Today’s Bible readings are 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22, John 5:24-47, Psalm 106:1-12, & Proverbs 14:30-31
John 5:24
24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and
believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for
their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
This is such an encouraging message to God’s people. Our whole
lives we have been condemned by the sins & failures we have experienced.
Jesus is standing & declaring that there is a way out of it. It is through
believing in Him.
I want to expand on this for a moment. It is not just
believing that Jesus exists; it is believing that He paid the penalty for my
sins & failures when He died in my place on the cross. My sins were worthy of
death, BUT Jesus died for me. He offered payment for my sins. God, the
righteous Judge, accepted that payment. Now, when I, by faith, accept that
payment it relieves me from the guilt & condemnation of my past. I know
that it has been covered & atoned for. Therefore, I know longer fall for
the deception of standing condemned because I know that it has been taken care
of.
This is what it is to know Jesus & believe in Him. Our
faith is not just in Jesus, but in what Jesus did for us on the cross. Listen
to what He says:
John 14:1
14 “Don’t let your hearts be
troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.
Jesus is preparing to go to the cross. He is beginning to
share with the disciples this part of His mission. At this point He begins to
plead with them to trust in Him. This is important because we know in a few
short days He is going to die for the sins of the world. This act of love would
free whosoever will from the burden of sin & condemnation.
We too must trust in what Jesus has done. There may still be
times when satan will try to convince us of our guiltiness. Satan may still try
to whisper condemning thoughts to us. But it is then that we must trust what
Jesus did on the cross. We must continue to have faith in the finish work of
Calvary.
As we step over into this way of living by faith, we pass from
the death that we use to walk in into the life that we have in Christ.
Everything changes when we trust in what Jesus did on the cross. As shame is
lifted we find new life. As condemnation ceases we find new life. As the burden
of guilt is removed we can now live the kind of Christ centered, Christ
empowered, kind of life that glorifies our Father & His Son.
This is the place where we find freedom from:
1. The past.
2. Weaknesses.
3. Guilt, which only leads to more sin.
4. Hopelessness
5. Inadequacies
6. Fears
7. Lies
Once we get free from these things we start to live the NEW
LIFE that the gospel teaches us about. We start to walk in liberty &
freedom. All the things that once held us done are loosened. The death that
once kept us tightly enslaved is forever broken & gone!
We do not need to wait for heaven before we start living
this new kind of life. We have ALREADY passed from the dead life to the NEW
LIFE. This new life is a life of:
1. Provision
2. Rest
3. Peace
4. Hope
5. Joy
6. Love
7. Power
8. Excitement
9. Wholeness
10. Blessing
Stop letting the enemy rob you of these things. They are
yours in Christ. It is not something that you have to wait for. You have all of
them now. They are the result of being free from sin & condemnation. They are
the result of having eternal life. Make
it an aim that every time that these things are in jeopardy, you remind
yourself of the cross & what Jesus did for you. That one act has ensured
these for you for all of eternity. They are your. Believe in that!!!
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