The Liberating Power of Forgiveness

 

“Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48)

A woman comes to Jesus in a Pharisee’s house weeping and washing his feet. No doubt she felt shame as the eyes of Simon communicated to everyone present that this woman was a sinner and that Jesus had no business letting her touch him.

Indeed, she was a sinner. There was a place for true shame. But not for too long.

Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48). And when the guests murmured about this, he strengthened her faith by saying, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).

How did Jesus help her battle the crippling effects of shame? He gave her a promise: “Your sins have been forgiven! Your faith has saved you. Your future will be one of peace.” He declared that past pardon would now yield future peace.

So, the issue for her was faith in God’s future grace, rooted in the authority of Jesus’s forgiving work and freeing word. That is the way every one of us must battle the effects of well-placed shame — not false shame, but shame that we really should feel, but shame that threatens to linger too long and cripple us.

We must battle the unbelief of crippling shame by taking hold of the promises of future grace and peace that come through the forgiveness of our shameful acts.

“With you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” (Psalm 130:4)

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6–7)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)

All of us need forgiveness. And we will need it tomorrow. Jesus died to provide it today and tomorrow. Today or tomorrow the reality is this: God’s forgiveness liberates us for our future. It frees us from crippling shame. Forgiveness is full of future grace.

When we live by faith in future grace, rooted in God’s forgiveness, we are freed from the lingering, paralyzing effects even of the shame we deserve to feel. That’s what forgiveness means.

THE CERTAINTY IN GOD’S WORD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY APRIL 24, 2022. 

SUBJECT: THE CERTAINTY IN GOD’S WORD! 

Memory verse: "God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should repent, has He said, and will He not do it?” (Numbers 23 vs 19.)

READ: Isaiah 55 vs 11; Matthew 24 vs 35:

Isaiah 55:11: So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

Matthew 24:35: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. 

INTIMATION:

No word from God can ever be defaulted. There never can be any denying of His own Word. Every Word of God is pure (Proverbs 30 vs 5), and forever God’s Word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119 vs 89). We did not ask Him to write the Word, nor to see that it was perceived for us. The Word of God shall stand forever (Isaiah 40 vs 8), and you are trusting in that Word. His Word is eternal, constant, and unfailing. And only on God’s eternal Word will we find lasting solutions to our problems and needs. Your confidence is in that Word that cannot be broken. God’s word will produce fruit as sure as rain from the heavens.

The emphasis in God’s Word is enunciated in His calling His Son—Jesus Christ—the Word, and His Word being the agent of creation. (See John 1 vs 1 - 3). God and Jesus (the Word) are inseparable. Forever God and Jesus live and abide, hence Word of God abides, and lives on through the ages. The Word of God is incorruptible, The apostle Peter captures it this way, “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever” (First Peter I vs 23).  

Therefore, when you get tied up with God, that is, when you identify with God in the new creation, His nature is imparted on you. You can no longer be a failure, because you know you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you. You feel like David must have felt when he said, "For by You I can run against a troop: by my God have I can leap over a wall." (Second Samuel 22 vs 30; Psalm 18 vs 29). You become a master of circumstances.

The Scripture, Jeremiah 1 vs 12, says, “Then said the LORD to me, you have well seen, for I will hasten My word to perform it.” Impassable gulfs will become level roads to us when we realize that God hastens His Word to perform it. We take His Word and carry it into His presence and repeat it and say, "Father, this is what you said." You just look up and say, “Father I thank you, for this is Your Word."

Now, in Hebrews 6 vs 18, the Scripture says, "That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us." The two immutable things are God's nature and His promise—His Word. God embodies all truth, you can be secure in His promises; you don't need to wonder if He will change His plans because by His nature He will never change for He said "I am the Lord, I change not." (Malachi 3 vs 6). Our hope is secure and immovable; anchored in God and His Word, just as a ship anchor holds firmly to the seabed. 

We are dealing with Him who cannot lie. The Bible says in Second Timothy 2 vs 13, "He abide faithful; He cannot deny Himself." When this gets into your blood. It gives you a warrior spirit, and makes you confident of your place in Christ. It makes you know that you are what He says you are, and that you can do what He says you can do. God was not created after the imagination of men. For this reason, He cannot tell a lie as men do. Neither could the destiny of anybody be changed, as men change their minds according to their own desires. 

In Isaiah 45 vs 23, God said, "By myself have I sworn." This is repeating what He said to Abraham (Genesis 22 vs 16). God has made even His Throne back of His Word. I wonder how much some of our hearts can take it. It is like God throwing a cable about the Throne, dropping the cable over for us to grasp. Think of it this way; He said, "Do you see, I am putting my Throne as surety for My Word. My very Self is enwrapped in this." This is awesome!

Now, let us look at Hebrews 7 vs 22: "By so much more Jesus has become the surety of a better covenant." The better covenant is also called the new covenant or testament. It is new and better because now we have the Father, Jesus, and the Throne back of every word. This Is tremendous. If the Word should fail, it will dethrone the Triune God. It cannot fail even when the heaven and earth pass away. 

The Scripture, in Hebrews 4 vs 12, says: "For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Word of God is living, life-changing and dynamic as it works in us. God's Word reveals who we are and what we are not. It penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual life. It discerns what is within us, both good and evil. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word is proven, and is a shield to all trust in You. Your Word is a lamp to the feet and a light to the path of those who find it. I pray that the eyes of my understanding be opened by the spirit of wisdom and revelation in Your Word, and the entrance of Your Word enthrones Your light in me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US FOR RIGHT LIVING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY APRIL 23, 2022.

SUBJECT : WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US FOR RIGHT LIVING!

Memory verse: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6 vs 8.)

READ: Psalm 101 vs 1 - 7:

101:1: I will sing of mercy and judgment: to You, O LORD, will I sing.

101:2: I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

101:3: I will not set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

101:4: A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

101:5: Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.

101:6: My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

101:7: He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence.

INTIMATION:

People have tried all kinds of ways to please God, but God has made His wishes clear; He has already made it plain how to live, and what to do. What God is looking for in men and women is quite simple: He wants His people to do what is fair and just to their neighbor; free themselves from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception, and conforming with established standards or rules. 

We should love mercy; have great affection or liking for leniency and compassion toward offenders, forbear to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, especially when one has the power to inflict it. We should be compassionate in treating an defender or adversary. We are to be compassionate and loyal in our love. God requires of us to do good works. That which is good does not come from outward performances of law. In one’s relationship with his fellow man, he is required to be just and have mercy.

We are to walk humbly with Him. We are not to take ourselves too seriously, rather we should take God seriously. We should think lowly of oneself; claiming little for one’s self, not arrogant, proud, or assuming. We should think one’s self ill-deserving or unworthy, when judged by the demands of God—thinking one’s self lowly, weak, and modest. Walking humbly with God involves being led by the Will of God, not one’s own inventions of religiosity. Heartless obedience to ceremonial law is rejected by God.

Since God is merciful and just with us, we ought to be merciful and just with others. We should be righteous examples before our families. We should not set before us that which is wicked, and will not watch that which glorify sin. We should not allow our loyalty to God compromised by friends who fell away from God. We should not associate with apostates. We should maintain companions with those who are righteous and stay away from evil companions. We should reject those who maliciously speak to us about others. Our relationships with others will be quickly destroyed by allowing such people to exist, and thus be committed to God that we will not allow slanderous people to exist within and around us. 

We should associate with humble people, not those who played politics in order to gain our favor with our positions in society. We should focus on the righteous, and thus encourage them to be our friends. We should reject from around us those who deceive in order to gain favor or promote their agenda. We should first destroy the wicked in order that their influence will not pollute the people. This would include purging our society of those who worked evil.

We should choose as models those who are godly and truthful. Our friends and associates can have a profound influence on us. Make sure to choose as your closest companies those who are faithful to God and His Word.

To lead a blameless life we will need God’s help. While doing the things enumerated above, we must also let God’s Word show us the standards by which to live.

In your efforts to please God, examine the areas to avoid enumerated above on a regular basis. Always examine yourself as follows: Are you fair in your dealings with people? Do you show mercy to those who wrong you? Are you learning humility? Do you put God first in all you do? If your answer is “yes” to all these questions, then you are leading a blameless life that God requires of us!

PRAYER: Abba Father, You are merciful, just, and upright. Endue me with the spirit of excellence regarding Your requirements for a right living, that I may lead a blameless life and pleasing You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Seek Your City’s Good

 

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. . . . But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:4–5, 7)

If that was true for God’s exiles in Babylon, it would seem to be even more true for Christian exiles in this very “Babylon-like” world. What, then, shall we do?

We should do the ordinary things that need to be done: build houses; live in them; plant gardens. This does not contaminate you if you do it all for the real King and not just for eye service as men-pleasers.

Seek the welfare of the place where God has sent you. Think of yourself as sent there by God for his glory. Because you are.

Pray to the Lord on behalf of your city. Ask for great and good things to happen for the city. Ask that they happen by God’s power and for his glory. Never lose sight of the ultimate good that the city needs a thousand times more than it needs material prosperity. Christians care about all suffering — especially eternal suffering. That’s the greatest danger every city faces.

But neither God nor his people are indifferent to the health and safety and prosperity and freedom of the city. We all want these things, and Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). In fact, the Lord says in Jeremiah that loving your city is a way of loving yourself: “In its welfare you will find your welfare.”

This does not mean we give up our exile orientation. Peter says that Christians are “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11) and Paul says “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). In fact, we will do most good for this world by keeping a steadfast freedom from its beguiling attractions. We will serve our city best by getting our values from “the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). We will do our city most good by calling as many of its citizens as we can to be citizens of “the Jerusalem above” (Galatians 4:26).

So, let’s live — let’s do so much good (1 Peter 2:12) — that the natives will want to meet our King.

COMPANIONSHIP WITH GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022.

SUBJECT : COMPANIONSHIP WITH GOD!

Memory verse: "Can two walk together unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3 vs 3.)

READ: John 15 vs 4 - 10:

15:4: Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; neither can you unless you abide in Me.

15:5: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.

15:6: If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; and they will gather them, and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

15:7: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

15:8: By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

15:9: As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

15:10: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.

INTIMATION: 

A companion is one who walks side by side with another. Not tagging along far behind, but together—united. As believers, we walk in light with Christ. We were in darkness, but He has brought light into us. As a companion to the Author of Light, you reveal the effects of that light in your inner being. You demonstrate His goodness. You walk in uprightness. You manifest the truth. This is when your participation begins to come.

God is ready to teach us, to let us be with Him, to be a true and faithful companion, if we will seek such a relationship. Companions come in all sizes and shapes and for various reasons. A dog can be your companion, an elderly person can hire a companion to accompany him. You can even pick up a hitchhiker and have him be your companion for a long stretch of driving. But we will examine a very specific kind of companion: the teacher-mentor, which is God's kind of companionship.

Four areas are major ingredient for a relationship that would be described as a companionship. These areas are: (1) Agreement (2) Experience (3) Conversation (4) Learning. These ingredients are required in our companionship with God.

(1) The Scripture notes: "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"(Amos 3 vs 3) So agreement is the first requirement. You have to want to spend time together. With God we know this is the desire of His heart. He tells us in many different ways in the Word that He desires to be with us.

(2) You would share experiences together because you are together by definition. One of the special privileges we have as believers is sharing our heart with God, and in turn learning more about His heart toward us and others. We get to see His overwhelming goodness, infinite patience, unchanging love, and unending mercies as we read the Bible—His "Code of Conduct," and "Owner's Manual" to us. The Holy Spirit makes the Word come alive in our hearts and points things out from it that are specifically for us and our situation. 

(3) The third ingredient is conversation. There should be conversation between you and God. Not just one way, but rather an exchange of ideas from both parties. Think of your own experience. When you have been with someone who monopolizes the conversation, or who does not let you talk but only wants you to listen, you feel uneasy, dominated, and useless in the conversation. You may feel you are only a listening board, and your opinion matters little since it is rarely sought.

Sometimes we are guilty of doing this to God: We rush into His presence with our "want" list and then, in essence, after presenting our requests and/or complaints, we close the time with "In Jesus' name, Amen." No time to hear His input, no time to seek His advice. Only a time to "dump" on Him. Yes, Peter advised us in First Peter 5 vs 7 to give the Lord all our burdens and cares. Surely, we are to present our anxieties to Him, but then, we are to wait for His response.

(4) Another ingredient is learning. A relationship that culminates into companionship entails learning from superior partner. As we spend time with God, our relationship allows us to learn about Him, about ourselves, and about others. We come to appreciate Him more as we get to know Him better. We become more relaxed in His presence as we now are His companion.

We understand ourselves better; our strengths and weaknesses, how to overcome them, why we do things the way we do, how to change our negatives responses, and the likes. We also learn much about others and how better to interact with them, showing forth all the fruit of the Spirit.

Somebody will quickly ask, 'How do we hear from God or learn from Him?' A classical illustration is made with a product you bought from the store. The manufacturer is in Germany, but has included a manual in the package to enable you study and know more about the product and how to use and/or operate it. The same is true of our relationship with God. He has given us His 'Code of Conduct,’ and ‘owner's Manual,' the "Bible" for our study. In it God speaks and you hear from, and learn about Him. As the spiritual relationship develops, God can speak to you in a vision, an audible voice, or even through others in such relationship with Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my faithful companion, and has promised to be with m till the end of age. Thank You Lord for fighting my unseen battles, and giving me victory. Help me to walk humbly with You at all times, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

Five Reasons to Be Fearless

 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

The reason God wants us not to be afraid concerning money or other things of the world is because that fearlessness — that freedom from anxiety — will magnify five great things about him.

First, not being afraid shows that we treasure God as our Shepherd. “Fear not, little flock.” We are his flock and he is our Shepherd. And if he is our Shepherd, then Psalm 23:1 applies: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” — that is, I shall not lack anything I truly need.

Second, not being afraid shows that we treasure God as our Father. “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” We are not only his little flock; we are also his children, and he is our Father. He really cares and really knows what you need and will work for you to be sure that you have what you need.

Third, not being anxious shows that we treasure God as King. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” He can give us the “kingdom” because he is the King. This adds a tremendous element of power to the one who provides for us. “Shepherd” connotes protection and provision. “Father” connotes love and tenderness and authority and provision and guidance. “King” connotes power and sovereignty and wealth.

Fourth, not being afraid shows how free and generous God is. Notice, he gives the kingdom. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” He doesn’t sell the kingdom or rent the kingdom or lease the kingdom. He is infinitely wealthy and does not need our payments. So, God is generous and free with his bounty. And this is what we magnify about him when we are not afraid, but trust him with our needs.

Finally, not being afraid — not being anxious — shows that we trust that God really wants to do this. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It delights him. He is not begrudging. It makes him glad to give us the kingdom. Not all of us had fathers like this, who were made happy by giving instead of getting. But that sorrow is not the main thing any more, because now you can have such a Father, and Shepherd, and King.

So, the point of this verse is that we should treasure God as our Shepherd and Father and King who is generous and happy to give us the kingdom of God — to give us heaven, to give us eternal life and joy, and everything we need to get there.

If we treasure God in this way, we will be fearless and God will be worshiped.

The Key to Radical Love

 

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11–12)

One of the questions I posed while preaching on loving our enemies from Matthew 5:44 was, How do you love the people who kidnap you and then kill you?

How can we do this? Where does the power to love like this come from? Just think how astonishing this is when it appears in the real world! Could anything show the truth and power and reality of Christ more than this?

I believe Jesus gives us the key to this radical, self-sacrificing love, described in Matthew 5:44, earlier in the very same chapter.

In Matthew 5:11–12, he is again talking about being persecuted, just like he was when he said in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” What is remarkable about these verses is that Jesus says that you are able not only to endure the mistreatment of the enemy, but rejoice in it. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you. . . . Rejoice and be glad.”

This seems even more beyond our reach than praying for our enemies or doing good to them. If I could do this humanly impossible thing — namely, rejoice in being persecuted — then it would be possible to love my persecutors. If the miracle of joy in the midst of the horror of injustice and pain and loss could happen, then the miracle of love for the perpetrators could happen too.

Jesus gives the key to joy in these verses. He says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” The key to joy is faith in God’s future grace — that is, being satisfied in all that God promises to be for you. He says, “Rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven.” Our joy in persecution is the joy of heaven streaming back into this moment of horror and setting us free to love. So, this joy is the freeing power to love our enemies when they persecute us.

If that is true, then the command to love is implicitly also a command to set our minds on things that are above — all that God promises to be for us — not on things that are on the earth (Colossians 3:2).

The command to love our enemy is a command to find our hope and our deepest soul-satisfaction in God and his great reward — his future grace. The key to radical love is faith in future grace. We must be persuaded in the midst of our agony that the love of God is “better than life” (Psalm 63:3). Loving your enemy doesn’t earn you the reward of heaven. Treasuring the reward of heaven empowers you to love your enemy.