• 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
• Unlike the once a year REDEMPTION of the OT, this a permanent REDEMPTION, that can not be taken from us
• John 10:29: “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”
• Romans 8:38-39: “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• THIS, MY FRIENDS, TRANSLATES TO AN UNSHAKEABLE REDEMPTION/PARDON
2. UNSHAKEABLE RESURRECTION
• RESURRECTION: “A rising again; chiefly, the revival of the dead of the human race, or their return from the grave, particularly at the general judgment. By the resurrection of Christ we have assurance of the future resurrection of men”
• Why the resurrection? And what does it have to do with being pardoned?
• The resurrection is necessary to escape the judgment to come upon the non-believing and the sin of the world
• Luke 21:36: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
• Jesus is referring here to the coming time of tribulation, and the manner in which we have been given to escape this horrific time on earth
• When we think of the resurrection we often think of the story of Lazarus and how that after four days of death Jesus caused him to be restored unto life
• The problem is, however, that Lazarus eventually died again
• Jesus is the only flesh that has ever died, been resurrected and then never died again
• We need to know that our resurrection unto life hinges upon our relationship with Jesus Christ
• The resurrection is necessary because:
a. 1 Corinthians 15:50: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”
b. 1 Corinthians 15:53: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
c. 1 Corinthians 15:54: “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”
• Resurrection is necessary to allow our entrance into the kingdom of heaven and the presence of the Almighty God
• Pardon through Jesus Christ is the only thing that is sufficient to allow this transformation
3. UNSHAKABLE RESIDENCE
• Revelation 21:1-5: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
• Ahh, heaven, the abode of God, the dwelling place of the holy and righteous, the place that Jesus went to prepare a place for us, how sweet it will be to be in the presence of everything good, pure and holy
• “The caricature of heaven as an eternity of idleness has no basis in Scripture. Instead, the N.T. conception unites the two thoughts of being with Christ and of service for Christ. This blending is definitely set forth in the last chapter of Revelation where we read of ’those who serve Him, and see His face." Here the life of contemplation and the life of active service are welded together as being not only compatible, but absolutely necessary for completeness. But remember that if there is to be service there, the exercising ground is here. I do not know what we are in this world for unless it is to apprentice us for heaven. Life on earth is a bewilderment unless we are being trained here for a nobler work which lies beyond the grave.”
• John 14:1-6: “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
• Revelation 21:3-4: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
• The place has been prepared, the work established, the way defined; are we ready, as the life essentials have given us direction for living, to move forward not only in but in our life of service to our creator?
