Hello "New"!

Good morning!

Part of the human experience is "dirtying things up".  Houses don't stay clean.  Babies don't stay "changed".  Our cars tend to become "rolling trash heaps", especially in busy families.  It's just a constant battle to keep things clean!

Perhaps that is part of the allure of "new".  New things are clean and fresh and usually beautiful. They smell so good.  They look so good!  We love them.

But, more than the sensory gifts of "new", newness represents a fresh start.  Don't we often want this? Like the little child who erases her pencil scribbling on her classwork to the point she tears a hole in the paper, we long for a new, clean sheet...a second chance.  We long for redemption.

Today's focal point in the Scriptures is 2 Corinthians 5:17, a beautiful jewel in yesterday's passage:

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away--look, what is new has come!

(NET)

This verse bring hope to the weary, the beaten down, the despairing.  It hands a crisp, new sheet of paper to the frantic soul, searching to be made clean.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior, a spiritual transaction takes place between us and Him.  It is as if He hands us a fresh start.  At that moment of our salvation, He places His Holy Spirit within us, forever, takes away all of our sins, forever, and (metaphorically speaking) puts His indelible stamp of ownership on our foreheads.  This transaction brings a transformation: at that moment, we become a new creation of His!

Now, this may seem confusing because this verse does not mean that we will not ever again battle the filth of the human condition.  "Becoming new" does not take away our humanity.  Unfortunately, our in-born, sinful nature co-exists alongside our new, re-born spirit.  So, while He forgives all our sins -- past, present and future, we will continue after our salvation moment to lapse into sin.  We will get somewhat dirty, and will have to regularly come to Him for confession, forgiveness, a spiritual bath, if you will.  Still, the victory overall is ours, because we belong to Him, who has triumphed over sin and death.

Although we will still continue to struggle against sin, Christ "remembers our sins against us no more" (Hebrews 8:12).  Isn't that a precious thought?  So often, we find it hard to accept His forgiveness, his offer of cleansing and newness, because others will not forgive us, or because we won't forgive ourselves.  This is one of Satan's traps.  God has promised that He removes our sins "as far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12).  While this does not usually mean that we escape the earthly consequences of our past sins, we do in Jesus Christ escape the eternal death that is payment for them.  In our omniscient God's mind, they are eternally "forgotten".

Part of knowing Christ is that we look at things in a new way.  For one thing, in our salvation experience and then resplendent walk, our view of Jesus Christ changes.  Before coming to know Him, our view of Him was tainted by Satan's lies and the world's false portrayals.  Once He lives inside of our hearts, we come to know Him, spirit to Spirit, ours communing with His.  The unbelieving world stops at examining Jesus's earthly life; but we, His own, plumb the depths of His Spirit's riches.  The world is mesmerized by a baby in the manger.  We worship a risen and glorified King on His heavenly throne.

Therefore (as Paul would say), because of this, "and so", when we receive that new sheet of clean paper, that fresh start, what we write on it is different.  We not only view Christ differently, we view others differently also.  We enthusiastically embrace our spiritual gifts .... gifts He gave us to use in the ministry of reconciliation, blogged about yesterday.  We see people not as family, friends, or acquaintances, but rather as people for whom Jesus gave His all, so that they, too, can become a new creation, so that they, too, can receive forgiveness for sins and eternal life in Heaven.

The salvation experience is a glimpse of Heaven, actually.  As humans, we love newness because it gives us a taste of the eternal newness, completion and perfection we will experience that moment we leave this earthly body and come face-to-face with Him.  The image of God in every human, Believer or not, longs for that, because it is how He created us from the very beginning.  He created us to long for the peace which is only found in Him.

Do you know Him?  I don't mean "know OF Him".  But, have you encountered His offer of salvation and accepted Him into your heart?  If not, reach out to Him in prayer, asking Him to rescue you from sin and it's inevitable consequences (eternal death).  Only He is able to hand you that beautiful new start.  Reach out and take it today!

Father, I know that this post was meant for someone today who feels like there is no hope, that there is no escape from his or her past decisions.  But, Lord God, You are the God of the impossible!  It is only You who can "make all things new".  I thank you, Lord Jesus, that you took the payment for all my sins and gave me that "fresh start" so many years ago.  It is a "foretaste of glory divine" to know You and to walk with You, every day of my life.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Forgiveness

Good morning,

I was listening via the morning news to a replay clip of Jimmy Fallon's conversation with The Donald last night on The Tonight Show.  Jimmy asked Mr. Trump if he had ever apologized....ever?  Mr. Trump replied that if he ever does anything wrong, he will apologize for it.      <crickets...>

Anyone who has lived long enough has been badly hurt by someone.  That is just a fact of life.  And, if you are not in the former category, you may be in the category of being the "hurter".  Most likely, most of us have been both, at one time or another.

In Matthew 6:12, Jesus prays something astounding.  In the Greek, it is written like this:

"And forgive us the debts of us as also we forgive the debtors of us."

The Greek word for "debts" is ὀφειλήματα, "opheilemata" , which is not found anywhere else in the New Testament, as far as I can determine.

Jesus could have merely prayed, "Father, forgive us."  But, no, He tied our forgiveness to the same manner in which we forgive those who do wrong to us.  In other words, if we refuse to forgive others, forgiveness will be withheld from us.

This statement must have rocked the listeners back on their heels because, after Jesus finishes His model prayer, in verse 13, He goes back to this forgiveness point, to re-emphasize and clarify it, just so there is no misunderstanding.

14For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Jesus reiterates this message in Mark 11:19-26, as He is teaching His disciples.  In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells the story of the unmerciful servant, as illustration of this truth.  Elsewhere in Scripture, we have learned that, as Christians, we are to model Jesus Christ in all aspects of our lives.  Our salvation is assured, because we have accepted Jesus as Savior.  These verses do not contradict those truths.  Our salvation is not conditional on our own works or good deeds.  If it were, the grace of God would be null and void.

However, when we harbor hate and bitterness in our hearts, we fracture our relationship with Father. When we do this, we are acting in diametric opposition to the life of Jesus Christ, which was characterized by forgiveness, even as He was dying on the cross.  We may not be called to die for our belief in Christ Jesus; but, if we are, we will be expected to forgive our murderers with our dying breath.  This is the standard of holiness that our Lord has set before us.

Unreasonable?  Not if you consider the forgiveness of God, which was extended even to the dying thief who was crucified next to Jesus, and whose only redeeming "work" was to cast himself on the mercy of the One, True God, being crucified beside him.  Once we have a clear picture of what we have been forgiven for, we are much more likely to forgive others.  If we have truly experienced God's forgiveness, we will be much more ready to forgive our fellow man.  

12Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.

Colossians 3:12-13

Unforgiveness is not a healthy state of being.  It leads to anger, bitterness, depression - - - all of which will eat at one's soul, like an acid.  

Crucial Point:
If we have wronged another person, and this comes to our attention either through the testimony of someone else or through the urging of the Holy Spirit, we are to go and make things right with the person we've wronged before we ask God for His forgiveness.  
Psalm 66:18 - - - If I had harbored sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Matthew 5:23-24 - - - “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,  leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

Sometimes, the person we've wronged is unavailable; perhaps they are dead.  Still, do your best to make things right with those you can.  The Spirit will lead you in this.  Follow His direction.

Listen!  This command includes the failure to forgive yourself.  There are some of us dearly beloved brothers and sisters who are quick to forgive others, but cannot forgive ourselves.  When we attempt to do so, the Enemy, Satan, continues to bring up the past - - horrible mistakes and sins, in an effort to derail the work of God in and through each of His children. Satan is a master of deception and accusation. He will lie to you by claiming that God has not forgiven you and that you should not forgive yourself.

But, here is the truth of God:

When 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

God will not despise or reject a broken, repentant, contrite heart.  Psalm 51:17

He has removed our sins from Himself, as far as the east is from the west.  Psalm 103:12

He has cast our sins down into the depths of the deepest sea.  Micah 7:19

He remembers our sins against us no more.  Hebrews 8:12 

These words are our aggressive weapon to use when Satan attacks.  The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17)

  

In his book, I Should Forgive, but..., Dr. Chuck Lynch said this:

"I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a counselee say, 'Oh, I confessed that sin a year ago - - - a thousand times.'  First, that is 999 times too many.  Second, each subsequent time that sin is confessed, rather than the confession bringing relief, it only reinforces the false belief that it has not been forgiven.  Double, or re-confession, only deepens the false belief that we have not been forgiven."

So, what should we then do when attacked by Satan in this manner?  We should thank God for His forgiveness by praying His Word out loud, and then move on.  Here are some Scriptures to help with that.  Study them on your own and accept their truth.

2 Kings 22:19

Psalm 40:2-4, 11-12

Psalm 32:5

Psalm 51:1-2, 10, 17

Isaiah 55:7

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 

Romans 8:1-3 (precious promise!)

Romans 4:7-8

2 Timothy 1:12

Sobering, isn't it?  Are you getting the idea that God is serious about our forgiving others and ourselves?

Father, I don't want any sin to stand between You and me.  So, I confess my waywardness and deliberate disobedience to You this morning.  If I have wronged another person, Lord, please make me aware of that so that I can make it right.  Thank you for forgiving me so completely and for setting the example that I am commanded to follow in my daily living.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

Moore, Beth. Praying God's Word. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2009. Print.
Lynch, Chuck. I Should Forgive, But--: Finding Release from Anger and Bitterness. Nashville: Word Pub., 1998. Print.