July 13th, 21

Has your conscience? Is your conscience clean? Is it free? Have your feelings of guilt been dealt with? Or is going to church just a constant weekly reminder of your shame? If that's the case, then you really haven't understood just how good God is, and how much Jesus has done for us. God doesn't want your weekly offerings of regret and shame over your past. That's not the Christian life. And that's not what God has in mind. Jesus says in verse 9, look, I have come to do your will, for God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once, for all time. And in verse 12, through 14, it says, but our high priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. For by that one offering, he forever made perfect. Those who are being made holy. That includes putting this law in our hearts and minds and giving us is his very Spirit who dwells in us to cleanse our consciences from the torments of guilt. Verse 22, says, Our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. That's how amazing Jesus is, and how good the gospel is, you are fully clean. It wasn't your weekly sacrifice of regrets that made it so or even your repentance. It was Jesus sacrifice that made you clean and forgiven, even before you did a thing. Repentance is a response to what God has done. It's agreeing with him about what he's done and who we are and what we've become. elsewhere. Paul says, I focus on this one thing, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on, to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God through Jesus Christ is calling us. Paul could forget his violent and shameful past because Christ had freed him from this past, by the shedding of his blood. Paul's conscience was clean. How's your conscience? Is it clean? It can be.  Are you free? You can be.  Do what Paul did. He focused on the reality of what God had completed in Christ. Focus on that one thing, forgetting the past, looking forward to what lies ahead, press on, toward the heavenly prize that God is calling you to. He's done for you, which you could never do on your own. So if you're tired of coming to church week after week, to offer your sacrifice of regret. And if you're tired of starting each day with shame and regrets, you don't need to do that anymore. Christ to shed his blood for you, once for all time. He did it. And it is more than enough. So walk into liberty and the joy of a conscience free and clean because of what he has done for you. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family for my wife, my daughter's my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May be so

You are loved!