The Liberating Power of Forgiveness

“Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48)

A woman comes to Jesus in a Pharisee’s house weeping and washing his feet. No doubt she felt shame as the eyes of Simon communicated to everyone present that this woman was a sinner and that Jesus had no business letting her touch him.

Indeed, she was a sinner. There was a place for true shame. But not for too long.

Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48). And when the guests murmured about this, he strengthened her faith by saying, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50).

How did Jesus help her battle the crippling effects of shame? He gave her a promise: “Your sins have been forgiven! Your faith has saved you. Your future will be one of peace.” He declared that past pardon would now yield future peace.

So, the issue for her was faith in God’s future grace, rooted in the authority of Jesus’s forgiving work and freeing word. That is the way every one of us must battle the effects of well-placed shame — not false shame, but shame that we really should feel, but shame that threatens to linger too long and cripple us.

We must battle the unbelief of crippling shame by taking hold of the promises of future grace and peace that come through the forgiveness of our shameful acts.

“With you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” (Psalm 130:4)

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6–7)

“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)

“To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)

All of us need forgiveness. And we will need it tomorrow. Jesus died to provide it today and tomorrow. Today or tomorrow the reality is this: God’s forgiveness liberates us for our future. It frees us from crippling shame. Forgiveness is full of future grace.

When we live by faith in future grace, rooted in God’s forgiveness, we are freed from the lingering, paralyzing effects even of the shame we deserve to feel. That’s what forgiveness means.

John Piper 

Are you worried about your past, present and future?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Some people get confused about when salvation happens. Let me see if I can shed some light on this. Salvation can be explained if you think of it this way—your past, your present, and your future.

The moment you repented and believed on Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, a chain reaction started in your life.

Right then you were saved from the penalty of sin. (Your past)

After that, you enter a process of sanctification where you are being saved from the power of sin. (Your present) It’s ongoing every day.

When you get to heaven, you will be saved from even the presence of sin. (Your future)

When you ask Jesus to forgive and save you, immediately you are justified in your spirit. You are sanctified progressively in your soul. And you will be ultimately glorified in your body. You are saved from sin’s penalty, its power and one day even its presence.

ACTION POINT:

I have good news: The preservation of your salvation is God’s job—not yours. Praise Him for that as you stop working so hard, and trust in Him instead. 

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Psalm 121:7-8

Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 

The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. Psalm 41:2

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Seek Your City’s Good

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. . . . But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:4–5, 7)

If that was true for God’s exiles in Babylon, it would seem to be even more true for Christian exiles in this very “Babylon-like” world. What, then, shall we do?

We should do the ordinary things that need to be done: build houses; live in them; plant gardens. This does not contaminate you if you do it all for the real King and not just for eye service as men-pleasers.

Seek the welfare of the place where God has sent you. Think of yourself as sent there by God for his glory. Because you are.

Pray to the Lord on behalf of your city. Ask for great and good things to happen for the city. Ask that they happen by God’s power and for his glory. Never lose sight of the ultimate good that the city needs a thousand times more than it needs material prosperity. Christians care about all suffering — especially eternal suffering. That’s the greatest danger every city faces.

But neither God nor his people are indifferent to the health and safety and prosperity and freedom of the city. We all want these things, and Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). In fact, the Lord says in Jeremiah that loving your city is a way of loving yourself: “In its welfare you will find your welfare.”

This does not mean we give up our exile orientation. Peter says that Christians are “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11) and Paul says “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). In fact, we will do most good for this world by keeping a steadfast freedom from its beguiling attractions. We will serve our city best by getting our values from “the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). We will do our city most good by calling as many of its citizens as we can to be citizens of “the Jerusalem above” (Galatians 4:26).

So, let’s live — let’s do so much good (1 Peter 2:12) — that the natives will want to meet our King.

John Piper 

Any proof Jesus rose from the dead?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:13-17

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Paul isn’t saying, “If Jesus is still in the grave, then we’re mistaken.” He’s saying, “If Jesus is still in the grave, then we’re telling a lie.”

It’s one thing to be mistaken; it’s another to be a false witness.

Now you have to ask: Were the disciples liars when they said Christ was risen? If so, why would they lie? What did they have to gain?

All of them except John died as martyrs. They were tortured, persecuted, stoned, crushed, humiliated, burned at the stake. They were killed by lions.

Hypocrites and martyrs are not made of the same stuff. People tell lies to get out of trouble, not into trouble. A person might live for a lie, but few will willingly die for a lie. 

The disciples said, “Listen! We’ve seen Him! We’ve touched Him! We’ve handled Him!” Tradition says Simon Peter was crucified upside down. Was he a con man? Was the apostle John a crook? Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament—was he a known perjurer, deceiver, and false witness? These men would die for a lie?

Of course not. Jesus has indeed risen as they said!

ACTION POINT:

If someone were to ask, “What proof is there that Jesus really rose from the dead?”—what would you answer? Are you prepared with a well-thought-out, logical answer?

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Five Reasons to Be Fearless

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

The reason God wants us not to be afraid concerning money or other things of the world is because that fearlessness — that freedom from anxiety — will magnify five great things about him.

First, not being afraid shows that we treasure God as our Shepherd. “Fear not, little flock.” We are his flock and he is our Shepherd. And if he is our Shepherd, then Psalm 23:1 applies: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” — that is, I shall not lack anything I truly need.

Second, not being afraid shows that we treasure God as our Father. “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” We are not only his little flock; we are also his children, and he is our Father. He really cares and really knows what you need and will work for you to be sure that you have what you need.

Third, not being anxious shows that we treasure God as King. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” He can give us the “kingdom” because he is the King. This adds a tremendous element of power to the one who provides for us. “Shepherd” connotes protection and provision. “Father” connotes love and tenderness and authority and provision and guidance. “King” connotes power and sovereignty and wealth.

Fourth, not being afraid shows how free and generous God is. Notice, he gives the kingdom. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” He doesn’t sell the kingdom or rent the kingdom or lease the kingdom. He is infinitely wealthy and does not need our payments. So, God is generous and free with his bounty. And this is what we magnify about him when we are not afraid, but trust him with our needs.

Finally, not being afraid — not being anxious — shows that we trust that God really wants to do this. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It delights him. He is not begrudging. It makes him glad to give us the kingdom. Not all of us had fathers like this, who were made happy by giving instead of getting. But that sorrow is not the main thing any more, because now you can have such a Father, and Shepherd, and King.

So, the point of this verse is that we should treasure God as our Shepherd and Father and King who is generous and happy to give us the kingdom of God — to give us heaven, to give us eternal life and joy, and everything we need to get there.

If we treasure God in this way, we will be fearless and God will be worshiped.

John Piper 

Was Jesus just a religious fanatic?

BIBLE MEDITATION:

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain…. you are yet in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15: 14, 17 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

It’s an unthinkable question: what if there had been no Easter?

What if Jesus Christ hadn’t risen from the dead? Our faith would be futile, death would have dominion, sin would be sovereign and the future would be fearful.

His death without His resurrection cannot save anybody. Our faith is worthless if He is still in the grave.

How do we know Jesus wasn’t just a religious fanatic, someone with a martyr complex who happened to get crucified? How do we know He is the Son of God and God incarnate? Romans 1:4 says He is “declared to be the Son of God with power…by the resurrection from the dead.” That’s saying, “How do we know God accepted His sacrifice at Calvary? The resurrection.”

The Bible says He was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. No resurrection, no Savior. No Savior, no forgiveness. But Jesus went into the tomb and three days later walked out like a butterfly bursting from a cocoon. He is our risen Savior.

ACTION POINT:

Celebrate the risen Savior! Read 1 Corinthians chapter 15 carefully. Ask the Lord to reveal to you all it means for your salvation.

LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers 

Freedom To Choose Comes With Consequences

What are these radical factions afraid of?

Do they not have freedom to choose their religion?

Why do they feel the need to try to take others freedom to choose the risen God?

Freedom to choose comes with consequences! 

You are not forced!

God is perusing you in love.

He isn't demanding!

Your choices decide your eternal resting place.

There are only God's heaven and Satan's hell.

He made a way for forgiveness through His precious Son Christ the Lord.

Without Christ, there is no forgiveness and you die in your sin, forever separated from holy God.

Never trust any religion because it's not what saves! 

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 

2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.  - Psalm 90:1-2

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  - Psalm 90:12

15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. 

16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 

17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!  - Psalm 90:15-17

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." - Mark 8:31-38

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:1-6

22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. - Galatians 3:22-29

Hallelujah!!!