Good Morning All,
John 3:17; “God sent his Son into the world, not
to condemn the world, but to save the world.”
If you are a baseball
fan, do you know who Wally Pipp was? He
led the American League in home runs two years in a row. He was the first Yankee to do so. Most people really don’t know him. He was a great baseball player, but he is
most famous for having a headache. One
day he told his manager that he didn’t feel up to playing so his manager let
him sit out and tried a new kid, a guy by the name of Lou Gehrig. Wally never played another game for the
Yankees. He was good but not as good as
those around him.
The Bible has some
“Wally Pipp” verses. These are verses
that are really good and speak to us.
The problem is that they are next to some super verses. Our verse for today is probably the classic
“Wally Pipp” verse. We all know John
3:16 but what about John 3:17?
This is a verse for
those of you who believe they are saved but feel guilty about it. I hear it often. Faithful Christians feel guilty. They feel guilty for God’s blessings. They feel guilty for what they have when they
see others have not. They even feel
guilty for being forgiven. This is why
churches that push the idea that you must do something to be saved are so
popular; it makes sense to us. It places a burden on us that simply makes sense
to our line of reasoning. I have a bill; I must pay the bill.
First and foremost, know
that guilt is always, ALWAYS, the tool of the devil. Jesus did not come to the world to condemn it
but to save it. He came to remove
guilt. He came to free us from this
pain. Guilt, by definition, is to feel
remorse for doing something wrong; the feeling that we need to “pay” for the
wrong. For you and me, the debt is
already paid. Jesus died to pay for your
sins. Our condemnation has been paid; we
need not feel the guilt associated with condemnation.
Rather than guilt we can
experience the joy that God has given to us.
So, when the devil tries to make you feel guilty, remember that Christ’s
blood bore the price for your sin and the guilt which you feel. We don’t need to feel guilty; so, don’t let
the devil remove the joy that we have because of the grace that God has for
you. Jesus came to save, to bring you
into his family and into his wonderful kingdom where we can leave in joy and
peace. This is no small pleasure; this
is what it is all about. God is restoring his people to the proper place in his
creation. We were created to care for the garden but to do so in a loving,
joyful environment. We are to act in concert with God in a joyous celebration
of “creatures being creatures” as God has created us. We can find great joy
here, in the loving embrace of our God.
Dearest Father, the devil loves to make me feel guilty. Keep me in your precious loving arms and give
me the assurance of your love to help me remove the guilt which blocks my
joyous life in service in your kingdom.
In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.
God’s
Peace,
Pastor Bret
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