The Prophets Foretold

Matthew 11:2-15 KJV; 3rd Sunday in Advent; The prophets foretold the coming of John the Baptist. They foretold the coming of Jesus the Messiah. Many believed. Many did not then nor do they today..

Forgiven Much

St. Paul was forgiven much and so are we

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

                                                     (1 Corinthians 15:1-10 KJV)

By the grace of God I am what I am. By the grace of God we are what we are. We have not loved God with our whole hearts. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have sinned against all. Yet, we  are saint. We are children of our heavenly Father. We have been cleansed of our sin through and by faith alone through by the blood of Jesus the Christ!

Paul declared himself a horrible sinner; a persecutor of the church of God. Although, he was the least, after meeting Jesus on the road after  Jesus' ascension, he became most ardent in proclaiming Jesus as the one who died in declaring that Jesus' died for our sins and that he rose again from the dead for us.

There is not one of us who is without sin. No matter how hard we try we cannot save ourselves by any good works so we turn to the only one who can and has saved us. We turn to our loving savior Jesus in faith. We turn to the one who saved us by his work on the cross for us.

Do not let your sin overwhelm you. Repent and believe that your sins have been washed away for in Christ you have indeed been cleansed.  You have been forgiven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Blot Out My Transgressions

1 John 1:8

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PSALM 51 KJV

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

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As we enter into the season of Lent let us remember that we are thoroughly unclean and that only by the blood of Jesus have we been cleansed from our sins. Thanks be to God they are thoroughly washed away by the blood of Jesus! 

It is not just during this season of penitence that we are to consider and repent of our sins; but, every day of our lives for we are sinners through and through and not one day goes by that we do not commit offenses against God. Let us rejoice for Christ alone has saved us from our sinful ways!

May God help us today and always to consider and understand how we betray and turn our backs on Him. May He open our lips so that we might praise Him for cleansing us of our sins by the blood of Jesus the Christ that we might be reconciled to Him and to one another in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Cleansed By The Blood Of Christ

Psalm 32:1

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." 

                                                                                (Psalm 51:1-4 KJV)

The Psalmist prayed that God would forgive him all of his sins. He acknowledged that he had sinned against God. No matter what offense we commit it all comes down to a sin against God. When we use or abuse anyone whether it is in word or deed it is a sin against God. When we cheat or slander our neighbor, that is not just a sin against the neighbor. It is a sin against God who gave life to the neighbor.  

David acknowledges his sins and asks to be cleansed of them. According to the First Epistle of John in we must acknowledge that have sinned. If we do not or cannot acknowledge and confess our sins we are nothing more than liars. In other words, in our lack of confession we sin against God. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (John 1:7-10)

The first man and woman welcomed sin into the world. We continue to exist in a sinful world being sinners ourselves. Humankind was kicked out of that beautiful garden in paradise. We could no longer walk in the presence or talk in person to the creator of all things. But, God so loved humankind he had a fix for that. He had a sacrifice that would make us worthy even though we were not worth. He sent his only begotten Son, Jesus to die on the cross so that we might be forgiven; that we might be cleansed of our sins; and that we might live in communion with our Father in heaven today and for all of eternity.

In the Revelation of John he writes to the churches what he has seen and heard in his visions from God. He begins by reminding them that Jesus who was the first begotten from the dead washed our sins away with his own blood.

"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.  

                                                                                      (John 1:4-6)

Let us give thanks that God has sent His only begotten Son to die for us in order that our sins might be washed away by his own blood on the cross. We give thanks for our sins have been completely forgiven and we have been reconciled to God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Rejoice; for in Christ your sins are forgiven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Sins Are Washed Away

 

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

                                                                                     (Psalm 51:1-3 KJV)

Not a one of us are without sin. Not a one of us deserve to be reconciled to God. Not a one of us deserve to be acquitted of our sin. Yet, we can be declared righteous. We can and are cleansed from our iniquities by faith in the one who shed his blood for us.

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)

St. Paul, after confessing what a horrific sinner he was; but, whose heart and mind were changed when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus; after sharing the story of who Jesus is and his own conversion, asked the people: "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 21:16)

If you are stuck in a rut, living a life that is dragging you down, consider whether it might very well be your transgressions that are holding you back. Consider if you should accept Jesus as your savior most fully and live a new life in Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

If We Say We Have No Sin

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:8-10 NRSV

I remember very well an occasion in which I listened to someone insist that they had never stolen anything from anyone. They were totally incapable or unwilling to confess that they were guilty of taking something that belonged to another in spite of the fact that there were witnesses - many witnesses covering many different incidents. 

I wish that this were an isolated incident; but, it is not. Over and over again, I have witnessed this inability to confess a sin even though there are witnesses; even though confession would have helped them in the long run.

A few years ago, I witnessed two teen-age boys breaking into a house. But, they claimed that they were innocent. I was mistaken. How do you mistake someone crawling through a bedroom window? Apparently, I can! I guess they were just going to visit even though no one was home. They meant no harm. There was no need for forgiveness because they denied it; the incident was forgotten and these young people continued in the way that they had been  going.  And, those who enabled them by lying for them? Well, they never confessed or asked for forgiveness, either. In some circles it is okay to say that sin is not sin. For way too many people it is better to say that they have no sin; that they are innocent than to open themselves up to receiving forgiveness.

We all sin. But, according to St. John, it is imperative that we confess our sins so that we can receive forgiveness. Being cleansed from all unrighteousness, we can move on with our lives in a new and fruitful way that will benefit not just ourselves but others around us.

"If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Sadly, in this world there are those who feel that they do not need to be cleansed of unrighteousness. Sadly, there are those who feel that doing injustice is the way to live and to teach others to live.

Jesus died so that we might receive forgiveness and be reconciled to our Father in heaven and to the whole Body of Christ. This forgiveness is for all who would believe in him; none are excluded. Repent; turn around and follow Jesus into the Kingdom of God.

May God speak to our hearts and minds that we might all repent and turn to Him; following in our Lord's footsteps; helping and defending rather than doing injustice to our neighbors.

God's Peace - Pr. J