THE GOOD CONFESSION

INTRODUCTION-- For evangelists, such as I am, there is much benefit in study-ing Paul's two letters to Timothy, and the one to Titus.

1. They inspire preachers with exhortations such as 1 Timothy 4:6-11 "If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which thou hast followed until now: 7 but refuse profane and old wives' fables. And exercise thyself unto godliness: 8 for bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come. 9 Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation. 10 For to this end we labor and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of them that believe. 11 These things command and teach."
   
2. The practical instructions in the letters serve the purpose of 1 Timothy 3:14-15, where Paul says, "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; 15 but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."
   
3. But the passage that contains the segments for our lessson today is 1 Timothy 6:3-16. "If any man teacheth a different doctrine, and consenteth not to sound words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 he is puffed up, knowing nothing, but doting about questionings and disputes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 wranglings of men corrupted in mind and bereft of the truth, supposing that godliness is a way of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain: 7 for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; 8 but having food and covering we shall be therewith content. 9 But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. 13 I charge thee in the sight of God, who giveth life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession; 14 that thou keep the commandment, without spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ."
   
   1. Though Paul intended for this instruction to apply to an evangelist, there is a lesson here for all Christians.
      
   2. It is the one in which we learn the significance of the "Good Confession."

LESSON--

1. What is the "good confession?"
   
   1. Verse 12 says that Timothy "confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses."
      
   2. Verse 13 tells us that Jesus "witnessed the good confession...before Pontius Pilate."

2. What confession did Jesus make before Pilate the Roman governor?
   
   1. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all have records of Jesus' appearance before Pilate to be tried.
      
   2. As we search these accounts for some sort of confession, we find that Jesus admitted to nothing except being the "King of the Jews."
      
   3. Though all the biographies tell of this "good confession," John has the fullest account. John 18:33-19-16 (After hearing the charges made by the Jews) "Pilate therefore entered again into the Praetorium, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? 34 Jesus answered, Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee concerning me? 35 Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done? 36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 38 Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find no crime in him. 39 But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews? 40 They cried out therefore again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber.)
      

      19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple garment; 3 and they came unto him, and said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they struck him with their hands. 4 And Pilate went out again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him out to you, that ye may know that I find no crime in him. 5 Jesus therefore came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold, the man! 6 When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Take him yourselves, and crucify him: for I find no crime in him. 7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. 8 When Pilate therefore heard this saying, he was the more afraid; 9 and he entered into the Praetorium again, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilate therefore saith unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, and have power to crucify thee? 11 Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath greater sin. 12 Upon this Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar's friend: every one that maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. 13 When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment-seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation of the passover: it was about the sixth hour. And he saith unto the Jews, Behold, your King! 15 They therefore cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
      

      16 Then therefore he delivered him unto them to be crucified."
      

   4. Pilate, perhaps in derision of the Jews, had the last word. John 19:19-22 "And Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. And there was written, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 This title therefore read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and in Latin, and in Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews therefore said to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. 22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written."

3. We have learned, then, that Jesus admitted, or confessed, to being a King in a spiritual realm, the "Kingdom of Heaven."
   
   1. We know that it is God's will that Jesus be confessed as "Lord." Philippians 2:9-11 "God highly exalted (Jesus), and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (All Kings are Lords, but not all Lords are Kings.)
      
   2. However, we traditionally ask believers to confess that "Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God." (Is this tradition "apostolic?")
      
      1. Jesus said we must confess Him. Matthew 10:32-33 "Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven."
         
      2. When most Bible people did confess their faith, it was in the fact that He was the Christ, the son of God. (There are several examples of this.)
         
         1. Matthew 16:15-16 "He saith unto the disciples, But who say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
            
         2. John 11:27 (Martha) "...saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, even he that cometh into the world."
            
         3. Acts 8:36-37 "And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
            
   3. But is it proper, also, to confess Jesus as our King (the "good confession")?

4. To the minds of the Jews, the "King of the Jews," and "the Christ" were one and the same.
   
   1. When Jesus was born, the Wise Men from the East were asking, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews, for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2)
      
   2. But, when Herod heard the request, he immediately knew they sought the "Christ." Matthew 2:3-6 "And when Herod the king heard it, he was trou-bled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, land of Ju-dah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a governor, who shall be shepherd of my people Israel (a quotation of Micah 5:2)."
      
   3. So, when we confess Jesus as the Christ, we also confess him as our King!

APPLICATION-- As people who once rejected having a king over us, we need to acquaint ourselves with the benefit of confessing Jesus Christ as our King.

1. Earthly kings can be either good or bad, depending on whether the man who is made king is good or bad.
   
   1. There were many kings of men who did bad things.
      
      1. A king of Egypt wanted to practice infanticide. Exodus 1:15-17 "And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16 and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive." (Herod killed the newborns of Bethlehem, later.)
         
      2. King David, in the madness of passion had Bathshebah's husband, Uriah, assassinated to cover up his sin of adultery. (2 Samuel 11)
         
      3. Manasseh, the most evil king of Judah, practiced perversion and shed so much innocent blood that God could not forgive. (2 Kings 21)
         
      4. King Joash became an apostate, and ordered the slaying of God's true prophet Zechariah in the Temple Court. (2 Chronicles 24)
         
   2. There were also many kings of men who did righteous things.
      
      1. 2 Chronicles 17:3 "And Jehovah was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto the Baalim."
         
      2. 2 Chronicles 31:20b-21 "(Hezekiah)...wrought that which was good and right and faithful before Jehovah his God. 21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered."
         
      3. 2 Chronicles 34:33 "And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to serve Jehovah their God. All his days they departed not from following Jehovah, the God of their fathers."

2. Jesus, as King, and the "image of God," can be nothing but just in judgment, righteous in works, and a completely benevolent ruler.
   
   1. Jesus' kind judgment of Nathaneal caused him to confess. John 1:45-49 "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel."
      
   2. His righteousness will allow Him to give eternal inheritance only to the righteous. Ephesians 5:5 "For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God."

3. We must join forces with Jesus, and confess him as the Christ, the Son of God, and the King of Kings, because it would be a disaster to make war against such a mighty King. Revelation 17:14 "These (who serve the beast, a symbol of evil) shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they also shall overcome that are with him, called and chosen and faithful."