3-25-2016

Good Morning All!!

        Acts 3:22; “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction”

     In the late 1970’s, the country singer John Conlee wrote and sang a song called “Rose Colored Glasses.”  It was a kind of lament in that the singer’s wife/girlfriend didn’t seem to love him but he couldn’t bring himself to leave because he wouldn’t look at her flaws only the good things in her.  The chorus went like this:

But these rose colored glasses
That I'm looking through
Show only the beauty
'Cause they hide all the truth

You have probably known someone who did this.  It might have been a parent who refused to believe that their child would get in trouble at school.  It might be the boyfriend/girlfriend who just will not believe their partner isn’t faithful to them.  It happens.  We tend to see this as a negative but our verse for today shows us a different angle.

    Scriptures tells us that we are covered in Christ own righteousness and that we trade our sin for his righteousness.  Martin Luther called this “the great exchange.”  In it, our sinful nature is taken on by Jesus and we take on his perfect righteousness.  So now, as we stand before God he sees Christ righteousness on us.  He looks at us through the glasses that show Christ holiness poured out on us.  Thus he sees us as holy, redeemed children of God.  

     Thus God does not see our sin any longer.  He only sees the perfectness of Jesus.  God sees us as his perfect child.  We may think “if he would only take off those rose colored glasses; he would see the real me.”  The devil loves to play this game on us.  The devil does everything in his power to make us think we are not good enough.  However, that is the beauty of God’s love for us displayed in Jesus.

    God knows our weaknesses and our failures. He knows our pains and our sufferings.  God chooses to see us through the blood colored glasses of Christ’s atonement.  God chooses to have love in his heart, healing in his hand and comfort in his loving arms.  God chooses to love you.  He is not ignoring anything.  The sin he sees is placed on Jesus while the righteousness of Jesus is placed on you.  We have it made because of this great love.  A Love that is beyond our understanding a love that is beyond our measure.  A love that would allow the Father to allow his only son to die and pay the price that a hateful stranger owed.  Greater love we will never know.

Father of all mercy, you look at me and see Jesus instead.  Keep me close to your heart.  Keep me close in your loving arms.  Enliven my faith that I may serve you in all boldness.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret