WE ARE BLESSED TO HAVE OUR SINS FORGIVEN

Proclamation:

“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the one whose sin The Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is not deceit.”  Psalm 32:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm is a song which was written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this psalm David acknowledges and confesses his sin, probably his sin with Bathsheba, and asks for forgiveness and deliverance. (Psalm 32:5)  Then he encouraged the people of God to also confess their sins. (Psalm 32:6)  David knew that the weight of his unconfessed sin was heavy upon him and had caused him to suffer. (Psalm 32:3-4)  He knew that the people whose sins are forgiven are blessed.

Application:

The only way to be truly happy is to be blessed by The Lord.  The best blessing that we can receive is having our sins forgiven and not counted against us by The Lord God.  When we pray and ask to be forgiven for a particular sin, we should also ask The Lord to cleanse us of all of our sins, known and unknown, as well as the sins of omission. (1 John 1:9)  We have probably committed sins which we were unaware of because all unrighteousness is sin. (1 John 5:17)  If whatever we did, said, or thought, did not give God glory, it was probably a sin.  We want all of our sins to be covered and washed away by the blood of Jesus, The Christ.

JESUS PAID IT ALL

Proclamation:

"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."  Isaiah 53:5-6 (NIV)

Explanation:

By the aid of The Holy Spirit of God the Prophet Isaiah wrote to the people of God, first, to warn them about their sinful behavior, and then secondly to tell them about the coming Messiah, Jesus, The Christ.  Here Isaiah stated that Jesus took upon Himself all of our iniquities, and by His physical injuries we were healed.  His punishment paid for our peace and made our salvation possible.

Application:

Jesus, who never sinned, paid the price for all of our sins. (Romans 6:23)  He was the sacrificial lamb who shed His blood for the remission of our sins. (Hebrews 9:22)  Jesus, The Son of God, endured the wrath of God, The Father, for our sins as our substitute. (John 1:29 and Revelation 14:10)  We had gone our own sinful way instead of following His way.  In fact, He is the way. (John 14:6)  Because He was hurt, we can be healed.  Because He was pierced, we can be protected.  Because He was crushed, we can be cured.  Because He was flogged, we can be forgiven.  Because He was punished, we can have peace.  Because He was wounded, we can be washed in His blood.  Because He took our sins, we can be saved.  Jesus paid it all and He did it for us.

THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST WAS PREDICTED

Proclamation:

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."  Isaiah 53:5-6 (NIV)

Explanation:

This Holy Spirit of God inspired prophesy of the prophet Isaiah was regarding the crucifixion of Jesus.  It foretold of His suffering and punishment as a substitute for us.  He paid the price for our sins and iniquities so that we might be saved, because, like sheep, we had gone astray and were lost.

Application:

Just as he had predicted the birth of Christ, more than four hundred years beforehand, (Isaiah 7:14), the prophet Isaiah also predicted the crucifixion of Christ for our sins.  He predicted that Christ would b wounded so that we could be healed.  The suffering that Christ endured, the verbal and physical abuse, being spat upon and beaten, being wiped and scourged, the crown of thorns, being nailed to the cross, being pierced in His side, and dying upon the cross was all done for our sins, transgressions, and iniquities. (Matthew 27:27-35 and Mark 15:15-26)  We had turned away from God and each of us was doing what was right in our own eyes. (Proverbs 12:15)  We were lost, and He came to save the lost. (Matthew 18:11 and Luke 19:10)  Christ bore the sins of the world upon Himself and paid the price our sins so that we could have a chance at salvation. (John 1:29, John 12:27, John 18:37, and 1 John 2:2)  He suffered the chastisement of God for our sins in order to procure our salvation.  This is what Isaiah predicted would happen, and he predicted this long before Christ was born.  However, before we can receive the gift of salvation from the penalty of sin we must confess and believe in Jesus, The Christ. (Romans 10:9-10)