Hello beloved,
I would like to talk about an issue we all have dealt with, or are currently dealing with. Un-forgiveness. But not the un-forgiveness you hear about most of the time where you are harboring a bitter, unforgiving spirit against someone. No, I’m talking about not being able to forgive yourself. This is a serious problem and it will keep you from living in the promise land. It will cause you to continue living a defeated life, usually spiraling into depression and spiritual deadness.
You have to come to a point in your Christian life where you realize that the blood of Jesus washed your sins away and that you are forgiven. Period. There is nothing else you can do to make God love you more. In fact it is impossible for God’s love to increase or decrease. The only way I know how to explain this is that while we were still sinners, God killed his only begotten Son that we wouldn’t have to pay for our sins with an eternity in Hell. You have to realize that it is impossible for God to love you more than that. It is also impossible for God to forgive you for the same past sin twice. Once you confess it, God no longer remembers it. So quit reminding him about it. He doesn’t want to hear it. In fact, when you go to God and confess the same stuff over and over, you are defaming the blood of Christ. You are saying that His blood was not enough; that you need some kind of extra assurance that you are forgiven.
Beloved, we need to quit dwelling on the past. When you dwell on the past, you are actually pleasing the enemy. God showed me that, yes, I was a filthy, rotten sinner and one of his enemies; but more importantly He extended his grace and mercy to me and now I am one of his children. He showed me that when I finally offered him all I had…me; he made me his child. And he is entrusting me with His Kingdom. So I had better act like it.
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1-5)
So, we were all once dead in our transgressions and sins. We were all once followers of the ways of this world. We all followed Satan. Basically, we were all once horribly, wretchedly, wicked. Even the sweetest, kindest, gentlest Christian you know was once an enemy of Almighty God. James 4:4 says that “Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” And we all fall short of God’s glory. Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
Not only were all of us so bad, but there was absolutely nothing we could do about it. No matter how much we went to church, how many times we walked an old lady across the street, we would never even come one step closer to being saved. Salvation comes only by God’s grace through faith. So, we need to realize that once we confess and repent of our sin, God has forgiven us. Leave it alone after that. If you bring it up again, Satan will be the only one pleased with it. Paul explains in Hebrews chapter 10 that all of our sacrifices could never save us. They could never atone for sin, but only the by Jesus Christ doing the will of God can lead to our right-standing with a Holy God. When, following the will of His Father, He laid down His life and become the Perfect Sacrifice for all sin…for all mankind. Look at Hebrews 10:1-18.
1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, O God.’ ” 8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” 18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. (Hebrews 10:1-18)
We Christians like to think we are doing a humble thing, when we tell God how unworthy we are. But, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. He is finished. Your sin is forgotten by God. So you, too, must let it go. There is nothing more you can do. Your past is your past. Dwelling on your past will lead you into a defeated life. We have to stop feeling like we’ve blown it and are unworthy of God’s grace. Forget that! We are to have boldness to enter the Most Holy Place by the Blood of Jesus. Look at verses 19-23.
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:19-23)
You can have confidence when you go to God in prayer. You don’t have to take time to explain to him how sorry you are. No! You’re not sorry anymore. You are a child of God. You have been forgiven for your sins. You have been cleansed of your guilty conscience. 1John 1:19 says that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Don’t you know that GOD IS FAITHFUL!! That’s right, so hold fast. God is faithful! You are forgiven! Your sins have been washed away! You are a child of God! God doesn’t want you to live a defeated life. It’s very important that every Christian figure this out. Let me share with you how I figured this out. Better yet, how God revealed it to me.
A short time before getting married, Paige(my wife) and I were talking. Something that was brought up from time to time was my past. Needless to say, it was not Paige that brought it up. Paige was aware of my past before we started courting and had forgiven me. She said to me that “if God has forgiven you, I forgive you.”
Forgiveness from God was not a problem, neither was Paige’s forgiveness. I was the one that was unwilling to let go of my past. I often thought “How could someone like me ever deserve such a special person like Paige, more precious than the finest jewels?” If I still looked at myself, now, as I did at that time, my answer would still be that I could never deserve Paige. Some of you might say the same thing. But, as I got on my face before God, he showed me that I was looking at it all wrong. He showed me that I had to realize that the old Adam had no business with such a woman as Paige. The old Adam didn’t deserve her at all. He deserved death. The old Adam deserved an eternity in Hell. But, the old Adam died on February 23, 2005. God made a new Adam. A new creation. And as I stand here today, I can boldly tell you that I deserved Paige. His blood cleansed me of all my sin. He has forgotten my past. I have been born again and the only time I will give my past the time of day is when I am overcoming my accuser by the blood of the lamb and the word of my testimony. Praise God. God showed me that I could never do enough works to make my past any more forgiven than it already was. It was God and God alone, who in his rich mercy, made me alive in Christ. He transformed me. He forgave me. He died for me. He sat down at the right hand of God. He said “It is finished.” Therefore, it is finished.
When I came to this realization, I realized that my duty as a child of God was to act like a child of God. God not only made Paige for me, but he made me for her. And His will for me is to be the man of God he has called me to be; the husband he has called me to be. God has miraculously healed me of the unnecessary guilt I carried on my back. He clearly told me to drop that stuff. I wasn’t going to let myself bring it into our marriage. Well, I dropped it and I can’t even explain the weight that was lifted.
God wants all of us to check our baggage at the door. We have to realize that the only thing we can give him is ourselves. That is all he wants…just us. Jesus painted a perfect example of this in Luke chapter 15.
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 ” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ” (Luke 15:11-32)
It was, of course, a good thing for the son to realize how sorry he was and that he was unworthy of grace. But look at the father’s response. He gave him his best robe. Surely, he was covered in filthy rags. We too, are covered with filthy rags. Our righteous acts are like filthy rags(Isaiah 64:6). So it’s time to get rid of those rags and let God clothe us in the robe of righteousness(Isaiah 61:10).
So as I come to a close, I want you to think about some things that you might be dwelling on. Maybe even recently you’ve done some things that you know was wrong. If you haven’t repented of it, you’d better do that first. But, if you have, than know, this moment, that God wants you to quit living that defeated life. Just like the prodigal’s father, our heavenly Father wants to embrace us and just love on us. Maybe you’ve recently been saved and you just can’t get past your past. Maybe you’ve got someone like the prodigal’s brother pointing out your past mistakes. Well, just like the prodigal, you need to look past that and run into the arms of your heavenly Father.
But, he doesn’t want to restore you and make you the kind of child that calls every once in a while and might drop in from time to time. No, now you’ve got the responsibility of apprehending a kingdom. So, you’ll have to follow him, by first reading his word and obeying what you read. And, yes, that means every day.
In Christian love,
Adam Tennant
Posted by akatennant 
