14 May 2019—4th Tuesday after Easter

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The End. It’s the end.

Jesus has declared it so.

What is the end? The remembrance of your sins.

The beauty of the cross is that the record of our sins has been amended. While some say that they are wiped out completely, it is probably better to say they have been struck from the record. It’s not as if they didn’t happen (and God doesn’t forget); it is as if they didn’t happen. Is this a nuance, yes. Does it, at the end, mean the same thing? Yes.

Yet, understanding that they have been struck-out helps us better understand some things. The measurement of the sin and the consequences in our lives of that sin remain. When we stand before the throne of God, sin after sin is struck through by the blood of Jesus. We still have to deal with it now. The penalty of eternal separation from God is removed.

There is another important piece, which is alluded to in Hebrews. The sins are gone (from a legal perspective). Stop guilting yourself about it. You confessed them (right?). You asked for God’s forgiveness (right?). Done. No longer carry the burden. Does this mean that there are not things you have to do? Sorry, you will still have some reconciliation to do with others, but with God you’re good.

Guilt and shame can be the biggest barriers to the Very Good Life. Jesus got it.

1) Have you ever had an unrelenting guilt or shame? Are you still burdened with one today? Why have you not released it to God?

2) There is a concern that we can keep committing a sin, because God will always forgive us. How does an personal relationship with God keep that from becoming an issue?

3) Why is it important to understand that with God a sin’s penalty is taken away, while the earthly penalty remains?