#14 in Proverbs / The Faithful Love of the LORD

English Standard Version (Chapter 16)

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

Thesis: God saves you because He loves you.

FCF: You can’t atone for your own sins.

Introduction

Sometimes one of the kids will get scared, and nothing I say will convince them that there’s no monster under the bed.

General Principle: Humans have an ability to ignore truths that don’t make sense to them.

Do you have a hard time believing that God loves you?

God loves you so much He wants to save you from sin.

Transition: Let’s look at Proverbs 16:6 and try with fresh vision to see just how much God loves us.

Iniquity is that which makes us guilty before God leading to punishment.

Iniquity = sin; breaking God’s law

When we sin, that makes us guilty before God.

What do the guilty deserve and receive? Punishment.

Illustrations:

Has Amber Heard sinned? Is she guilty? Does she deserve punishment?

Violent criminals? Child traffickers? Corrupt politicians?

Application: You have committed iniquity. You are guilty. You deserve punishment.

Consider the Ten Commandments (idolatry, LORD’s Name, honor parents, murder/hatred, adultery/lust, theft/envy, lying, covetousness)

What we need is atonement.

Iniquity/sin/transgression must be atoned for.

What is atonement?

Cover or be covered. Genesis 6:14 “14 “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside.”

Sin that is covered “appeases” God. Genesis 32:20 “20 You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’ ” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.””

Bible Illustration: Passover

You cannot atone for your sins.

In the OT, atonement was always made through an intermediary.

Father for family

Priest for individual, family, nation

In the OT, atonement always came through the blood of another.

Bulls, rams, goats, etc.

The Point: no one ever pays for their own sins.

In court, you could call this a “hail Mary” defense. You need a miracle.

The Faithful Love of the Lord ALONE Atones for your sins.

In the OT, He provided atonement through animals.

Atonement was realized through the God-Man.

John 1:29 “29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

1 Peter 1:18-20 “18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you.”

John 3:16 “16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

God helps those who cannot help themselves.

Conclusion

God saves you because He loves you.

Believe that God loves you. Meditate on how much God loves you. He loves you enough to atone for your sins by sacrificing His Son in your place.

Trust Christ. Believe the gospel. Cast off your self-righteousness, which will drag you to hell.