Don’t Live In Misery

Psalms 16:11; Romans 8:1

Many Christians do not experience the fullness of joy and pleasure that comes along with walking the path of life which is in Jesus Christ. For some reason their idea of God is that he is a tyrant just waiting for one to mess up so he can judge and punish them in hell. This is far from the truth!

Why would God go through the trouble to create the heavens, the earth and all that is therein, make man in his image and likeness, knowing that the fall would occur only for mankind to be miserable? It doesn’t make sense and goes against the nature of a loving God. Is God pleased with the fall of man and the condition of the world? Does he get pleasure out of judging evil and punishing man in whom is made in his likeness. Of course not! So why do we as believers and inheritors of the divine kingdom live in such a state of fear and misery? I believe it may be we have a wrong understanding of who God is what he has done at the cross for us.

Yes, God is grieved by sin and it does make him angry, but he doesn’t take that anger out on us. He took it out on his son Jesus at the cross. On that Good Friday God’s anger was on display when the Romans crucified Jesus. Paul said the Jesus became sin so that we could become righteous. 2 Corinthians 5:21 The wages of sin which is death Romans 6:23 was paid by Jesus for us and when Jesus cried “It is finished” the debt was fully paid.

Two things result from this payment.

First, God is appeased! He is satisfied with the payment made by Jesus. David said that “God is angry with the wicked everyday.” Psalm 9:17 But he is not angry with his children. Not even when we sin! Does it grieve him? Of course! Just like our children, when they are disobedient grieve us, but not anger us to the point of disowning them or failing in our commitment to raising them and providing for them. We belong to God and as long as our faith is in his atoning work at the cross, then we live in the light of his forgiveness and nothing can separate us from that.

Second, God wants us to enjoy him! The Westminster Catechism begins like this “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” God wants us in our reconciliation to him enjoy all of the blessings and prosperity that comes from delighting in his presence. To acknowledge him in all of our ways is to walk the path that he has given and when we stumble along the way, he doesn’t want us to fear, because his “perfect love cast out fear.” 1 John 4:17 Take note of this: When we are in Christ God doesn’t hold our sin against us, he holds our hand! His grace holds us up! Oh what joy and pleasure we can have in him!

Take comfort in the words today and know that Gods love for you is way beyond anything you could ever imagine. “There is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.” Let him love you today. Open your heart unto him and don’t dwell on your sins, but gaze upon him who took our sins upon himself, who looks at each of us everyday and says “I love you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3

Pastor Robby