Heeeyyyyy there!
Can we start off Week 2 by being completely real with each other? Pull up a chair and grab your favorite latte, because it’s time to engage in the rare talk that goes deeper than the surface conversations we exchange on social media and in the church foyer on any given Sunday.Â
This week we’re talking about the Way of Forgiveness – the answer for our sin problem that we uncovered in Week 1. Picture our study this week sort of like the crucial step in a counseling intervention – the one where the problem has already been identified and we have taken the soul-searching step of recognizing our need – and it’s now time to look towards the solution.
For some of you, it’s freeing to look outside of yourself for a solution for your need for forgiveness. You’ve already come to the end of yourself and you know that you’ve got nothing unless a Savior steps in. But I believe that there are also some of you who aren’t quite ready to give up the fight. You think that with enough self-talk, life strategy, and hard work you can still figure this thing out on your own.
I get it. It’s not easy to surrender.
Ever since Adam and Eve introduced sin to the world, it’s been human nature to try to dig ourselves out of our own messes:
We conceal our sin, praying that with just enough distraction and cover-up, no one will ever notice.
We compare our sin, pointing out the speck in another’s eye instead of recognizing the log in our own.
We contribute good works to try to “outweigh” our sin, working harder and doing more in hopes of finding favor with God and with others.
But since this is real talk, let’s be honest: the longer we run and hide from our sin, the more miserable we become. Concealing and comparing our sin – and even contributing the very best that we have to offer – will never bridge the gap of separation that our sin has created between us and God.
Listen, it’s okay to admit that you can’t beat this on your own.
That’s why Jesus came.
“I’m not sure how long I stayed underneath those covers, but it was long enough that I had time to think through every possible scenario of how the whole ordeal would end. What would I say in my defense? How would my parents respond? I expected the worst but was met with gentleness and open arms. I hesitated to give affection but was embraced with unconditional love. I anticipated separation, rejection, and heavy consequences but was welcomed as a child who needed a place of forgiveness, comfort, and rest.
How much more is the Father’s perfect love for us? God’s grace doesn’t come from a far-off place or from an unreachable Savior. It’s not wavering or marred by human perfection. Oh, no. Because of Jesus, this grace comes from an accessible God; a compassionate Father whose heart is tuned in to hearing us whisper His name and is ready to welcome us with open arms.The indelible gift of grace bridges the gap that once separated us from God and is now a place in which we can continuously live… and can confidently stand.“ – You Are Forgiven, p. 40
Are you weary from the weight of your sin? Exhausted from all of the concealing, running, and pretending like you have it all together? Frustrated by your inability to beat this thing on your own? Looking for peace in all of the wrong places?
There’s a better way.
There’s just ONE way.
I invite you to run to Jesus and find the Way to forgiveness.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” – Ephesians 1:7