Life Essentials 4 Series

• In our life, we have undoubtedly offended, hurt or sinned against several people

• The pain that we cause is often unknown to us but prevalent to the one affected

• We can cause sorrow through physical, emotional and spiritual aspects

• The rewarding feeling, however, is when the one whom we have affected forgives us of our trespasses against them

• Treating the instance as though it never happened

• Not simply stating they forgive, but truly letting go

• When this happens, we must remember that an apology is absolutely necessary on our part

• Apology: “An excuse; something said or written in defense or extenuation of what appears to others wrong, or unjustifiable; or of what may be liable to disapprobation. It may be an extenuation of what is not perfectly justifiable or a vindication of what is or may be disapproved, but which the apologist deems to be right.”

• When we receive Christ as Savior, we receive a FULL PARDON for our sin

• God no longer holds us accountable to the sin of rejection (blasphemy)

• Picture this, you have committed a crime and have been sentenced to die, your strapped in, ready to receive the just reward for your crime; someone rushes in and rips you out of the restraints just in the nick of time and asks to be punished in your place

• That, dear friend, is exactly what Jesus Christ did for us

• Through PARDON we have three important things:

1. Unshakable Redemption

2. Unshakable Resurrection

3. Unshakable Residence

IV. PARDON (VS 6)

1. UNSHAKABLE REDEMPTION

• Ephesians 1:7: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”

• It is blood that is the life giving agent to all things that live

• Without blood there can be no life; therefore without the shedding of blood there can be no redemption

• In the OT, the day of atonement was the day set aside for the sacrifice’s for the children of Israel and their sin

• Leviticus 23:27-28: “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.”

• This atonement was sufficient before God for the sins of the nation of Israel, the problem, however, is the fact that this process had to be repeated every year until the death of Christ

• Also, the only person allowed to enter the presence of God on this day was the high priest, not the common Israelite

• “Tom carried his new boat to the edge of the river. He carefully placed it in the water and slowly let out the string. How smoothly the boat sailed! Tom sat in the warm sunshine, admiring the little boat that he had built. Suddenly a strong current caught the boat. Tom tried to pull it back to shore, but the string broke. The little boat raced downstream. Tom ran along the sandy shore as fast as he could. But his little boat soon slipped out of sight. All afternoon he searched for the boat. Finally, when it was too dark to look any longer, Tom sadly went home. A few days later, on the way home from school, Tom spotted a boat just like his in a store window. When he got closer, he could see -- sure enough -- it was his! Tom hurried to the store manager: "Sir, that’s my boat in your window! I made it!" "Sorry, son, but someone else brought it in this morning. If you want it, you’ll have to buy it for one dollar." Tom ran home and counted all his money. Exactly one dollar! When he reached the store, he rushed to the counter. "Here’s the money for my boat." As he left the store, Tom hugged his boat and said, "Now you’re twice mine. First, I made you and now I bought you."

• This illustration above is a clear picture of the love of God shown us on the cross, when we were created the Bible says:

a. Isaiah 53:6: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

b. 1 Corinthians 6:20: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

• We were lost but Christ bought the unshakable atonement upon the cross of Calvary