Romans 4:7-8 New King James Version (NKJV) 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.” 8 “BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.” In the New American Standard Bible).

I read the Scripture above in my morning reading recently and thought, “This is the greatest blessing!- to have our sins forgiven, never to be counted against us.”
God truly is a God of mercy. Mercy means we do not get what we deserve. We deserve punishment, death, hell. God gives us us blessings, abundant life, eternal life, heaven.

But there are a lot of people who have not received forgiveness of sins. They have not asked for forgiveness. They have not confessed their sins. One of the best prayers in the Bible is found in Luke 18:13 where the tax gatherer said, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” and he was justified and forgiven by God. (See Luke 18:9-13)

Matthew 18:11 “For the Son of Man (Jesus) has come to save that which was lost.” Jesus came to save us, to forgive us, to receive us, to accept us—-NOT to condemn us. That was His purpose when He came to earth. John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

But still forgiveness is not automatic. We have our part to do. It is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross when He took our sins upon Himself that we are able to have life and life eternal. It is the Blood of Jesus that cleanses us. We have to confess our sins to the Father in heaven and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord for forgiveness and to get the benefits of what he provides for us. 1 John 1:7-9 “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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When God cleanses you from ALL your sins , how much do you have left in you? “NONE!” When God forgives he forgives completely, and even forgets it.

Several hundred years before Jesus died for us the prophet Jeremiah pointed to the New Covenant that God would provide through His Son Jesus Christ. Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Matthew 9:1-8 is a story of a paralytic that Jesus healed. He also forgave the man’s sins when He said to him, “Your sins are forgiven.” The religious leaders of the day and many of the people did not receive Jesus for who He really was. Yet He has authority to forgive sins. See Matthew 9:1-6: “So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.’ ” 3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, ‘This Man blasphemes!’ 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ 7 And he arose and departed to his house.”

Let us look at Three Kinds of People:
1) Lost, unforgiven, never asked God for forgiveness, never confessed their sins, unsaved, non-believer. Direction to take for these people: Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
2) Saved, walking in God’s love, Jesus is Lord; honor God in their life, filled with the love and joy of the Holy Spirit and power. Direction for these people to take: Continue in the things of God. 2 Peter 3:18 “ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Keep putting God first in your life. Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Keep serving Jesus-God will honor you. (See John 12:26)
3) Saved, but do not feel forgiven. Those who are saved, believe and confess Jesus as Lord, have asked for forgiveness of sins, but they do not feel forgiven. They still feel condemned over their past. We see a lot of people in this condition. Direction for these people. Believe what God says about you and your past. You are forgiven. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… (Romans 8:1) And 1 John 1:9 will set you free when you do it and believe it. I John 1:9 set me free from condemnation of my past. It will set you free also. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When God cleanses you from ALL your sins, how much sin do you have left in you? Answer is “NONE!” When God forgives he forgives completely, and even forgets it. The Psalms tell us that God puts your sins in the depth of the sea. He removes them as far as the east is from the west. Like the scapegoat He takes your sins into the wilderness, which suggests He takes them to hell, never to be remembered. The best thing to do with sin is confess it , get forgiven of it, learn from it, forget about it, and go try to do better in the future. The next time the devil brings up your past sins, remind him you are forgiven and tell him, “Get thee behind me –Be Gone!-in Jesus Name.” The next time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. Say to yourself, “I am forgiven and accepted by Jesus. I am clean by the Blood of Jesus.” Forgive yourself also if you have not done so. People, the world, even church people, and sometimes your own self will try to keep you feeling condemned and bring up your past and keep you there. Believe what God says about you-you are forgiven. You are a new creature in Christ Jesus. You are a child of the Most High God. When someone tells you that you are worthless, sorry, of no worth, and condemn you. Say, “I don’t receive that. I am a child of the Most High God. Thank you very much.” Believe what God and His Word says about you!

Are you forgiven? You can be. Is Jesus your Savior and Lord? Pray this and mean it in your heart: God be merciful to me the sinner. I confess my sins before You. I am sorry for my sins, and I ask You to forgive my sins. I accept what Jesus, Your Son, did for me on the cross when He shed His blood to wash away my sins. I receive Jesus as Savior and Lord of my life right now. I am clean by the Blood of Jesus. I can now call You my Father. Jesus, baptize me in the Holy Spirit and fire; fill me with Your Spirit. Holy Spirit, help me to live a life pleasing to my Father in Heaven. Thank You for forgiving me and saving me, and giving me eternal life. 1 John 5:11 “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” Read (Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:8-9; 6:23; 10:9-10, 13; John3:16; Luke 11:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38). Read the Bible daily, pray daily, get water baptized, ask Jesus to baptize you in the Holy Spirit, meet often with other believers.

Taking the Message of Forgiveness With Us: We continue to present the Jesus as Savior, Lord, Best Friend-the One who forgives, saves, and sets us free. Consider being a monthly financial Cowboy Partner with us as we travel to rodeos, bull ridings, ropings, Cowboy Churches, and other places in between. We also distribute this CCF Magazine nationwide and you can help and be a part of it all. Cowboy Partners give financially, pray for and with us, and at times are available to help when we are in their area. Romans 10: 14-15 “ 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

Service: What about your group? Is there anything that we can do for you? Let us know. Isaiah 6:8 Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” Then said I, “Send me…I’ll go.”
Presenting Jesus and His forgiveness,

Ronnie Christian
Phil 4:19

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