Sermon

Somewhere along the way, many of us learned how to hide.

We learned to hide emotions that felt too heavy, mistakes that felt too shameful, and regrets that didn’t feel “Christian enough” to talk about out loud. And so we smile, we show up, we serve—and we silently carry the weight of guilt and sin that never quite got dealt with. We press through it. We bury it. We even justify it. But here's the truth: unconfessed sin has a way of squeezing the air out of your soul.

That’s why confession is one of the most freeing spiritual practices we have.

Confession isn’t about embarrassing yourself in front of God—it’s about exhaling everything you’ve been trying to hold in. It’s about giving yourself permission to breathe again by laying your guilt down at the feet of grace.

1 John 1:9 makes a promise that too many of us overlook in our attempts to keep things together:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

It’s not a threat. It’s a lifeline.

We’re not just invited to confess—we’re promised that when we do, we’ll find a faithful and just God waiting on the other side. Not with a lecture, not with a punishment, but with cleansing and forgiveness. That kind of mercy doesn’t just remove guilt—it restores peace.

But What Does Confession Really Look Like?
Confession doesn’t always start with eloquent words. Sometimes it begins with a whisper: “Lord, I’ve been off.” Or a moment of silence where you finally admit to yourself what you’ve been avoiding. Other times it might look like tears falling on your pillow at 2 a.m. when the shame feels like too much to carry.

Confession is the spiritual courage to say:
“I was wrong.”
“I’ve been pretending.”
“I hurt them.”
“I hurt myself.”
“I’m tired of hiding.”

It’s raw. It’s honest. And it’s beautiful.

Why We Struggle to Confess
We don’t struggle to confess because we don’t know how—we struggle because we’re afraid of what confession might cost us.

Will God still love me?
Will people still accept me?
Will I ever feel clean again?

But the gospel answers every one of those questions with a resounding yes. Yes, God loves you. Yes, He accepts you. Yes, He can make you clean again.

And if you’ve ever questioned that, just look at Jesus. Look at the cross. Confession doesn’t begin with shame—it begins with grace. The cross already paid for what you’re trying to hide.

A Gentle Push
As we continue this season of Lent, let this be the time where you stop carrying what God has already offered to carry for you. Take a moment today—not out of guilt, but out of hope—to sit before God and release what you’ve been holding back.

Tell Him the truth.

Confess with your heart, not just your mouth.

And then—breathe again. Not as someone defined by failure, but as someone marked by forgiveness.

There’s freedom in confession.

Don’t rob yourself of it another day.

~ Pastor D.L. Williams