The night Jesus was betrayed, a man stepped up to Peter in the courtyard of the temple compound and challenged him: “Didn’t I see you with [Jesus] in the olive grove?” (John 18:26, NIV). All the tension and anger of the past hours exploded in Peter and tumbled out in a stream of curses as he insisted, “I don’t know the man!” Yet as he spoke, he heard the unmistakable sound of a rooster crowing in the distance. At that very moment, a commotion in the breezeway got everyone’s attention. With the denial still burning his lips, Peter looked into the eyes of Jesus!
The look of Jesus was like a flaming fire, burning away Peter’s hypocrisy and sin. Then as the entourage around Jesus roughly pushed and shoved Him forward, the moment passed. Peter, shaken to the core of his being, went out into the night, where he “wept bitterly,” sobbing out his confession to God.
Three days later, Peter knew his sin had been forgiven when he met the risen Christ. Do you have the uneasy feeling that Jesus is “looking” at you? Is your heart burning with shame and guilt? Don’t shed tears, shed your pride and come to Him for cleansing and restoration.
Only God in Christ has the power to forgive sin. But you and I must confess it to Him personally, specifically, and honestly if we want to receive forgiveness. God promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NIV). That word confess means to call sin by the same names that God does, to agree with God about your sin.
You and I often play games with the names we call sin to make it seem less like sin. For example, we call the sin of unbelief, worry. We call the sin of lying, exaggeration. We call the sin of fornication, safe sex.
As long as we switch the labels on sin to make it seem less serious, we’re being dishonest with ourselves and with God, and we remain unforgiven. But, if we say the same thing about our sin that God says-if we say, “God, it’s lying. It’s jealousy. It’s lust. It’s revenge. It’s hate. It’s adultery. It’s unforgiveness”-God will forgive us! So start naming your sin for what it is in God’s eyes.
As a young girl I once saw an old black-and-white Cecil B. DeMille film on the life of Jesus, titled “King of Kings.” The film was very moving, and when I watched the crucifixion scene, I began to weep. I realized Jesus had died for me and that my sin had nailed Him to the cross. As a result, I confessed my sin to God and told Him I was sorry. I thanked Jesus for dying for my sin and asked God to forgive me. I told Him I believed Jesus had risen from the dead, and I invited Him to come live in my heart. I don’t remember any dramatic sensation afterward, but I knew my sin had been forgiven and I had been born again. That prayer began a love relationship with Jesus that is more real to me than any other. And I would like to share it with you…
