Forgiveness

The Cross is Enough

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Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25 ESV

When Jesus rose from the dead, things were confusing, and the world seemed to turn upside down, but everybody knew one thing for sure – The tomb was empty! When the men guarding the tomb saw an angel, they passed out cold! Later, that morning when the women came, they saw that the was stone rolled away and they ran as fast as they could to tell the disciples! By the time Peter and John arrived, all they could find was the empty burial cloths. Can you imagine what kind of questions filled their minds? Finally, the answer came as Mary Magdalene stood weeping outside the tomb, Jesus came close to talk with her, and He wants to talk with you and me today.

Just as all of these people found something far better than what they were looking for: God wants you to find that same something today. He knew that we needed hard evidence because the grip of past failures in our lives could only be broken by a victory stronger than any failure or sin. That something is our resurrected Lord! His life is proof positive that God forgives our guilt, and His resurrection tells us that the cross was enough to wash away our sins. No matter who we are, there is good news, because all the selfish choices of our past have been washed away by the blood of Jesus. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, not just for us to celebrate on Easter, but so that every day, when we face our failures, we can remember that the cross was enough. The empty tomb is proof positive God has forgiven and set us free to serve Him forever!

All Kinds of Folks at the Cross

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Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:34 ESV

If we were to wind the clock back to that dark day, we would discover that, just like today, there were many different kinds of people huddled around the cross. The loudest, though by no means the largest group were the mockers. These were the high priests, their political cohorts, and the brutal interrogators of Jesus. They beat Him, spit on Him, whipped Him and then sent Him on His way up the hill called “The Skull.” These were delighted to see Jesus ripped from the safety of his circle of followers, and the crowds who loved listening to His teaching. This teacher who had put in jeopardy their grasp on power was now reduced to a mass of welts and wounds and on His way to a humiliating execution.

The second and perhaps largest group around the cross were the ignorers. They passed by in curiosity, perhaps shuddering for a moment, and then went on their way. Though some were a bit more respectable than the drunken soldiers gambling for the clothing of Jesus, they were no more interested in His death than any other event of that day.

But one small group, including the mother of Jesus, a few friends and one disciple, stood watching and seeping while Jesus suffered those six long hours that fateful afternoon. One would imagine that in His suffering Jesus would have responded with indignation, or anger. He had come so far from the day He left Heaven and come to that humble manger in Bethlehem. Since the night of His birth Herod and others had looked for ways to snuff Him. There at the cross they were sure they had finally succeeded, and yet the words from the lips of our Savior were nothing as anyone could imagine. Instead of anger, He had forgiveness, and in place of despair, He gave the promise of paradise to a thief by His side. Though He was wearing the crown of thorns, He was not to be denied the crown of Life He would soon wear in Heaven. Though the soldiers had stripped Him naked and gambled for His earthly clothing, His Father had a robe that shone like the sun, for Him to wear when He came home. And for those who wept He gave the promise that their sorrow would soon be turned to joy. Today Jesus still cries “Father forgive them.” His merciful invitation is for mockers and mourners alike. The forgiveness Jesus offers is for disciples and drunken soldiers, thieves, and trusted friends, and best of all for you and for me. Come to the cross. Open your heart for Him to forgive you and make you His very own!

Washed in the Blood

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But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 ESV

When I first became a Christian, the old HYMN “Are You washed in the Blood?” was popular in our church. it soon became my favorite because it was lively and easy to sing, and it expressed the joy I had in my newfound life. It is strange to think of blood washing something, because blood stains are some of the hardest to remove. But God doesn’t do things according to our way of thinking. In His plan, the blood of Jesus Christ is the perfect cleansing solution for the sin stains on our hearts. But how does it work? How can the blood of Jesus wash away my sin? Today’s verse explains that we have to begin by walking in the light. In other words, we must be honest with God. We need to come to God without pretending and confess our sins to Him. He knows the truth anyway and sent Jesus to die so that we could be forgiven. Secondly, we learn that when we are honest with God, we can begin to walk with Him. Since God always tells us the truth, if we will tell Him the truth, we begin our new journey with Him. Last of all the Bible tells us that walking with God means more than just trying to keep up with him like a toddler rushing after His parent. It means having fellowship with Jesus Christ. He is the one whose blood washed away our sin because He wanted us as His children and friends forever. Since we have His promise that He wants to have a relationship with Him, what are we waiting for? One year as we drove through rural South Carolina we noticed a sign on a small church with a great question:

“Mosquitoes know there is power in the blood. Do you?”