Pastor Rowena shared from Matthew 21 about Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and how a major reason for His coming was to deal with sin. She communicated that if we don’t see sin for what it really is that it will inevitably creep in, which often begins when we distort God’s Word. God’s Word must be the measuring stick we use when looking at sin in our lives. Although sin often starts out subtle, it ends up robbing us of our clear conscience and ruining our relationships with God and others. It also spoils our enjoyment of God’s gifts and breaks our intimacy with Him – the very reason Jesus came.
As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds cheered and waved their palm branches assuming He’d come to free them from an outside tyrannical government. Instead He came to deal with a tyranny that had unsuspectingly taken up residence on the inside; sin. The onlookers were hoping for a political hero, not a suffering Savior. But Jesus always longs to touch our lives in ways far beyond what we hope for, feel comfortable with or even imagine – always!
Even today, people want to put Jesus in boxes that best suit their perceived needs. We tend to think of Jesus like seasoning in a recipe; a little Jesus here, a bigger helping of Jesus there and only a trace elsewhere. But Jesus sees what’s inside a person’s heart. He knows what is truly needed in our lives. And just as He over-turned the money-changers tables in the temple, He longs to clear the “temple” of our lives; to cleanse us from sin.
Sin. Let’s be honest, we ALL have it – but acknowledging it is only the first step for freedom. Here are five action steps that you can take to break free from the sin that’s crept in:
1. Don’t deny the existence of sin in your life. Let the Holy Spirit shine His light on you. His revealing light is to bring conviction, not condemnation. Confess revealed sin immediately and be forgiven.
2. Don’t linger in examining your sin. If you know a bag is filled with rubbish just how long do you want to root around in there? Instead, acknowledge it as garbage and then let Jesus “take out the trash”.
3. Be diligent to deal with sin quickly or it’ll become a stronghold. Don’t let it take root.
4. Give Jesus unhindered access to each area of your life. The areas we try to “sweep under the rug” are often the very places that need His cleansing the most.
5. Live life with a grateful heart for His cleansing forgiveness and be generous in offering it to others.
“And as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me. For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.”-In Christ Alone On the cusp of Easter Sunday, may we choose the freedom that Christ’s death and resurrection affords us!
Sandy Anderson
Connections Pastor