10-22-2016

Good Morning All,

            Psalm 103:12; “ as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

     If you look to the western sky in the evening we see a star called Spica.  If you look in the morning to the east we see a star called Bellatrix.  You can barely see them and yet there are stars to the west of them and to the east of them.  There are stars so far apart that we can’t measure how far they are from each other.  As far as the east is from the west, that is a long, long ways.  Yet that is how far God removes our transgressions from us. 

    We no longer have to bear the weight or the burden of our sins.  We don’t have to make atone for them.  We don’t have to sacrifice a young ram or be sprinkled with blood.  God removes our sins.  He takes our sins and removes them from us.  God takes our sins, puts them in a box and then covers that box with the cloak of Christ’s righteousness.  Our sins have been dealt with.  They are resolved.  They are no longer a problem in our lives; or are they?

    Why is it that when our sins are forgiven, we never really feel that way?  This incredible weight has been removed from us and we still act like we are weighted down.  Mostly it is because the devil and our sinful nature don’t want us to let go of these sins.  The devil likes us to keep that weight; it is easier for the devil to try and separate us from God, as long as we feel guilty.  The devil keeps whispering in our ear that God won’t forget that sin.  In a way, the devil is right.  The sin is not forgotten but it was charged to someone else who paid the debt of that sin for us.  Those sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus who paid for our sin.

    So those sins are gone, if we let go of them.  This is why true confession is so valuable to a Christian.  To stand with your fellow believers and confess that, “I, a poor, miserable sinner confess unto you all my sins and iniquities”.  We aren’t telling God anything He doesn’t know; we’re telling God things that the devil doesn’t want us to admit.  For when we release those sins which we either think are too small to matter or too big to forgive, God has already removed them as far as the east is from the west. 

     So why do we not always feel forgiven, the devil and our sinful nature want to keep it that way.  God forgives our sins and gives this forgiveness to us, all out of his love for us.  Receive the gift of forgiveness and let it free you from the whispers of the devil; that is really the only tool he has.  Don’t listen to the devil’s whispers; listen to the loud cry of God for you to come home.

      Dear Father in heaven, your mercies are new every day.  We thank you for the forgiveness of sins which we in no way deserve.  We thank you for sending Jesus to take our place to pay our debt.  Drive away our fears and our guilt and our doubts that we may live the life which you created us to live.  Protect all those who suffer for your Name.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret