Sunday, September 17th 2023

Is He Enough...

Romans 8:31–39

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What can separate us from God?

Sin

Our biggest problem isn’t the devil. Did he separate Job from God? Satan can only do what God allows for His will, which we will not understand at this moment in time. But we will one day.

Our biggest problem isn’t any person or even any event that we have gone through. And I said “We”.

Our biggest problem is sin.

Sin has a unique power… it will always take you farther than you wanted to go.

Sin also convinces each of us that it’s ok because we are different.

Sin’s purpose is destruction.

Plain and simple. And we know it and still entertain it. Why?

We believe we can manage sin.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Sin demands a wage. And it always demands payment in full.

Sin’s pleasure is always temporary.

Psalm 51:1-17

For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. 5 For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 6 But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. 9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. 13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. 14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. 15 Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. 16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

King David, a man after God’s own heart. Slayer of Giants. He also thought he could manage sin. Form lust of the eyes to adultery and then murder of one of his closest friends.

What was the result or the wages of his sins?

Sin = Separation

Giant Slayer to sleeping with his best friend’s wife and then having him killed to cover it up when she got pregnant.

I am not mocking King David

The point - Sin will always take you farther

Sin always takes and only leaves the stain of guilt

Sin is a weight that will chip away at your health, your wealth, your relationships with your family and friends.

Psalm 32

A psalm of David. 1 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude 5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude 6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. 7 For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude 8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.” 10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. 11 So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure”

Romans 4:7 “7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.”

What sins have you been forgiven of...

If you are starting to feel guilty, then you don’t get it. You are forgiven!

It doesn’t matter if the person you offended has forgiven you or not. God has forgiven you.

Psalm 32:2 “2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”

1 John 1:9 “9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

What does that mean?

God will never bring your sins back up.

God will never blackmail you.

The wage or debt of your all your sins have been not only forgiven but also forgotten!

Micah 7:19 “19 Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!”

Isaiah 43:25 “25 “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”

Question - Did Jesus’ sacrifice cover all of my sins?

Then why are we afraid to be completely honest with God?

Guilt

God condemns, disciplines and restores.

Sin separates us from God and leaves guilt to remind us.

If Jesus’ sacrifice was good enough for God, then it’s time we forgive ourselves.

John 8:36 “36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

If God has forgiven you, than you can forgive everyone else.

Do we need to remind ourselves again for what we have been forgiven of?

Matthew 18:21–35

21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! 23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. 26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. 28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. 31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”

Unforgiveness is continued slavery to sin.

You are more than just free...

Your home in glory with God

Your citizenship is heaven

Your family is God’s

You are a son or daughter to the King

Your name is in the Lamb’s book of Life

You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption

You are His and He is yours

You are part of a Holy Nation

You are a royal priesthood

Romans 5:2 “2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

Because of your faith - hoping and believing in something we can’t see.

So even when it doesn’t feel like it. Even when it doesn’t look like it… We are forgiven!

Aren’t you glad we serve a God who has forgiven us even if others haven’t… or even if we haven’t

“Forgiven of all wickedness”

Is that enough?

Luke 12:8-9 “8 “I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. 9 But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.”

“What Christ is to you on earth, that you will be to Christ in heaven.” Charles Spurgeon

Is Jesus dear and precious to you?

Is He enough?

Is He enough to turn completely turn away from sin?

Is He enough that you would live from this day forward completely for Him.

Yes, there is a cost.

Yes, there is a reward!

Psalm 32:2 “2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”

Imagine - standing before God and all His angels… and Jesus telling all of heaven about you. Good and faithful servant.

Can you even imagine the emotions. The tears. The joy!

Isn’t He worth it?

Isn’t it worth it then to prioritize Him now?

HOW - Light vs Darkness Illustration

Just as God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, so is sin. Sin has always come to separate, destroy and leave guilt.

If light represents God and the darkness represents sin, the joy is I have the choice on where I want to stand.

I can chose to be a slave to sin = death

I can chose to be a child of God = life

At this moment, you may be here.

And you are one decision away from being over here!

What is over here?

Revelation 21:1–7

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Victorious over what?

Than answer is in the answer...

Is He enough?

Victory is found in the answer...

I know He is.

Messiah 2030 = 7 years (over 1.5 mil views)

What if they are right. That means I have a choice.

Hebrews 12:1-2 “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

There’s that joy again…

Is He worth the sacrifice?

Matthew 24:45-50

“45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected,”

Jesus is coming back.

Is He worth the sacrifice?

I think so.

I think He is worth so much more. So, with a heart of gratitude, I will lay my life down into the arms of my Savior.

Like Job, I know the road ahead will be a rough one.

And like Job, I know that nothing will separate me from God.

And like Job, I know God will bless me on the second half of this journey

I know He is worth it.

Will I fall? Yes. And I will get back up.

I wont even let guilt hold me back.

It’s that simple. Today, I am making the choice to be all in.

And ever day I will keep making that choice, even when I don’t feel like it.

Why? Because He is worth it.

Luke 18:8 “8 ...But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?””

Is He Worth It?

Everything happens for a reason, but you don't know what you don't know And you'll never have peace if you don't let go of tomorrow 'Cause it ain't even faith till your plan falls apart but you still choose to follow If it doesn't make sense right now, it will when it's over [Chorus] And there will be joy in the morning There will be joy in the morning If it's not good then He's not done, no He's not done with it yet There will be joy in the morning