• HOME

• E Bulletins

• Church Worship schedule & Events

• NEWSLETTERS

• SPCA PROJECT

• Perry UMC History

• Our Spiritual Stories

• Cool Links

Celebrating the freeing, supportive presence of God.  So your experience of God may become your experience of life.  It is wonderful what God can do!

March 6th 2005

MEANING OF THE CROSS:

FORGIVENESS OF SINS

AS YOU KNOW, FOR THIS LENTEN SEASON, WE HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING THE MEANING OF THE CROSS. AND FROM THIS DRAMA BY THE WORSHIP DRAMA GROUP, WE HAVE EXPERIENCED ONE OF THE BASIC MEANINGS OF THE CROSS, ONE OF THE KEY THINGS WE CAN CELEBRATE THAT JESUS ACCOMPLISHED BY DYING ON THE CROSS, THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS.

FOR AS THE CARPENTER IN OUR DRAMA SAID, "IN HIM IS FORGIVENESS."

EPHESIANS 1:7 SAYS IT THIS WAY, "IN HIM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR TRESPASSES, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE, ... ."

AND IN COLOSSIANS 1:14, "HE HAS RESCUED US FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS AND TRANSFERRED US INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS BELOVED SON, IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS."

AND FINALLY, FROM THE VERSES THAT I WOULD HAVE USED LAST WEEK, FROM ROMANS 5:8, "THE PROVES GOD'S LOVE FOR US THAT WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US."

EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE SINNED, GOD, BECAUSE OF THE DEATH OF HIS SON FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS, TREATS US LIKE HIS MOST BELOVED FAMILY MEMBER.

WE CAN NEVER OVERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF WHAT GOD IN CHRIST HAS GIVEN US, THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS.

NEVERTHELESS, THOUGH PERHAPS NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE CARPENTER, THE WOMAN AND THE SOLDIER IN OUR PLAY TODAY, WE TOO HAVE SINNED.

THE CARPENTER IN OUR PLAY TODAY, FELT THAT HE HAD FELLED THE TREE THAT WAS CUT INTO THE CROSS.

THE WOMAN FELT THAT SHE HAD STAYED SILENT WHEN CHRIST HAD SUFFERED, SHE DIDN'T SPEAK UP TO PROTEST HIS SUFFERING.

THE SOLDIER ADMITTING TO MOCKING, EVEN BEATING JESUS.

I REMEMBER WHEN MY GRANDPA TOLD ME THE STORY WHEN HE REALIZED THAT HIS SINS HAD BEEN FORGIVEN. IN THAT PROCESS OF REALIZING THAT CHRIST HAD FORGIVEN HIM, HE RECALLED HOW HE FELT THAT THE SINS HE HAD DONE IN HIS LIFE WERE LIKE HIS HAVING POUNDED NAILS IN THE HANDS AND FEET OF CHRIST.

THERE ARE THINGS WE DO EVERYDAY THAT BREAK THE CIRCLE OF GOD'S PERFECT LOVE.

OR MARTIN LUTHER SAID IT THIS WAY, LUTHER P. 295, "STRANGE," CONFESSES LUTHER, "THOUGH I AM SAVED FROM SIN, I AM NOT SAVED FROM SINNING."

WHAT MARTIN LUTHER SAID OF HIMSELF, IS IT NOT THE CONFESSION OF ALL OF US, "THOUGH I AM SAVED FROM SIN, I AM NOT SAVED FROM SINNING."

SO IN THE MIDST OF OUR SINNING, IT THERE ANY GOOD NEWS?

I WOULD SIMPLY SAY THIS. THE MEANING OF THE FACT THAT CHRIST DIED FOR YOUR SINS IS ALWAYS TRUE. THE MEANING OF THE FACT THAT CHRIST DIED FOR YOUR SINS IS ALWAYS REALITY. FORTUNATELY NOTHING YOU OR I CAN DO WILL EVER CHANGE THAT.

YOU CAN ALWAYS DEPEND ON THE FACT THAT IF YOU ASK FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS, THAT THEY WILL ALWAYS BE FORGIVEN. AND YOU WILL ALSO BE GIVEN THE POWER TO WALK IN THE NEWNESS OF LIFE, YOU WILL BE GIVEN THE STRENGTH FROM GOD TO DO BETTER. FOR GOD, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ASK, WILL ALWAYS GIVE YOU THE POWER TO REDEEM YOUR LIFE. IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

THUS, SOMETIMES THE BEST THING YOU OR I CAN DO SIMPLY IS TO ASK FOR AND RECEIVE THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS WHENEVER WE NEED IT.

FOR JUST AS SIN WILL ALWAYS BE AROUND SO WILL THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS.

SO, JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST OFFERS YOU THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS, AND THOUGH YOU AND I, UNFORTUNATELY KEEP ON SINNING, NEVER TIRE IN ASKING FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS, SO GOD IN CHRIST MAY GRANT YOU THE POWER TO WALK IN THE NEWNESS OF LIFE.

ONE OF THE PERSONS IN THE BIBLE NONE OF US WILL EVER FORGET IS JUDAS. JUDAS IS THE ONE WHO BETRAYED JESUS.

AND WHAT DID JUDAS DO AFTERWARDS, AFTER HE HAD TAKEN THE 30 PIECES OF SILVER, HE COULD NOT LIVE WITH HIMSELF, HE FELT SO BAD ABOUT WHAT HE HAD DONE THAT HE HANGED HIMSELF.

YET, WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT JUDAS MADE? WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT JUDAS MADE WAS TO HAVE BETRAYED OUR LORD AND CAUSED HIS DEATH, EVEN THE CRUEL DEATH OF GOD'S SON?

NO, THAT WAS NOT THE BIGGEST MISTAKE THAT JUDAS MADE. THE GREATER ERROR THAT JUDAS MADE WAS NOT TO REALIZE THAT JESUS DEATH ON THE CROSS WAS FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF HIS SINS TOO.

LIKE THE THIEF ON THE CROSS NEXT TO JESUS, ALL JUDAS WOULD OF HAD TO DO WAS TO ASK JESUS FORGIVENESS AND HE WOULD HAVE FORGIVEN HIM. "TODAY YOU, JUDAS, TOO, SHALL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE."

UNFORTUNATELY, JUDAS CONDEMNED HIMSELF. GOD IN CHRIST HAD NOT.

SO, TREAT YOURSELF NOT LIKE YOUR GUILT AND SELF-HATRED MIGHT SOMETIMES SUGGEST, RATHER TREAT YOURSELF LIKE GOD IN CHRIST IN FACT CONTINUES TO TREAT YOU, FORGIVEN AND LOVED FOREVER.

LET US PRAY.

DEAR GOD,

THANK YOU FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS.

THOUGH WE CONTINUE TO SIN, WE ARE THANKFUL WE MAY CONTINUE TO TURN TO YOU FOR FORGIVENESS AS WE SEEK TO BE LOVING SERVANTS IN CHRIST.

AMEN