Category: Forgiveness

Sin and forgiveness taken seriously

10/1/2014

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

Are we serious in getting rid of things in our life that displease the Lord? If we have understood all the Lord went through when He died for us, we will take sin and the pursuit of forgiveness seriously.

We have not taken sin seriously if we try to obtain forgiveness from someone other than the Lord; sometimes, we feel it's easier to confess our sins to a disinterested party or to someone who we hope will assure us of our right standing before God. Another sign of the lack of seriousness in obtaining forgiveness for wrong doing is is that we try to do good works in the hope of acquiring favor from God. While going to church, volunteering for ministry, or giving money to your local congregation are all commendable actions - they cannot provide the forgiveness necessary to restore lost fellowship with Him.

Instead, let us take seriously God’s plea; He desires fellowship with us and provides a way back to Him. He will never stop loving us, but sin will hinder and stunt our spiritual growth. While society might tell us we must strive for good self esteem, if we are away from God - we must condemn the sin in our life and, through repentance and faith, show the Lord we mean business. This is a voluntary act of our will; we do not merely agree what we have done is wrong but, in a sense, we condemn our sin by abandoning it, turning away from it, ensuring there is no way to fall back into it, and cutting it off completely. Do not fear, however; the Lord is fully able to thrill our hearts so that any sin will soon lose all its attraction as we bask in the glory of the Risen Savior!

To learn more about forgiveness of sin, listen to the audio broadcast below.

MP3 Download (right click and choose save link as)

0 Comments

God's forgiveness for those who confess

9/28/2014

"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

Is there any hope for those who, after having accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, have fallen back into sin? No sin is too small or too big that it does not need forgiveness. Perhaps you were rude to a clerk at the store; maybe you told a little ‘white lie’; or maybe you have a sinful habit like looking with lust toward others either in the movies or on your computer. The reality is that sometimes Christians may still sin; even though John says our spirits can never sin (1 John 5:18), if we are not careful - we can sometimes walk back in darkness. What hope do we have?

First, realize that disobeying God is not inevitable. This verse does not say “when we confess our sin”, but “IF we confess our sin”. As a child of God, we should not go looking for sin or assume that we can’t help but fall every now and then. This verse is not a license to do wrong, but rather a help for those who are truly struggling to be godly in this evil world.

Second, we ought to know we are not alone in fighting the flesh. Sin affects all of us in different ways. As we strive for the holiness that Christ Jesus has asked of us - you may catch the attention of the evil one who will do all he can to place enticing, worldly pleasures before you. But understand we are all struggling with our sin nature and the way to overcome it is to choose not to be conformed to this world, but rather to be transformed by the renewing of our mind by reading the Bible! (Romans 12:1-2)

Third, confess your sins to God and God alone. No one, not a priest, a pastor, a parent, a friend, or a spouse can act as a mediator and forgive your sins. Only Jesus can forgive your sins, but you must first confess each one of them to Him. To confess means to acknowledge we have done wrong according to God’s word and recognize we may have hurt people along the way. When we agree with God that we have done wrong, He forgives us and cleanses us! Hallelujah!

To learn more about God’s forgiveness, listen to the sermon below!

MP3 Download Link
(right click and choose 'save link as' to download)

God's Grace Offered Forgiveness before we asked for it.

7/14/2013

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God ... Ephesians 2:8

God’s grace is amazing; He is known as the “God of all grace” [1 Peter 5:10] in the Holy Bible. When we think of God, do we think of how longsuffering and kind He is? We have disobeyed His holy laws (the very heart of God), we have thrown our fist up before Him, and we have tried to define our own righteousness rather than relying on His righteousness and His ways. Even as believers in Him, we often fail to be as gracious and kind as He is to us.

Rut Riders, Backsliders, or Joy Gliders: How we can learn to thank God, Part 2.

5/23/2013

4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.

5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.

7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:4-8

And in other news today, a group of people called backsliders have been identified in God’s word, Psalm 107, as those who were following Him, but then backed away. These individuals have forgotten what Jesus has done for them, and they have voluntarily put themselves back into the chains of bondage that the Lord had released them from.

What Happens When We Fail? Part 2

5/15/2013

"15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." John 21:15-17

What happens when we fail the Lord? Simple answer: he starts off where we have failed and shows us mercy.

Peter had previously denied knowing Jesus and back pedaled on his promise to die for Him. When Jesus asked him, Peter do you love me – in the Greek, He asked Peter twice, “Peter, do you love me enough to die for me?” But instead of recommitting himself to loving Jesus to die for him, both times Peter responded, “yes, you know I love you like a brother.” Finally, Jesus asked, “Do you love me like a brother” to which Peter “grieved” and reaffirmed his brotherly affection for Christ. Perhaps Peter was sorrowful, having remembered his previous failures. Perhaps, Peter was hesitant to make promises to the Lord again having learned from his failures the first time. Or maybe he was simply remorseful to relive his mistake in his mind over and over again. No matter what, Jesus was not done with Peter and He is never done with us! Hallelujah!

What Happens When We Fail? Part 1

5/12/2013

17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. John 21:17

This week’s blogosphere will focus on answering a common question in the Christian life; what happens if we fail the Lord? In today’s Bible reading, the Lord had asked Simon Peter questions about the fervency of his love for Him; this came about as a result of Peter’s sin of denying the Lord. Even though Peter had made promises to Jesus not to forsake Him and even die for Him (Mark 14:31), when the Roman guards captured Jesus – Peter abandoned Jesus and told a group of inquiring women that he did not even know who Jesus was. (John 18)

Faith Like a Chair

5/1/2013

"12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins" Colossians 1:12-14

Why is there only one way of salvation through faith, and one way to receive the forgiveness of sins? How is it like sitting in a chair? Read on.

Our text today says that Christians have received the forgiveness of sin. Why doesn’t the Lord allow those who have done good works to get into heaven? Very often, we know people are still relying on their works if someone asks them why God should let them into heaven, and they say, “I’ve been good; I’ve never done bad things like Hitler or Stalin. I’ve never told big lies or stolen anything of importance, so God has to let me in. Right?”

Bitterness - A root that must be plucked out

4/20/2013

"Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" Hebrews 12:15

Today’s scripture passage reminds us that when we fail to live in God’s grace, we may allow a root of bitterness to establish itself in our lives. This bitterness could be toward others, toward God, or toward the seeming judgment or punishment God may allow to come our way. Perhaps the circumstances in life did not go the way we wanted; we avoid people or situations because the hurt feelings come back to tell us the others are completely wrong. We fail to forgive others. If we allow that hurt to take root in our lives, it will affect not only ourselves but it will spread like a cancer to our friends and family.

Follow the Right Path: Rejoice, Do Not Sulk

4/15/2013

"Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;" Hebrews 12:12

Even in the suffering of Christ on the cross, the Scriptures say there was a ‘joy’ that was set before Him because He was obeying God (Hebrews 12:2). In Hebrews 12, we are told that God may chastise us because of our sins. However, being disciplined by God is a proof that God loves us and wants to develop the character of godliness inside of us; therefore, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to “lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees” (verse 12) which, in our modern day English, means – stop being downtrodden and find the joy that comes about from God’s faithful discipline in our life.

Luke 23:46 - Are These Two Myths Causing You to Not Know God?

3/24/2013

"And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." Luke 23:46

In Luke 23:46, Jesus said on the cross, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." Are you also able to call God your Father?

Jesus gave up His life out of His own free will. No one can kill God; He died because He loves you and me. Now, He was going to give up His life and He trusted his loving Father so completely that He would give Himself into His hands. Here at the precipice of death, Christ trusted God. There are two big myths in regards to our Heavenly Father.

<<Previous