Forgiven. Psalm 31-32; Colossians 2

May the mumbling commence!

Through the work of Jesus and our faith in that work, we are forgiven.  Rejoice!  It is the only proper response.  Read from Psalm Thirty-two:

Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, 

            whose sin is put out of sight! 

Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin,

whose lives are lived in complete honesty! 

When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, 

             and I groaned all day long. 

Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.

My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

Interlude 

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them.

I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord."

And you forgave me!

All my guilt is gone.

Interlude 

Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion 

            to you while there is time,

that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. 

For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble.

You surround me with songs of victory.

Interlude (Verses 1-7)

There is great joy in forgiveness.  No longer is our sin in the sight of the Lord because of what Jesus did.  It is time for us to be honest with ourselves.

That means confessing our sins.  Confess sins and be healed… forgiven… guilt-free.  And the Lord provides for us a hiding place… a place of protection… a place of the Lord’s victory.  May it be so!

Make us dead to sin, O God, so that we might live a new life in the resurrection of Jesus.  Read from Colossians chapter two:

When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure – the cutting away of your sinful nature.  For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.  He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross.  In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ. (Verses 11-15)

In baptism, we are buried with Christ.  Our sinful natures bite the dust, but we are raised from the dead to live anew in the light of Christ Jesus.  Victory is ours!  We have only to claim it.  And the currency of that victory is right relationships with both God and all of creation.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out