Ehud's Sword

And Ehud made for himself a sword with two edges, a cubit in length, and he bound it on his right thigh under his clothes. (Judges 3:16 ESV)

Ehud’s Sword

The Bible is described in the book of Hebrews (4:12) as a two-edged sword.  As that book seems to be written with many of the Old Testament stories in mind, perhaps this is the sword that is being referenced.   If so, we can note a few things about our use of the Bible in our cultural warfare.

First, Ehud’s sword was Personal.  He did not get it from a blacksmith or sword-store.  Your Bible is personal, too.  Not because it was written by God for you particularly, but the Spirit will apply it to you, your life, your challenges, your successes.  Read it for yourself, more than you read about it.

In Ehud’s case, the sword was Hidden.  Not because he was ashamed.  But to deceive the enemy.  He did not walk around casually wielding it.  But it was there.  He was aware of that sword with every step he took.  The Word of God can be hidden for us that way, too.  Hidden in our heart (Psalm 119:10), rather than on our thigh. 

But that sword was Obvious, too.  The enemy foolishly did not examine Ehud’s intentions, robes, or gait.  The Word of God is obvious in Christians’ lives, too.  It is foundational.  It is the main source of God-knowledge.  It is right there behind every word we speak, every thought we think, every deed we do. 

But our best connection to Ehud’s Sword is our savior, Christ Jesus.  He IS the Word.  He wields the Word.  He knows the Word.  The Bible ends with a number of descriptions of our sword-wielding Savior: Revelation 2:12, 2:16, 19:15, 19:21.

Ehud’s sword is our Bible.

Repeat

…the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. (Joshua 3:16 ESV)

Repeat

Repetition can be a sign of love.  Husbands do not stop saying, “I love you,” just because they already said it once.  Parents do not stop saying, “I am here for you,” just because they already said it once.  Babies do not stop casting sweet gazes at momma just because they already did it once.

And God repeats such things, too.  Every rainbow is a promise.  Every sunset is a declaration.  Every Lord’s Supper is a rekindling.  Every worship service is a refilling.

And when the Israelites finally actually entered the Promise Land, God repeated the circumstances of the crossing of the Red Sea.  Since that dramatic moment fleeing Egypt, the Israelites had wandered.  They had been blessed. They had forgotten and had remembered.  They had been excited, and had doubted God’s power and promises. 

And just before they entered Canaan forty years earlier. Their doubt was so severe that God sent them to wander 40 more years on the outskirts of the land they had sought.

And now, as they enter, history repeated itself.  Or more accurately, God repeated Himself!

Again, they crossed waters.  Again, God separated waters.  Again, the Israelites crossed on dry ground.  Again, God used a miracle to repeat His shouted message:

“I am your God, and you are My people!”

That message repeats often, actually.  And it centers on the cross and the empty tomb.

And He repeats it because it is important.  He repeats it because it is true.

Through Christ Jesus, He repeats it to His people today.  Although without the water…

Extra

…and to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the Valley of the Arnon, with the middle of the valley as a border, as far over as the river Jabbok, the border of the Ammonites; (Deuteronomy 3:16 ESV)

Extra

I thought the total solar eclipse would be good.  But the moments around the actual event were transcendent.  While it was not as dark as I thought, the sudden twilight was exhilarating.  The halo around the moon was bright and beautiful, and blew my mind.

More than a mild scientific understanding of what I was observing, I was astounded at the mechanical and astronomical alignment taking place above me.  I somehow felt connected to other observers nearby, observers all along the swath of darkness throughout the day, and even those in the distant past who saw and wondered at this strange event.

I thought it would be fun, interesting, and pretty.  But it was so much more.

For the Israelites entering the Promised Land, they expected territorial occupation.  God had outlined clearly which land was going to be dwelt in by Israel, via His fiat.

But they received so much more.  When they arrived near the boundary of Cannan, some of them found land, on the East of the Jordan River, that amazed them.  And God, in response, blessed them with extra land.  Not part of the original Promised Land, they were gifted by God with more territory, more land, more homes, more rest.

Our God is like that.  He promises us showers of blessings.  But He gives us more rain.  He promises us peace.  But He gives us peace that passes understanding. He promises us life.  But He gives us eternal life. 

All because of Jesus.  All because of grace.  All because of His love.

Look around and be more amazed than you thought you were.

Habit

 So Moses listed them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded. (Numbers 3:16 ESV)

Habit

It is unfortunate that we often perform our duties differently in different situations.  Particularly, we might work more carefully if the boss is observing.  Or we might clean our car’s interior more thoroughly before a date.  Or perhaps we are more polite to ‘important’ strangers than we are to our own family.

But not Moses.  This verse shows us what motivated Moses.  He appears to have done most things ‘as onto the Lord.’  Here we see Moses listing male Levites.  A long and tedious task, before computer programs and typewriters. 

Moses did it, though, according to the word of the Lord.  Moses did it as he was commanded.

Moses certainly messed up during his life.  He certainly sinned.  He certainly disobeyed.  Scripture describes some of those incidents, lest we think Moses was sinless.

But Moses had a habit of obedience.  Big things or little.  Significant things or insignificant.  When someone was watching, or when Moses worked alone, making lists.

That’s a good habit to cultivate.  The good news is that when we fail, Christ already paid for that failure.  The good news is that when we fail God’s love does not diminish.  The good news is that habits do not save us.

But such habits as obedience help us know God more.  I think that is why Moses had that habit.

Well Pleased

And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the Lord’s. (Leviticus 3:16 ESV)

Well Pleased

First, note that ‘all fat’ is referring to all the fat from the offerings.  While we moderns disdain fat as unhealthy, throughout history it has been regarded as the sweetest part of the meat.  The best part.  The part that gives the most satisfaction.

Here, the Lord is teaching the Israelites that these offerings were not intended for mankind’s joy and pleasure (although they WERE allowed to enjoy the smell of it…).  But rather, for those bringing the offerings, the pleasure was intended to be found in the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins.

The purpose of the offerings, in other words, was great, and should bring peace, joy, and enjoyment.

But the joy of the offering itself is the Lord’s.

Not only in the best portions of the sacrificed meat… but in the Sacrifice that these tiny symbolic sacrifices signified.

Christ Himself. 

The Lord is pleased with the Sacrifice of the Christ.  He knows what it purchases.  He knows what it displays. He knows what it does.

He is well pleased, you see, with our salvation through Christ’s sacrifice.

And the Lord is, as He states elsewhere, “well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, Matthew 17:5!)

Observing

Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt…” (Exodus 3:16 ESV)

Observing

God sees everything.  Of course He does.

We usually react to that with a bit of fear, a portion of guilt, and a lot of shame.

He saw me do THAT?  He watched me THEN? 

And God’s omniscience does indeed enable and empower our conscience.

But God also watches with eyes of justice, eyes of compassion, and eyes of understanding.

He saw the cruelty of the Egyptians.  He saw the greed of the Egyptians.  He saw the mistreatment the Egyptians gave His people.

And He did something about it.

While God watches, He also acts.

He saw Israel’s sins, and saved them.  He saw Israel’s suffering, and saved them.  He saw Israel’s needs, and saved them.

He watches us like that, too.  He sees our sins, and gave us sinless Jesus.  He sees our suffering, and gave us the suffering servant, Jesus.  He sees our needs, and gave us His Son, Jesus.

He watches… and saves.

Sin and Conflict

To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16 ESV)

Sin and Conflict

Conflict is so common, that it seems that it is natural.  But conflict is not natural, it is the direct result of sin. 

No, the conflict in your life does not occur because you are righteous, and your opponent is sinful.  Rather, our conflicts exist and arise because Adam, Eve, and we sin.

Sin ruined everything.

Every aspect of our existence is twisted and tainted by sin.  In this verse, God shows us that even the procreation of humanity is now painful, scary, and dangerous.   In this verse, God also shows us that even our relationships are now plagued by selfishness, chaos, and fear.

What a mess we would be in…

If it weren’t for God’s goodness.  God’s love.  God’s grace.

Adam’s sin broke everything.  Our sin keeps breaking it.  But God fixes everything.

Christ Jesus is the solution to sin, and the solution to conflict.

And He was, in a sense, the direct result of that broken childbirth system… and was born into the conflicts of human relationship.

And thereby fixed it all.  The conflicts that led to His death therefore led to our salvation.

3 16

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. (II Timothy 3:16 ESV)

3:16

And elder in the church I served repeatedly asked me to preach a sermon series on what he termed, “The 3:16’s” of the Bible.  He believed that God had placed some of His most important concepts in the sixteenth verse of the third chapter in most of the books of the Bible.

I was skeptical.

The Bible did not have chapters nor verses until very late in the story of God’s written word.  Chapters were first added in a published Bible in Wycliffe’s Bible, 1382.  Verse numbers were inserted in the Old Testament around 1448, and in the New Testament in 1551.  The Geneva Bible, later that century, was the first Bible to use both chapters and verses for both the Old and New Testaments.  It is generally believed that such were added to aid in referencing, study, and ‘following along.’

So a set of sermons based on those later divisions seemed… unnecessary.

But lately, perhaps because I am more appreciative these days of the subtlety of God’s providence, or perhaps because I am starting to see that there are no coincidences in God’s economy, or perhaps because I am simply more curious… I have been thinking that maybe Elder Ives might have been on to something.

So for the next while, let us look at the 3:16’s of the Bible.

The Holy Spirit

This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Acts 2:32,33 ESV)

The Holy Spirit

What an amazing time to be alive, for the disciples.  Gradually increasing their knowledge and understanding of the Messiah, personally.  They were comforted by Jesus, counseled by Jesus, taught by Jesus, and guided by Jesus.

And then He told them He would be gone.

I once lost an irreplaceable book. Not only was the book pretty good, but it had notes written in it, and signed by the author himself.  Somehow, it the kafuffle of various moves, it became lost.  And at times I have missed it, as much as one can miss an inanimate object.

But those disciples… what a loss Jesus’ death was for them.

They probably had come to understand the salvific necessity of the Messiah’s death.  They might have known from the beginning that the physical blessing of being in HIS presence would cease someday.    But now He was gone.

Jesus promised His disciples a comforter, counselor, teacher, and guide (John 14:26). Someone who would take His place in their lives.

Yes, they would be with Him in paradise.  But the second person of the Trinity, in conjunction with the first person of the Trinity, introduced them to the third person of the Trinity.

Also God, Himself.  Also comforter.  Also a counselor.  Also a teacher.  Also a guide.

And it happened because Jesus arose, and ascended to heaven.

Then the Holy Spirit came.

Our last special blessing of the Resurrection is the gift of the Spirit.

Intercession

Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 ESV)

Intercession

Have you ever had someone stick up for you?  I know of folk who have received help with Passport troubles, speeding tickets, warranty issues, concert tickets, job applications, school admissions, and special Christmas presents. 

It helps to have someone ‘upstairs.’

And Christians have someone Upstairs!  Because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven, He know intercedes for us! 

He is on every Christians’ side!

This is why God inclines His ear toward us (Psalm 116:2 et al).  Because He is really inclining His ear to Jesus.

When Christians pray, our living brother, our resurrected redeemer, our precious Savior, our beloved (and loving) friend is talking to God on our behalf.

Remember that when you pray.  Jesus is helping our prayers!

Because He lives again, He can intercede for us!

-=-

Justice

…because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:31 ESV)

Justice

Attempting to garden is frustrating for me.  When I see a problem in the garden, and apply a remedy, I somehow expect the solution to work almost instantly.

Perhaps some of us have the same frustration with justice in the world.  We see unrighteousness increasing in society and we desire to have it stomped out NOW.  And it is frustrating when we see more and more unrighteousness, instead of less and less unrighteousness.

Jesus was Resurrected to give assurance, though, that Justice will happen… and in fact, IS happening.

The resurrection assures us that judgment is coming.  The One who understands righteousness more than any other, because He accepted all the unrighteousness of His people on His scourged back is the perfect judge.  But He could not judge in any way at all if He remained in the tomb. 

And that judgement, when applied to rebellious mankind, drives us to the only hope we have.  Judge Jesus Himself, alive and gracious, will absolutely stomp out all unrighteousness.  Either by taking unrighteousness onto Himself, or by finishing the threat of death made to Adam, as the result of sin.  But HE does it.  HE accomplishes it.  HE completes the sentence.

And that judgement, when applied to His people, is covered with grace, peace, and hope.  Because whatever that Living Judge deems us guilty of, He has already paid the penalty that He imposed generations ago… prescribing death as the just dessert of every sin.

The ONLY difference between how Judge Jesus deals with the sin of His people, and the sin of those not His people, is Himself.  All of us deserve condemnation.  But clinging to Him, loving Him, following Him, changes the judgement itself.

Because the Resurrected Lord is applying judgement to Himself, instead of us.

That is wonderfully sobering, yes?

New and Improved

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:23 ESV)

New and Improved

Sins’ effects on our physical bodies comes both gradually, and at times suddenly.  We usually call such decline the effects of age, or the result of our environment, or the result of bad decisions that we made at some point.

But the effects of age, the imperfections of our bodies, and our physical inabilities are nothing more nor less than the effects of Sin.  Adam’s sin, Adam’s descendants’ sin, and our own sin.  Sin has led to the groaning of creation, and the groaning of our bodies.

But the Resurrection will fix that.

Jesus’ Resurrected body was perfect, glorious, and amazing.  And so will ours be.  It’s not just a matter of walking through walls, or not ‘needing’ to eat, or even glowing in a halo-like way. 

He was, and we will be perfect.  Without any more sin.  Without any more of sins’ effects. 

That is what the redemption of our bodies means.

Because of the Resurrection, groaning will be finished!

The Gospel

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (I Corinthians15:14-17 ESV)

The Gospel

What if you labored all week, but your boss decided to pay you in kale, instead of dollars?  What if you travelled for hours, but your GPS misdirected you to a hardware store instead of the amusement park you expected?  What if you studied for a degree, but instead of a diploma the school gave you a gift certificate for a tire rotation?

All of those things would be frustrating, disappointing, and useless.

But even worse, what if the salvation God offered and promised led to nothingness, eternal death, and darkness?

But it does not!

Because Christ arose, our salvation’s result is shown.  God is glorified and we have eternal life! God promised both as the result our Christ’s life, and death, and life. 

His resurrection paves the road for us, enables the gift to us, and displays the result of God’s salvation.

The Gospel ends in Resurrection!

Enough

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, (Hebrews 10:12 ESV)

Enough

On a very few occasions I have run out of gas exactly when arriving at a gas station.  While not condoning the procrastination implied in this type of event, there is something pleasurable about having JUST the right amount of gasoline in the tank.

Who has not finished the repair job exactly when the duct tape runs out?

Who has not finished making grilled cheese for the family exactly as the bread runs out?

Who has not, like Fred Flintstone, finished the job exactly when the whistle blows?

Christ was resurrected at the exact moment when His people’s deaths were paid for.  His death lasted from “He gave up His spirit,” on the cross, until “He is risen!” on Sunday morning.

I do not know the exact mathematical formula.  But God does.  And Jesus remained in the tomb for the exact amount of time needed to pay our penalty to God for our sins… our deaths.

We do not know much about what Jesus did during those three days.  But Jude mentions that He visited the dead. (I Peter 3:19, 4:6)  Which means He died.  And He was there for the exact amount of time to cover all of our debts.

This is a grand thing, because it shows us that God was satisfied with Jesus’ sacrifice.  The resurrection was God saying, “It is finished.” 

Every sin of God’s people; past, present, and future.  Every little sin.  Every big sin.  Every sin of commission.  Every sin of omission. 

Jesus was resurrected when His death was exactly enough.

Reliable

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. (Psalm 16:10 ESV)

Reliable

I am often wrong.  Sometimes I am inaccurate.  Often I do not communicate clearly.  And at times I lie. 

And I am not alone.

But God is never wrong.  He is never inaccurate.  He always communicates clearly.  And He never lies.

And the Resurrection proves it.  God’s word, in numerous passage similar to the one quoted above, promises the Resurrection.  Probably it was not understood until after it occurred.  But I reckon at least a few of Jesus’ listeners were not really surprised when the tomb was emptied.

Because God is reliable.  When He promises something, it happens.  Even when the promise is beyond normalcy, expectations, and our senses.

And He promised that death and decay would not defeat the Messiah!

He actually promises the same thing to all of His children.  Death will not hold us, either.  We, too, will rise again.

We can count on it because God showed that He is reliable.

Union

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. (Romans 6:8,9 ESV)

Union

When my wife and I married, we stopped being separate people.  From the moment of, “I Do,” we shared everything.  Money, possessions, land, and relationships.

Everything that was mine became ours.  Everything that was hers became ours.

In an even better way, the Resurrection, called by Paul here, “Living with Him,” gives His people unity with Him.  Our very lives become His.  As His resurrected life becomes ours.

We do not simply live for Him in life (although we do), we also live in Him.  And that, eternally.

His return to life after dying for us knits us with Him. 

Our lives have been changed.  Our lives have been improved.  Our lives have been fixed.  Our lives have been made like Him. 

We live forever, because He lives forever.

But only because of Him.  His life, His death, and His life again.

Death Loses

God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (Acts 2:24 ESV)

Death Loses

The Resurrection of Jesus was God’s victory over death.  Death for humans happens because of sin.  The wages of sin is death.  Death was part of the curse that God put on us because of Adam’s sin, our ancestors’ sin, and our own sin. 

But God did more than simply remove death when the curse was removed by Christ’s work.  Instead God turned death from merely a curse into the entrance to heaven for His people.

If death were a person, he would have thought he had won after Eden.  And then when God Himself died willingly on the cross, death would have danced with joy.

But then three days later death was defeated, defanged, depowered, and destroyed.

Because of the resurrection, our bodies will still die.

But death has no power.  Death is toothless.  Death is a sign of Christ’s victory.

The Resurrection makes death lose.

Justification by Resurrection

What Did the Resurrection Do?

 It will be counted to us who believe in Him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:24,25 ESV)

Justification

For the past weeks we have looked at what Jesus does for His people.  For the next couple of weeks, we will narrow it down to consider what particularly the RESURRECTION of Christ does for Christians.

Paul here writes that Jesus was crucified for our trespasses, and resurrected for our justification.  This seems an odd concept.

Does not Jesus’ death justify us, in God’s sight?  We are made righteous because of Christ’s obedience on our behalf, and His payment for our sins.  But there are two fantastic aspects of this.

First, the resurrection can be seen as God’s stamp of approval on Jesus’ sacrificial death.  Not quite a reward, it is God showing that Jesus’ dreadful death was absolutely a part of God’s plan.  He shows this by undoing the terrible part, death itself.

Second, the resurrection completes the deal.  It was not only Christ’s death that accomplishes salvation  It is also Christ’s perfectly obedient life prior to His death.  He obeys, which allows God to exchange His obedience with our disobedience. 

But it is also Christ’s life after death that completes our salvation. If Christ had remained in the grave, our justification would have led to nothing beyond death, either.  We would be forgiven, but dead. We would be made right in God’s eyes, but dead.

But now Christians are justified!  Redeemed fully.  Forgiven for an eternal purpose.  Justified completely.

Sympathy

Jesus wept. (John 11:35 ESV)

Compassion

Sympathy has gotten a bad rap, lately.  Empathy seems to be more popular and desirable.  Sympathy is derided as not REALLY caring.  Empathy is praised for being stuck right alongside the sufferers.  But perhaps we have misunderstood what those two traits actually are.

Imagine you are stuck in a bog of quicksand.  I am an expert on quicksand because of Gilligan’s Island.

You are, of course, sinking.  And the more you wriggle and thrash, the further down you are sucked.

And two people offer their hands to help.  One stands on the edge.  He understands the danger, appreciates the danger, and cares about you.  He grabs a coconut tree branch, extends it to you, and pulls you to safety.

The other jumps into the quicksand with you.  He, too, understands the danger, appreciates the danger, and cares about you.  He is now just as stuck, just is threatened, and just as desperate. He tries to help you out, but ends up sinking right along side you.

The first person has sympathy.  He cares, he knows, maybe he has even BEEN there, himself.  But he is not encumbered by the quicksand at the moment.  Maybe he has other troubles and threats… maybe he is also afraid of something… he is not perfect.  But he is helping from a non-quicksand position.  He can actually help.

The second person has empathy.  He cares, he knows, and maybe he has been here before, too.  But while it might feel good to have someone to talk to in the bog, he is just as stuck as you.  Stuck without hope.

True sympathy (not a fake, arrogant, superior-attitude type of thing) cares deeply.  But is actually able to help.

Jesus has sympathy.  He cries for Lazarus, for Lazarus’s family, and for the horror of death. 

He understands death.  He hates death, ever since Adam’s time. He is about to experience death completely. 

But He is not stuck in death.

He weeps in sympathy instead of empathy, and that sympathy is necessary for our salvation.

Rest in His sympathy, whatever quicksand you are sinking in today. 

Fixing the Past

Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book.” (II Chronicles 34:21 ESV)

Fixing Yesterday

Recently I woke up early and watched a manned space capsule burn cross the night sky on reentry.  The capsule blazed, the fiery trail lit up the sky, and my imagination was kindled.  Just in time, I lifted my camera and pressed, ‘record.’

But I had not adjusted the filter for the nighttime lighting.  And while the pictures will help me remember the event, overall, the quality of the video was terrible.

As I watched the memory, I wished I could go back and fix my thoughtless and ill prepared errors.  But of course, I could not.

We cannot fix the past, merely by wishing we can.  Whether the past that needs fixing is camera related, paths traveled, words miss-spoken, sinful desires acted out, or decisions to hate instead of love.  It is beyond our reach.  We cannot fix it.

When young King Josiah became aware of the terrible apathy and rebellion that his nation had towards God in recent generation, he grieved.  He did one of those Biblical ‘tear his clothes and put ashes on his head’ kind of things.  He understood how much his nation had sinned against God, and how deserving of His wrath they all had been, and in fact still were at that moment.  The sins of the past DO weigh on the hearts of the present.

But Josiah did not attempt to fix it in any of the ways we moderns might recommend.  He did not pass legislation condemning his fathers and fore-fathers.  He did not declare HIS regret for THEIR sins.  He did not put extra money today in the temple coffers for the past shortcomings. 

He called on the Lord.

And that is the only option that actually can fix the past.

Our nation, our church, our family, and we ourselves have sin debt accumulated in the past.  Lots of it.  But Jesus is THAT amazing.  When we, like Josiah, call on HIM for forgiveness, for grace, for mercy, and for change, He answers as only He can.

The past is wiped clean as clearly as the sins of the present.

But not by something WE do.

Only by Jesus’ life, wherein HIS perfect sinless obedience is attributed to the past just as much as to the present.  Only by Jesus’ death, wherein HIS sacrifice is attributed to the past just as much as to the present.  Only by Jesus’ resurrection, wherein HIS transformation gives new life to the past just as much as to the present.

However atrocious and regrettable yesterday’s sins are, Jesus is more gracious and merciful.

Wow, He even fixes the past.