Join us for live worship and an inspiring message from Charles Nieman in
our morning service from the Hills Campus, Sydney, Australia. Get the Hillsong Church App and more.....
Mistakes are a part of life. When we make one, we can
either chalk it up as a learning experience or hold on to it and let
guilt make us miserable. How we deal with our shortcomings either helps
us move forward or holds us back. The mistake we make is letting
religion weigh so heavily on our hearts and minds that we feel guilty
about our past, and forget that forgiveness is available through Jesus
Christ.
If we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, He cleanses us from all our sins, even the ones we haven’t committed yet. When He went on the cross, He only needed to do this once. “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God…For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:12, 14). When we believe this, we position ourselves to receive the forgiveness that’s available to us.
Getting born again allows us to receive brand-new identities in Christ. We become God’s children, and receive the right to stand directly in His presence with no guilt or shame. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12, 13). This righteousness doesn’t come from anything we do, but from what Jesus did and our faith in that.
As Christians, we don’t have to keep asking God for forgiveness every
time we fall short and miss the mark. This is one important difference
between believers and the world. In order to have fellowship with God
through His Son, unbelievers must first accept Jesus Christ. “That if
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in
thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9, 10). However, once
we’re saved, we simply give thanks for what we already have, without
the need to continually repeat this process.
The full realization of this changes how we live. It requires renewing our minds according to God’s Word for it to sink in. Some people are afraid to move forward with their lives because of the fear of making a mistake. For born-again believers, this is no longer an issue. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
We’re living under grace. However, having to confess our sins every time we need forgiveness isn’t grace, because that means we must do something to get something from God. We’re recipients of God’s unearned, undeserved favor. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). This releases us from beating ourselves up for what we’ve done and allows us to enjoy a close, personal relationship with God.
It’s important to remember this so we won’t spend our energy trying to earn God’s forgiveness. If we’ve been born again, our past is gone, and our loving Father invites us into His presence with open arms. It’s okay to be ourselves, because we have His unconditional acceptance and He helps us make better decisions. Because of Christ, we can change our focus from our past to our future.
To learn more about how God’s forgiveness changes our lives and allows us to let go of our past sins and mistakes, click on the link below for the five-message series, The Contrast: Law by Moses vs. Grace by Jesus.
http://bit.ly/thecontrastlawbymosesvsgracebyjesus
If we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, He cleanses us from all our sins, even the ones we haven’t committed yet. When He went on the cross, He only needed to do this once. “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God…For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:12, 14). When we believe this, we position ourselves to receive the forgiveness that’s available to us.
Getting born again allows us to receive brand-new identities in Christ. We become God’s children, and receive the right to stand directly in His presence with no guilt or shame. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12, 13). This righteousness doesn’t come from anything we do, but from what Jesus did and our faith in that.
The full realization of this changes how we live. It requires renewing our minds according to God’s Word for it to sink in. Some people are afraid to move forward with their lives because of the fear of making a mistake. For born-again believers, this is no longer an issue. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
We’re living under grace. However, having to confess our sins every time we need forgiveness isn’t grace, because that means we must do something to get something from God. We’re recipients of God’s unearned, undeserved favor. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). This releases us from beating ourselves up for what we’ve done and allows us to enjoy a close, personal relationship with God.
It’s important to remember this so we won’t spend our energy trying to earn God’s forgiveness. If we’ve been born again, our past is gone, and our loving Father invites us into His presence with open arms. It’s okay to be ourselves, because we have His unconditional acceptance and He helps us make better decisions. Because of Christ, we can change our focus from our past to our future.
To learn more about how God’s forgiveness changes our lives and allows us to let go of our past sins and mistakes, click on the link below for the five-message series, The Contrast: Law by Moses vs. Grace by Jesus.
http://bit.ly/thecontrastlawbymosesvsgracebyjesus
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