Jan 19
20
SORRY
When we think of conviction of sin, we usually think of strong feeling of guilt or remorse over things we have done. But when the Lord tells us what true conviction of sin is, He says “of sin, because they believe not on me” (John 16:9). The sin of sins is to not trust Christ for salvation. You have experienced Holy Spirit conviction when you see the wickedness of attempting to come into God’s presence any other way than the way of Christ alone
Todd Nibert.
Sin Blotted OUT!
“I, even I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins” (Is.43:25).
There are many glorious things written within the covers of this
marvelous book; we love His doctrine and His ways, His miracles and
words of infinite wisdom. We find such comfort and peace in the sweet
truths of the gospel of the glory of our God. I do find myself however,
leaning and constantly returning to the bold and arresting statement of
Isaiah’s notation! Perhaps it is because I never get away from the sin
within, the sin tugging and stirring in this flesh; perhaps it is the
soul cheering truth of the Christ who by Himself has thusly blotted out
all my transgressions that trouble me so. Perhaps it is the pure, simple
and unerring words of His Spirit telling me and everyone for whom Christ
was ‘made sin’ that God in His justice will never ever lay my sins to my
account! Blotteth out: that is erased, wiped away, dealt with in that
perfect and righteous substitute the Son of His Love! Blotteth out!! I
think I have, by His grace, found a lively and good word for my soul’s
need this day, what about you sinner, what about you?
Drew Dietz
Is There Any Real Hope For Real Sinners?
Is there any real hope for real sinners? I know that men and women who
think of themselves as good moral people have no problem in this matter.
They think they are okay. They look upon their good works, their
religious devotion, and their moral integrity with much approval. In
their proud self-righteousness they presume that God owes them something
and that he will accept them. They are highly offended when they are
told by a plain spoken preacher that they are sinners and that their
supposed righteous deeds are filthy rags, abominable in the sight of
God. I am not speaking to you of good people”.
I am speaking to you men and women who know yourselves to be guilty
sinners before a holy God. You have no good deeds to boast of. Your life
is as vile as your heart. You are an outcast of society. Both your
family and friends avoid your company. You are so abominably evil that
you can hardly endure living with yourself. You know that you are guilty
before a holy God. You know that if you had your just reward from him,
you would be in hell. Is there any real hope for real sinners like you
and me?
I know that we have no hope in ourselves. We have all tried religious
decisions and moral reformation. But these things cannot atone for our
sins. These things cannot silence our guilty consciences. Preachers tell
us to join the church, or start living right, or start serving the Lord.
You may have tried it all. But the fact remains that you cannot do
anything that God will accept. You may have joined the church and become
religious, but your conscience still torments you. You have no peace
with God. Is there any real hope for real sinners?
Yes, blessed be God, there is real hope for real sinners like us! That
Hope is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He came to this earth to
be the Friend of sinners. He came to be the sinner’s Substitute before
God. As the Substitute for sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ lived in this
world accomplishing a perfect righteousness, the only righteousness
which God will accept. Then he willingly laid down his life in the place
of sinners at Calvary. As the Substitute for guilty sinners the Son of
God took our sins upon himself, and in his death he paid the penalty due
unto us. Now it is promised that all who believe on him shall be saved
and have everlasting life. “He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life” (John 3:36). That includes both you and me. If we, as
guilty sinners, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as our only Savior, our
only Righteousness, and our only Pardon for sin, we shall be saved!
Jesus Christ is the only One who gives real hope to real sinners. I
trust him. Most gladly do I trust Christ. I have no righteousness but
his righteousness. I have no cleansing from sin but his blood. I have no
pardon but his pardon. I have no acceptance before God but Christ. I
have nothing to plead before God but this, Jesus Christ lived and died
for me. Though I am a real sinner like you, I have a REAL HOPE BEFORE
GOD. My Hope is Jesus Christ the Lord. And HE GIVES HE REAL PEACE BEFORE
GOD. Will you trust Christ alone? THERE IS REAL HOPE FOR REAL SINNERS IN
CHRIST.
Don Fortner
The Call of the Sinner
When the Lord came to His disciples on the dark stormy sea he saw them
“toiling in rowing”. He saw their fear and futility against an angry sea
and a contrary wind. They needed to be saved!
He came there on purpose to save; but He made like He would pass by. Is
this not the case of every sinner the Lord saves? He makes like He will
pass them by then listens close for their call. It is exactly this
experience that causes us to call on Him. One thing I know by experience
is that no true sinner will ever let Him pass by. He will cry, plead,
and fight his way through the press but he must and will reach the
Savior. His call is not a call of discussion or option but of
desperation. It is now or never – life or death – Heaven or Hell. He is
done with the oars, done with the storm, and done with the darkness.
In the midst of it all he sees the Lord and while he is able to see he
calls.
Darvin Pruitt
TRUE Righteousness
Most modern preachers are preaching against sin without declaring the
true nature and character of God, and it just comes out as dos and
don’ts and decisions and reformations. The whole process is merely
peripheral. Their message reaches only to that which they have done; and
consequently, that which they can change. They have never seen what they
are; and that which no man can change. Such religion breeds
self-righteousness and makes converts who do not need the full, free
justifying righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Just give them a plan, a proposition, a few things to do, a few rules to
follow, a few commandments to keep, and they rest very comfortably. You
will hear them talking about free grace, but all the while they are
thinking about what they have done or are doing; and this is contrary
too grace! TRUE grace brings a TRUE knowledge of God, a TRUE knowledge
of self (sin), and leaves the sinner’s attention focused upon TRUE
righteousness, righteousness through the doing and dying of the Lord
Jesus Christ, righteousness which is obtained through faith alone—a
sinner trusting Christ!
Maurice Montgomery
The Word of truth works the Righteousness of God in a sinner causing us
to look nowhere else but to the Lord Jesus Christ our Righteousness. The
natural man, in the filthiness and naughtiness of the flesh, never has,
nor ever will, produce the Righteousness of God.
By the Word of truth the believer knows that even though we were elected
unto salvation in Christ before the world began, we were born into
bondage to our own spiritually dead flesh and spirit. The Word of truth
will not let the believer forget, that in the deadness of our flesh all
our righteous works were only dead fruit (Ro 7: 4-6.) Sin, having
dominion over us, would not allow us to deny the flesh by looking to
Christ alone but made us constantly defend the flesh–dead fruit. By the
dominion of sin, all we could do was think evil, say evil and do evil by
thinking, saying and doing everything for the cause of our dead
flesh–dead fruit. In this dead state, when our guilty conscious got the
best of us, the dominion of sin caused us to look to that same dead
flesh in an attempt to make self more acceptable to God–dead fruit. We
attempted to clean a dirty floor with a dirty mop. The dominion of sin
would not allow us to look to the Lord our Righteousness and confess
that in our flesh is no good thing (Ro 8: 5-14.)
Through the Spirit of God, the Word was engrafted within us and gave us
spiritual life (v18, 21.) By the Word of truth, God’s holy law threw a
spotlight on our persons (our old man–our flesh and our old dead
spirit) and said, “Behold, sin!” (Ro 7: 7-13.) In the new spirit of
meekness given by God, we put our hands over our mouths and became swift
to hear. Christ our King entered in shedding his love abroad in our
hearts so that the hatred for God in our old man no longer reigns within
(Ro 8: 1-4; Col 1: 11-14.) With new eyes we discovered that when Christ
was made sin and died in the flesh, we died in the flesh. Our body of
sin was buried in the ground. The Holy Law of God released all claim on
us. Therefore, being raised to newness of life with Christ, we regard
our old man as dead and buried. We no longer worship God in the flesh
but in spirit and in truth (Jn 4: 23, 24; Col 1: 21, 22; 2: 8-14; 3:
1-4.) We are still in this dead flesh, (and too often still look to it)
but sin has no more dominion over us to keep us from trusting Christ our
all. Before the all-seeing eye of God, our life is hid in Christ.
Therefore we no longer look to our dead body for proof of righteousness
or for proof of liberty as do the legalist, the antinomian and all dead
religionists tittering somewhere between the two. Instead, BELIEVERS
LOOK TO CHRIST FOR ALL.
Clay Curtis
The Conviction Of Judgment
John 16:11
Looking upon my own heart, in the light of God’s Word, I am thoroughly
convinced of my own depravity, quilt and sin before God. I know that I
deserve his infinite wrath. Looking upon that Man in heaven who is God,
who once was made to be sin for sinful man and is now freed from sin, I
am thoroughly convinced that his righteousness is infinitely meritorious
and sufficient to give all who trust him eternal, immutable acceptance
with the holy God. And looking upon Christ’s conquest over satan by his
death upon the cursed tree, I am thoroughly convinced of judgment. This
is the work of the Holy Spirit. When he saves a sinner he convinces him
of sin, righteousness and judgment. This conviction of judgment is
threefold.
GOD WILL JUDGE ALL SIN (Acts 17:31). As the Lord God judged satan for
sin, casting him out of heaven, binding him by the cross of Christ, and
sentencing him to everlasting destruction in hell, so he will judge the
sins of all men and women in the last day. None shall escape the justice
and wrath of almighty God. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die!”
GOD’S JUDGMENT OF MEN FOR SIN IS JUST. Sin is more than an act. It is a
principle of enmity against God in the heart of every man. It is treason
against the King of heaven and malice against our Creator. It is an
infinite evil. The goodness and justice of God demand that wickedness be
put out of the earth and that sinners be punished with everlasting
destruction (Psa. 11:4-7). Should God punish me forever in hell, he is
perfectly just to do so. Should he punish you forever in hell, he is
just. We deserve eternal damnation.
HOWEVER, FOR GOD’S ELECT JUDGMENT IS OVER! The Lord God judged our sins
in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He made his dear Son to be sin for us
and punished us for sin, to the full satisfaction of justice in his
darling Son. The proof that judgment is over for the believer is the
fact that Christ has taken satan into captivity, delivering us from the
fear of death (Heb. 2:15).
If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you have nothing to fear from
God, his law, or his justice. Your sins are forever forgiven. You have
been made perfectly righteous in Christ. You are complete in him. And
for you judgment is over.
Don Fortner