...My righteous servant will justify many and He will carry their iniquities. Therefore I will give Him the many...He bore the sin of many and interceded for the rebels. (taken from Isaiah 53:11,12)-this reminds me of when Jesus said, "pray for your enemies."...He didn't condemn them, not even on the cross, He cried to the Father, "forgive them."
The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;...the Lord has called you...and will take you back with great compassion, with everlasting love. (from Isaiah 53:5-8)
...so I have sworn that I WILL NOT BE ANGRY WITH YOU OR REBUKE YOU.
Though the mountains move and the hills shake, My love will not be removed from you and MY COVENANT OF PEACE will not be shaken," says your compassionate Lord. -from Isaiah 54:9,10
...you will be established on a foundation of righteousness...their righteousness is from Me. Isaiah 54:14,17
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Your Father's love is a firmer foundation than mountains and hills....nothing can separate you from His love that is in Christ Jesus. Jesus doesn't condemn you. You may condemn yourself or others may judge and condemn you like the woman caught in adultery, but He said, "where are your accusers?"...and back in Isaiah, you will refute any accusation raised against you in court, this is the heritage of the Lord's servants-Isaiah 54:17
I heard a song today also that sang something like this..."so I'm working 9-5 trying to earn my own salvation, but there's no condemnation for me now"..."child, you're forgiven and loved."
Right after this song I flipped open a devotional to read, uh, while eating my burrito, and the first thing my eyes hit was this statement..."Today I will overcome condemnation by the words of my mouth!"
So...proclaim peace, bring news of good things, proclaim salvation, say to all, "Your God reigns!"
...lift up your voice, shout for joy together, burst into song! For the Lord has redeemed us and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
Job 19:25 (NIV) I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.”
ReplyDeleteIn this life people will constantly judge us, whether they are right or wrong about us, fair or not, we face constant scrutiny for our every action. Job faced tremendous condemnation from his friends; they accused him of hiding some secret sin in his past that was the result of all his misery. But if we are in Christ Jesus, God does not condemn us for our past, our redeemer lives and will stand up for us when we are judged in the last days. Romans 8:1, tells us that there is “now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” A conditional statement, based upon the fact that if we are no longer “controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, then the Spirit of God lives in us” and we are not condemned. Romans 8:9.
God may allow us to be chastised, and we may go through trials. We are not to confuse trials for condemnation. During those times of trial it is easy for us to think that God has left us for some reason. We may even begin to think that God is displeased with something we have done, and that is why heartache has fallen down upon us. In those times we need to remember Job. Satan attacked him only to try to show that his devotion to God was not sincere. Job’s friends saw all the evil that fell upon him and decided that all of this must be a punishment from God.
But like Job, we cannot stop people from accusing us, or thinking the worst about us when our world seems to be falling down around us. But also like Job we can say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation . . . I know that I shall be vindicated. Who is he who will contend with me?” Job 13:15-19 (NKJV)
These verses about not being condemned are so special to me because I grew up in an atmosphere of guilt and condemnation. To this day, my default response to almost everything is guilt.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I was reading some commentary about 1 John 3:20. Even if we are doing the right things for the right reasons and trusting in God, our hearts can condemn us. Thankfully, “God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything”.
We cannot let feelings determine whether or not we are saved. Mark Lowry relates how when he had to get up at 4 a.m. he didn’t look saved, he didn’t smell saved, he didn’t sound saved, and he sure didn’t feel saved. However, none of that altered the fact that, through the blood of Jesus, he had salvation.
It’s time we started taking God at his word and believing that, as long as we are in Christ Jesus, we are free of condemnation – no matter how we’re feeling.
Thanks Dan, good to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteamen...we are not to confuse trials with condemnation or that God is displeased. I had a friend tell me yesterday, "the valley that you are in is just something you have to go through".
God has already promised to NEVER leave us or forsake us.
Blessings in Taiwan today!, in your spirit and on your ministry.
My son said today, "wouldn't it be great if mommy made money every time she gave me a hug!?"
Sharilyn-thanks for your blog.
ReplyDeleteI, too, spent many years feeling guilty and condemned at almost every turn, much of it very works-oriented comparing myself to other christians, to the point that one day I gave up and walked away for a few years.
Thank God for His grace, love, and mercy that helped me back.
I'm learning a lot more about "taking God at His word" about righteousness (His righteousness) to me, in me, and over me, and His finished work for me at the cross.
Much better than having thoughts like, "going to heaven, now going to hell, I'm in...now I'm out"...what torture!!!
...even if my own thoughts condemn me, GOD IS GREATER than that.
In Jesus' own words, "...for God did NOT send His Son into the world to CONDEMN the world...John 3:17
Jesus did not come to condemn.
You're right, our feelings and self-condemning thoughts can really mess with our heads, but WE ARE REDEEMED.
God IS that good!
Thanks to those of you who read on this blog, and thanks to those of you who write.
ReplyDeleteStrength and peace to ALL!!!