. But it means that the access to God is always available. Always. Man, God wants to be close. God wants your heart. He wants to be reconciled. It would be much like if there's a schism, there's a rift, and God's desire is to bring that back together. Revelation 7, verse 14. Here, during the tribulation period, but a statement that is made as to God's desire for believers, and I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest, and he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Do you realize that God also desires us to be blameless? Having a life that is before him honorable 2 Peter 3.14, Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless. Again, God's going to over and over and over and over again, God says, I want you to be pure. Now, again, I want to emphasize this does not necessitate an external cleansing. Look with me in Matthew chapter 23, verse 26. There's many religious actions that people may do to try to put on the air of being clean. But no one can touch the inside of you, but the Spirit of God can. I can't clean the inside of me. Even if a doctor opens me up and tries to clean whatever might be on the inside of this chest cavity, he can't clean the soul. In Matthew 23, verse 26, this cleanliness is not an outward adornment of what I'm wearing. It's not something that I can get into a shower or get into a bath or some means of cleansing myself that is going to produce the purity that God desires. In Matthew 23, verse 26, thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You're like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within, full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Jesus is here scolding the Pharisees, these religious leaders, because they put on all the actions of someone that says, I love God. But God says, I know on the inside of you what you're really like. Can I tell you, it's an amazing thing if you're around someone for a while, like my wife, and there's things that may be going on in my life, and she can tell what's going on. I had a friend of mine at one time, he's now with the Lord, he was an older man, kind of took me under his wing back when I was in the military. And he would always ask me this question, and I hated it. I hated it. I mean, I think I liked it, but at the same time, I hated it. He'd say, how are you doing today? You know, the patented answer, good. No, he'd say, no, no, no. How are you really doing? And I'm like, ugh. Don't ask me that question. Because you know, I knew something's going on, and he knows it's bothering me, and he has to ask me that question. I'm like, ugh. I don't want to lie to him, but I don't want to tell him what's going on. but I'm thankful that it's not just what I'm doing, what I'm putting on the outside. God cares about what's on the inside. God's desires we find in 1 John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse. God wants you to be clean on the inside. That is where every person is seeking to find, and a lot of people do a lot of religious actions, a lot of sacraments, and a lot of veneration of things, all external, outward actions. God says, I want your heart. 1 Peter 1, verses 15 and 16, but as he which hath called you is holy, So be holy in all manner of conversation because it is written, be holy for I am holy. The only comparison that any of us ever have is not one another. The only comparison we have is the perfect standard of Jesus Christ. And we all fall short. We have all broken the heart of God. Every one of us. It doesn't matter what we've done. That 1 John 1.9 is the golden ticket to the heart of God. I'm telling you, God's desire for you is to be close and for you to be clean. I'd like you to look with me at Isaiah 1.18. What a wonderful, beautiful passage of Scripture. There's nothing like when you've been cleaned, you've been cleansed by the Lord. And you're going through all these actions. You're going through all these motions. God, you've got to bless me. I'm doing all this stuff. God's saying, no, I don't. We're going to talk about some false confessions today. Not false confessions for salvation, but false confessions for coming to God. Next week, or not next week, two weeks from then, I'll continue this. Lord willing, we'll talk about a true confession. But Isaiah chapter 1, verse 18, come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. God says, let's talk. Let's talk. But Lord, I need to do all this stuff for you to please you. He said, no, no, no, no, stop, stop, stop, stop. I just want to talk with you. Let's reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, They shall be as, what does it say? White as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. We have a lot of, we have a perfect illustration up here, and we have snow here in the north, praise the Lord for that. Now, maybe it could be a little bit shorter, but it has been shorter over the last few years, so I'm thankful for that. But we have an illustration, God says, as white as snow. He says on the inside, on your soul, in your mind, it can be pure. Look with me at Isaiah chapter 61, verse 10. It's very telling of the Lord that He says, cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Cleanse us from everything that is displeasing to the Lord. There is nothing more degrading than you've given your heart, like as a young child, you've given your heart to please your parents or please someone, to have them, number one, not notice, or number two, think it's just trash. Man, it's crushing. It's crushing. You come and you're trying and you're giving your best. Maybe in school you're giving your best and you get a B or a C or whatever the grade is. And they said, well, you can try harder. And you're like, I did try. And they're like, what a loser. Man, that's crushing. But can I tell you, God says cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Everything that doesn't please, God says, here's exactly what you need to do. Here's exactly what I'll do. I'll cleanse you. I'll purify you. And you'll be pleasing before me. Isaiah 61.10, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. You know God doesn't clothe us with anything of earth. Adam and Eve, when they put on that fig leaves, it wasn't good. God says, no, I'm going to give you the skins of an animal, the death of that animal, for your guiltiness, that animal's innocence, to clothe you with the garments of salvation. God says, any garment of the world, any religious actions, those aren't good enough. Let me put the garments on. Let me show you what my wardrobe is like. Covering me with the robe of righteousness, as a bride groomed decketh himself with ornaments, as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. A bride coming down the aisle in a pure white dress. Can I tell you when I saw my wife come down that aisle? Tears. I get a little bit more emotional. Tears came as I'd see my wife walk down that aisle. May 29th, 2010 when I said I do. It was that morning, in a gift to me, she gave me a purity ring. It was a gift. But I want to tell you, every one of us can be pure before God. Do you realize, God says, I put garments on you that you can be pure? All of this idea of cleansing is to be close to our first love. Look with me at James chapter 4 verse 8. James chapter 4 verse 8. over and over and over again. Man, I love how God is repeating himself. You know how sometimes you're like, oh, I've heard that over and again, oh, I've heard that over again. You know one word that I can never say enough, or one phrase I can never say enough to my wife or my daughter? I love you. It's kind of interesting in the morning as I'm leaving my house, leaving our house, I guess I should say, as I'm leaving our house, and I'll say I love you, dear, to Rebecca. And Eliana's like, I love you. I love you too, girl. I love you too, my girl. She wants to be the last one to hear daddy say, I love you. She has to have the last kiss, the last hug, and she pushes mommy out of the way. She wants the last. I don't know why, but it's cute. I get up in the morning and there she is in my lap. Can I tell you, those are precious, precious moments. It reminds me of some thoughts as I think of the scriptures of James 4, 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. It is a Christian that's double-minded, living for themselves. God says, draw close to me, and I'll draw nigh to you. Can I tell you, there's never a time that God doesn't say, I don't want you close. But if you're gonna be close, I want you to be clean. Sometimes Eliana will come and want to give me a hug and I've been working outside and I'm all sweaty and I'm like, nah. I'm like, I'm all sweaty and she's like, oh. She doesn't wanna be close because you're all sweaty and nasty. Who wants to give someone a hug when they're all sweaty? Unless maybe, you know, you haven't seen them for a while and you're just like, I don't care, I just, you know, I need a big embrace. But God's saying cleanse your hands. You may have had a parent or a loved one or someone, a parental figure growing up that you were walking on eggshells hoping to be good enough to get their affection, but it was never enough. But that's not God. There is always a path back to God. Look with me at Revelation chapter two, verses four and five. I'm still in my introduction. I want us to realize in this statement, if we confess our sins, man, that is a glorious, glorious thing to happen. Revelation 2, verses 4 and 5. Here's the church of Ephesus. Man, this church is humming along. This church is successful. I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience. How thou canst not bear them which are evil. This is verse two of Revelation two. And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. He says, I know you. You've got the teachings and doctrine right. You're moving in the same direction. You have the programs of the church, but something is missing. and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labor, and hast not fainted." Man, you've worked hard and you haven't fainted, you haven't given up, you haven't thrown in the towel! But verse four, nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. You got so involved in the ministry, you forgot about the relationship with Christ. Never get that way in your life. And you just get, I need to do all this stuff. And you just forget that if we confess our sins, if I realize I have forgotten to just spend time with God. It was Friday ago, one week ago Friday. I was with my wife and daughter, and I woke up that morning and said, hey, let's go to Flin Flon today. We just took the day off. We went. Spend some time together. Been busy with the conference and some other things going on, and so let's just go spend some time together. I tell you, it was so refreshing getting to spend time with your loved ones. I want to tell you that God's desire is if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive. As we study this section of scripture, I hope you'll see that the Christian life is not complex. It's straightforward. It's lived by humility and loving obedience. Zechariah chapter 3 verses 4 and 5. Here we are in one of the minor prophets, right before Malachi and then Matthew. Here come to Zechariah, Malachi, Zechariah and then Malachi and then Matthew. So you can find Matthew, go back two books, you'll find Zechariah. Zechariah chapter 3 verses 4 and 5. Here is a priest, Joshua the high priest. He has filthy clothes on which are representative of sin. And God doesn't want Joshua to wallow, like a pig kind of wallows, it kind of rolls itself around in the pig pen. He doesn't want us doing that. The sins of the past. God does something, God says something. Joshua, Zachariah, not Joshua, Zachariah chapter three, verse four. Verse three, now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel, and he answered and spake, And to those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And to him he said, Behold, I have cause and iniquity passed from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed them with garments. The angel of the Lord stood by." He says, I want you to be clean, Joshua. Really, as he's giving a message here for Israel, he says, I want you to be clean. Now, Israel would have been a very clean nation. physically speaking, but not spiritually. There was something impeding it, and they had other loves. They had other idols there in their life. There were other things that attached their heart other than God. And I want to show you something here. God, over in 1 Corinthians 6, God gives us another thing. I'm kind of mentioning a number of these passages on cleanliness. And again, please don't get me wrong. Don't think that pastors are like, oh, I've got to be perfect. No, no, no, no, no, none of us are perfect, okay? We all struggle. We all have our own challenges, unique challenges, but we have challenges. We're still in human flesh. Until the day we see Jesus, we're gonna continue to struggle. But the desire is, I don't want to stay in the struggle, I want to move past that struggle and get closer to Christ, and there will be something else God will show in my life, and I'll get clean again, and I'll draw closer and closer and closer until the day I meet Jesus, and then we're perfect. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 9 through 11. Look with me particularly verse 11, we'll get verses 9 and 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of our God. God says that's what you used to be. You're washed. You're pure. You're clean. You see, the most accurate path back to the Lord is a genuine, biblical confession that results in purity and cleanliness. God says you can be clean on the inside. Ephesians chapter 5, verses 25 and 26. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. It's this book here that will cleanse us on the inside. It's this book. There's something here. You said, Pastor, it's a whole bunch of words on a page. I know. Man, there's a power in this book to transform lives. And every one of you here that know Christ as your Savior, it has transformed a life. This book, he says the washing of water. God wants us to be clean on the inside. This morning, with what time I have, I'll probably just be able to get a couple points. Your path back to God's good grace is not through any disciplined regimen of prayer, Bible reading, tithing, and church attendance. It's through the blood of Christ that we're saved. It's through the finished work of Christ that the Savior keeps me. It is a surrendered life that accepts the truths of God's word and his conviction that will keep me coming back to the eternal waters for daily cleansing. And through the mediating or advocacy work of Christ, I'm continually reconciled to a sweet relationship with God. In 1 John chapter 2, it actually starts to be, we have an advocate with the Father. Jesus is my defense attorney. Say, hey, Chris, he's one of my clients. You are one of his clients. And I paid for them. They're innocent. Can I tell you, that's a wonderful thing. But if I want to stay in that sweet relationship, that sweet fellowship with God, I just have to confess. Look with me at Revelation 12.10. One of the hardest things that we deal with in our lives is our own mind, our own thoughts, our worst enemy. I am my worst enemy. I think every one of us could say, I am my worst enemy. Man, there's times I wish I could unzip my brain, take my brain out, and throw it. It drives me crazy sometimes. Maybe it does you. You're just like, can I not stop that little mice from, you know, the hamster on the wheel, and it's going, and it's like, stop! But the truth is, when I confess, Look with me what happens here, verse 10 of Revelation 12. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And God's daily, it's not God, Satan is daily going, hey, you know what Chris did? Hey, do you know what you did? We'll talk more about this, but if we confess our sins, He's faithful and just, forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Man, that confession? You can accuse me all day long. You got nothing on me. I'm clean. I'm pure. I have access to the throne of grace. We must always seek true confession with God and man. But here's the key coming back to 1 John chapter 1. I didn't even pray this morning. Let me pray here and we'll continue this. Father, I thank you for your grace. Father, I thank you that there's always a path back to the cross. There's always a place for healing. It's in confession. Father, I pray for your dear people that are here this morning. Father, that you'd encourage and help and refresh them. Father, they would find the peace that only you can give through confession, a true confession. Father, help me to teach and preach accurately your word. May you be glorified. And should there be someone this morning that's never accepted the gift of Jesus, may this morning be the day of their salvation. I thank you for being our Savior. In your precious name I pray, amen. 1 John 1, verse 8, here's the problem so many times. If we say that we have no sin, I didn't do it, I'm okay. We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. You'll never have cleansing. You'll never have the rest. You'll never have the peace. Because I'm saying there's no sin. God says we're all sinners. He said, but I'm saved, amen. But I still deal with this filthy flesh every day. I still deal with the struggles and trials of a mind and a heart that wants to do what it wants to do, and you do as well. But you know what God does? He says, listen, I'm telling you that you sin. I'm telling you there's a problem, but here's the solution. God always doesn't just point out what's wrong. He always gives us a solution if we confess. Our confession, that word confess, is actually a Greek word, homologeo, which means to say the same thing as another, to agree with or declare oneself guilty of what one is accused. It means that you agree with God about your sinfulness. If God says that's wrong, I say, God, you're right, that is wrong. I agree with you, and I believe it. It's not just an admission. It is a full reception that what God says is right, and that's the authority, and I take it as gospel truth. God says it's wrong, it's wrong. I don't need to question it. I don't need to deliberate. I don't need to dispute with him. I don't need to try to justify my actions. It is a confession. One gentleman here, Adrian Rogers, he says, a confession in a court of law and a confession before God are not the same. In a court of law, you may admit your sin. You may say, yes, I did it. But a Bible confession is literally a judgment of that sin. It is saying with God, God, I see that sin as you see that sin. God, you hate that sin and I hate that sin. God, you're against that sin and I'm against that sin. Confessing your sin is not just saying, yes, Lord, I did it. It is saying about that sin what God says about that sin. It is saying the same thing as God. It is coming to an agreement with God. It is getting on God's side over against that sin. That's what a confession is. I was listening to a testimony last night of an individual who had been involved in a very immoral industry with lewd images and other such things, and he got saved. And they said, that is a perverted, vile, disgusting industry. Totally different. Before, it was all about the money. They got saved, and God fundamentally, radically changed the heart. To say, listen, that is not good. I don't want any part of it anymore. And they were a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5, 17. For if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. I want you to look with me at the first confession of a false confession. Look with me at Exodus chapter 9, the second book of the Bible. We'll talk here about Exodus here for the next few moments. In Exodus chapter 9, here is the plagues coming upon Israel. And here is Pharaoh. Pharaoh makes a confession. And we might say, look it, he confessed! But let's evaluate it in light of Scripture. Exodus 9, verse 23. Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail. This is chapter 9, verse 23. Thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt, since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast. And the hail smote every herb of the field, and break every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Doesn't that sound good? And treat the Lord, for it is enough that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail, and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord, and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail, that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God. Moses says, I know this is a false confession. What kind of a confession is this? It's a horrified confession. Life is really bad. Life, man, I'm in the pits. Everything is falling apart. Everything is terrible. Oh, God, I've sinned. And as soon as the pressure lets up, I'm gone. Right? It's only when the pressure's on that you're like, I'm serious about God. A volunteer fire department in Arkansas drew criticism for letting a house burn down. It seemed the owner hadn't paid a $20 annual fee for firefighting service. Because of the firefighters inaction, two adjacent furniture shops were also destroyed. A resident behind the shops did pay the fee. While the fire was burning, his house was spared. The chief told reporters, once your house is on fire, you can't join. But if you're a neighbor to some property that's on fire, you can join. When a house would burn down, firefighters would simply stand by to see that the blaze didn't spread to the homes of people who had paid the $20 fee. You know, many of us act in just the same way. The punishment for our poor stewardship is always loss, yet once we start the loss, we start trying to make it up to God. Maybe, and this gentleman here that's giving this illustration here, John Westfall, he says, like, here's several things that might, we start trying to make it up. Maybe in marriage, staying home from church, and oh, things are going bad at home, so let's get to church, and storms start arising, children making church a priority, but once the kids start rebelling, let's get back to church, and finances, I'll start promising to give to God because things are going bad, a job, I'll build a conviction about tithing when I get that, A pink slip. My car breaks down. It's repossessed. Oh God, please help me. We cause the fire and then we expect God to put the fire out. When the house catches on fire, that's not the time to start paying the firefighting fee. It was the pain. Look with me at verse 34 of Exodus 9. When Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more and hardened his heart, he and his servants. He wanted the pain and judgment to quit, but he wasn't willing to submit to God and Moses, who was God's ordained authority. He only wanted things to be eased. And this is the prayer of desperation by a Christian whose life is a mess, or even an unbeliever who is not willing to forsake their sin, but only try to convince God to lessen the pain and the trial they're going through. I promise I'll be faithful to church. I promise I'll be faithful to you. I promise I'll read my Bible. If you get me out of this situation, it's kind of like, you think about it, it's kind of like a foxhole prayer. Man, we're hemmed down. The firefight is going on. The bullets are whizzing by my head. The trials are there. God, help! As soon as the fight goes out. Thanks, Lord. See you later. Adrian Rogers says, I cannot tell you how many people I've dealt with when their home was on the rocks. They've come to me, and especially men, blubbering and crying, saying, my wife is gone. My children are gone. Pastor, pray for me. It's my fault. I have sinned. He says, I remember one young man came to see me you have never seen. What seemingly was a more broken young man in your life, a young business executive. He came and sat down with me and said, thus and thus and thus have I done. I have sinned and my wife is gone and my babies are gone and I love them and it is my fault. And I'm sorry, pray for me, call my wife, counsel with her, help me, please. And I did and no sooner was that home back together than the man was right back in his rotten, filthy sin just like Pharaoh of old. You cannot just admit sin. But you must have a confession and agreement with God about your lifestyle. To genuinely repent and change your life course to agree with God's Word. Pharaoh here got the idea that I can just ask God, please, I've sinned, we've done sin, I've admitted it, see, I admitted it! It's an act of the heart. God says, I want your heart. If you're only admitting it with your words. That's why in Romans 10, verses 9 and 10, 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. For with the heart man believeth in the righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. It's a mouth and heart. It's a mind and heart choice. And Pharaoh simply just wanted the plague to go away. Can't tell you how many people we talk to, life is falling apart. The check engine light is on in their life. Please turn off the check engine light, it hurts! They get God's truths only enough to turn that light off, but to do, repeat the same actions that turn the light on in the first place. Here's another one. Numbers chapter 22, and I'll have to finish after this. I'll be done after this point. Numbers chapter 22. This is a hypocritical confession. Numbers chapter 22, verse 34. Numbers chapter 22, verse 34. Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned, for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me. Now therefore, if it did please thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. When Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him into a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. And Balaak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? Wherefore camest thou not unto me? Am I not able indeed to promote thee to honor? And Balaam said unto Balaak, Lo, I am come unto thee, and have I now any power at all to say anything? The word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. Balaam went with Balak, and thus they came unto Kirjath Huzath. Balaam offered oxen and sheep, and sent Balaam to the princes that were with him. What we find here is Moab, King Balak, was afraid of Israel. That's what it says in verse 3 of chapter 22. He tries to persuade Balaam, Balaam curse Israel for me! If you curse them, then we can defeat them! God kept telling Balaam, I'm not cursing Israel, I'm not cursing my people. Here's some money. Oh, money. I can make some money out of this. Oh yes, God, please help me curse him. Do you see that check? Man, that's going into my bank account. How much money can I make if I can just curse him, Lord? God says no. Sorry, King Balak. God said no. OK, here's money and here's some positions. I promise I'll promote you. Wow. And again, the process repeats. heart of greed and pride. He'd end up actually taking a donkey with him, and the angel of the Lord would stand him, and the angel would then get up, and he was smacking the donkey, go forward, go forward! The donkey begins, did I ever do anything wrong to you, the donkey says, and he's like, a donkey's talking to me? But you know what he did? 2 Peter 2, 15 through 16, God stood in the way of Balaam. You know what Balaam did, though? Balaam says, here, here's how you defeat Israel. I can't curse them. I'm sorry. God will not let me curse them. But here's how you defeat them. Just marry their men. Marry their women. Let them get consumed with how much nice things they have. When they get their eyes off of God, you'll defeat them. Balaam, as was noted in 2 Peter 2, verses 15-16, 1 Peter 2, verse 11 talks about abstaining from fleshly lusts. What he wanted to do is he wanted to create a stumbling block. He says, get their eyes off of God. Once their eyes are off of God, onto material possessions, onto family and things of this world, then God's presence will not be with them, and they're a sitting duck waiting to be destroyed. Can I tell you last week when I was talking about Samson, he didn't know that God's presence departed from him. He didn't know that he wasn't in fellowship with God anymore and he didn't have God's protection. Christian, this is why confession is so important. It's a genuine confession to God. It's not just an admittance. It's not just admitting I've done wrong. It is an agreement with God that I'm doing right. that I'm doing what he says is, if I'm saying, he says it's wrong, it's wrong, and I agree with him. I'm not trying to justify, well, Lord, this is why, no, no, no, no, no. I agree. Lord, I'm so sorry. You're right. I'm not just admitting it. It creates a double-mindedness. Here's a man who admits his sin, but it's not a true confession. He would say, I'm sorry. but it's not real. He's a double-minded man. Can I tell you, double-mindedness results in a lot of mental problems, mental struggles. You can admit your sin, but you may not be agreeing with God and truly confessing and saying what God says about it. It's wicked, it's vile, it's destructive, and Lord, I'm sorry. It's like so many people come to confession in their churches or they make some confession or rededicate their life, surrender their life, but they have no idea. They have no idea and no means, no desire to truly change. I'm gonna end that there this morning. I have two more points that I'll continue here in a few weeks, two weeks from today. But I just wanna challenge you, making it a true confession. I wanna ask you this morning, number one, do you desire to be clean? Desire to be pure, blameless. I'm not asking, are you perfect? None of us are. What I'm asking, are you desiring to be clean the way God wants you to be clean? Clean on the inside. Stop going through all these motions. Stop trying to do enough for God. Just focus on your first love. I want his heart. I want to know him. Can I tell you, when you do that, man, you're going to do things for the Lord. It'll be enjoyable. You might have been doing it for a long time just because that's what was supposed to be done, but you weren't doing it because you knew that's what God wanted you to do. We've got to get past this idea, oh, I confess, no, no, no, stop admitting it and agree with God about it. As you think about these truths this morning, I just want to challenge you as we come to the invitation Number one, if you're a Christian, are you desiring to be clean, pure, holy? If you've never accepted Jesus Christ, you've never been cleansed, you've never been born again, you've never had the Spirit of God live within you, because you've never received the gift by faith alone. Man, I'd love to show you this morning how you could know for sure. Can I tell you, Christian, God's desire for you is a relationship through Jesus Christ if you receive that gift by faith. We're going to have Psalm 110, the Blue Hymnal, play. You're welcome to with heads bowed and eyes closed. I'd encourage you just to pray and talk with God as the invitation goes at this time. Number one, do you know Jesus as your Savior? If you say, Pastor, I know for sure I'm his child. Number two, do you desire to be pure? And we disagree with God about confessing our sins. So where you're sitting in your seat, I trust you just take some time to talk with the Lord. And really focus, am I desiring and passionate about being pure before God? Do I desire to know Him? Take off all the trappings, works, and just relish in the relationship with Christ. 110 in your hymnal, if you'd like to sing along, feel free to keep praying if you need that time to talk with the Spirit of God at this time.