Atonement

The Kingdom Light – Episode 1097

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Being at peace with God is a wonderful, restful and refreshing thing. Knowing you are forgiven, accepted and in right standing with your Maker is a powerful place that you never want to leave. The closer we get to Jesus returning, the more important it is to know you are right with God. On today’s program, I wanna deal with how we can have assurance that we’re ready to be called home.

First, let’s talk about discipline. I know, it’s not a fun topic. None of us likes having to admit we did something wrong. And being corrected is usually very uncomfortable. Hebrews 12:11 says this about the subject…

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

I remember knowing that my dad was going to discipline me as a child. We’d be away from home, and I’d done something wrong, and he let me know that once we got back home I’d be punished. That was the worst part – the waiting time before getting disciplined. But there was nothing like being on the OTHER side of the punishment – once everything was good again between my dad and I.

So how can we remain in that place where everything is good between ourselves and our Heavenly Father? Psalm 32 shows us the key to remaining in the place of God’s love and grace. It has to do with having a transparent attitude with God regarding our sin, admitting and confessing it openly with Him, rather than trying to defend our actions through rationalization. God sees through all that anyway, so our best course is to just be real and honest with Him.

Some believe this psalm was meant to be sung on the day of atonement. As it says in Leviticus 16:30, “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before God.” Among the Jews, this is the holiest day of the year – Yom Kippur – when God is closest to his people. It is a display of tender mercies and fresh showers of God’s goodness and grace towards his own. It reflects the Creator’s passionate desire to reconcile creation to himself, to show the humble and the obedient his favor, and make a plea to the proud and disobedient for repentance and acceptance.

Psalm32:1-5

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. (Selah) I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (Selah)

Here the psalmist recognizes the need for remaining transparent before God. When he tried to hide it, it ate away at him and would have eventually devoured him. But once he finally came clean and acknowledged his sin, God pardoned him. To be reconciled to God is to be reborn, refreshed, renewed – restored to right-standing with God. Entrusting your soul to God’s care, acknowledging your need of him, and emerging JUSTIFIED: just-as-if-I’d never sinned. This is a place of blessing that awaits all who choose to remain transparent before their Creator.

Psalm32:6-7

Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. (Selah)

This is the joy each of us have in Christ when we REMAIN HUMBLE before God. His Spirit is able to counsel, correct and instruct us. His word is made alive in us. And we are able to see his impact and blessing on our lives, and then rejoice in his faithfulness and love. For in this place, this place of ‘at-one-ment’ and right-standing, God’s Spirit says…

Psalm32:8-11

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”

As we navigate these last days in which we find ourselves living, we need the joy and peace of knowing everything is good between us and God. These scriptures have shown us the following key points…

1. To remain blameless before the Lord is to remain transparent before Him.
2. To remain transparent before God means we must humble our hearts and avoid vanity – that is, being defensive.
3. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, we fully acknowledge our sin and ask forgiveness.
4. When we confess to Him our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us.
5. Because of the completed work of Christ, once He has forgiven us we are AT-ONE-MENT with the Lord, righteous before God and at Peace with our Maker.

No matter what happens in the presidential election, the state of our nation or the world, peace is always ours when Jesus Christ is King of our lives.

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