Psalm 32:1-2

"Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." There are infinite aspects of God's character that defy human logic or understanding, of which grace and mercy are among the top concepts that we cannot fully comprehend this side of heaven. Perhaps the greatest by-product of God's grace and mercy is His willingness to forgive sins. For as the apostle Paul declares, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7). Each concept though has a distinct purpose in God's will and Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary provides incredible differentiation among these three characteristics of God's character that are worth considering: GRACE - 1. Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him. 2. The application of Christ's righteousness to the sinner. 3. A state of reconciliation to God. MERCY - That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being. FORGIVENESS - 1. The act of forgiving; the pardon of an offender, by which he is considered and treated as not guilty. 2. The pardon or remission of an offense or crime; as the forgiveness of sin or of injuries. I am continually amazed by the wisdom Noah Webster defines the English language according to a Biblical perspective. Notice the explicit distinctions among these concepts. Grace is unmerited love and favor of God while mercy treats an offender better than he deserves, but forgiveness takes upon its shoulders the weight of the entire sin. As Webster states, forgiveness is the pardon of an offender by which he is considered and treated as NOT GUILTY. In other words, because God is gracious and merciful toward His children, He forgives them of their sins. Let us not be all-encompassing in this fact though, lest we assume that every human being in the history of time has been unconditionally forgiven of all their sins and is now sitting in heaven with Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is a promise given to every BELIEVER that accepts the forgiveness of their sins through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. For Jesus set forth a new covenant during His final Passover meal: "And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'" (Matthew 26:27-28). Scripture is rich with the promises of forgiveness God proclaims to His people based on their recognition of sin and genuine repentance through the act of humility. "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Jesus does elaborate on the concept of forgiveness further as an act of obedience that we must display toward others in order to receive God's gracious and merciful forgiveness for ourselves, lest we be judged according to the hardness of our hearts. "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:14-15). The true blessing of forgiveness that David declares in Psalm 32 is based upon the promise of God's grace and mercy that flow from His character, or as The Expositor's Bible Commentary plainly states, "The psalmist declares that the forgiveness of sin, of whatever kind—whether against God or man, whether great or small, whether conscientious or inadvertent, or whether by omission or commission—is to be found in God." God is the ultimate forgiver of sin and every knee will bow to Him on the day of judgment. Therefore, we must apply the truth of Scripture into our lives that declares we are His children, and held to a higher standard than the world. For no matter the offenses we commit against others or offenses we endure, we must seek unconditionally seek forgiveness and forgive others simply for one reason: Christ forgave us and died for our sins. "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive" (Colossians 3:12-13). I praise God that He not only treats me better than I deserve (mercy) by offering me unmerited favor (grace), but that He goes far beyond any human comprehension of love by sacrificing His one and only Son on my behalf (forgiveness through imputed righteousness) so that I may have the privilege of spending eternity with Him. Forgiveness is simply divine and it should make us proclaim as David did in Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple." Without forgiveness, that picture of heaven will never become a reality. It must begin with grace and repentance and accepting God's Word as true. For if we do not believe His Word, we cannot begin to comprehend His grace and mercy which produces a willingness within Him to forgive our sins based on the sacrifice He made through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus and the absolute truth of Scripture are inseparable. One cannot exist without the other and more importantly, Scripture declares that He is the manifestation of the Word of God. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Therefore, let us give thanks for the by-product of God's grace and mercy, the eternal blessing of forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ that covers sins and restores us whole to our Creator and Father in heaven, praising God for all eternity because His Word declares it as ABSOLUTE TRUTH!

Matthew 23:29-32

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers." The seventh and final woe Jesus proclaims to the scribes and Pharisees is perhaps the most interesting of them all. It summarizes the behavior of the previous six woes He declares and paints the big picture of their sinfulness against God and the consequential result of those sins in His imminent crucifixion. He points out their consistency of behavior over time and their lack of recognition based on the history of which they are descendants, creating the perfect storm for eternal separation between them and God. What a mighty warning we must heed in response! The apostle Paul makes a similar argument in his letter to the Hebrews: "How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29). How proud must a man be to proclaim in the presence of his own hypocrisy that he would choose righteousness over sin. Truly, he would be better to say nothing at all! Perhaps that is why Scripture admonishes, "For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them" (2 Peter 2:21). The scribes and Pharisees deceived themselves into believing that they were not one in the same with their forefathers, without recognizing their pattern of sinfulness that mirrored the sins of their forefathers. In other words, "They think, if they had lived in the days of the prophets, they would have heard them gladly and obeyed; and yet they rebelled against the light that Christ brought into the world" (Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible). For example, they failed to heed and apply Jesus' teaching which they had firsthand opportunity to hear in the physical presence of the Son of Man: "And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched’" (Mark 9:43-48). Hindsight is 20/20 though and while it is easy to sit back and judge the scribes and Pharisees for their actions, I realize that in my own life I have fallen prey to the same attitudes and actions. Indeed, Jesus pointed specifically at their lineage and heritage descended from their murderous forefathers whom they lifted up in honor and glory, but are we not all descendants of sin? True, our individual bents are different and unique, but mankind identifies with itself on the foundation of sin and rejection of God's sufficiency. The scribes and Pharisees may have sat in the presence of Jesus Christ and chose not to believe He was the Messiah, but I can identify with how they fell into that trap. Over the past 5-6 weeks, I have come to understand the impact a hardened heart can have on the ability to recognize not only my own sinfulness and selfishness, but who Jesus truly is and what He expects out of my life. It is difficult to hear the Word of God when your ears are covered, to see the hand of Christ at work around you when your eyes are closed, and to taste the mystery of God's abundant grace and mercy when your heart is closed off and self-protecting. God seeks humility of the heart but He does not force his will on anyone. God does not close off our hearts, we choose to. Is it no wonder that God proclaims: "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). God wants nothing more than our hearts fully devoted to Him and seeking righteousness over sin. In my life, that equates to resisting sinful patterns that have eroded the bridge between my mind and heart of understanding God's Word. It is indeed true that "Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly" (Proverbs 26:11). Therefore, I must take action to cut off that sinful behavior and choose to trust in Christ, not pridefully declaring that I have arrived at any state of understanding that deems me worthy of righteousness, but humbly submitting to Christ and His Word. "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). This summary passage of Scripture in Matthew 23:29-32 brings to light for me a promise that the apostle Paul makes in his first letter to the church of Corinth. "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). My counselor in Christ reminded me of the power of God's promise in that passage to provide a way of escape in the midst of temptation. It is now a constant reminder for me to avoid pride and embrace humility, to die to self and cling to the cross of Jesus Christ in service to Him and my family. Because living like a scribe or Pharisee, knowing the prophesies declared and not recognizing their fulfillment right before my eyes in the person of Jesus Christ is simply inexcusable, and I can escape the tempestuous trap of hypocrisy if I choose to embrace the escape method God provides through the absolute truth of His Word. It is a mockery for me to say I trust in Jesus Christ but not fully believe His Word into my heart, trusting Him in complete faith. That is the weight my sin has laid upon my heart though, and the selfish rock my Lord and Savior is breaking in order to restore my soul to righteousness. "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" (Hebrews 12:6), and I praise God immensely for that loving promise.

Matthew 23:27-28

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Matthew 23:27-28 is a mirror image of the verses that precede it: Matthew 23:25-26. Here, Jesus once again drives home the point of our preoccupation with dressing up the public exterior of our lives only to self-protect the inner sins and iniquity that has taken residence in our hearts. The question I have struggled with for the past 3 weeks though is what greater point Jesus is making. 2 Timothy 3:16 states that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so there must be a finer point to Christ's rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees in comparison to verses 25-26. It is quite poignant that Jesus uses the example of a whitewashed tomb (symbolizing death) to describe the fallen state of man in this passage "for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). We cannot understand the magnitude of our sin until we balance the truth of God's wrath with the gracious and merciful gift of His love. Jesus Christ is the bridge that allows man to exist in both states of God's being simultaneously, but that is not an opportunity to indulge in sin and hypocrisy. On the contrary, one does not want to fall into the trap of being outwardly beautiful as a whitewashed tomb glistening in the sun. The reality is that underneath the external mask of adornment is a rotten and lifeless existence that feeds upon the greatest sin of mankind: self. Left untreated, it develops into a terminal cancer. Love of self simply results in a slow and agonizing death that leaves one numb over time to the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit. Left untreated, this wilderness attitude can drive us further into self-righteousness and inevitably, spiritual death. 2 Timothy 3:2-5 is a perfect example of the Bible's warning on how a heart can become consumed with sin: "For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power." Now this passage was written as a warning of godliness in the last days, but I believe we are living in the last days (a point my wife firmly has conveyed to me that I agree with). How do I know? I need not look any further than my own reflection in the mirror. D.A Carson provides a profound understanding in The Expositor's Bible Commentary concerning Matthew 23:27-28: In the context of Matthew 23, the point Jesus is making is not that the scribes and Pharisees were deliberate and self-conscious hypocrites, but that in their scrupulous regulations they appeared magnificently virtuous but were actually contaminating the people. This statement is incredibly convicting to me on many levels due to the sins in my life that over the years have hardened my heart so as not to face the consequences of my actions. More importantly, as I reflect back upon the enormity of my conscious and subconscious decisions to sin and avoid punishment, I realize that in my self-protection I made it appear publicly that I indeed was virtuous and righteous. My actions, while clean on the outside, were masking a love of self that when exposed to the light of day left a destructive path on those I love the most. Therefore, I shamefully fulfilled in every sense the point Carson interprets upon in Matthew 23:27-28. I did not intentionally nor deliberately set out to be a hypocrite, but through my self-protecting actions I both knowingly and unknowingly embraced that identity and contaminated those around me, resembling dead man's bones rather than the righteousness of Jesus Christ and proclaiming myself in retrospect as the greatest of hypocrites without fully understanding my fallen state of self. If I am being completely transparent, I believe I have fallen prey to in various degrees every sin Timothy lists in his letter, some to the point of near death. I confess that I am a man that in the deepest part of my heart has lived for himself for decades, genuinely desiring to be a man of righteousness, but unwilling to relinquish all control of my life to Christ. Through recent counseling on this issue though, I have had to come to grips that this is the most profound and convicting truth of my life, that I am not completely entrusting my heart to Christ which consequently only allows God limited access to transform me from the inside out. No doubt God has made His presence known in my life and used me as an instrument to accomplish Him will, but as it relates to the ministry he wishes to do in my life, I have self-protected for too long. Thankfully though, by God's abundant grace and mercy I found myself at a spiritual marker crossroads five weeks ago that He ordained which allowed me the opportunity to begin the processing of dying to self by choosing to live in the light of truth through confession of past sins rather than basking in the pit of darkness and essentially living under Satan's influence and lies. The moment arrived for me to apply the truth of Joshua 24:15, "choose this day whom you will serve," and I chose to serve Jesus Christ and embrace redemption through the blood of the lamb who was slain for my sins. The beauty of redemption is that through genuine repentance, God can restore the years the locust has eaten (Joel 2:25). For as 1 Peter 2:24 states, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." Regardless of how deep I have fallen into the pit of self, God is faithful and has used grievous sins in my life to expose hypocrisy in order to bring me to an understanding of my sinful state and wisdom for how to create a new life in Jesus Christ. Therefore, I cannot ask Him to remove the thorns in my flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7) for they are the greatest reminders of my need for dependancy on Him that will keep me victoriously faithful to Him in the midst of future trials and temptations. Consequently, the application I have found to Christ's warning in Matthew 23:27-28 is written by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans. Paul states, "For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living" (Romans 14:7-9). What an amazing truth for a follower of Jesus Christ! The real question is whether we will embrace that truth to the extent that it drives us to transparency, confession of sins, repentance, and restoration in righteousness. For me, I can attest that embracing this process and living in transparency through confession of sins and repentance is excruciatingly difficult to endure in the moment (based on consequences of sin), but the rewards far outweigh the momentary pain for this lifetime is a grain of sand compared to enormity of eternity. Jesus said, "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness" (John 12:46). If we believe that truth, we are assured that Christ will receive us freely and break us from the whitewashed tomb addiction that so many of us have progressively fallen into over time. And that in and of itself is reason to shout from the mountaintops "that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). I praise God for that truth in my life now!