We Have…
we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled
We have not listened to your servants the prophets
we have rebelled against him
we have sinned against him.
we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God
we have not obeyed his voice
we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
because for our sins
Preach It
In the mid-1980’s my wife and I, young newlyweds, had the privilege of spending a Sunday with a special couple, Peter and Alice. Our dear friends were well in their eighties at the time and we considered them spiritual mentors. Peter and Alice had long since retired from the ministry, but despite their declining health they never lost their passion for Christ. Not even close. After an afternoon of fellowship, they took us to an evening service at a local church. I would like to say I remember the sermon the pastor preached, but I don’t. What I do remember is the little sermon I heard from my dear friend. After the service, Peter made his way to the pastor and thanked him for his message. What was the sermon about? Sin. According to my dear old friend sin was a topic out of vogue at that time. He said the church needed more pastors with the boldness to preach about sin. If God takes it seriously, so should the church. Sin might be an unpleasant topic, but I know on that Sunday at least, one retired pastor went home with a smile on his face. Sin is a plague that must be addressed. The consequences for ignoring it are not only serious, they are eternal. The wisdom of our dear mentor was shared by the prophet Daniel.
Confess It
It seems as if the only time people are sorry for their sins is when they are caught. Their sorrow then isn’t usually so much in what they have done, but the fact that they have been exposed. Too often, the finger pointing then starts. Instead of confessing our sins, we usually want to put a spin on the situation and make ourselves out to be victims. Not so with Daniel. During his humble prayer before the face of God, Daniel makes the confessions above. As I read through this list I wonder how many of these sins Daniel was actually guilty of. But ultimately it doesn’t matter. Daniel knew that his actions did not make him a sinner, but rather he was a sinner by nature. Daniel’s sins may not have been as blatant as those of others, but they had to be repented of nonetheless. Rather than stand in judgment of his fellow Israelites, Daniel associates with their sins and turns to God for forgiveness. Daniel did not take the path of the self-righteous Pharisee, but rather the humble path of the tax collector, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’” – Luke 18:13.
When Daniel made his prayer of confession, Judah, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of his fellow Israelites had been killed, emasculated or raped. Many, like Daniel, had been taken into exile and many made slaves. As already mentioned, Daniel did not play the victim card or the blame game. He did not blame the religious or political leaders of Judah. He did not blame the wicked or morally corrupt who angered God. Instead, Daniel identified himself with his people. We have sinned.
The Body
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Daniel’s prayer seems to me to be an illustration of a Truth that Paul would write to the Corinthian church years later (1 Cor. 12). Although he may have had a very intimate relationship with God, Daniel never lost his love for his people, his home or the Temple. He knew that sin in one member of the body affected the entire body. When convicted by the inspired Words of Jeremiah he wisely turned to God in repentance. No excuses. No blaming. Just a healthy dose of conviction and shame.
When it comes to discussing sin we need to strike a healthy balance. First of all, we need to be careful not to “glorify” sin. There is no need to draw extra attention to it, give too many details, etc. Sin is appalling and we don’t want to make it sound like anything different. Confess it, repent and move on. Secondly, like my wise old friend once said, sin must not be ignored. Church leaders need to be faithful to the Truth. All of it. The body is diseased. The body is suffering. The only cure for sin begins with conviction. Look what reading Jeremiah did to Daniel!
May our leaders have the boldness to preach about sin and it’s consequences. May we as individuals have the discipline to be consistently in God’s Word as Daniel was. May we pray for our leaders as they minister to the Body. May we pray for the other members of the Body as we strive to bring glory to God. When God’s Word convicts us may we drop to our knees and confess, “I have sinned”. When our brothers or sisters have fallen into sin may we drop to our knees and confess, “We have sinned”.
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – 1 Corinthians 12:13