THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Phillipians 4:13 Christians have an advantage that all others fail to access unless they become reunited with God! It is a Gift that God wishes to impart to all people, however only those who respond to His gracious gift are able to receive His Divine ability to face the challenges of this world.

Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth and the life” and that “no man comes to the Father” God unless it is through Jesus and the mercies of His sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross. So many people claim that that’s not fair, or that’s not the only way, but that’s exactly what Jesus claimed. If you have sinned just once and we all have, then the Bible declares us guilty before a Holy, Righteous God. He can not and will not have any part of fellowshipping with sin.

He has provided out of the essence of His being, which is love, (1 John 4:8) the ability to rebuild all that sin has destroyed on our lives. Through His free gift, He has re-opened the way back into His Love, His Presence, Provision, Healing and His ability.

You must understand that this is the real miracle of Christmas. It’s not a Holiday…it’s CHRISTmas. The Eternally existing Son of Almighty God, divested Himself of all His heavenly power and authority and came to experience life in this sin sickened world. Phillipians 2: 6-7 “Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.” NLT Verse 7 is translated in this manner in the Message translation. “When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, and became human.”

He was born with three missions in His heart and on His mind; The Cross at Calvary, Resurrection Day (being seated next to the Father), and You! He knew that at Calvary all of the Penalty of Sin would be His to bear. The Prophet Isaiah says it this way. Isaiah 53: 3-6 “But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed…And GOD has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him.”

1) The Cross at Calvary: “and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.” Colossians 1:20-22 NLT

2) Resurrection Day: “He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven.” Hebrews 12:2 NLT

3) You: "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life John 3:16.

This Christmas take the time to rehearse this fact: God is not mad at you; He loves you! Even though our rebellious, independent, thankless hearts continue to struggle against His Ways and His Will, He still loves us! God gave up His only Son, Jesus, Who gave up all of His heavenly power, privileges and authority to come down to this earth to live and die for our transgressions of His Law. It is ONLY through God’s provision that we are able to re-enter into His Presence, Provision and Power in this life and live eternally with Him in the hereafter.

Mohammed can not pay the price. Buddha can not pay the price. Mary can not pay the price. Mother Nature can not pay the price. Money can not buy it. Sacrifice can not secure it. Being good falls way short of it. Effort and good works are laughable in their attempts to attain it. Doctors and Psychiatrists can not prescribe it. Counselors can not talk you into it. Philosophers can not illuminate the path to it.

The only answer is an impartation of God’s own life into yours! John 1:4 says it this way: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Only Jesus can boldly proclaim: “I am the way, the truth and the life; No man comes to the Father but by Me.” John 14:6

Right now if, you don’t know Him, drop to your knees and Invite Jesus to be the Lord over your life and believe in your heart that He paid the price for your sins on that Cross. Only through this you can obtain eternal life and it begins right here and now; not only when you die and go to Heaven! Romans 10:9-10
Merry Christmas and pass it on!