Blessed Are Those Whose Lawless Deeds Are Forgiven
Beatitudes Of The Bible • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 55 viewsNotes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Lately we have been in the theme of the “Beatitudes Of The Bible.”
Last week we finished up looking at the last of the beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, “blessed are those that are persecuted” (Matthew 5:10-12).
Today we are going to be looking specifically at the beatitude found in Romans 4:7-8.
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
This beatitude is quoted from Psalm 32 which is the second of David’s “penitential” psalms.
The others being Psalm 6, 51, 102, 130, 143.
It’s in this beatitude that we find anxiety and comfort.
There is great anxiety from this beatitude because it correctly points to our “Lawlessness.”
With this in mind let’s examine our first point.
The Deadliness Of Sin
The Deadliness Of Sin
Sin Decays The Body.
Sin Decays The Body.
Sin is one of the deadliest things in the life of mankind, physically speaking, for those that know righteousness and ignore it.
David would declare the power sin had over him physically.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Psalms Homiletical and Practical
What a killing thing is sin! It is a pestilent disease! A fire in the bones! While we smother our sin it rages within, and like a gathering wound swells horribly and torments terribly
It isn’t the sin causing this, it is God’s heavy hand in an attempt to get us to repent.
2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
Though a slightly different context we see this “hand of God” against the people of Ashdod.
6 The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory.
Sin decays the body but more importantly…
Sin Decays The Soul.
Sin Decays The Soul.
Sin is by no means that which we should play with or toil in.
There is no difference between the “little white lie” and “big lie.”
There is no difference between “stealing” and “homosexuality.”
There is no difference between “addiction” and “pedophilia.”
The reality is a single sin brings death to the soul.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
There is no scenario wherein sin does not lead to death.
There is no place, no timeline, no situation, instance wherein sin does not bring death to the individual residing in it.
Summary
Summary
Sin, singular, for the righteous and unrighteous is a death sentence if it is not taken care of through the proper means of reconciliation.
For the child of God this reconciliation is through prayer.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
For the lost outside of Christ this reconciliation only comes through Christ by way of faith.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
Thankfully those who find themselves decaying in sin can turn that around through reconciliation with God through Christ and be then alive in Christ.
In this we find…
The Living In Forgiveness
The Living In Forgiveness
Salvation Revitalizes The Body.
Salvation Revitalizes The Body.
As James clearly points out when we are physically ill from our sin there is only one true recovery method and that is forgiveness.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
In Isaiah 33 we see an entire dedicated to giving glory to the God above and this chapters ends saying…
24 And no inhabitant will say, “I am sick”; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.
Now to be clear, I’m not saying sickness or illnesses will not happen to the righteous and true.
There is no doubt that even the most faithful can deal with physical ailments (2 Corinthians 12:7).
What I am saying is that the righteous will deal with less physical pain and agony because they are saved and not dealing with any sickness as a result of sin.
However, our focus in forgiveness shouldn’t be on physically being well but understanding…
Salvation Revitalizes The Soul.
Salvation Revitalizes The Soul.
Yes, our physical body plays a part and training it has “some value” but our soul is where the majority of our focus must be.
7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
This is why Jeremiah likens those who put their trust in the Lord i.e. the saved as a tree by a stream never worried about drought.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Because the soul that is revitalized through salvation is a soul that worries not of this world but the next for their trust is in Christ.
Summary
Summary
When we are transformed by the renewing of our mind we will no longer be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2).
This world and the pain sin brings will no longer be what manipulates us and hurts us because our revitalized body and soul understands we are simply passing through and our home is above (1 Peter 2:11).
Conclusion
Conclusion
Sin has a devastating effect not only on our physical body but our sou.
Left unchecked it will wreck havoc on us whether realized or not.
Therefore let us remove the sin from our lives by either coming to Christ through His plan of salvation or repenting and confessing your sins so as to be forgiven through the spiritual blessing afforded to all children of God (1 John 1:9).
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.