AI-assisted analysis for orientation; read the source transcript or listen to the sermon to evaluate the interpretation.
The sermon teaches that confession of sin is necessary for salvation, but not every confession is genuine repentance. Pharaoh, Balaam, Saul, Achan, and Judas illustrate fear, divided motives, insincerity, uncertainty, and despair; Job and the prodigal illustrate more hopeful forms of repentance. True repentance turns from sin toward God and rests on divine mercy rather than self-punishment. The sermon’s final emphasis is evangelical: no sinner is too filthy to return, because Christ promises not to cast out those who come to Him.
Theological center: Saving repentance is a work of grace expressed in honest confession, forsaking sin, and faith in Christ’s merciful promise to receive sinners.
Applications: Confess and forsake sin · Return to the Father · Come to Christ · Test the genuineness of confession
Primary texts: Proverbs 28:13 · Matthew 27:3-4 · Luke 15:18-24
MY sermon this morning will have seven texts and yet I pledge myself that there shall be but three different words in the whole of them. For it so happens that the seven texts are all alike, occurring in seven different portions of God’s holy Word. I shall require, however, to use the whole of them to exemplify different cases. And I must request those of you who have brought your Bibles with you to refer to the texts as I shall mention them. The subject of this morning’s discourse will be this—CONFESSION OF SIN. We know that this is absolutely necessary to salvation. Unless there be a true and hearty confession of our sins to God, we have no promise that we shall find mercy through the blood of the Redeemer. “Whosoever confesseth his sins and forsaketh them shall find mercy.” But there is no promise in the Bible to the man who will not confess his sins. Yet, as upon every point of Scripture there is a liability of being deceived, so more especially in the matter of confession of sin. There be many who make a confession, and a confession before God, who notwithstanding, receive no blessing because their confession has not in it certain marks which are required by God to prove it genuine and sincere, and which demonstrate it to be the work of the Holy Spirit. My text this morning consists of three words, “I have sinned.” And you will see how these words, in the lips of different men, indicate very different feelings. While one says, “I have sinned,” and receives forgiveness—another we shall meet with says, “I have sinned,” and goes his way to blacken himself with worse crimes than before, and dive into greater depths of sin than heretofore he had discovered. THE HARDENED SINNER PHARAOH—“I have sinned.”—Exodus 9:27 I. The first case I shall bring before you is that of the HARDENED SINNER, who, when under terror, says, “I have sinned.” And you will find the text in the book of Exodus, the ninth chapter and twenty-seventh verse, “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.” But why this confession from the lips of the haughty tyrant? He was not often wont to humble himself before JEHOVAH. Why does the proud one bow himself? You will judge of the value of his confession when you hear the circumstances under which it was made. “And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So that there was hail and fire mingled with the hail, ver…