Our Sins are Forgiv’n (Ephesians 1:7)
Many years ago I was hired as the replacement for a preacher the elders had fired. A whole bunch of folks in that church got angry, left the church, and established their own congregation. Because splitting our Lord’s church is a serious, serious sin and the ringleader refused to repent, our elders announced that the brother was outside of fellowship.
About a year later, for many reasons, things came to a head. Our eldership asked to meet with the brother who had caused the whole mess. Talk about a contentious meeting! Yet finally a word pricked that brother’s heart, tears filled his eyes, and he said, “I’m sorry.” We prayed for that brother, and it was my honor to stand before the congregation that Sunday night and announce that appropriate repentance had been made and that that sin was in the past.
You’ve repented, haven’t you? Have you ever apologized to your spouse for angry words? Have you ever prayed for God’s forgiveness? Did some specific sin prompt your baptism? Did you ever ask the church to pray for your forgiveness?
God has great forgiveness.
- “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?… You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic 7:18-19).
- “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses” (Col 2:13).
- “I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” (Heb 8:12).
This morning learn: “In Jesus our sins are forgiven.”
Scripture (Ephesians 1:7)
“In him”: Forgiveness of sins takes place in Christ, for he died for sin.
“We have redemption”: Redemption alludes to the price paid to release a kidnapped loved one or a slave. Slaves were expensive in Ephesus, with the amount ranging from 500 to 2,000 denarii. A denarius was the daily wage for a laborer; slaves cost between 500 and 2,000 days’ work!
Yet, Jesus paid a higher price for your redemption; your redemption is “through his blood.” Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness (Heb 9:22). Jesus came to this earth to pour out his blood “for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:28).
Through Jesus’s blood, we have “the forgiveness of our trespasses.” Through forgiveness, we are released from the guilt and eternal consequences of our sins. One trespasses when one goes where he shouldn’t. Just like trespassing on property is being where you shouldn’t be, trespassing spiritually is getting off God’s path and being where you shouldn’t be.
Our sins are forgiven “according to the riches of his grace.” Because our redemption cost so much, Jesus had to have riches to pay for it. God’s grace overflows so abundantly that he would have done anything he could to forgive you.
Application
“In Jesus our sins are forgiven.” How does God’s forgiveness of your sins through Jesus affect your daily life?
One: You must Catalog your sin.
Know what sin is in your life. Notice what the Bible calls sin:
- Romans 1:29-31.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9b-10.
- “All wrongdoing is sin” (1 Jn 5:17).
Take a long, hard look at your life. Catalog your sins. If you need to write them down, write them down. If you need to make a mental note of them, make a mental note. But Catalog your sin.
Two: You must Confess your sin.
Once you have cataloged your sin, Confess your sin.
God has made great promises to the one who will Confess his sins:
- “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” (Ps 32:5).
- “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Prov 28:13).
- “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (Js 5:16).
- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9).
Maybe you need to Confess your sins before your brethren this morning. Or perhaps you need to Confess your sins privately to God. Either way, make sure to Confess your sins!
Three: You must Cease your sin.
Why catalog and confess your sins unless you Cease your sin?
You must Cease your sin:
- “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom 6:1-2).
- “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning” (1 Cor 15:34).
- “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely” (Heb 12:1).
- “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning” (1 Jn 5:18).
No matter how painful, no matter the cost, Cease the sin in your life!
Are you dwelling in sin? Do you need to catalog your sin? What sins must you confess? How will you cease your sin? Do you need to come this morning and ask for our help?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.