Jesus - 100%

April 11, 2011 Monday Message:

Do you rationalize sin? Many of us do. “I didn’t really mean to do it; I’ll never do that again; he/she deserved it – they had it coming; it wasn’t all my fault; it’s just a little white lie.” It’s like we believe in “degrees” of sin, which logically leads to “degrees” of forgiveness. But that’s not what the Bible says.

Any sin is offensive to God. That’s the bad news. God doesn’t grade sin on a curve. It’s pass/fail. If you remain free of all sin, you pass. If you commit any sort of sin, you fail. According to the Bible, we have all come up short.

The good news, of course, is that Jesus dispenses forgiveness on a pass/fail system as well. He doesn’t forgive just a few of your sins, or only the minor ones. Jesus came to take away ALL the sin of the world, and that includes all of YOUR sin and all of MY sin.

If you have turned away from sin and claim Jesus as your savior, you are forgiven. Not just a little forgiven, but totally and completely forgiven. There is no sin for which you cannot be forgiven. Jesus didn’t do just half the job. When Jesus took the sin of the world to the grave, he took it ALL!

So leave ALL your burdens at the foot of the cross. Jesus will take care of everything. When He takes your sin in exchange for his robe of white, you become as holy as the Holy One. “You are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Colossians 2:10 Now we can stop worrying about old sins, and get back to worshiping God!

May God’s hand be on you and your loved ones as Holy Week draws near.

Norton Lawellin

This Friday night 7PM some of us will lead worship at New Hope Center, part of Metro Hope Ministries. We’ll look at the anointing of David, and his encounter with Goliath as God once again rescues the entire Hebrew nation.