July 12th, 20

JULY 12,  FREE AND CLEAR

Today’s readings are Isaiah 15 – 18 and Hebrews 10.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

How is your conscience?  Is your conscience clean? Is it free?  Have your feelings of guilt disappeared or is going to church just a constant weekly reminder of your shame?  Are you haunted by the shadows of your past?  If that’s the case then you really haven’t understood just how good God is and how much Jesus has done for us on the cross.  God doesn’t want your weekly offerings of regret over your past.  That’s not what he has in mind. Jesus says, in verse 9, 

Look, I have come to do your will.  For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. (Heb 10:9-10 NLT)

And in Hebrews 10:12-14 it says:

But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

That includes putting his law in our hearts and minds and giving us his very Spirit to dwell in us,  to cleanse our conscience from the torments of guilt.  Verse 22 says,

…our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

That’s how amazing Jesus is and how good the Gospel is.  You no longer need to be tormented by your past.  You are fully clean, Christian.  Even your conscience can be clean.  Elsewhere Paul says:

I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Phil 3:13-14 NLT)

Paul could forget the past because Christ had freed him from his past by the shedding of his blood.  Christian, he has done the same for you!  How’s your conscience?  Is it clean?  It can be.  Are you free?  You can be. Simply trust Him.  Look to him, doing what Paul said.  Focus on that One thing, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,  press on toward the heavenly prize that God is calling you to.

He’s done for you what you could never do on your own.  Are you tired of coming to church week after week to offer your sacrifices of regret?  You don’t need to do that anymore.  Christ has shed his blood for you,  once, for all time.  And that is more than enough.  Walk in the liberty and joy of a conscience free and clean, because of what He has done for you.

You are loved!