From the Word

Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies, you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

– Nehemiah 9:18-21

Child of God, your Father has never forsaken you. Your Father has not forsaken you now.  Your Father will never forsake you. This isn’t some lesson in conjugating verbs. This is gospel truth. This is the reality of being in relationship with God. This is what being in Christ is like. Even when __________________ (fill in the blank)…God, in his great mercies will not forsake you. Even when the temptation comes, God will not forsake. Even when the suffering comes, God will not forsake. Even when the wilderness comes, God will not forsake. Even when the failure comes, God will not forsake. Even when the apathy comes, God will not forsake. Even when the weariness comes, God will not forsake. And even when death comes, God will not forsake. The feelings of being forsaken may be very real and downright crushing, but feelings don’t change the truth: though you feel alone, you are never alone.  As we say in my business, “that’ll preach”.  And that will preach, so preach it.  To yourself.  Regularly.  When the guilt of your sin comes creeping back, preach.  When the shame of your rebellion whispers in your ear, preach.  When the sandstorms of the wilderness cloud your vision of the pillar of cloud, preach.

He is with you. He has not abandoned you and in fact He is still providing for you, even though you may not feel it. Read the passage of Scripture above again. The Israelites complained relentlessly about feeling abandoned in the wilderness, but God never once left them. Not only did He not leave them, He graciously provided for all their needs – even when they complained and rebelled and lost sight of the God behind the pillar of fire and manna and water and clothes.

What gives us the confidence that God will not forsake us? The Word of God does. The faithfulness of the Father does. The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus does. The seal of the Holy Spirit does. When these are forsaken and forgotten then you will be forsaken and forgotten. And these will never be forsaken and forgotten. He will never leave you or forsake you. Never.

As you go today, preach to yourself the faithfulness of God. Preach to your neighbors the faithfulness of God. Preach to the nations the faithfulness of God. Child of God, you are in Christ. Believe by faith that because He was forsaken, you never will be. Even when ________________God in his great mercies will not forsake you.

From the Word

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.

– 2 Timothy 1:3

Child of God, a seemingly insignificant phrase rests in the middle of this verse.  It seems insignificant, but that’s far from the truth.  This phrase is dripping with gospel richness.  The apostle Paul is writing this letter to Timothy and in the middle of what seems like an innocuous and normal beginning, Paul says four deeply important words that sum up perfectly one of the many spiritual blessings of being in Christ.  The words: “with a clear conscience”.  The apostle Paul, once lead-them-off-to-jail, approving-of-your-murder Saul, can say with all honesty that he has a clear conscience.  The same man who in his previous letter to Timothy in all humility said these words:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

– 1 Timothy 1:15

The glorious truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that Paul can be the foremost of all sinners and have a clear conscience.  He can be the guy who once led Christians off to their execution in chains and the guy who now is in those same chains ready to die for the Christ he once hated.  This is the power of the gospel.  This is the power of Christ.  This is the incredible truth that many of us are still struggling to believe and live out.  We are not who we once were.  In Christ, we really are a new creation.  In Christ, we really are forgiven.  In Christ, our penalty really has been paid.  In Christ, we really have a clear conscience.  And this not of ourselves.  Paul’s clear conscience was not based on his works, his ability to change himself, or how much good he had done to overturn the bad he had done.  Paul’s clear conscience was based on Christ and Christ alone.  Paul’s clear conscience was based on God declaring him justified through the blood of Jesus.  Paul’s clear conscience was based on Jesus taking all of his guilt and shame.  Paul’s clear conscience was based on the reality that Jesus became Paul’s sin so that Paul might become the righteousness of God.  Paul’s clear conscience was based on the glorious grace of God shown to us in Christ and applied to us through the Holy Spirit.    Paul can be the foremost of all sinners and have a clear conscience because this is also true:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

-Romans 8:1

Child of God, you, who were called by God into relationship with his Son by grace through faith, were also called to walk in freedom.  Freedom from guilt.  Freedom from shame.  Freedom from who you once were.  It is good to remember who you once were.  It is better to remember that’s not who you are any more.  For in Christ, the old is gone, the new has come.  In Christ it is a new day.  In Christ your new identity is child of God.  By grace be who you are.

Unbeliever, this clear conscience is also available to you.  You will never repay all the mistakes you have made.  You will never outrun all your poor choices.  You will never outdo all the bad in your life with good.  You will never be able to remove the guilt in your own strength.  You will never be able to bury the shame with your own efforts.  This clear conscience before God is only available to those who stop trying to fix it themselves and start trusting in Christ alone.  You must confess your failed attempts to be good on your own.  You must confess your rebellion and stubbornness and hatred and pride as sin.  And you must turn to Christ alone with nothing to offer or add believing that what He has done He has done in your place and for your good.  When you do this, a clear conscience is yours as one of the innumerable spiritual blessings of being in Christ.