(This message series is inspired and excerpted from Heaven is Now by Andrew Farley)
“We worry about what people think of us, fixing our eyes on them and living to please them. We worry about our sins, fixing our eyes on them and living in guilt. But all the while, God has called us to fixate on one thing alone—not our sins, not our performance, but Jesus.” (loc. 1248 of 2138)
“What are you looking at? Is your attention focused on how you’ve been doing lately? Or on what other people think of you? Are you focused on yourself and your sins? If so, there’s a simple fix: turn your back to all those distractions and look up! Set your mind on things above where Christ is seated. He deserves our full attention. And when we give him the focus he deserves, we find ourselves at peace, at rest, and able to enjoy the celebration!” (loc. 1259 of 2138)
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2 ESV)
At New Life Counseling Center we have always been committed to one thing—simple truth. Here is a simple truth that changes everything. We are forgiven, period.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14 ESV)
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 ESV)
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:18 ESV)
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. (1 John 2:12 ESV)
“In all of these cases, our forgiveness is expressed in the past tense as a completed action. The simple message from heaven is that God will never forgive us any more than we’ve already been forgiven. He doesn’t have to because he forgave us ‘all our sins’ (Colossians 2:13) the first time!
No matter how much we might be tempted to dismiss this new covenant message as ‘cheap grace’ or ‘a license to sin,’ the blood of Jesus Christ will always be staring us in the face. What did it accomplish? How many of our sins did it take away? And do I really believe that I need to do something further to ‘activate’ or ‘appropriate’ it? Even Old Testament Jews didn’t buy into that for the blood of bulls and goats. Once those animals were slaughtered, that was it. No activation needed. No appropriation needed. It was finished until next year. How much more does the blood of Christ cleanse us once for all and give us a good conscience before God (Heb. 9:14, 10:2)? We are forgiven people, period.” (loc. 1271 of 2138) What are some of the things that get in the way of living forgiven before God?
“God wasn’t naïve in giving us this new covenant. Each aspect of it works to empower us to live like the new creations that we are. So when it comes to the issue of forgiveness, let’s not insult the Spirit of grace. God knows exactly how to motivate us from the heart to live upright lives. Our total, unconditional forgiveness in no way hinders an upright life. In fact, we find that the opposite is true.
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. . . . For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. (2 Peter 1:5-7, 9 ESV)
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. (James 1:23-24 ESV)
Remembering our totally cleansed state before God is what brings good qualities like kindness, and love into our lives. If we lack these qualities and are not doers of the Word, then it’s because we’ve simply forgotten who we are. We have forgotten our new identity as forgiven, holy saints. . . .We need not inspect ourselves, analyze ourselves, or try to cleanse ourselves or make ourselves right. This was accomplished by Jesus. Our job today is to rest in his finished work that needs no repeat.” (loc. 1296 of 2138) So have your senses been awakened to heaven’s one-time solution for sins? Can you see the finished work of Jesus in all its clarity? What have you experienced that you didn’t know before?
Heaven Speaks (What Jesus might say if he were sitting right here)
I will never deal with your sins again. I dealt with them once, and that is enough. Father received payment in full, and for you, the sin issue is over. This means that I will return for you without making reference to your sins. I remember them no more. There is no punishment left for you, not now or in the future.
When you sin, you may look for some way to get back into my good graces. What I’m telling you is that you are already and always there. I don’t want you to make attempts to add to my work. Instead, I want you to celebrate what I accomplished on Calvary. I purchased a place for you, a permanent place in me that is never in jeopardy.
I also want to protect you from the earthly consequences of sin. The outcome is never good. So the goal of my counsel is to save you from wasting time and energy walking after the flesh. What should you do when you sin? Turn away from it and choose to walk with me and live from me. Then you won’t gratify the desires of the flesh. I’m only concerned about your future, your next steps, not about your failures in the past.
Remember my grace doesn’t just manifest itself in the form of forgiveness. My grace also equipped you to live differently. As you remember how my grace transformed you, you will walk in that way. It’s simple, not complicated. As a person thinks, so will they act. Just allow my Spirit to remind you, over and over, of the beautiful new creation that I have made you into. Total forgiveness and a brand-new identity are part of your heavenly inheritance, to be enjoyed here and now. I love you, and I only want my best for you. – Jesus (inspired by Rom. 6:9-10, 12, 21; 8:1; 11:29; Heb. 9:28; 10:17; 13:5; 1 John 4:18; 2 Tim. 2:13; Gal. 3:3; 5:16; Acts 26:18; 1 Peter 4:2; Eph. 4:28; Titus 2:11-12; Prov. 23:7; Col. 2:13.) (loc. 1345 of 2138)
Awakening (a sample closing prayer)
Jesus, thank you that I no longer have to wonder where I stand with you or try to get back into fellowship with you. I am in! You ask me to walk with you, step by step, making wise choices in dependency on you. How can my heart not leap with joy in response to someone who has loved me, forgiven me, and accepted the way you do? There simply is no better life than the life you have shared with me. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of being in your presence each and every day, without interruption. I love you so.
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