Not Just Forgiven, But Cleansed Also!

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 New King James Version, NKJV)

Having written these letters several years after the others had written the gospels, I tend to think that John believed people were in need of being reminded of the complete work of Christ on the Cross. Have you ever thought about what John may have envisioned when he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen these words on the parchment?

He may have been thinking about the time Jesus met the woman at the well in Samaria. Remember her? She was the one who was living with a man and had lived with others even before him. John may have remembered how that Jesus dealt with her.

Perhaps the time came to mind when Jesus was teaching in the temple and the religious guys brought in a woman caught in adultery and threw her down in front of Him; wanting to see if He would follow the Law and call for her to be stoned. Only to be surprised when He told them in a roundabout way they could be stoned for sins they had committed as well. Jesus then told her He forgave her and did not condemn her. Or it may have been what he remembered Jesus saying as He was dying on the Cross; “Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing.”

I think you believe that Jesus will forgive sins; the sins of others. The hardest thing it seems for any of us to do is to believe in that forgiveness for ourselves. That is why I believe that John went a sentence further and added the words, “and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.” John wanted us to know that the work of redemption was not just for a moment in history. Forgiving and cleansing go hand in hand. There cannot be forgiveness if there is no absolution of sin by the High Priest of Heaven. Sin that is present in one’s life is not absolved. Jesus cleansed (absolved) us of sin with His Blood. Today when we stand or kneel and ask God to forgive us for our sins we are also agreeing to allow Him to cleanse us from it. As the song Jesus Paid It All says, “Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

The reason many feel they are beyond forgiveness is because of the residue left behind in their heart from sin and unrighteousness. With their minds they attempt to put the sin behind them but in their hearts the stains remain. That is why the Apostle Paul told us to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” If you have asked God to forgive you He has; and Christ has cleansed you. Your sin stains have been bleached out by the Blood of Jesus!

The Lad that Had

John 6: 9 (New King James Version, NKJV).

“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

Was this a little boy’s lunch or a food vendor in the right place at the right time? Scholars differ on why the boy was there.  I am not a scholar, but a student of the Bible, but I know He was there because this was set up by our Lord. Jesus is famous for doing the impossible; things which are not possible with men but are possible with God. To emphasize just how big a miracle this was Jesus gets testimony from His disciples. “Phillip, is there a market in the area that we can order food from to feed these folk?” Phillip, with a look of astonishment on his face and a bit of excitement in his voice said, “Are you kidding Jesus? Even if there was a market close by, there are thousands of people here; a year’s wages could not buy enough food to feed them! We don’t have the money to feed all these people!” Jesus asked them if they had any food at all and Andrew, Peter’s brother, saw the kid. “Here is a lad with some food. Two little fish and five barley loaves, but they will not go far in feeding this group.” This was an impossible task given to them by Christ. They wanted to please Him but this would be literally impossible.

Now it is easy for you and me to say to them, “Why do you doubt Christ? Don’t you believe He can do anything?” If you and I had of been there and Jesus said it to us, we would have said the same thing. We know what happened, after it happened. The Apostle Paul wrote that hope which is seen is not hope at all (Romans 8:24). Our belief is only affirmed when we see it confirmed. That which we believe that God can do is proven to us after He does it. Faith is made up of hope and belief that we will have that which we do not yet see. It would not be until Jesus began multiplying the fish and the bread that the disciples would experience His power. Had they only seen the lad that had differently. Jesus wanted bread, the lad had it. Andrew said it is not enough, Jesus said, “Bring it to Me.”

How many times have we hoped for a miracle only to miss what Jesus is doing? We have to get down the road a little in order to look back and see how Jesus had a plan the whole time; we just did not see it at the moment. You may be the lad with the fish, or you may be one of the people needing food, or you may be a disciple. Jesus had a purpose and a plan for each. He has a plan for you and me too. Learn to see things as Jesus does; a little is a lot if we bring it to Him! Nothing is impossible with God. Keep the faith; there is a lad in the crowd somewhere!

Discouraged

“I have been a Christian for years and it seems that nothing changes. The more I try, the less I accomplish it seems. I thought it would get better over time, but it seems nothing really changes. What’s your take on this pastor?”

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First of all how long you have been following Christ is irrelevant. You are enveloped by discouragement. Sometimes it takes only one event to discourage us and sometimes it takes a series of little things over a long period of time. I have been discouraged before, just as everyone has. However I have learned, and the key word here is, learned, that discouragement is a frame of mind.

My discouragement came from not being able to do what I wanted to do, and not seeing the results I expected. The day I preached my first sermon I could not believe that people just sit there during the invitation, (altar call). I had told them about Jesus and His sacrifice on the Cross for their forgiveness; all of them should have run to the altar with tears streaming down their faces and praising God for saving them; but they didn’t. It had to be my delivery I thought. It was something I did wrong or did not do. Maybe I was not “spiritual” enough, or maybe the sermon was too shallow. It was several, yes, several years before God called me to pastor. Then taking the helm of Draper Valley after an excellent preacher and loving pastor I once again became discouraged. I tried to be as good as he was but came up short. Then after advice from my loving wife, dear friends, and our Conference Bishop, God was finally able to reach me! “Be who you are,” they all said in different ways. “The Lord called you; He knows you; He wanted you,” they said. It was then I realized that my discouragement was coming from my own ambitions and desires. I had determined in my own mind what I needed, or wanted, to be. I had not thought about what God had wanted. I had not realized He was pleased with me just as I am. Once I learned, (there is that word again), to be content with who I am, then God was able to use me as He wanted to.

Jesus said, “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you (John 15:16 The Message MSG).

I am not sure what you are trying to accomplish that has left you discouraged because you have not accomplished it so I would advise you to rethink it. Is it something you have determined to do, or is it something God has asked you to do? If He has asked you to do it, He will help you accomplish it in His time. Remember, we are serving Him, not ourselves.

You Want Me Jesus? REALLY?

 Matthew 9: 9 (New King James Version, NKJV).

As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.

Maybe he thought, “I have had enough,” one day as he made his way through the streets to his tax office. “My own brothers detest me, the government uses me, and it is getting harder to make a living by having to set my own wages.” He never realized what a bad job it would turn out to be when he took it. The Roman Chief Tax Collector had offered several men the opportunity to collect taxes for him by bidding out his job to them. Matthew won the bidding and ended up getting the job. Since there were no clear documents available to the people in order to know exactly how much tax they had to pay, he had the opportunity to set the price at what he wanted. He knew how much his boss wanted so everything above that was his to keep. Crook, extortioner, thief, and traitor, were all terms used to describe him. It was a lonely life being an IRS agent. Even when he tried to be fair people thought he was still gouging them. If only he had an opportunity to do something else. Being a publican was a black mark on anyone’s résumé so getting another job would be almost impossible so there were not many options.

Sitting there in his office expecting another day of arguing and bashing he saw Jesus coming toward him. He had heard some things about Jesus but did not know a lot about Him. Jesus came to his office and motioned to him and said, “Come. Follow me.” How could He have known? How could Jesus have possibly known how much he hated his job and was sick of his life? Regardless of how He knew it was now decision time. Without hesitation he got up from behind his desk and went with Jesus. He had come at just the right time. Matthew notified all his coworkers and what few friends he had and invited them to his retirement party. His new Boss and fellow disciples would be his guests. Jesus had rescued him and he was grateful and wanted all to know he was going back to school!

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose people like Matthew to be a disciple and then ordain as an apostle? Why would He not choose those who knew about God like the other teachers or Rabbis? Jesus always knew who to go to. He went to folk as much as they came to Him. He always knew who it was that really needed help. He still knows who to go to. I did not find Jesus; He came to me. He came to me at just the right time and He will come to you too; just watch for Him.

Go Ahead: Reach Out To Him

Matthew 9:20 New King James Version (NKJV)

And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.

For at least twelve years she had trusted the Jewish physicians to heal her condition. It was a very serious condition which put her on the margin of society. Her Jewish docs had tried everything they knew to do; everything from giving her potions to drink to trying remedies such as having her sit at a cross roads drinking wine while someone came up behind her and commanded her disease be healed (Adam Clark Commentary, Dr. John Lightfoot). She had run out of money and hope of ever being made well. Then word came that Jesus of Nazareth was there.  He had been in Capernaum about a year earlier and she heard about the paralyzed man He healed. She contemplated what to do. If she approached Him in public and told Him what her problem was it is likely that she would be arrested for being in contact with others having such a condition. It seemed to her like she had been plagued with this condition all her life.  She had to hide her condition in order to get the things she needed. It was not only physically debilitating but it took its toll on her mentally as well. Now an opportunity had arrived for her. What to do?

She headed toward the seashore as she saw the multitudes gathering near a boat that had just beached. Throngs of people were there trying to get a glimpse of Him. She saw a man fall at His feet and could not hear what he said, but Jesus followed him. She kept her distance until the crowd came right past her and she could not wait any longer. Coming up behind Him and pressing through the crowd she reached out a shaking hand hoping His robe would brush against it. She believed that is all it would take; a touch from His clothes. His robe touched her hand and she felt her condition leave her! Twelve years of suffering was resolved in twelve seconds. Then He stopped. Fear came upon her as He turned to look behind Him. Putting His hand up to halt the procession He asked, “Who touched Me?” The people began to look at each other and His disciples who had been surrounding Him like body guards said, “You see all these people pushing and shoving to get to You and You ask which one it was that touched You?” He knew who it was even though they did not. He made eye contact with her and when His eyes met hers her body began to shake in fear. She crumbled at His feet as if to have Him show her mercy fearing He was going to broadcast her problem and what He would do according to the law. Instead He kept her secret and gave her a word; just for her. No one else knew what He meant when He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”  In other words, “I am not condemning you for what you did because you acted according to your faith and the healing you have received will not be revoked.”

Go ahead. If you have been contemplating to go to Him but ashamed to; go ahead. He is waiting on you. He has come to your area for that very reason. Just as He knew the woman would be there waiting on Him He knows where you are. Reach out your spiritual hand to Him; He will take it from there. He knows your secret fear too so you can rest assured He will accept you and not embarrass you either. Let your faith in Him drive your actions.

Grace: The Glue of Unity

Ephesians 4:7 (New King James Version NKJV).

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

I am a bumper sticker reader. Decals on people’s cars convey all kinds of messages. People like to express their opinions. Some like to do it publicly. One that I always remember was on the back window of a van. It read, “Live your life in such a way that the preacher does not have to lie at your funeral.” Another one that got me to thinking read, “God please save me from Your followers!”

I believe that the Church confuses the world as much as evangelizing it. One cannot help but think that with all the divisions among the Christians how could we all possibly be on the same side? It is not a new issue as God used the Apostle to address it to the Christians in Ephesus. Paul wanted the people to understand how grace works in order that they may be unified. We are all saved by grace. That saving grace is made available to everyone by Christ.

The whole of this teaching deals with gifts that Christ gives to His Church. The problem arose when some of the Christians felt they were better or more spiritual or had more favor with God than some of the others. Glad we do not have that problem today. The Ephesian believers could not understand why some were in leadership and others were not. God told them by way of Paul that all of them had the gift of grace and that Christ had used some of them to convey that message and to teach others how to convey it. The world becomes confused when they see or hear Christians talking about or arguing with other Christians over doctrines and beliefs. When we begin to put one guy down and compare each other in relation to spirituality or ability we unknowingly divide the Church. No one of us is greater than the rest of us. Some are more known and some have different offices but we are all equal in Christ by grace.

Let me close by sharing a word of knowledge that our Bishop gave me when I questioned why God would use me to pastor as I felt I was not qualified. He said, “There will always be those who are smarter than you and can preach better than you, but there is no one who can love God or people more than you; and that is all God requires of us.”

A Valentine from God

John 3:16 (New King James Version).

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

In 1965 I was an aspiring third grader at Ivanhoe Elementary School. I was aspiring with the goal of making it to the fourth grade in order to get away from old Miss Rash. She made us do dumb things as boys. She would make us learn to do some kind of old dance with the girls and stuff like that. Then on Valentine’s Day, we had to give out Valentines. My parents would buy me a bag of them from Prices Store which had about fifty in it. I hated to go through them and pick which one I would give to whom. It just did not seem right to have to give another boy a valentine. I would pick one with a football on it or something to keep the masculine image intact. Now it was not an issue when it came to the girls. Girls liked to get valentines. No football cards for them, only the cute little hearts or puppy dogs. I finally got out of the third grade only to have old Miss Rash move up to the fourth.

Over a billion Valentine cards will be sent over the next few days making it the second most card sending holiday. Christmas of course is number one in this country. We have come to assimilate the day with love. Flowers, candy, and jewelry are commonly given to our sweethearts in our attempts to express our love for them, and oh yes, the valentine card. I could not find one with Southern lingo to express my feelings. You know, something like, “You have got the softest hide I ever felt.” I might be a redneck.

When it comes to expressing love it has never been done better than how God did it. For Him to take upon Himself the body of a human and sacrifice that body in order that He might show me how much He loves me just blows me away. It is not only to be interpreted that once He so loved the world that He did that, but rather He still so loves us. One sacrifice, one time, for one and all. What would God say in His Valentine to you? I love you. Not that you are sweet or pretty, handsome or smart. Not that you have soft hide or a cute smile. No, His Valentine simply says, “I love you.” Jesus said I love you this much as He stretched out His arms and died. This Valentine’s Day give your heart to Jesus.