The topic is “Forgiveness of Sins”. Jeff explains WHAT sin is, WHO sinners are, WHY we need our sins forgiven, and HOW we actually go about receive forgiveness of sins.
The Transcript of the Radio Show
Welcome to Eternal Promises Radio Show. I’m your host, Jeff Tobler. I want to personally thank you for joining the broadcast today and remind you by way of encouragement that “this is the promise God has promised us, even Eternal Life!” (1 John 2:25)
Because, “all of the promises of God in Christ are “YES” and in Him, “AMEN”. (2 Cor 1:20)
Those two verses, 1 John 2:25 and 2 Cor 1:20 are our two foundational verses. But today we will be focusing on the eternal promise of having our sins forgiven by the blood of Jesus.
This overarching promise is found everywhere in the Bible. It starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation. The answer to sin is the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The answer to righteousness is found in the resurrection of Jesus from the Dead on the third day.
But today we are going to focus on many of the promises that relate to the blessed hope of having our sins forgiven and forgotten by God.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to establish:
- what sin is
- who is a sinner
- why we need to have our sins forgiven
- and how we have our sins forgiven.
1) THE DEADLY DISEASE: What is SIN?
John says it this way:
“Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness”
The Amplified bible explains it this way:
“…ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will”
At the heart of lawlessness is a heart of selfishness and self-centeredness, rather than a heart tender toward God and bent on serving Him.
The underlying issue is that we have decided to disregard God’s laws, His perfect and holy desires, and instead break His laws by living the way WE wanted.
In America, if we cross the clearly marked boundaries of what is lawful, such as speeding, stealing or even murder, we become lawless (or without law in our lives) and furthermore, we are found guilty under the law, whether they catch us or not.
Now, whether or not we are caught on this earth or not, we will stand some day before THE judge of the universe, Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead in righteous, impartial judgment. Every deed, whether good or bad, will be brought into judgment, and there will be no leniency, no corruption, and no liberal interpretation of the law as we have with many judges today.
God’s judgment does not allow the guilty to go unpunished. Did you hear that? No, God’s judgment not allow the guilty to go unpunished. If you’re found guilty before the Lord, you can expect eternal punishment.
2) THE TERMINAL PATIENT: Who is a sinner?
Did you realize that God has seen every thing that you have every committed? He has read everything wicked thought that you and I have ever thought, going all the way back to our childhood and into our teenage years, and even today. Whether we have committed the evil in darkness or in broad daylight, God has seen it and recorded it. No one will escape God’s righteous judgment.
Now, in some instances, this is reassuring. Imagine Hitler and the ISIS leaders of today actually receiving what they deserve for killing, torturing, and the untold horrors they committed. Almost everyone is happy to hear that, even if they escape justice on this earth, they will NOT escape the fierce wrath of God on judgment day. They will pay for their crimes against God and against humanity.
But where things get a little uncomfortable is when God points a finger at us. Are you and I without blame? Have we never done evil in God’s sight? Let’s see:
Have you ever lied? Even once? Now, come on… now is not the time to lie. Well, what does God say about liars?
In the book of Revelation He says this:
“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
If so, that makes you a liar. Just one lie is all it takes.
Have you ever committed adultery? Many may admit it, but their are many who would say no. But let me ask you a related question: have you ever looked at someone and sexually lusted after them? Now, notice Jesus didn’t ask you slept with them. No, just looked at them and lusted. Have you? Well, if you have, Jesus says you have already committed adultery with them in your heart.
If so, that makes you an adulterer. Just one lustful thought is all it takes.
Maybe you don’t think you’ve lied or committed adultery. But have you ever murdered someone? Surely most of you are saying, “Why, no, I’ve NEVER murdered anyone!”
Well, let’s rethink that one. John says if you have every hated anyone, you are a murderer.
Well, if you’ve answered yes to breaking these three laws, that makes you a lying, adultering, murderer. And that’s just scratching the surface.
You see, there are none righteous, no not one. For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
THE NEED FOR TREATMENT: Why sin brings not only death but eternal punishment and torment.
It’s not just that we have sinned, but that because we have broken the law, a price must be paid. What is that price demanded by the Law? Our life. It’s called the death penalty.
Let me read to you from the Lord Himself: He says in the writings of the prophet Ezekiel “the soul the sins shall die” and Paul writes in Romans 6 that “The payoff for a life of sin is death”.
Jesus warns the unbelieving Jews that if they die in their sins they will perish. And both John and Paul proclaim that the wrath of God abides upon the unrighteous, upon all those who have not been washed by the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.
We have already shown that all are unrighteous sinners in need of a savior and redeemer. That includes you and me. No amount of good deeds can undo the crimes we have committed against God’s Kingdom.
The CURE: How to cheat death penalty and escape the wrath of Judgment.
But the good news is that while sin brings death, and none of us are good enough to avoid the penalty of sin, One who is perfect – sinless – came to die in our place, for our sins. The innocent (Jesus) for the guilty (us).
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was sent to be the once-for-all time sacrifice for our sin. That’s why John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.
In case you missed it, that is an eternal promise: that Jesus is the sacrifice for sin and that this sacrifice will remove sin in a powerful way.
I like how the VOICE translation puts it:
“Look! This man is more than He seems! He is the Lamb sent from God, the sacrifice to erase the sins of the world”
The Jews would’ve clearly understood what this statement was implying. God had taught them through the sacrificial system that the only way for sin to be atoned or forgiven was for the blood of a spotless animal to be shed. And for all those years, God provided the example of sheep, bulls, and goats to be offered up as a sacrifice and offering for sin, pointing to when Jesus, the Messiah, would come and be the fulfillment of the type and shadow of the Old Covenant sacrifices.
Look at how a Jewish believer in Christ wrote this eternal promise in the book of Hebrews:
“Think about it: if the blood of bulls or of goats, or the sprinkling of ashes from a heifer, restores the defiled to bodily cleanliness and wholeness; then how much more powerful is the blood of the Anointed One, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself as a spotless sacrifice to God, purifying your conscience from the dead things of the world to the service of the living God? This is why Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant:through His death, He delivered us from the sins that we had built up under the first covenant, and His death has made it possible for all who are called to receive God’s promised inheritance”
You see, all of the forgiveness by God in the Old Testament was based upon Jesus’ as the future sacrificial “Lamb of God”. While Jesus’ crucifixion on the earth was in roughly 33AD, the scriptures say that the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world. In other words, God has already foreordained or put into motion that Jesus would be the sacrifice for all mankind. It was His plan to redeem all would would willingly accept the gift and enter back into a relationship with Him.
And so, He could forgive them based upon Jesus’ obedience from the beginning to go through with the greatest gift of all time — that one would give their life for another, especially considering that we were sinners, enemies of God when He died for us.
You can imagine that people would die for their friends or family members, right? Of course, it happens even today. But how often do you hear of someone dying for their most violent and wicked enemies? That is unheard of. And yet, Jesus loved us enough to offer Himself for us, that through His pain and suffering we might find life and life more abundantly.
I think it’s expressed best in the third stanza of the famous hymn, “How Great Thou Art”:
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
God sent Jesus to die. He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life!
Truly, I scarce can take it in. That He gladly bore my burden of guilt and shame to make a way for me to escape the penalty of my sin.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I hope you can see the amazing gift that God is offering you.
Now, I’d like to refer back to that wonderful eternal promise we looked at: “Look! This man is more than He seems! He is the Lamb sent from God, the sacrifice to erase the sins of the world”
Do you feel as though your sins have been erased? I hope so, but if not, by the end of the broadcast I pray you will avail yourself of the cure, the gift, the cleansing power of Jesus Blood and find the peace of God.
Here’s another eternal promise:
“If we walk in the Light as the He (God) is in the Light, the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin.”
And elsewhere, while God has promised the soul that sins shall die, He has also promised the soul that repents shall live:
“… there is good news even for the wicked. If the wicked turn away from their sins, choose to uphold My laws, be honest, and live a righteous life, then they will surely live. They won’t die. I won’t remember any of their previous wrongs against them because of the right things they have done. They will surely live. Do I enjoy watching the wicked die? No. I, the Eternal One, would prefer for the wicked to stop doing the wrong things they do and live…”
You see, it is not enough to just do good deeds. No, the righteous person we just read about is someone who turned from wickedness to now live for the Lord – to have a heart that wants to please God by obeying His ways. But I hope you saw that God will accept you and I if we turn from our wicked ways and look to Him for our hope and to be our very life! To live for Him is the highest goal we could hope to attain.
Before we leave this topic, there are a few more promises that are very encouraging:
This is from Psalm 103:
“Measure how high heaven is above the earth; God’s wide, loving, kind heart is greater for those who revere Him. You see, God takes all our crimes— our seemingly inexhaustible sins— and removes them. As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.”
Even Old Testament saints new that they could find forgiveness through the Lord
Here’s one more that’s very conversational:
“Come on now, let’s walk and talk; let’s work this out. Your wrongdoings are bloodred, but they can turn as white as snow. Your sins are red like crimson, but they can be made clean again like new wool. If you pay attention now and change your ways, you can eat good things from a healthy earth. But if you refuse to listen and stubbornly persist, then, by violence and war, you will be the one devoured”
Please listen to the Lord trying to gently reason with us before it’s too late: “Your sins are red, but they can be made clean again!!”
This is what the Lord promised in preparing a new covenant for us:
“I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean. I will wash away all of your dirtiness, and you will be clean and pure, free from the taint of idols. I will plant a new heart and new spirit inside of you. I will take out your stubborn, stony heart and give you a willing, tender heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit inside of you and inspire you to live by My statutes and follow My laws” (Eze 36:24)
Not only that, but the Lord also says in Jeremiah that:
“I will be merciful when they fail and forgive their wrongs. I will never call to mind or mention their sins again.”
So, what does it take?
Simply this. Surrender your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ. Confess your sins and believe that He is the Son of God, that He died and was resurrected the third day. Get water baptized and begin learning everything you can about the Lord through His living Word, the Bible.
You don’t want to die in your sins. I don’t want you to die in your sins. And today, if you are hearing this broadcast, this message is for you. Don’t delay. Receive the free gift of salvation and rejoice in the love of the Father that He would so lavishly spend His Son on us to save us from eternal damnation and the Lake of fire and to place our names in the Book of Life that we would now be able to spend eternity in His blessed presence.
If you haven’t yet received the Lord and experienced the gift of being freely forgiven, but would like to receive Jesus and start following Him, learning from Him about the fullness of God and of His will, than let’s pray together and if you mean it from your heart, God will honor the prayer and do what He has promised to do. You have his word on it, and God cannot lie.
Let’s pray together
“Father in Heaven:
I confess that I’m a sinner. I have sinned against you and I need a savior. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins. I believe with all my heart that He was raised from the grave on the third day, defeating death
I confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I repent of living for myself, and give my whole life to you, Heavenly Father.
Thank you for your amazing love, for adopting me into your family, and for the gift of salvation!
For this day forward, I will serve Jesus Christ as my King and I give my full allegiance to Your Kingdom and your laws
I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen!”
Congratulations and Praise the Lord!
If you prayed that prayer you have just been granted priveleged access into the Kingdom of God and become a child of the living God. Because this is the promise He has promised us, even Eternal Life!
When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, our old nature is buried with Christ – and become a new creation. You’ve been spiritually reborn with a new heart, and new nature by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of Christ is in you and will help you finish the journey the He has just begun in you. Your job is too simply love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And do His will!
Resources to help you get started..
Now, to help you get started, we have an online resource. Go to EternalPromises.org/newlife and you will find help, direction, and encouragement.
Some of the first steps are to find a solid fellowship of believers. You can start by joining the community of believers on Eternal Promises. It’s FREE and you will be encouraged and spiritually fed by others. Go to EternalPromises.org/join and signup for FREE today!
Second, immediately get water baptized in obedience to Jesus’ command.
Let us know that you’ve received Eternal Life today!
Go to eternalpromises.org/newlife and fill out the NEW LIFE form so we can walk along side you, encourage you, and send you FREE resources to equip you on your new journey.
And that’s a Word of Promise today to you from Eternal Promises. I’m Jeff Tobler, and I want to encourage you to seek the Lord while He may be found, because if you seek Him with all of your heart, the promise of God is that you will find Him.
