Three hours sleep in three days, another long night, pain, pain, pain… and yet In His Kindness a verse He breaks in with a verse to help me think on Him.So I put down some thoughts and hope you may have HOPE {the certainty of His eternal assurance} in Him as you consider with me these words… “OH LORD if You Should regard/ mark {keep record of} iniquity who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness that You might be feared….I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I HOPE.”- {Psalm 130:3-5}
1. – HOPELESSNESS – Such is your spiritual condition and condemnation! –“OH LORD If You should mark iniquity who could stand?” The answer is no one, bring forward the best of the best of people, with credentials and morals, and all would fall shockingly and insanely short of the glory of God, neither reaching or pursuing it as our goal. Hopelessness is the outcome before the Perfect Holiness of God!
2. – HOPE IN GOD – “But with YOU There is forgiveness”– The verdict is not final, for when you read look and see in His Word THE HOPE He offers and here the transmission comes in that glorious word, “BUT…” He is the God of all Hope. Though our sins be ever so deep like crimson embedded into the fabric that cannot be removed, yet by His Son’s blood the deepest of sins He erases and as far as the east is from the west He removes for His Name’s sake. And “their sins and Iniquities I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE…” Not that He has “amnesia” of some sort, but having held all our sin against His Son once for all and punishing Him in our place. He accepts fully the offering and pardon, sins erased, no case against us. All our iniquity was laid on the LORD JESUS, and since He bore it all, how much is left for you to bear, carry? NONE!! Absolutely none all laid upon Him, so not one would damn you or separate you from Him. He is a complete Savior!!
Back to the Courtroom; It is as though the Judge in the courtroom declares us guiltless based on Another and removes His Judges’ robe steps down from his legal place of authority, and to us invites us to His home not as a guest but a loved adopted member into His family where he now takes responsibility for us as our Heavenly Father.From the Courthouse to the Father’s House and family!! A New member, a new standing as a family member. What sin? “Their iniquities and sins I will remember no more.” How long is “no more?” As long as God is!!! Once Rebels now children of God lavished with the love of God, permanently, irrevocably accepted in the Beloved” -{Eph 1:6…} But why does He does He do this?
3. – HONORING GOD- ” So that You Might Be Feared”- He does it for His names sake, motivated outside of no one than Himself. And our response is to fear, respect, and be in awe of Him. Forgiveness is meant to produces something in us.. A reverence for God who has forgiven us.His forgiveness is meant to draw out from us a love for Him, a reverence, a respect,where He is the Object of our affections and love. Like the woman Jesus forgave, it says, “she loved much because she was forgiven much!” The debth of appreciation to Him for who He is and this great and terrible deed of the cross that it took to deal with my sin once and for all, is a love that He deserves. He who first loved us enables us to love Him. It is not a love to earn merit, for then it is works and devoid of the work of Christ, but it is appreciation and reverence out of love for Him. Forgiveness was not cheap. It cost God His Beloved Son. So there is a proper response and it is a reverence, respect for Him.
From Hopelessness to- Hope- to the privilege to live and bestow HONOR upon Him…
“And in His word do I HOPE.” – {Ps 130:5}. HOPE – THE CERTAINTY,… IN CONFIDENT EXPECTATION,UPON THE LORD… “May THE GOD OF ALL HOPE, fill you with ALL Joy and peace by the Power of the Holy Spirit SO THAT YOU WILL OVERFLOW WITH HOPE..”- {Rom 15:13}.
Our “Hope” is not the gambler’s hope of “chance,” but the hope of “certainty!”
YOUR TESTIMONY IS…
A. – From Hopelessness to Hope to moment by moment Purpose to live to HONOR Him who has forgiven not just a few, or even many but ALL my SINS….
B. – Share your story with someone…or pass on the above thoughts to encourage someone that in Him there is HOPE!
C. – PRAISE and THANK Him for Himself and His provision of HOPE and forgiveness for you and used to REACH out to others with His Good news from hopelessness to hope, to Honoring Him the aim as a result of such great forgiveness from the GOD OF ALL HOPE!