Lincoln

Forgiveness larger than our sin

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

One of the many unique blessings of Christianity is that we have a Saviour, Jesus Christ, who forgives all sin in those who believe in Him. We did not, and cannot, contribute anything towards this, or even assist Jesus in His forgiveness of those who receive Him. Nor can we add anything to our faith relationship with Jesus that can enhance or extend His forgiveness to those who confess Him as Lord (Romans 10:9-10).

Forgiveness is central to the gospel of Jesus, which is one reason why the gospel is “good news.” Colossians 1:14 tells us that in Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (cf. 1 John 2:12). Redemption includes total cleansing before God, so the Lord views us as pure, with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Christians need to remind themselves often  of this life changing cleansing (2 Peter 1:9). Through faith in Jesus’ substitutional death and resurrection, there is no sin; past, present, or future, that is not pardoned for those who repent and love Jesus (Mark 1:15; Luke 7:47).

As forgiven children of God, we are able to present the world with many types of evidence, proving Jesus’ forgiveness to be active in our lives. Worship, commitment to God’s Word, obedience, effort in pure living, perseverance, faithfulness, selfless service, Christlike love for others, forgiveness of those who offend and hurt us etc. These are some of the real-world expressions of the gospel having been effective in our lives.

To the deceived sorcerer named Simon, who claimed to believe, was baptised, followed Philip, then tried to buy the gift of God with money, Peter corrected with this invitation. Simon, your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin (Acts 8:21-23 NIV). No matter how evil, or opposed to God a sinner may be, forgiveness is readily available upon repentance. Repentance is intentional belief that changes your  thinking about God, about Jesus, about judgement for our sin, about the cross of Jesus, and about how we should respond to Jesus’ forgiveness.

Put bluntly, our response to Jesus’ forgiveness tells the world how genuine our belief is. Being convinced of Jesus’ full forgiveness inspires us to live wholeheartedly for Him. Christ’s forgiveness should never be presumed upon as motivation for bad behaviour, thinking that we are forgiven so we can do whatever we want.

When the Lord pardons us, we are set free from God’s judgement, from guilt before God, and from the lies of God’s enemies about having to earn God’s grace. King David understood his dependency upon grace when he confessed his sin to the Lord. David prayed, have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin (Psalm 51:1-2 NLT). God’s forgiveness, made available to us through Jesus, is comprehensive and not just theoretical. It deals with the whole person and rejuvenates every aspect of the human heart and life (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17). In other words, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

I encourage you to ensure that you are both forgiven and living a life that presents evidence of Christ’s cleansing. May the continual grace of God continue to transform our lives as forgiven sinners.

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God’s Friendship

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Often, we don’t appreciate friendship until a good one gets damaged or we lose it. Typically, quality friendships are desired by most of us, and the same is true of God. James 2:23 tells us that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness – and he was called a friend of God (cf. 2 Chronicles 20:7). In fact, in Isaiah 41:8, God calls Abraham, my friend. What an amazing privilege, especially when we understand that Abraham was far from perfect, and his contribution to friendship with God was faulty and inconsistent at best.

But here we see God’s grace in Abraham’s life, just as it is in ours. James points out the disproportionate gift from God in response to Abraham’s belief in Him. God credited a right standing, transferring  righteousness to Abraham far greater than could ever be earned. God assigned a new and permanent status, one that would never get downgraded when Abraham failed to live out his belief as He should have. And it was God’s gifted righteousness which qualified Abraham to be called a friend of God.

While the pattern of Abraham’s life was obedience flowing out of his belief in God, there were periods of time when his belief was weak and misplaced for selfish reasons. Abraham struggled with consistently prioritising the Lord over self. Yet, the Lord never walked away from him, He didn’t ignore him, nor did He transfer the righteousness and friendship to anyone else.

We see the same grace shown to the 12 disciples by Jesus when He said to them, No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends (John 15:15). At best, these 12 disciples had faltering belief. They were inconsistent, doubting, fearful at times resulting in them walking away when needed the most. Jesus even included Judas Iscariot in His declaration of friendship, which is astounding considering He knew Judas was the betrayer.

For us, like Abraham and the disciples, we are dependant upon the Lord’s grace to operate in our lives to produce belief in God through His Son Jesus. And today, the result of genuine belief in Jesus Christ is that we are credited with righteousness and called a friend of God.

Romans 3:21-25 explains that through belief in Jesus as our substitute taking God’s wrath on our behalf, we are forgiven and placed in a righteous standing of innocence before God. But there’s more. Ephesians 1:5 tells us that this was always God’s plan for us, to adopt us to Himself as His children. This is a massive upgrade from friendship, as wonderful as friendship is. John 1:12-13 (NLT) repeats these truths by saying, all who believed him (Jesus) and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn – not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

For the Christian, adoption by God, with the friendship of Jesus Christ being administered within us by the Holy Spirit transforms our lives (2 Corinthians 3:18). Some days our transformation can barely be recognised, while other days its really obvious. However, it is faithful God who graciously perseveres with us, for the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever… (Psalm 37:28. Cf. Hebrews 13:5). On both the good and difficult days, remember there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), and this friend loves at all times
(Proverbs 17:17). His name is the Lord Jesus Christ, and I encourage you to walk with Him by faith today.

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Words of eternal life

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

As we approach Christmas, we obviously think more of the truths relating to Jesus leaving His place of glory and coming to earth. Today I wish to conclude The Pastor’s Pen for the year 2024 by thinking of Jesus’ life essence, and His word’s which communicate life to mankind.

In John 6:48 and following, Jesus explained in detail that “I am the bread of life.” Many of his hearers grumbled about how difficult this was to accept. While they were stewing in offence over Jesus’ teaching, He added  in verse 65, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” This was just too much for this group of would-be followers, so “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (Jn 6:66).

Immediately following this mass exodus, Jesus turned His attention to the 12 remaining disciples, asking them, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:67-69).

The contrast between these two groups of listeners is huge. On one hand, the larger crowd could not accept  Jesus’ bold teaching about who He is, and God the Father’s active role in bringing people to belief in Jesus. You see, this group wanted a God who conformed to their design, their expectations, and their way of thinking. But Jesus didn’t deliver the god of their choice, so they quickly abandoned Him.

On the other hand, we have this small group of 12 men, the disciples. Make no mistake, not all 12 were  equally convinced of Jesus’ authoritative teaching here, but at least they stayed. Buried amongst the 12 was calculating Judas Iscariot, who would later jettison all Jesus’ teaching for 30 pieces of silver. However, risking losing His remaining 12 followers, Jesus challenges them to consider His teaching and the crowd’s response, “Do you want to go away as well?” What a tense moment.

Peter, presuming to speak on behalf of all 12 men, answers Jesus with the most amazing confession any human could make. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed…” Peter recognised that Jesus alone spoke God’s truth, which could lead to eternal life, should a person believe them, and act upon them.

Peter knew that no words on planet earth were more powerful that Jesus’ words, as they revealed the truth of God, and Jesus divine nature. Not only so, but His words revealed the true condition of sinful human hearts and Jesus’ ability to infuse His regenerating life into those hearts. Jesus was not presenting a new twist on religion. He was not presenting a message that was designed to please the crowds and make it easy to repent and receive forgiveness from God. But Jesus’ words were words that communicated eternal life. Like Peter, all who believe Jesus’ words in effect believe in Jesus and receive Him.

On that day, both the crowd and the 12 disciples understood the seriousness of Jesus’ words, causing  them all to decide. The crowd took offense and grumbled, while the 12 listened and accepted. The crowd rejected, while the 12 believed. The crowd walked away, while the 12 remained. As we transition from one year to another, may the truth and grace of Jesus impact us so powerfully that we listen, believe, and remain in Jesus’ words of eternal life.

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Words of faithfulness

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

In Judges chapter 2 we read of a rare occasion when the angel of the Lord visited earth, publically addressing Joshua and the nation Israel. Speaking as the Lord, He reminded Israel that it was He who had brought them out of slavery in Egypt; assuring them, I will never break my covenant with you (Judges 2:1). Powerful words of gracious faithfulness considering how unfaithful Israel had been, repeatedly disobeying God’s law and breaking His covenant with them.

To Israel’s credit on this occasion, their equally rare and immediate response was the people lifted up their voices and wept (2:4). Their tears were more than emotion, they committed to turning from sin, from complaining against the Lord, from disobedience, and from their apathy towards God. Under Joshua’s leadership of that generation, the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the LORD had done for Israel (2:7). What a wonderful revival that was!

However, as is so typical of mankind, when the repentant generation had passed, the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals (Judges 2:11). Sadly, the younger generation failed to learn the importance of faithfulness to Yahweh from their parents and grandparents. While this tragic response by Israel has been repeated worldwide by all cultures down through the ages, it amplifies the Lord’s tireless grace as He continues calling sinners to repentance.

In hindsight, we see that visits by the angel of the Lord pointed forward to God’s greatest visitation to mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ. In these last days he (God) has spoken to us by his Son… (Hebrews 1:2); and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20).

All previous Old Testament visitations paled by comparison to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature… (Hebrews 1:3). As impressive as God’s grace and faithfulness was in the Old Testament, the arrival of Jesus proved to be the ultimate expression of divine mercy. Mankind had done nothing to deserve such spectacular grace. Humanity’s murderous response to Jesus proved the world’s blind depravity towards such grace. Well, here we are 2000 years later, and the world’s attitude to Jesus has not changed. But neither has God’s determined grace and faithfulness changed. 

You see, for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ, although once far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace with God (Ephesians 2:13). The sin which once  separated us from God has been washed away through belief that Jesus took our judgement, as our substitute on the cross. Jesus got our sin, while God gifts us with Jesus’ righteousness.

Christians have the privilege of living in the goodness of God, of knowing forgiveness, of a clear conscience from God, of eternal life, and of obedience to Jesus. Believers speak from personal experience of God’s gracious faithfulness through Jesus. Theirs is a life of gratitude, of worship, of walking with the Holy Spirit, of active life in Jesus’ church, and of using their energies for helping others to follow Jesus as they do. I pray this is true in all of our lives today.

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Simple yet powerful words

By / The Pastor's Pen / 3 minutes of reading

Most people know what it’s like to explain a matter, only to be told by their hearers that they don’t understand what you are talking about. Its frustrating for all involved. That said, I am often impressed by the apostle Paul’s writings, with both his ingenious mind and yet his ability to explain matters simply, most of the time. Paul’s ability to adjust an explanation for complexity or simplicity according to who he knows will be reading is worthy of our attention. What’s more, Paul was able to masterfully do the same when speaking to people in person.

When writing to the Corinthian church about his earlier visit, Paul explains that when I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

The most striking quality that I notice is Paul’s humility. Although he had the highest credentials, Paul didn’t speak with eloquence which I’m sure he could have if he wanted. Speaking instead in words that would be easy to receive, Paul communicated the testimony about God in a way that could not only be understood, but believed in. Key to Paul’s introduction of the gospel was that He disciplined his explanation to Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He resisted any tendency to explain more than only what was needed for the purpose of the gospel.

Recognising Corinth’s Gentile culture, there was no need to unpack Old Testament Jewish teaching. Rather, Paul wisely spoke in a manner that the average citizen would understand. His desire to be effective at communicating the truth of Jesus Christ motivated determination at presenting the essentials relevant to his listeners for the occasion. In other words, the core gospel truth is what Paul focused on, which was the Corinthian’s greatest need at the time. More complex teaching would come later in the life of the future Corinthian church.

Knowing Paul as we do, it’s hard to imagine he felt weakness with great fear and trembling in those early days of evangelism in Corinth. Yet his nervousness was motivated by humility and a correct desire for gospel effectiveness. Obviously Paul was not trying to impress people with his personality, knowledge, or speaking skills. The truth is, his lack of personal charisma could have easily been a deterrent to his audience. But it wasn’t. As is always the case when the gospel is proclaimed, it is the operation of the Holy Spirit who invisibly infuses the necessary power to change people’s lives.

The same remains true today, with the Holy Spirit working through simple and clear explanations of Jesus’ gospel, so that faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. Be encouraged to learn the biblical gospel essentials well, so that as the Lord provides opportunities you will be able to explain it simply, clearly, and in an understandable way for your hearer. We don’t need to be an apostle, or to have higher education for this, but we do need humility with willingness. May the Lord enable each of us to prepare ourselves for the times when we can speak of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

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