There was an early Christian Father, a great man of God by the name of Jerome. He was a talented man who translated the Bible into Latin (the language of the people back then). At one time Jerome desired and decided to go and live for a period of time in Bethlehem (where Jesus was born). While he was in Bethlehem, he had a dream that Jesus came to visit him. And in that dream, Jerome immediately went out and collected all of his money and he presented it to Jesus. But Jesus said to him, “Jerome, I don’t need your money.” On hearing that, Jerome immediately went out and collected all his possessions and he put them together and he brought them to Jesus. But Jesus said to him, “Jerome, I don’t need your possessions.” And then Jerome recalled a moment in his dream when he turned to the Lord Jesus and said, “Lord! What can I give you? What do you want from me?” And Jesus replied,
“Give me your sins, that is what I came for, I came to take away your sins.”
“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us an engineer. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been fun, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need of all was our need for forgiveness, so God sent us a Saviour, Jesus Christ, to bring us eternal life.” – Dr. Michael Youseff
If the world is desperate for something today, it is not more courses on communication, it is not more pop psychology, it is not more techniques and principles or 7 steps to happiness, it is not more courses on how to get along with each other. The most desperate need in our world today is one thing and one thing only, and that is – to know the cleansing power of Jesus’s blood. All the motivational speakers in the world cannot accomplish that. Only the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses the heart from hatred, puts an end to bloodshed, changes the heart and the minds of people, and transforms lives.
Today, we have some people running around saying, “Come to Jesus and He will make you healthy, wealthy and all your problems will be over.” That is simply not true because the scripture tells us that all those who live godly life shall suffer and be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12). But, praise be to God who not only promised us victory to overcome (John 16:33), and above all also assures us that we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:31-39).
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:19
God promised victory, but you and I have to claim the authority to win the skirmish. The battle was already won at Calvary, but you and I must claim the skirmishes and the victory. I find that I have victory over sin in my life when I approach each day acknowledging how capable I am of sinning or falling into sin. I admit every single day that I’m capable of lust, vain imagination, deceit, stealing, cheating, and laziness. And by approaching each day by admitting my vulnerability to sin, I find that I am in a better position to guard my heart and live by all the applicable promises of God that He gave me in order to have strength and victory over sin. To claim the victory and take the authority of Jesus, you and I must stand firm on every promise of God given to us in the scripture. For it written:
- “No weapon formed against you will prevail” – Isaiah 54:7
- “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” – 1 John 4:4
- “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ” – 1 Corinthians 15:57
- “But thanks be to God who always leads us in a triumphant procession in Christ Jesus” – 2 Corinthians 2:14
- “No temptation has ceased you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide a way out so that you can endure it” – 1 Corinthians 10:13
The more you love Jesus, the more you will become conscious of sin, temptation, and Satan’s attack; and the more you become more conscious of the spiritual conflicts, the more you will treasure and appreciate the amazing love Jesus has for you by nailing all your sins to His cross and giving you victory to overcome. My great High Priest whose name is LOVE forever lives and pleas for me. My name is forever engravened on His nail-scarred hands.
“Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” – John Newton
A bird is free in the air, place the bird in the water and it loses its liberty. A fish is free in the water, but if left on the sand it will perish, has it is out of the realm. Also, Christians are free when they are in the realm of obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ and his words (Holy Bible). Our freedom is not freedom to sin, but it is freedom NOT to sin.
Surrender to the control of the Holy Spirit gives us freedom from the control of sin. Surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit will keep us from the pitfalls of the old nature. Surrendering of our will to the Spirit of the Living God will help us over the enemies trap every time. The old nature is not an excuse for sin. The blood of Jesus never cleanses an excuse. If we confess, He (God) forgives.
A professing Christian was sentenced by the judge because he broke the law. Instead of asking for forgiveness or leniency, he rationalised his crime, he tried to justify it to the judge, but the judge ended up giving him double punishment. The man said to the Judge, “Your honour, as a believer in Christ, I am a new man, but I still have the old nature, and it was the old man that committed that crime, not the new man.” The judge then concluded saying, “Since the new man was an accomplish to the wrong, I’ll give him also 30 days in prison.” And so, the judge sentenced the man to 60 days in prison instead of 30 days.
For just as surely as a bad apple spoils the whole lot unless it is removed from the pack, so does sin infect the whole body if not dealt with it. In all seriousness, we ought to and should deal with sin because the Bible says:
- Sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30).
- Sin is dishonouring to the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
- Sin is a hindrance to God answering prayers (1 Peter 3:12).
- Sin disqualifies us in our witness for Christ (1 Corinthians 9:27).
- Sin deprives us of receiving blessings from God (Jeremiah 5:25).
- Sin brings the Lord’s chastisement (Hebrew 12:5-7).
- Sin robs us from the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12).
- Sin inhibits our spiritual growth (1 Corinthians 3:1).
- Sin prevents us from being useful for the kingdom of God (2 Timothy 2:21).
- Sin pollutes Christian atmosphere (1 Corinthians 10:21).
- Sin can endanger us even physically (1 Corinthians 11:30).
The Word of God tells us to deliver the unrepentant sinner to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that the Spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord (1 Corinthians 5:5). The reason for such a drastic measure is really to bring the person back to repentance. However, we are to do all we can for such a person to help them turn from their sin. God may allow for the flesh to be destroyed physically, but the soul would be saved eternally.
When was the last time you wept, fasted and prayed in agony with a broken, contrite spirit and heart over your sin? When you do so, you can be assured that God’s Grace will give you an aversion towards sin; will give you power over sin; will make you hate sin; will make you repulsed by sin; will give you victory over sin; will always drive you back to Christ every time you sin. God’s Grace exceeds our sin and our guilt. God’s Grace is greater than all of our sins. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” – Isaiah 1:18
In Christ Alone 