Tag Archives: forgiveness

What’s In It For Me?

Bible Study, ,

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

“‘David, of course, having completed the work God set out for him, has been in the grave, dust and ashes, for a long time now. But the One God raised up — no dust and ashes for Him! I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised. He accomplishes everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on. But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.

“‘Don’t take this lightly. You don’t want the prophet’s sermon to describe you:

“Watch out, cynics, Look hard — watch your world fall to pieces. I’m doing something right before your eyes that you won’t believe, though it’s staring you right in the face.'” Acts 13:36-41 (The Message).

The forgiveness of sins — that’s what the cross is all about! Sin is the one great barrier between us and a holy God. “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong.” Habakkuk 1:13 (NIV).

God created a perfectly functional world. Everything fitted together with everything else in perfect harmony and functioned as one, reflecting the same perfect harmony within the Godhead. He also created man, forming him from clay and filling him up — which is what the word “create” actually means — with His own image, male and female in perfect union.

He separated the woman from the man and brought them together again to live in a union that reflects the oneness of God. Because of the intimate connection between humans and the natural world, when man chose to disconnect himself from his Creator and make his own rules, the entire created order followed suit and became dysfunctional. Conflict replaced harmony in the plant and animal world, making life a battleground instead of an orchestra.

Life on earth should have been a perfect reflection of life in the presence of God. Therefore, from God’s perspective, everything that is imperfect is sin because it falls short of God’s glory. Even what we consider “natural”, like sickness, disabilities, accidents that cause brokenness, decay and death are alien to God and are therefore classified as sin and demand blood sacrifice to atone and cleanse its pollution.

Jesus’ death on the cross did not only pay for man’s sin. It also paid for the pollution and disruption that man’s rebellion caused in the whole of creation. Even the entire universe was affected by that one choice.

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:19, 20 (NIV).

The expectation of those who believe in the finished work of Jesus on the cross goes beyond this life into the life beyond the grave. “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Romans 8:20, 21 (NIV).

The forgiveness of sins Jesus purchased for us on the cross brings with it the promise of the restoration of the entire creation to its original state and purpose. When we receive the gift of forgiveness, we become a part of God’s design to restore all of creation and to complete the work He began; a perfect world in which He can live in union with man that can never be disrupted again.

Stick To The Point

Christian Life, , ,

STICK TO THE POINT

“Bringing them back. they stood them before the High Council. The Chief Priest said, ‘Didn’t we give you strict orders not to teach in Jesus’ name? And here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are trying you best to blame us for the death of this man,’

“Peter and the apostles answered,’ It’s necessary to obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, the One you killed by hanging Him on a cross. God set Him on high at His side, Prince and Saviour, to give Israel the gift of a changed life and sins forgiven And we are witnesses to these things. The Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey Him, corroborates every detail.'” Acts 5:27-32 (The Message).

Aha! So that’s the reason for all this antagonism! The High Priest and his cronies have guilty consciences but they won’t admit it.

How blatant their refusal to acknowledge responsibility for killing Jesus! Who had Him arrested and condemned to death? Who led the frenzied demand for Him to be crucified and Barabbas released? Who mercilessly taunted Him while He hung on the cross? Little did they think that their actions would turn around and bite them!

The tragedy for them was that their guilt was shouting so loudly inside them that they were not hearing Peter’s message. Had they only listened, they would have heard God’s offer of unconditional forgiveness for them as well. Peter was not trying to nail blame on them. They already knew they were guilty. He was trying to show them the extent of God’s mercy towards them as well.

This was not an exercise in “naming and shaming” anyone. That’s not how God works to alert people to His offer of forgiveness. No, He does not wink at sin. He dealt with it by nailing it all on Jesus at the cross. He allows the conscience to do its work without rubbing people’s faces in their guilt. It is the Holy Spirit’s work to convince us of sin so that He can point us to the Saviour.

Until we acknowledge our guilt and take responsibility for our rebellion against God, we will be on the run like the religious hierarchy who were trying to shrug off their responsibility by compounding it! Peter and his fellow apostles stuck to the point. Why didn’t they? They were a heartbeat away from forgiveness, even for killing Jesus, and a new life of joy and freedom, but they refused to stick to the point.

Once again Satan was locked in combat for the lives of these men, but so obsessed were they about being in control that they missed their golden moment for handing over the reins to the true Master of their lives. They did not realise that the command centre was not in their hands but in the hands of their enemy, the devil. He was not interested in their wellbeing — only in their demise at their own hands because of their stubborn resistance to the One who could rescue them from themselves.

How tragic that people should be so suspicious of God, in spite of what He did for us at the cross, that they would rather run from Him than run to Him. Even some of those who claim to be followers of Jesus run from Him when guilt is exposed.

The true message of the cross is often obscured by the humanistic trend that makes the gospel a man-centred message. Peter stuck to the point. Jesus was crucified, yes, but God raised him from the grave and exalted Him to the highest place. He is both Lord and Christ and to Him every knee shall bow. Those who bow now will be absolved from guilt and the penalty of their sin, and will enjoy the benefits of being united to their Saviour both now and in the life to come.

Those who refuse to acknowledge guilt will carry in into the life to come and the unthinkable penalty of separation from God, the place where the master they served in this life will serve out his sentence for eternity.

The choice is mine and yours…

Wiped Away or Wiped Out…?

Christian Life, , ,

WIPED AWAY OR WIPED OUT…?

“Now it’s time to change your ways. Turn to face God so He can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you and send you the Messiah He prepared for you, namely Jesus. For the time being He must remain out of sight in heaven until everything is restored in order again just the way God, through the preaching of His holy prophets of old, said it would be. Moses, for instance, said, ‘Your God will raise up for you a prophet just like me from your family. Listen to every word He speaks to you, Every last living soul who refuses to listen to that prophet will be wiped out from the people.'” Acts 3:19-23 (The Message).

That’s a bit rough, isn’t it? Does God really mean that everyone who does not listen to Jesus will be wiped out, as in — removed, destroyed? What happened to the “God is love” thing?

Yes He does.

The tragic truth is that most people do not understand the nature of God’s love. They think that His love is a “do anything you like, spit in my face, ignore who I am, wipe your feet on me and I’ll take no notice” kind of love. Yes, He loves us even if we have treated Him like that but that attitude does not make for a good Father/son relationship.

Jesus told a compelling story about a son who treated his dad just like that. He was an “I don’t need you; I can make it on my own; I want to be free; I’m sick of you and your stuffy holiness” son. He demanded his inheritance, tantamount to saying, “I wish you were dead,” and set off to live out his ‘freedom’ far away from dad and home.

His plan worked for a while until his funds ran out and his so-called friends ran away. Then reality hit. He had no home, no money and no one to turn to for help. He faced the stark reality that a man has to work to eat. Hunger drove him to do the unthinkable — a Jewish boy looking after pigs! Just imagine that! He was so “free” that he could sit and watch pigs all day.

What option did he have but to eat humble pie and go back home? Suddenly the thought of home and dad and all those things he had so despised, were no longer repulsive but appealing. It’s funny how hunger and poverty bring a person back to sanity! He wasn’t sure about his father’s attitude to his homecoming. He had better offer himself as a servant just to get a square meal every day.

The story, among other things, illustrates the heart of the father — his son was always his son, regardless of his failures; but it does not tell us about the cost of reconciliation. God set a price on rebellion from the beginning. Rebellion is expensive. Forgiveness comes at a price.

This whole episode that Peter was talking about, God coming to earth Himself, living a human life for thirty three years, being put to death for being the Son of God with no guilt of His own, was about paying the price He demanded for mankind’s rebellion. We could not pay the price for everyone else’s sin, only our own, and that means being wiped out of God’s family for ever.

There’s only one way back into the family — by having our wicked past wiped away. Jesus did that by taking the rap for us. Now we can do what the rebellious boy did, go back home to Dad because there is nothing in the way any more. The Father took His anger at sin out on His own Son so that He can welcome us home with open arms.

So…it’s time to change your ways! The old way does not work and only leads to the pigsty. Daddy’s waiting to welcome you home.