Text: Ephesians 1:7-8 & Revelations 1:1-6
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Several
hundred years ago archers would shoot at targets. When they missed the target, the judge
standing next to the target would yell out the word, “SIN.” Indeed, sin is the result of missing the
target for an archer.
But
how does the Bible use this word ‘sin?’ Like
in the case of the archer, sin is every thought, desire, word, and deed that misses
God’s Law. Sin was brought into the
world by the devil in tempting Adam and Eve, who of their own free will yielded
to temptation, they intentionally missed the target. Thus, from our parents, Adam and Eve, we have
learned to know that sin is our ‘turning inward’ on self; it is turning to our
own desires, our own wisdom, and our own preferences. It is ‘us’ wanting to become our own gods,
desiring to be like God and thus not only totally missing the mark but
attempting to eliminate the mark altogether.
Not
only are there dramatic eternal and spiritual consequences to sin, but there
are also intense consequences of sin in the here and now. In Psalm chapter 32 we receive an accurate
picture of sin; sin that was un-confessed.
King David communicates to us that sin creates excessive grief; it can
weigh down upon a person with deteriorating effects, as if bones decay. Sin can figuratively wear out a skeletal
structure. Because of the guilt of sin,
there can be tightness of throat; one becomes like a plant without moisture,
being constantly exposed to the heat of sin’s guilt and shame. Indeed, sin produces guilt, shame, and it
drives us to fear, the feeling of being overwhelmed.
As a
result of sin, we humans go to great lengths to handle and manage the guilt and
shame of sin. We deny sin (i.e., I
didn’t do anything wrong); we legalize sin (i.e., well I haven’t done anything
as bad as so and so); we shift blame for sin (i.e., the devil made me do it);
we suppress the guilt of sin through substance abuse (i.e., we drink until we
become numb); and we attempt to overcome the guilt of sin through our works
righteousness (i.e., we coat our sin with spiritual cosmetics, good works). All of these are merely band aids that ignore
the much greater internal problem of the conscience, a conscience that has been
damaged and condemned by sin. Truly, these
tactics are all intended to suppress the weight and avoid the effects of
sin. Left to self, this management of
sin can consume a person’s whole life as they seek peace, absolution, and
reconciliation to their sin and guilt.
As we
contemplate sin, does the Old Rugged Cross of Christ have anything to say to this
issue of sin? Yes, the Old Rugged Cross does
speak to this issue of sin. In Ephesians
chapter 1 it says that we have redemption; Christ has purchased us out of
slavery; through the blood of Christ we have the forgiveness of our trespasses according
to the riches of His grace. Indeed, we
are granted forgiveness, due to Christ’s cross.
Yes, forgiveness that is applied to us because of Christ.
There
is a hint of scandal with this incredible forgiveness though. Now, let us consider the scandal. Upon hearing this you may find yourself
saying, “That is too easy; it doesn’t cost the sinner anything. Should not the sinner have to earn this
forgiveness or put just a little forth as a good faith down payment? I mean, this forgiveness is a little too
cheap! This grace is a little too cheap
if it is simply that easy and that free.”
My friends, you are correct that this forgiveness doesn’t cost you and
me anything, but it cost the Father everything.
Yes, let us consider how much this forgiveness cost our Lord! For God so loved the world that He gave His
one and only Son. Indeed, this is
expensive forgiveness purchased at the cost of the blood of the Lamb. God the Father unleashed His vengeance upon
Christ and then gives up His ‘right’ to unleash vengeance upon us for our
sins. This. Is. Forgiveness. It is expensive forgiveness for us.
Consider
the following declarations for a moment. Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, I am he who
blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will remember your sins
no more.” Psalm 103:12 proclaims, “As
far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our
transgressions from us.” Psalm 32:5
says, “I acknowledged my sin to you and I did not cover my iniquity; I said ‘I
will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity
of my sins.” 1 John 1:9 states, “When we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Yes, forgiveness is the removal of vengeance, it is the yielding of
judgment, and it is the letting go of a wrong.
How is this possible? Because
your sin has already been judged upon Christ, the Father does not and cannot
hold the debt of sin against you; your sin is forgotten.
What
this means is that you are freed from the burden, guilt, and stronghold of sin
upon you. The word freed, carries with
it the meaning of: to loose, to break; to destroy; to dissolve. It can also communicate the idea of ‘washing.’ Simply put, the wage or result of sin as
expressed by the Apostle Paul in the epistle of Romans is death. However, through this Old Rugged Cross we are
forgiven and freed from the verdict and stronghold of sin. Through the Old Rugged Cross the eternal
consequence of sin is destroyed and dissolved; sin does not dictate our eternal
destiny. In the cross of Christ, we are
washed, the stain is lifted; sin no longer has damning authority over you and
me.
Baptized
Saints, in Christ, you are forgiven; in Christ your sins have been cast into
the ocean depth; in Christ your sins are distanced from you; in Christ you are
totally and wholly forgiven.
So,
when the devil, the world, and your conscience throw your sins in your face
declaring that you deserve death and hell, thus bringing forth shame and guilt,
tell them this: “I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made
satisfaction on my behalf. His name is
Jesus Christ, Son of God, where He is there I shall also be! He bled and died for me to grant me
forgiveness. Sin, your damning eternal
power has been destroyed for the nailed scarred hands of Jesus are the proof of
that.”[1]
May
the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1]
Note: A paraphrase and adaptation of a Martin Luther quote.
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