Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

7 September 2024

Reading From Ezekiel 38-39

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

–Ezekiel 39:25-29

     When the Lord God forgives us of our sins, He washes us completely clean, removes our transgressions as far as the east is from the west and casts them into the sea of His forgetfulness.  This does not mean that God has any hint of forgetfulness as if He struggles with dementia, He is omniscient which means He is all-knowing.  In His great love, He chooses to forget the wicked things we have done. 

     All of this is made possible by the perfect, ultimate, atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary.  He was uniquely qualified as fully God and fully man to take the sins of the world upon Himself and satisfy the wrath of the Father.  When we in faith surrender our lives to Him, we accept this gift from One who is both the sacrifice and our Great High Priest.  Perfect justice was carried out between the suffering that began in the Garden of Gethsemane and finding its conclusion in the crescendo of His death on the cross when He uttered, “It is finished” and gave up His Spirit. 

     Implicit on trusting God for salvation is turning away from sin and toward the Lord and His ways.  Because justice has been satisfied and we have decided to follow Jesus, there is no reason for God to remember our sin and the resulting shame.  We need to follow the example of God the Father and let go of our guilt and shame.  Release the pain and shame to Him.

Shame happens after we have done something wrong. It is natural and healthy to feel bad after we have sinned. One of the roles of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to convict us of sin and lead us with kindness to repentance. Jesus said in John 16:8, “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”

His conviction is both preventative and also part of the restorative process of redemption. The preventative part is when we are tempted and He tells us not to give in and indulge in sin. The restorative part is described in Romans 2:4, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” God loves us and doesn’t want us to be miserable, wallowing in shame and self-pity.

     No amount of sorrow, grief, guilt and shame felt over sins already forgiven will pay the penalty for those sins.  Only Jesus paid it all and all He requires of us is to leave those sins behind and walk with Him into our destiny as He restores everything to us that Satan has stolen through deception and treachery.  If we have truly repented, confessed and believe, we need to simply accept His forgiveness and move forward in faith. 

“Lord God, we are so grateful for the magnificent love that You extend to us.  No matter what condition You find us in, You tenderly care for us, washing us clean in Your blood, anointing us with the soothing oil of Your Holy Spirit, clothing us in robes of righteousness, and adopting us into Your eternal family.  You have given us our identity, community and destiny and we praise Your holy Name!  May we return Your love with obedience to Your Word and the guidance of Your Holy Spirit.  In the gracious and merciful Name of Jesus I pray, Amen.”

He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children,
    tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
    he remembers we are only dust.

 –Psalm 103:12-14

Once again you will have compassion on us.
    You will trample our sins under your feet
    and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

–Micah 7:19

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

–Jeremiah 31:34

For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.

–Hebrews 8:12