We landed on the moon!

And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people… but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

– Acts 13:28-31, 37-39

I was struck in reading this passage of Scripture this morning how passionately Paul (and Peter and Phillip and Stephen and others) proclaimed the gospel of Christ with whomever they came across. Luke regularly records how the early church was fervent and bold to share the incredible news that Jesus is the Son of God who lived for us, died for us, and was raised from the dead for us. Much of this excitement I believe came from the reality that for them the resurrection of Jesus happened like yesterday. Well, not literally, but compared to us, I’m sure it felt that way. Jesus’ life and death and resurrection was incredibly real and close and palpable to the early church. They widely and loudly proclaimed Christ in many ways because they had no real choice. Something this amazing had to be shared. It had to be made known, even if that proclamation was followed by persecution and rejection. It didn’t matter, when God comes to us in human form, lives for us with perfection, innocently dies for the sins of those who reject him, and is miraculously raised from the dead, that’s a powerful story that has to be told. And it wasn’t just the spectacular nature of the story that made it compelling, it was also the result of all that. Sinners were forgiven and slaves were set free. Through this man forgiveness of sins was made possible and secured. Through this man, those chained by the bonds of works and self-righteousness and guilt were set free, forever set free.  This is incredible, overwhelmingly incredible. A perfectly holy God came to sinful man, obeyed in our place, died in our place, and gave us new life through his resurrection. O what an amazing mystery that grace has come to me!

In reading this passage, I am overwhelmed with the greatness of God’s grace to save sinful man. I am also deeply convicted of my lack of enthusiasm at times in sharing this message. I’m convicted that unlike Paul and Peter and Stephen I am not boldly going into the world and bearing witness to the power of the gospel message. Why is that? I think too often I fall into the trap  of believing the truth of the story, seeing how amazing it was, and moving onto what I think are bigger and better things.

Let me put it this way. One of my favorite movies of all time is “Dumb and Dumber” (don’t judge me). In one of the scenes Lloyd Christmas reads an article about the moon landing and beams with pride at the achievment. What’s the big deal? Lloyd reads the article in 1994. A few years after the event.

Why doesn’t anyone talk about the moon landing any more? Why aren’t we all shouting to anyone who will hear us, “We landed on the moon!” and celebrating the incredible achievement of sending a man into space? For one reason, it happened a long time ago and the newness of it has worn off. For another, quite frankly we’ve done cooler things since then. Far more advanced things since then. The moon landing as incredible as it was on that summer day in 1969, pales in comparison to what we’re doing today. We’ve lost the zeal for the moon landing, though great, because, well, we’ve moved on.

I fear some of us have moved on from the overwhelming greatness of the gospel. I fear some of us have moved on to “cooler” things, more exciting things, “deeper” things. Yes, there is some distance in time between now and then, but there is no diminishing of power and effect. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are as powerful and effective today as they were when Paul was proclaiming this message at Antioch in Pisida. The grace of God in saving sinners is as perplexing and outstanding and true as it ever was or will be. The promise to forgive and free through faith in Jesus is as genuine as it was when Paul appealed to those in the synagogue that Sabbath day so many years ago. The riches of God’s grace have not been depleted one iota since that incredible Sunday morning when the angels proclaimed to Mary “why are looking for the living among the dead”.

As you go today, meditate on the richness of the gospel. Let the reality of sinners saved by grace wash over you. Glory in your freedom secured not by your works, but by the works of Jesus. Magnify God for the lavishness of his love. Extol his name for moving heaven and earth to be with you and for you to be with him. Praise the wonders of grace that overpowers and destroys the sting, hold, and fear of death. Then go tell someone. Like Lloyd, even if you look like a fool, shout “Jesus was raised from the dead!” It’s no less a news-worthy story today as it was that Monday morning so many years ago.

When Knowing Leads to Trusting…The Whole Story

A few days ago, I wrote a post about a time in the recent past where my youngest son worked through some fear issues in regards to playing baseball. In the post, I stated that what helped him overcome the fear was knowing and therefore trusting the one throwing the pitches. That’s a true story, but that’s not the whole story. The whole story is drenched in God’s grace more than I shared because interwoven in the story are instances of sin: anger, fear, impatience, unkind words, and control.

I’ve been convicted lately of my lack of transparency at times which stems from the battle I have with preserving my self-image and fear of other’s perception of me. It’s been a lifelong battle and one that I’m quite frankly exhausted from. Keeping up appearances is all-consuming, back-breaking, spirit-crushing, joy-stealing, self-centered, pointless work. It hurts me. It hurts my family. It hurts the church. It hurts the gospel witness in the world. And I think publicly admitting my brokenness is a first step in a long journey towards killing the pride in my heart.

So here goes…

Hi, my name is Andy, and I’m a mess. (You say, “Hi, Andy.”) I’m not always the person I present myself to be. I’m not always the dad I present myself to be. I’m not always the husband I present myself to be. I’m not always the pastor I present myself to be. I’m a mess. A big one. I sin. Sometimes a lot. I need help. I need help being the dad God has called me to be. A lot of help.

The whole story behind the story I told a few days ago goes something like this: during his first game of T ball game when he was running away from the pitches and playing with dirt in the field my parenting techniques consisted of intimidation, fear, manipulation, loss of temper, and deceit and all of them privately. I was very careful to make sure no one else saw the anger bubbling over, only my son saw that.

Second T ball game was actually worse. My son ran away more, didn’t even come up to bat once, actually rolled around in the dirt and my reactions were much the same, only this time add complete despair to the list, and I quote, “I’m done, boy. I’m done.” Yep, I said “boy” to my son. Cut to the backyard the next day when I don’t have to fight so hard to look good and add raised voice and throwing the ball as hard as I could at the backstop out of anger to the list.

I warned you, I’m a mess.

Now, I could say that the reason for all this was rooted in the fact that my wife was away during this time and I had all three kids for four days non-stop (which included watching them while I coached 9 other 5 year old kids twice). I could say that I was tired and I was stressed and my son was being especially disobedient. All those things are true, but none of those things are the root cause. The root cause is me. I acted that way because that’s what was in my heart. Sin loves to find occasions to rear its ugly head and make itself known and boy howdy did the brokenness in my heart come out on those days. And I’m beginning to learn that the more of a mess I realize I am, the more grace becomes precious and absolutely necessary.

At the end of the all the yelling and manipulation, my son somehow trusted me. He shouldn’t have. I wouldn’t have. But he did. And that’s a testament to God’s grace and not to my parenting. I finally came to my senses, confessed my sin, asked for help from “Dad of All Time”, and had a calm, gospel-driven conversation with him. God helped my youngest trust his Dad. God helped me love my son with grace and truth. God worked through the brokenness of the situation to bring reconciliation and hope.

I’m a mess. God loves messes and works through them for his glory. God gives grace to the humble but opposes the proud. With Christ’s help through the power of the Spirit, the truth of the Word, and the unity of the body, I pray that pride will be killed in me. But it will never be killed if I continue to hide it, baby it, justify it, or ignore it.

My name is Andy and sometimes I’m just a terrible dad. But even through my sin, His grace is sufficient. Sufficient to help me see my sin. Sufficient to help me trust his forgiveness. Sufficient to help me change. Sufficient to restore my relationships. Sufficient to help my son see through my mistakes to the true and better Father who never loses his temper and always shows kindness. Sufficient to help me not be consumed with what you think of me. Sufficient to help you in your messiness.

That’s the whole story. And that’s the story I think better honors and glorifies the Father; mess covered in grace. Pray for me that more of my stories would include my mess so they can also include more of God’s grace and I’ll pray that you’ll do the same.

 

 

When Knowing Leads to Trusting

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
    for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

– Psalm 9:9-10

Over the past several weeks, I’ve had the task of coaching a baseball team filled with kids 5 and 6 years old. One of of those kids is my kid. At the beginning of the season, my youngest was having a hard time believing that the ball wasn’t going to come careening at his head every time it was pitched and therefore when the ball came, he ran. Pitch after pitch, he ran out of the batter’s box, get coaxed back in only to run away at the next pitch. No matter what I said to him, he wouldn’t believe that the little white ball wasn’t going to bounce of his skull. One afternoon, I somehow convinced him to go with me in the backyard to practice some hitting. The pattern continued: pitch, run away, convincing dad argument over the softness of the ball, the accuracy of my pitching, and usefulness of an aluminum bat, pitch, run away.

Finally it struck me that I was going about this all wrong. My son didn’t trust the ball or the bat or even the physics, but he trusts me. I sat him down and looked into his tear-filled, scared eyes and simply said: “Do you know that Daddy loves you?  Do you know that Daddy would never do anything to hurt you? Do you know that Daddy would never ask you to do anything that I also wouldn’t help you do? Do you trust Daddy?” His answer to all the questions was an immediate “Yes!” After this short pep talk, he got back up to the plate and started swinging away. Was he still scared? Yep. Were his eyes still filled with tears? Yep. Did he swing away? Yep. Did he hit every ball? Not even close.

So what changed?

His focus. He stopped focusing on the thing that was giving him trouble and started focusing on the thing he knew and trusted, his Daddy. He knows me. He knows I love him. He knows I care about him. He knows I wouldn’t hurt him. He knows that I wouldn’t leave him in his struggle. He knows me so he trusted me.

How much more can we trust our Father in heaven who made us, sustains us, cares for us, provides for us, knows us better than we know ourselves, sovereignly rules the universe (including my circumstances), and powerfully works all things for good? How much more can we trust our Father who has never once forsaken us in our time of need? How much more can we trust our Father who has provided along with Jesus all things we need? How much more can we trust our Father who sealed us with his Spirit, guaranteeing our inheritance? Our needs are great, our troubles are great, at times our oppression is great, but our Father is greater.

I need to be reminded that in my trouble I must seek the Lord. I need to be reminded that when I seek the Lord, he will be found. I need to be reminded that the more I know the Lord the more I grow to trust Him and the more I trust Him the freer I am.  I need to be reminded that growing in knowledge of my God does not come by accident, but by intentional, disciplined, Spirit-empowered effort. I need to be reminded that knowledge of God does not come automatically or all at once, but through a lifetime of mountains and valleys, pain and pleasure, heartache and joy, defeat and victory. I need to be reminded that much more than I desire to know God, He desires to be known and therefore loves to reveal Himself and show us more and more of the depths of his character and ways. I need to be reminded that there is a world full of oppressed, troubled, and doubting people who desperately need to be reminded of who God is and maybe even introduced to Him for the first time.

As you go today, remember this Psalm and remember this really awful baseball advice, take your eye off the ball and look to the one throwing the pitches. You know him. You can trust him. Swing away, even with tears still in your eyes and fear still in heart. He won’t give up on you.

From the Word

Your prophets have seen for you  false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.

– Lamentations 2:14

Child of God, as painful and uncomfortable as it can be at times, we need people in our lives who are willing to “expose our iniquity”. We need people in our lives who are willing to graciously look into our hearts and expose the darkness that we’ve been blinded to. We need people in our lives who love us enough to risk hurting our feelings in order to save our souls from the hardening effects of sin. And in this passage, Jeremiah is pointing to the prophets and calling them to the carpet for being more concerned for popularity and position than holiness and truth. But the prophets weren’t the only ones to blame, the people also bore responsibility. They loved to have their egos stroked, their ears tickled, and their lifestyles commended. No one likes to hear that something they’re doing is harmful or dishonoring to God. No one likes to be told that they’re veering off the path into dangerous territory. I like my ignorance. I like my darkness. I like me just the way I am.

But one of the joys of salvation is having our eyes opened to something better. The Father has loved us enough to send His Son to expose our sin in order to give us fortune: Himself. Jesus is the true and better prophet. Jesus is not swayed by public opinion or uncomfortable conversations or the shortsightedness of hurt feelings. Jesus loves us enough to offer us something better than sin, and slavery, and death. Jesus loves us enough to make us uncomfortable for a moment in order to bring us joy everlasting. Jesus knows that flinging open the curtains in a dark room will hurt your eyes for a moment, but He also knows what beauty lies beyond the darkness.

I need people to be Jesus to me. I need people to be willing to look deep into my heart (as scary as that may be) and love me enough to expose the sin that is still present there. I need people to love me enough to point me to something greater. I need people to love me enough to have hard, awkward, and risky conversations with me. I need people to look at the bigger picture and see that so much is at stake; my soul, my reward, and ultimately the glory of God. I need people to live by faith that God has provided everything necessary for change as well as the courage to call people to it. I need deep relationships. I need intentional community. I need the church. For it is in the church, that Christ is most evident. For it is the church that God has equipped to bring me to maturity and the fullness of Christ.

As you go today, take a hard look at your relationships. Who do you have in your life that knows you, really knows you, and is willing to expose the darkness in your heart in a loving and gracious way? What is your connection to the body of Christ? Is it shallow? Do your conversations hover around the surface? Do you fight hard to keep your real self hidden? Would you rather live in blissful ignorance now suffering great loss later or suffer a little loss now in order to gain great reward later? Open yourself up today. Invite others in today. Fight to go deeper today. Too much is at stake. Too much is sacrificed. Too much is missed. Too much is wasted. The reward far outweighs the discomfort.

From the Word

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

– John 4:13-18

Child of God, Jesus has a way of getting straight to the heart of the matter.  Jesus, in his compassion and grace, had to go through Samaria to meet this woman. He had to go this way because this particular woman needed to hear the hope of the gospel. He had to go this way because this particular woman serves to shed light on all of us. You see this story is not ultimately about particular sins. This story is not ultimately about cohabitation or divorce or remarriage. This story is about revealing what’s in this woman’s heart in order to show what is in all of our hearts. This story is about showing this woman’s deepest need in order to show us our deepest need.

We’ve been saying it over and over again in the past weeks here at the Fields, but it bears repeating. We were all made to worship. We were all created with desires that can only be truly and completely fulfilled by God. We all, however, seek to worship lesser things and satisfy those God-given desires with things that only leave us feeling empty. We all, like the woman at the well, have to keep coming back again and again to a well that is broken and leaking and filled with stagnant water. We all, like the woman at the well, need to go to the well full of water that will satisfy and overwhelm and never, ever run dry. We all, like the woman at the well, need Jesus.

The reason Jesus brings up the woman’s past relationships was not to condemn her, but to save her. Save her from lesser wells and lesser water. Jesus’ point in bringing up her past husbands was to get the woman to see, “Oh, we’re not really talking about husbands at all, are we”? Jesus brought up her struggles in relationships to show her how she was trying to find satisfaction and hope and joy in the wrong things. Jesus was trying to show her that her heart’s desires would never be met in the things of this world and would only be met in worshiping the Father in spirit and truth through the Son who has come and is now standing before her. Jesus brought up the woman’s past husbands to cause us to take a hard look at our own life and see the futile ways we are trying to satisfy our thirst with lesser things. We may not have had five husbands and a live-in boyfriend, but we all have tried and failed and tried and failed to satisfy our souls with created things instead of the Creator. And just like the woman at the well, Jesus sees us, and he wants to save us.

As you go today, what are the “husbands” in your life? What are those things that you are striving after, placing hope in, and whether you realize or not, worshiping? What broken wells do you keep going back to? What temporary pools do you keep drinking from? Just like the woman at the well, may our eyes be opened to the eternal springs of life-giving water found only in Christ. Just like the woman at the well, may we sense the mercy of God in Christ to save us from lesser wells. Just like the woman at the well, may our joy in being saved produce a longing to see others drink from the same well of eternal life.

From the Word

I have seen his ways, but I will heal him;  I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners

Isaiah 57:18

Child of God, the grace of our Father is immeasurable and inexhaustible. This promise from God in Isaiah comes on the heals of Him showing the people the futility of running after other gods; sacrificing for them and to them, making covenants with them, seeking their strength and peace in them. God’s response, though, is not ultimately to convince them that what they are worshiping is less. His response is to overwhelm them with something better, much better, infinitely better: Himself. God sees that far too often we scamper around fighting and settling for less. His response: look to me and I’ll give you more. It’s not to bury us under the weight of guilt and shame. His response is to hide us in his wings and cover us with his mercy and compassion. God sees your doubt and promises to heal and restore. God sees your fear and promises to heal and restore. God sees your anger and promises to heal and restore. God sees your apathy and promises to heal and restore. God sees your pride and promises to heal and restore. God sees your ways and promises to heal and restore.

I have a pastor friend in California who said “It’s never enough to show the vanity of something we love of this world; it needs kicked out by Something greater”. God is in the business of showing and kicking. We need to see the vanity of this world, but the only thing that will shake us out of our drunken stupor is something greater, someone greater: Jesus the Christ. We will never destroy the idols of our hearts by simply convincing ourselves of the evil of that particular idol because we will always find another idol we deem slightly less evil. Idols are ultimately destroyed by the glory and majesty of something greater. The author of Hebrews tells us to fight sin not by focusing our attention on the ugliness of sin but by being enthralled by the beauty of Christ, “lay aside every sin…looking to Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

As you go today and are tempted by the idols of this world, look to Jesus who is far and away better. And as you are faced with the futility and emptiness of your particular idol, don’t get lost in guilt and shame, run to Jesus. He sees you and He promises to heal, lead, and restore you. Your idol is never too big for Christ to destroy and your guilt is never too great for Christ to forgive.

From the Word

Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.

Isaiah 43:4

Child of God, how does God feel about you? When God thinks of you, what comes to his mind? Well, according to the Scriptures, as his child, God likes you. He really likes you. I know that may be hard to believe, but He does. It’s easy for us to believe God loves us. He sent His Son for us, He has forgiven us. He brought us into his family. He loves us, that’s settled. But does He like us? Is his love for us marked by disturbed tolerance, muted disapproval, or restrained annoyance? Does God treat us like we treat that weird uncle of ours? I know I’m supposed to love him, but boy he gets on my nerves. I think far too many feel that God looks on us in this way. But thankfully, God is not like us. God loves us, yes. But God also really likes us. We are precious in his eyes. We are honored in his sight. We are deeply loved. God fawns over us like a new dad blubbers over his infant child. God delights in us like a mom beams at her baby’s first steps. If God had a wallet, He’d be going all throughout creation showing off our pictures. God likes us.

And why does God like us? Because he has redeemed us, called us by name, and we are his. Because in Christ we went from enemy to child, from willful rebel to joyful servant, from hopeless and far to hopeful and near. And it brings God glory to like us. It honors his name to not treat us as our sins deserve. It brings praise to Him to blot out our transgressions and remember them no more. So know this, if you are in Christ, God loves you and He likes you, stamp it, double stamp, and even triple stamp it (if it were possible to triple stamp a double stamp).

As you go today, whether you feel it or not, by faith believe that those in Christ are dearly loved by God and are precious and honored in his sight. Whether your day is marked by joyful, wholehearted worship of God or begrudging, half-hearted, dragging-your-feet compliance, God likes you in Christ. His view of you has forever changed. His demeanor toward you is forever different. His excitement over you is forever established. All because of Christ and none because of your works. Rest in God’s delight over you and strive to walk in freedom knowing that your Daddy likes you.

From the Word

Child of God, the Father wants nothing more than for you to know the security and steadfastness of his love for you in Christ. The Father longs for you to know that nothing can snatch you out of his hands. The Father wants you to live with confidence in his character, his promises, and his Name. The Father longs for you to understand the surety of your hope in Him alone, a hope that does not disappoint.

For those of you this morning who are doubting the Father’s love for you, or his care for you, or his goodness towards you, or his faithfulness to you, or his forgiveness of you, or his provision for you; remember the truth of His Word and I pray it produces the hope it was designed to produce. Remember, we hope not in what is seen, but what is unseen, in what is eternal, not in what is temporary.

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

– Hebrews 6:17-20

Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

–  Proverbs 23:17-18

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.