January 6
Gen 13:5-15 | PS 6:1-10 | Prov 1:29-33 | Matt 5:27-48
When Jesus said on the cross in John 19:30, "It is finished", understand this is an accounting term. It signifies that all of our sins have been paid for by that one singular act, past, present and future. Jesus did it all. We actually did nothing to have our sins settled. It has nothing to do with our being good. Our part is revealed in Romans 10:9, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." All we have to do is believe. Now to believe is not just mental assent. To believe means to put your full weight on something. In realizing our own unworthiness, we realize that nothing that we do can make us righteous enough to enter heaven, for God is infinitely holy. To explain this very succinctly, we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Understanding this is freeing and erases any element of pride. This is why Jesus is our living hope.
We read in Genesis 15:6, "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness." This is the first time Abram is declared righteous. Abram had already done many amazing things exemplifying his faith: leaving his country and possessions, going a long distance to arrive at the Promised land, going to battle with 318 men against an army of many, etc. But these were Abram's acts. Like previously, verse 15:6 is an accounting term, meaning that this righteousness was credited to Abram's account, not by His previous actions, but by faith, by believing in God. To further exemplify this, the ancient method of making a covenant between parties, was not signing on the dotted line. They would sacrifice a number of animals and cut them in half. The two parties would then walk back and forth between the sacrificed animals signifying they agreed to the terms, and if one forfeited, they were as good as those dead animals. Notice after Abram assembled the animals as specified by God, that Abram fell into a deep sleep in Genesis 15:12. This is a unilateral, unconditional covenant between God and Abram. While Abram sleeps, God speaks, and with the vision of the moving torch, God alone walks through these sacrificed animals. We need to remove from our minds the concept of our being good enough, or doing this or that, to provide for our own salvation. We will never be good enough. We can never provide our own atonement for our sins. It is through God's provision, in His Son, and in Him alone.
Lastly, we tend to trivialize our sin. After all, doesn't everyone do it? Back in Genesis 12, Abram left the promised land and went to Egypt which was a lack of trust. Then he feared his own life, and chose to lie to Pharaoh, calling his wife, his sister (though Sarai was his half-sister remember a half truth is still just as much a lie). In the servants that he acquired from this lie, was Hagar, who became Sarai's servant. Then as more time elapsed (in reality it had been years since they had been promised an heir), in impatience, they had Abram sleep with Hagar, to provide the heir, which resulted in Ishmael. In those days it was deemed socially acceptable to use one's servant girl as a surrogate. But just because something is socially acceptable doesn't make it part of God's plan. God established what marriage is back in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2, and nothing has changed that definition. This was adultery. So, realize, though Abram was deemed righteous, and a tremendous man of faith, he was still a man, and very much a sinner. Now, back to trivializing sin, these acts of distrust, lying, impatience and adultery have resulted in our modern Israeli-Arab conflict alive and well 4000 years later. Ishmael became the father of the Arab nation, while Abraham's son, Isaac, who will be born thirteen years later, became the father of the nation of Israel. There are earthly consequences to our sins. Yes, God will forgive if we believe, but that does not mean that there will not be consequences. We must see the absolute importance of faith, as we meditate on one more verse in case there are any doubts in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: