Historical Posts
It’s Not Hopeless!
Every once in a while I encounter someone whose life is filled with guilt.
“God can’t love me anymore,” they argue. “I’ve been too wicked.” My heart goes out to these folks. They desperately want to rid themselves of their burden, but they see no hope. Unable to forgive themselves, they reason that God cannot forgive them either. But, there are no hopeless cases.
The apostle Paul argued that he was the worst of sinners, yet he obtained mercy (1 Timothy 1:15).
If God could forgive him, God could forgive anyone. What could be worse than what Paul had done before his conversion? He had consented to the execution of Stephen (Acts 7:58) and had dedicated himself to the task of eradicating Christianity from the earth. He could not imagine a crime against God or man more serious, yet, he wrote: “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16). If Paul could find forgiveness, then so can we.
There is hope.
Sin and guilt can be washed away, but there are specific steps which must be taken.
- We must understand our need for salvation. We are all sinners in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23).
- We must recognize Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins and man’s only Savior (Acts 4:12).
- We must act on our faith and repent of our sins (Luke 13:3).
- Repentance will be followed by a public confession of Jesus (Matthew 10:32, 33).
- Our confession will be followed by baptism for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38).
At that point, rising up from the water of baptism, we become “new creatures” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old life and all of its sin is forgotten. We make a fresh start. Forgiven by God, we must forgive ourselves.
Guilt is one burden none of us have to bear.
There are no hopeless cases. God loves us, no matter what. He longs for our salvation.
But, will we come to Him? No one can answer that question for us. We must answer it ourselves.
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Living with Guilt
Guilt can be good or bad
Guilt (self-reproach and feelings of responsibility for an offense) can be a good thing, or a very bad thing. It’s good when it leads to repentance and reformation. It’s bad when it prevents us from moving forward, overcoming our failures, and experiencing the joys of a saving relationship with Christ.
Unfortunately, many become overcome with the burden of guilt
I spend a great deal of time with people who are overcome with the burden of guilt. Much of what I hear has to do with regrets over things not done: parents who failed to spend adequate time with growing children; husbands/wives who failed to show proper love and appreciation for a spouse; children who failed to attend to the needs of an aged parent. This list could be much longer. The remainder of guilt is generated when people do things they know in their own hearts they should not do. In some cases, but not all, these wrongs can be righted. When possible, that is what must be done.
But, we cannot go back and right every wrong
We cannot undo all the damage we have done. However, we can move forward with the determination to help others avoid the same mistakes. Carrying a heavy load of guilt over these matters will only retard our spiritual progress and destroy our inner peace.
If God could forgive Paul, He can forgive you
The story of the Saul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul) is extremely helpful when confronting guilt (1 Timothy 1:12-16). Paul acknowledged his guilt. He had been a blasphemer, persecutor, and a violent man toward Christians. He had been as bad as they come. He called himself the “chief” or “worst” of sinners, but still, he found forgiveness. If God could forgive him and lift his burden of guilt, He could do it for anyone.
What did Paul do upon obeying Christ (Acts 22:16)?
- First, he put his past behind him (Philippians 3:13). He would learn from past mistakes, but he would not dwell on them.
- Second, he accepted the forgiveness provided through the grace of Christ (1 Timothy 1:14).
- Third, he changed his life and became a new man in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- Fourth, he forgave himself, and vowed not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
His focus was not on what he had done, but on what he could do! It worked for him, and it will work for us!
Jesus Christ can free us from the burden of guilt
No matter how great the burden of guilt we carry, Jesus Christ can free us from it. Follow the example of Paul. Turn to Christ. Obey His commands. Become a new creature. Forget the past, and move forward (Philippians 3:13, 14). Guilt is a heavy burden to bear. It saps life of peace, hope and joy. But, it’s a burden none of us need to bear. Jesus Christ can take the guilt away. Will we let Him do that for us? That’s the question we need to consider now!
Content by Roger Rush
Visit Roger at the 6th and Washington Street Church of Christ in Marietta OH.
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Galatians 01:03-05 Deliverance from an Evil Age – powerpoint
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Galatians-01-03-05-Deliverance-from-an-Evil-Age.pdf
Galatians-01-03-05-Deliverance-from-an-Evil-Age.pptx
Text: Galatians 1:3-5
Introduction
1. Paul’s greeting to the churches of Galatia (Galatians 1:3) contains words of grace and peace
a. From God the Father
b. And our Lord Jesus Christ
2. As an illustration of such grace and peace, Paul continues in Galatians 1:4
a. “who gave Himself for our sins” (grace!)
b. “that He might deliver us from this present evil age” (peace!)
3. I would like to direct our attention to the latter phrase
a. Undoubtedly we have heard much about Jesus dying for our sins
b. But what of this idea of delivering us from an evil age?
4. The word “age” (aion) as used here means “period of time”
a. Paul has in mind the present period of time
b. Paul views this time as evil – cf. Ephesians 5:16; 6:13
5. Do we take seriously the evil of this age? Do we appreciate the deliverance that Jesus provides?
Body
I. THE EVIL OF THIS PRESENT AGE
A. EVIL IN PAUL’S DAY
1. Paul described the sins of those in his day – Romans 1:18-32
a. Against whom the wrath of God was coming
b. For denying the Creator and suppressing the truth
c. Given up to their own vile passions, they fell into depravity
d. They were filled with all sorts of unrighteousness
2. He called such sins ‘the works of the flesh’ – Galatians 5:19-21
a. Sins that are evident (to those not blinded by them)
b. Sins unrepented of that will keep one out of the kingdom of heaven – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
B. EVIL IN OUR DAY
1. Today, many think lightly of such things as: fornication, adultery, divorce
2. One is considered enlightened when they support: abortion, homosexuality, same -sex marriage
3. More and more our culture is accepting: lasciviousness, pornography, drug abuse
4. All of which reflect a world view impacted by: humanism, evolution, selfishness
5. Yes, things are not much different today than they were in Paul’s day. Yet Jesus gave Himself for our sins “that He might deliver us from this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4).
II. THE DELIVERANCE THE LORD PROVIDES
A. DELIVERANCE FROM THE GUILT OF SIN
1. Sin is a transgression of God’s law – 1 John 3:4
2. All have sinned, for which the punishment is death – Romans 3:23; 6:23
3. Jesus’ blood frees us from the guilt of sin – Ephesians 1:7
4. We receive remission of sins when we are baptized – Acts 2:38; 22:16
5. In Jesus, there is no condemnation for sin – Romans 8:1; 3:24
B. DELIVERANCE FROM THE POWER OF SIN
1. Sin enslaves, but Jesus provides freedom from the dominion of sin – John 8:31-36
2. This He does by giving us the Spirit – John 7:37-39
3. We receive the Spirit when we are baptized – Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-27; 4:6
4. With the Spirit’s aid, we can put to death the deeds of the flesh – Romans 8:12-13
5. In Jesus, we are set free from the law of sin and death – Romans 7:24-25; 8:2
C. DELIVERANCE FROM THE TEMPTATION OF SIN
1. We continue to be tempted by fleshly desires – 1 Peter 2:11; James 1:14
2. Jesus teaches us to watch and pray that we might avoid temptation – Matthew 26:41
3. His Father will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear – 1 Corinthians 10:13a
4. In every temptation He will provide a way of escape – 1 Corinthians 10:13b
5. In Jesus, the godly can find deliverance out of temptations – 2 Peter 2:9
Conclusion
1. Living in a morally confused and spiritual dark world, in Jesus we find
a. Deliverance from the guilt of sin
b. Deliverance from the power of sin
c. Deliverance from the temptation of sin
d. Deliverance from the world that is passing away
2. We note that such deliverance is “according to the will of our God and Father” – Galatians 1:4c
Content by Donald W. Treadway
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Some People are Hard to Reach – Mark 6:1-6
Text: Mark 6:1-6
Have You Been Rejected?
You probably have someone in your family or circle of friends you’ve tried to share the Lord with, but they’ve shown no interest. They might hgave even displayed hostility.
You may have felt guilty about it. I must be doing something wrong. If only I had the right words, the right approach . . .
Something like this happened in Jesus’ life.
Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. (Mark 6:1-6).
That must have been difficult for the Lord.
He had returned home to Nazareth, probably eager to share His message with people He had grown up with. And it seemed to start well—people were amazed at His teaching.
Even Jesus was Rejected!
But that’s as far as it went. They were scandalized by His lowly roots, and they doubted He could have risen higher than they or His family had.
So they rejected Him while simultaneously insulting His mother and siblings.
What About Us?
Sometimes we need to be reminded that if people rejected Christ, and most did, should it surprise us that many people turn away from the message we’re trying to share?
It’s often hardest to reach the ones who’ve known us the longest, especially if they knew us when we were growing up.
But we’re not responsible for how people respond. We need just to keep living the Christian life and looking for opportunities to share Christ.
Sometimes it takes people years to overcome emotional or intellectual barriers to the gospel, but some of them will eventually come to know Christ.
Is there someone you know who doesn’t yet believe?
Perhaps soon the Lord will give you an opportunity again to talk about Christ and share your faith.
Content by Donald W. Treadway
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