Justice And Mercy

Micah 6:6-9 KJV; Do justice and love mercy; walk humbly with your God.

Open Your Lips And Confess

Psalm 32:1-7 KJV; 15th Sunday after Pentecost; Confess your sins and receive forgiveness.

We Cannot Hide Our Secrets

Jeremiah 23:23-24 KJV; Don't bother trying to hide your sins. There is no place that you can hide from God. Repent and receive forgiveness.

Jesus Prayed That We May Be One

John 17:20-26 KJV

Together

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

                                                                                                      (Eph 1:5-10 KJV)

God's purpose: to unite us with him and one another through Jesus the Christ. Unfortunately, the world and the devil would see us separated from one another and have us turn our backs on God.  It's too much to attend worship and hear the word of God with those hypocrites! It's too much to share the peace with one another! We might get sick. 

What is sick is being separated from God and one another. That is not God's purpose for humankind. Thankfully a goodly part of the world is getting back together to love and serve one another; to love and  to serve God together.

It is the good will of God that we be reconciled to him and to one another. God help us to gather together in unity and in peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

He Answers Prayers

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins. 

                                                                              (James 5:13-20 KJV)

Pray and praise the Lord for in His he hears or prayers and answers.

What ails you? Pray to the Lord for healing and wholeness. Then thank him with songs of praise for answering your prayers.

It is difficult for one who refuses to acknowledge their own sins; yet, complains about the sins of others to have a deep faith. How can we say that we have faith in God when our faith lies in our own actions or inactions? How can we say that we have faith in God when we insist that we are not guilty of any wrong-doing?

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

If we have no part in the injustice and ills of the world; if we are not guilty of committing sins against God and our neighbors then why did Christ die for us?

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Gal 2:21)

Let us not frustrate the grace of God! Christ did not die in vain. He died so that we might be forgiven our sins and reconciled to God our Father in heaven. Confess your sins; pray for healing and God in Christ Jesus will make you whole.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Jesus The Bread Of Life

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 

                                                                             (John 6:32-35 KJV)

Jesus is the bread of life. Many of us have not been being fed very well this past year with all of the shut-downs and restrictions due to COVID. We have not been being fed with the Word who is Jesus the Christ nor have we been being fed with the Sacrament of his body and blood.  So just a little reminder from Luther's Small Catechism found in the Book of Concord this morning that because of the restrictions we may have gotten out of the habit of hearing the Word and partaking in the Holy Sacrament and should get back into the habit. 

Sacrament of the Altar

As the head of the family should teach it in a simple way to his household.

01 What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

02 Answer: It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself.

03 Where is this written?

04 Answer: The holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul, write thus:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread: and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.

After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Take, drink ye all of it. This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins. This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.

05 What is the benefit of such eating and drinking?

06 Answer: That is shown us in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins; namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

07 How can bodily eating and drinking do such great things?

08 Answer: It is not the eating and drinking, indeed, that does them, but the words which stand here, namely: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins. Which words are, beside the bodily eating and drinking, as the chief thing in the Sacrament; and he that believes these words has what they say and express, namely, the forgiveness of sins.

09 Who, then, receives such Sacrament worthily?

10 Answer: Fasting and bodily preparation is, indeed, a fine outward training; but he is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins.

But he that does not believe these words, or doubts, is unworthy and unfit; for the words For you require altogether believing hearts.

Hungry and thirsty?  Jesus who is the bread of life will fill you for all of eternity.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Believe And Be Baptized

"Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" 

                                                                                   (Acts 8:35-36 KJV)

"Secondly.

What does Baptism give or profit?--Answer.

It works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.

Which are such words and promises of God? Answer.

Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Mark: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

                                                   http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php



I have run a across a very sad thing. There are those within the church on earth who have not been baptized! How does this happen? How is it that a believer has not received the Sacrament of Baptism? What has hindered them from being baptized?

I've heard a few reasons. For some it has come down to the embarrassment of not having been baptized earlier, as a younger person. There are those who have not been baptized within the church and yet are receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion. They will rarely just tell you of their own volition that they have not received the gift of baptism. You will have to ask them.

I first ran across this years ago when I was working on membership rosters and the official congregation records. We were missing information that should have been in the books: things like birth and baptismal dates that would have been registered decades earlier. I thought that this might be a good reason to do some extra home visits and get to know some of the congregation a little better. A very elderly woman whom I regularly visited in a nursing home was on the list for missing baptismal dates. When I asked her where and when she'd been baptized, she was relieved that I asked her because no one else ever had. She confessed that she had never been baptized. When she was a child, they had a circuit pastor, who normally did baptisms during hay making season. Her family was in the fields (Yes, even on Sunday) working when the pastor came around. After she got older and got more active in the congregation no one ever asked her about her baptism and she was a bit embarrassed to admit that she hadn't previously been baptized. That's the short version of a very long story. Ultimately, she received the Sacrament of Baptism in the nursing home with her children and grandchildren around her about a week before she died.

This was not a lone incident. Most I've encountered were eventually baptized. A few have declined to receive this gift from God.

We are to go and teach and baptize (Matt 28:19-20) so that others might come to faith and be assured that they have received forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation. The mission field is huge. It begins within our own congregations. Do not assume that someone is saved just because they attend worship once or twice a year or even every Sunday. Do not assume that they know Jesus. Do not assume that they have received the Sacrament of Baptism. Proclaim the Good News to all people and encourage them to receive this life saving gift from God. And... don't forget to tell them about all of the benefits of Baptism, which is truly a gift from God for them.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Wounded For Our Transgressions

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

                                                                                      (Isa 53:3-6 KJV)

Wounded for our transgressions! He was bruised for everyone of our iniquities! I can't even begin to fathom how many sins he died for. Yet, we continue to sin. Many don't even attempt to refrain from sinning against God and doing harm to others in words or deeds. 

Like sheep we have a tendency to want to do things our own way and do what makes us happy not necessarily what is good and right. Like sheep that have gone astray we end up in thorny bushes or going over the edge into deep ravines that we cannot climb out of without help. 

Who will have the wisdom to turn to the one who died for them; the one who died so that whoever believes in him will receive forgiveness, when they find themselves overwhelmed by the consequences of the wrong that they have done?

Lent and particularly Holy Week is a reminder to us that we are all sinners and without the love of God through Christ Jesus none of us are saved. 

God grant that ears, eyes, and hearts be opened to know and appreciate what God has done for us as he reconciled us to Himself and to one another through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Dust to Dust

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 

                                                          (Gen 3:18-19 KJV)

To the dust you shall return was the sentence for eating of the tree of knowledge which God had forbidden, Adam's sentence was death. His sentence (and ultimately ours) was that he would return to the dust from which he was formed.

There in the middle of the garden was also the tree of life. Adam and Eve had neglected to partake of the food that was good for them; that God had given them and desired for them to eat. They rejected the fruit which gives life. Instead they chose that which they were told they could not have.

How often it is that we, too, neglect the free gift of life given to us through the sacrifice of His Son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ! He has given himself to us and for us that we might have life. Jesus, himself has told us that he is the bread of life.

"This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." (John 6:50-51)

How often we neglect to come to the table that He has prepared for us! He says come and eat. "This is my body given for you for the forgiveness of sins." (Luke 22:19) Do not neglect this life-giving gift!

In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther wrote that the benefit of receiving the Lord's Sacrament of Holy Communion "...is shown us in these words: Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins; namely, that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation." That is the Good News.

But, today is a grievous day. It Ash Wednesday and we are reminded that we all have turned our backs on God. We all have done what we ought not to have done. Today we remember the sentence: "for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

Even so, the tears of repentance are also tears of thanksgiving that Jesus has lifted this sentence for us by his own death and his resurrection.  

God's Peace - Pr. J

You Have Received Eternal Life

 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)

Do you get this? It does not matter what you have done or left undone. If you believe in the Son who willingly died for your sins those sins are forgiven. You have been reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus the Christ. You have received eternal life.

There is so much more than the daily struggles that humankind meets. There is peace in the Kingdom of God. There is peace knowing that God is with you and for you. Live in His peace. Live life. Quit focusing only on the troubles that you think are before you as that is only making them larger than life. Rather than have a narrow focus on problems; focus on the gifts that God has given you even in the midst of those trials!

Believe in Jesus who has given you the gift of eternal life. That gift does not begin after death in this world. That gift belongs to you now. Believe in him and live life in Christ!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Blinded By The Light

At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.

And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. 

                                                                                      (Acts 26:13-18 KJV)

Blinded by the light as he met the ascended Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was sent by Jesus himself to open the eyes of all who could not see Jesus; to turn them from darkness to the light of Christ. 

His testimony to King Agrippa was compelling. It was so compelling that the king would have set him free had Paul not requested to make an appeal before Caesar. Paul's intention by appealing to Caesar was not to be found not guilty. It was so that even Caesar might hear the truth about Jesus and would see the light. 

As Paul was blinded by the light his eyes were opened so that he could see the truth who is Jesus the Christ. 

May God open the eyes of all people by the power of the Holy Spirit that all might step out of the darkness into the marvelous light of Jesus the Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Jonah Did Not Want To Warn Them

And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

                                                                             (Jonah 3:1-5,10 KJV)

The story of Jonah is quite a story! The end result of finally doing God's will and going to Nineveh to prophecy their impending doom if they did not repent was that they repented!

Way too often in today's world those who are sent by God to warn others of the disaster that will fall upon them if they do not change their ways do not warn anyone. They would rather pretend that there is no sin where there is sin just so they can be liked by everyone; to get along with everyone. 

At first, Jonah didn't want to speak up. He did not want to go and warn the people. When the Lord told him to go he tried to run away from God, as if that were even possible. "But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." (Jonah 1:3)

Jonah ended up with much hardship himself for not obeying the word of the Lord. He ended up in a major storm on the sea; thrown into the sea to save others; saved from drowning by being swallowed by a big fish. When Jonah finally repented of not doing God's will; God had the fish vomit him out onto land where Jonah finished the mission to Nineveh. 

The story of Jonah's call to prophesy to Nineveh is prophetic in itself. It is a warning to all who are called to share the word of God to actually share the word of God. It is a warning to those who are called to proclaim the truth of God's word. We are not called to come up with another gospel that pleases itching ears. We are not called to water it down. We are not called to hide from the truth or hide the truth from others; but, to proclaim it. Jesus told the truth shall make you free.

If the truth, which is the Word of God, is not proclaimed; how will anyone know that they are on a path to destruction. If we truly love our neighbors we will let them know that no matter what they have done God loves them so much that he sent His only begotten Son to die for their sins. And... that is the crux of the matter. We must be able to recognize and call a sin for what it is: a sin. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

Because Jonah had finally warned the people of Ninevah they repented and God forgave them.

Jesus told the disciples "the truth shall make you free." (8:32) The truth is that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness. We are all in need of being reminded of that from time to time. Let us not hide the truth or hide from it; but, share it with all in need of forgiveness and that would be all of us. We are all in need of God's grace and His mercy.

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Saints

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

                                                                            (Rev 7:9-17 KJV)

Today we remember all the saints that have gone before us and those who still dwell among us. To think that saints are dead people (as many do) is a grave misunderstanding. Saints are those people whose robes have been made white in the blood of the lamb. No, this is not something that is done literally. We do not have to soak our clothes in the blood of anything. Nor can we do anything to become sanctified; to be made holy. Martin Luther's explanation of the third article of the Apostle's Creed reminds us that our sanctification (our sainthood) is the work of God the Holy Spirit.

III. The Third Article: On Becoming Holy

       I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the community
       of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,
       and an everlasting life. Amen.

       Q. What does this mean?
       A. I believe that I cannot come to my Lord Jesus Christ by my own
       intelligence or power. But the Holy Spirit called me by the Gospel,
       enlightened me with His gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true
       faith, just as He calls, gathers together, enlightens and makes holy
       the whole Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus in the one, true
       faith. In this Church, He generously forgives each day every sin
       committed by me and by every believer.  On the last day, He will raise
       me and all the dead from the grave. He will give eternal life to me
       and to all who believe in Christ. Yes, this is true!

(The Small Catechism of Martin Luther)

It is God who makes us holy. We do not become holy by our good works; but, by the Spirit of Christ. Let us remember all of the saints: both the living and the dead who shared the word with us so that we might come to faith by the power of the Holy Spirit as well 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

A Future Of Hope (Quit Dwelling In The Past)

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 

                                                                                    (Isa 43:18-19 KJV)

It is a good thing to consider the wrongs that we have done and to correct them if we possibly can. It is even necessary. Our past can remind us of things that we do not ever want to do again for our own sake as well as for the sake of others. Without considering our sins; without repenting of them, there is no forgiveness and we will drag those sins with us through the rest of our lives. 

"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."

                                                                                          (1 John 1:8-9)

It is not so good to be stuck on dwelling on memories of the past. It is not a good thing for you to allow guilt to keep you from moving forward. The past will have a lot of joyful memories. But, it will also have many not so good memories of things that we have done that we should not have done.

None of us are without sin and the sin that we cling to can and will drag us down. We all have things that we wish we could undo. But, we cannot undo what we've done. We can; however, repent and receive forgiveness. In Christ those sins are washed away. They have no power over us. We must let them go or we will live in despair as we dwell on our past leaving no room in our lives for hope for the future.

We must continue to look forward with hope for the promise of God. 

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 

Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)

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

So, live life in Christ! Dwell on the promises of God. Through Christ you have been saved from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Place your faith and hope in Christ and live life in him!

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Rom 15:13)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jesus Is The Truth

1 John 1:8

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  (John 8:31-32 KJV)

The truth can be a hard thing to admit even to ourselves. Acknowledging the truth about things we may have done or left undone can leave us feeling very guilty. That is... unless we accept the love of God who gave His only begotten Son; unless we accept the fact that through the sacrifice of His Son we are forgiven our sins. Eternal life; life in Christ is truth for all who would believe  on him.

Do not be afraid to acknowledge the truth that you are a sinful human being. It is a first step in acknowledging that Christ died that you might receive forgiveness for your sins. 

The truth that you shall know is that Jesus is the truth. Know him and he shall set you free!

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Straying From The Path

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness? 

                                               (1 Cor 4:20-21 KJV)

Rod of discipline or love and gentle spirit; which would you prefer? Actually, the only thing I can think of this morning is that if we don't like the rod of discipline then maybe we ought to straighten out our lives and walk in the way that has been set before us. There are not many ways. There is one way. That way has been testified to us by the witnesses of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Let us listen to them. Let us learn the way in which we are to go and follow Him.

Beginning with those first disciples the church has come a long way. We have strayed often. We have suffered many unwelcome consequences from falling off the path. We have been disciplined often. Yet, there is always love and a gentle spirit to greet us when we return to the way in which we are to go. There is forgiveness.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Your Sins Are Forgiven

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.

                                                (1 John 1:8-10 KJV)

We are all sinners. There is no getting around that fact. When the guilt lays heavy upon our hearts it behooves us to turn to the LORD, confess our sins, and receive the forgiveness that God has so freely bestowed upon us through our Saviour, Jesus the Christ.

As Lutherans, we are taught that we should daily confess our sins before God. However; sometimes, the guilt lays so heavy on our hearts and minds that it is difficult for us to forgive ourselves. We know that we are not worthy of forgiveness. We don't want to be the one's responsible for the spilling of the blood of Jesus. No one, we might think, should have to die for our sins. But, he did. It is done. It is finished. He loves you that much. You are forgiven.

As a pastor, I was often asked if I hear confessions. Of course! There are some who think that their confessions should be private and only between them and God. No one else needs to hear about our sins. Confession, with your pastor remains private, always. (If it is not - find a new confessor) Private confession is not necessary to receive forgiveness. Confessing directly to God is more than sufficient. However; sometimes, it is necessary, when our guilt seems to overwhelm us and we are unable to forgive ourselves, to be able to speak aloud our sins and hear the declaration that God forgives you. For the sake of His Son, Jesus the Christ, you are forgiven. 

There is no shame in confessing our sins. There is only freedom and peace received in the reconciling Word of God.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Saved By Grace Through Faith

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph 2:8-9

Often we cling to sins that we may have committed years ago. That's not to say we keep repeating them. But, sometimes, no matter how hard we try to forget them, we do not. The devil keeps reminding us of our past acts against God and against humanity. And... we continue to live in our guilt. 

There is nothing we can do to undo those sins of our past. We cannot "fix" them by the works of our hands. Our sins cannot be cancelled out by anything good we might think we do. Just about when we might think we're balancing the scales the devil will rear his ugly head and remind us of yet another sin that we need to atone for. It's a never ending cycle. Do not fall for the devil's tricks. Do not fall for his lies. You have been saved by God's grace through faith. Do not throw that precious gift away.

It is time to quit living in the past; carrying and living with the sins of your past. Your sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. There is only one way that you can be saved from your past and your present sins. By the grace of God you are saved through faith. Salvation is not something that you can earn. Salvation is a gift from God. Have faith that this gift is for you. Receive it! Live in this truth and tell the devil to depart in the name of Jesus Christ for your sins are forgiven.

God's Peace - Pr.

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