Hello my friends,
We just celebrated Christmas yet how many realize the significance above and beyond the typical yuletide setting. When you boil it down to the basics, Christmas is about the epiphany of the One who would make a way for all of us sinners. Yes the beautiful baby Boy appeared on this earth for one reason and that was to suffer on the Cross for the sins of mankind. You see we are Guilty! There is no getting around it since we all sin and because of those sins Jesus chose to take our place. For the Born Again believer this is not new news, however the obstacle of guilt may be a huge barrier for you to overcome. Chet what do you mean by the obstacle of guilt? Well first off we are sinners and unless we recognize our sinfulness then we are doomed. A short little fellow in the Bible came to understand this concept in Luke 19:1 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.“ NKJV You see for any of us to ever Heaven, Jesus must come stay in our house. We must invite Him to come take away our sins and remake us in His image. Simple yet so profound! Reading further in Luke 19 we see in 8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.“ 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.“ NKJV You see how meeting Jesus changed Zacchaeus to the point that he was willing to make a life change. His guilt caused him to allow Jesus to change him and what a change it was.
Now I wish to talk about another aspect of guilt that prevents many Christians from ever being effective. It is implied in Scripture that Zacchaeus cheated many out of their hard-earned money. Zacchaeus probably was embarrassed by his behavior once the light of the Lord shined on him, however he spends his time living his new life rather than focusing on all those evil things he had done. So many believers see themselves as having committing past sins that exclude them from ever serving the King. Such thinking is so erroneous and so far way from the teaching of Christ or the examples of early Christians. Let’s face facts in that we are dreadful sinners. We are guilty as charged, but as believers we are also forgiven. We are forgiven based on the finished work of the Cross, not due to any of our own efforts. Now since God has forgiven us why on earth would we continue to focus on past sins that Jesus has covered with His blood. Zacchaeus sought restoration then service not self-mutilation. How can a believer become a difference maker if they don’t accept the forgiveness that Jesus has granted them. It is almost as though some believers have a cafeteria menu in which they choose which sins go to the cross and which sins stay on our head. It is as if some have an addiction to misery by hanging on to the turbulent past. Jesus forgives us all our sins. The Cross is big enough for the worst of sinners if we will only let go.
Romans 8:1 says There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. NKJV If we are in Jesus then we are forgiven. He doesn’t see us as past drunks, prostitutes, liars, thieves, or criminals. Jesus sees us as His! We are children of our Father in Heaven and the accusations no longer hold sway. We are totally forgiven and totally justified by the justifyer of our faith our Lord Jesus. The little man Zacchaeus received big forgiveness and so can you. Simply confess your sins and all the healer of our souls access deep within so forgiveness can reign. My friends God wants to use you as a difference maker, but you cannot disqualify yourself due to you own inability to allow God’s forgiveness to reign. Allow the love of God to guide your heart and you will become exactly what God wants you to be a difference maker in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus.
Blessings
pc
You can hear the entire sermon at http://fbcbagdad.org/sermons
