CONFESSING AND BEING CONFESSED BY JESUS

CONFESSING AND BEING CONFESSED BY JESUS

Jesus said, “whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32). But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. The Lord teaches whoever would be his disciples to openly confess him before people.

BIBLICAL PEOPLE WHO LEARNED TO OPENLY CONFESS JESUS

NICODEMUS, a religious leader, secretly came to Jesus by night. He told Jesus, “we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus was aware that Nicodemus came to him by night for fear of being seen with the Lord by others—especially by other religious leaders who did not accept Jesus as being from God.

Jesus replied to Nicodemus: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again…of the Spirit… Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

Jesus knew that although Nicodemus was Rabbi who knew the Scriptures, he had to be born again of the Holy Spirit to enable him to see Jesus as the Son of God, and openly confess him as the Messianic Savior of the world.

Later, Nicodemus tried to defend Jesus before the religious leader who were plotting to kill him; Nicodemus asked: “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?” (John 7:50-51). After Jesus was crucified, “Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds,” to prepare the body of the Lord for burial (John 19:39).

PETER AND OTHER DISCIPLES once deserted and denied Jesus before others (Matthew 26:56,75). But they learned that when one repents of their wrongs, the Lord God forgives them and cleanse them from all unrighteousness, because the Lord sacrificed his life to atone for their sins (1 John 1:9; John 21:1-19).

After the disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit the Lord gave them on the day of Pentecost, they boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ as the dead-and-resurrected Savior to the world (Acts 1:8; Acts 2).

OUR CONFESSING JESUS BEFORE PEOPLE

Jesus tells us who are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).

Jesus said, “you are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16). We reflect the light of Jesus. He used us to light the way to God for people living in darkness (Matthew 4:16)).

The Lord urges us to pray for all people (1 Timothy 2:1), as we pray in secret (Matthew 6:6); but as God gives us opportunity we should openly proclaim the good news of salvation to them. For Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:6).

As God gives us opportunity, we should proclaim the good news not just to those among the church community. We should confess or witness it with love to people in the outside community and abroad–unsaved family, friends, schoolmates, co-workers and others. We might be the only one among them who are in a position to witness the good news of Jesus Christ to them.

As long as it is day, we should do the works of the Lord who sent us. For night is coming, when no one can work (John 6:29; John 9:4).