Orange Moon Friday, November 7, 2025 “Conformity and Confession” Part 4 - To Say the Same Thing

    

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

   "Conformity and Confession"

Part 4 - To Say the Same Thing

  Confession of sin involves a broader matter than we sometimes consider, involving far more than merely acknowledging we have distrusted and disobeyed God.  The Greek root word for confess is "homologeo," meaning "to say the same thing."  To say the same thing as what?  As who?  God and His Word supply the answers.  Confession of sin involves agreeing with God about sin.  This leads us to the Scriptures. What did the Holy Spirit inspire in His Word regarding the matter?

   "In Thy light shall we see light" (Psalm 36:9).

    First and foremost, the truth about sin involves the truth about the Savior.  Before we ever existed, and before we sinned, the Lord Jesus Christ abode in the heart and mind of God as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).  The supply existed before the need arose.  From Eden onward, saying the same thing about sin means that which God says regarding His grace and mercy in the Lord Jesus.  Every sin forgiven in the history of the human race flows from Calvary, whether sinners looking forward to redemption to some, or looking backward on the Redeemer who came.  To agree with God about sin means that we join Him in the Christ-centered view that full atonement was made, and full pardon and cleansing is available.  "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (I John 2:1).

    In this blessed and holy light, we see that genuine confession of sin begins not with focus on ourselves (the very thing that in some manner led us to sin), but rather by directing our gaze to the person and work of the Lord Jesus.  Our initial approach to the throne of grace must be graced not by "I have sinned."  Certainly, such acknowledgement and accompanying repentance must come.  However, "The Lord Jesus has died for sin and rose as our eternal Mediator" leads us to the altar of cleansing.  Indeed, if we could audibly hear the Holy Spirit when we fall, His sounding and resounding voice would ring with the anthem, "Christ died! Christ rose from the dead! Christ sits at the right hand of the Father!  Christ intercedes for your forgiveness and cleansing!  Forgiveness and cleansing, purchased and attained, awaits in Him!" 

     The Gospel tells us how dire is our need.  It does so, however, in the light of how infinitely adequate the Lord Jesus is as our supply.  "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:20-21).  To "say the same thing" about sin as God always begins with the Lord Jesus.  Not ourselves.  A far truer assurance of forgiveness and cleansing restores the believer by this entrance into mercy.  Subsequently, a far more contrite and effectual repentance ensues.  "I will be sorry for my sin" most pervades the heart when we remember and affirm our Lord's sorrow in purchasing our pardon (Psalm 38:18).  

    Confession of sin begins with "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).   How could it begin anywhere else?   As we approach the throne of grace, let us see by faith our Father's gaze fixed upon His Son for us, "the Lamb slain."  Only as we join Him in this gaze of grace will we then agree with Him and most effectually "confess our sins" (I John 1:9).

"For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."

(Ephesians 2:18)

Weekly Memory Verse

   "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for therein do I delight."

 (Psalm 119:35).  

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Orange Moon Thursday, November 6, 2025 "To the 99.99"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

(We will return to our series on Conformity and Confession tomorrow)

   "To the 99.99…"

   … % of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ known only in their relatively small venues of influence with family, friends, fellow believers, neighbors, colleagues, and those with whom they cross paths during their earthly lifetime.  Most of the work of the body of Christ occurs through these, the unknown, but also the vastly influential in their effect and influence.  Having known so many such ones throughout my life, I can attest to the blessedness of those largely obscure, without neglecting the relatively few notable figures in the history of Christendom and the blessing of their lives and ministries.

   Consider the Apostle Paul's strong affirmation of the Thessalonians in both his epistles to them - without mentioning even one Thessalonian individual by name:

    We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father" (I Thessalonians 1:2-3).

    "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth, so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure" (II Thessalonians 1:3-4).

   Charles Dickens, in "A Christmas Carol," also speaks beautifully to the truth of how much God does through the largely obscure, unknown, and forgotten.  Marley, in his challenge to Scrooge, sublimely declares… 

    "Any Christian spirit, working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness."

    Our venue and calling, seemingly ordinary as it may appear, becomes a vastly strategic endeavor if an extraordinary Christ dwells and walks in us (II Corinthians 6:9).  What might He do of eternal consequence and infinitely significant purpose as we trust and submit to Him for the glory of God and the blessing of others?  God only knows.  We can be sure, however, that faithfulness in unknown and forgotten byways will one day loom large when we better realize how God works in ways easily missed if we do not expect His working through "a lad here with five loaves and two fish" (John 6:9).  A boy unnamed, with not enough bread and not enough fish to feed five thousand.  But enough Lord Jesus Christ.  More than enough Lord Jesus Christ.  As there is in our venue and calling, however small and inconsequential it may appear.  Or however small and inconsequential as we may appear.

    The presence and working of the Lord Jesus in us means that "a vast means of usefulness" graces our hearts and hands as we trust and submit to Him.  The history of the church tells us this, as the 99.99 quietly fulfill labors in the Lord's vineyard, working in ways seen by few, if any.  God sees, God works, and God glorifies His Son thereby.   Just as we would expect in a life of seeking to honor Him only, and lived "by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7).  To the 99.99…

"The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."

(I Corinthians 1:25-29)

Weekly Memory Verse

   "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for therein do I delight."

 (Psalm 119:35).  

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Orange Moon Wednesday, November 5, 2025 “A Clear Conscience” Part 3 - Conformity

    

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

   "A Clear Conscience"

Part 3 - Conformity

   

    In the greatest challenge ever faced, the Lord Jesus Christ most fulfilled the truth of conformity to the will of God.  In the garden of Gethsemane, just before He suffered, was forsaken, and died on the cross of Calvary, our Savior prayed…

   "Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42).

    On all other occasions in a lifetime of temptation, the Lord Jesus overcame every enticement to distrust and disobey His Father - "in all points, tempted as we are, and yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).  The temptations were real because His humanity was necessarily real in order to identify with us to the degree He could die for us (Hebrews 2:14).   All consideration of obedience to God begins here, in the Christ who serves as our perfect example.  And far more…

    "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever" (Hebrews 13:20-21).

   Only the Lord Jesus could have shed "the blood of the everlasting covenant" to make atonement for our sins.  Only the Lord Jesus could have shed His life within us to make possible our overcoming temptation to sin through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Every act of conformity to our Father's will begins not in ourselves, but rather in the Christ through whom God "worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).  We play a vital role in the matter, trusting and submitting to God in response to His moving within us.  We do so, however, as those who bear the fruit of the Root who imparts His love for the Father's will, and His enabling to thereunto conform.  "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).

   A clear conscience, best known through conformity to God's will, directs all glory and honor to the Lord Jesus who died for us, and now lives in us.  Realizing this truth establishes and maintains the peace of the heart that results not only from obedience, but by affirming the source and power of all faithfulness to God.  Our blessed Lord lived in perfect conformity, again, amid far more challenge than we will ever know.  He overcame all, a wondrous truth for which we should often praise and thank Him.  He leads and enables us as we look to Him, and as though Him we maintain a clear conscience by conformity to God's will.  

"Thou wilt keep Him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee."

(Isaiah 26:3)

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

(II Corinthians 9:8)

Weekly Memory Verse

   "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for therein do I delight."

 (Psalm 119:35).

Tomorrow: Confession (of sin) and conscience

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