Resistance

Do not enter the path of the wicked And do not proceed in the way of evil men.  Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on.

Proverbs 4:14-15 (NASB) 

Temptations to join in evil are always before us.  The writer of Proverbs describes the "opportunities" before us as the path or the way of wicked or evil men.  Truth is temptation to sin is a daily occurance and we must always be on our gaurd against it.  The encouragement of Proverbs is to avoid it.  To not even get close to it but pass by.  He says to turn away from it.  But truly our problem with temptation often is that we want to see how close when can get to it with out falling in.  We flirt with temptation, when really we should flee from it.  Remember, that temptation and sin are to different things, but temptation leads to sin.  Don't mess with it and stay clear of it.  The consequences for us as Christ followers are too great to meddle with temptation!

Where is your heart?

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:15 (NASB) 

Where is your heart?  What do you love.  We can not truly be in love with Jesus when our heart is in the World.  If our desire is for things of this world, if that is what we chase after we can not truly say that we are in love with Jesus .  He must have first place in our lives over everything else.  Love Him more than the stuff this world offers, more than the prestige the world gives us.  More than any relationship that we hold.  He must be first, always!  We struggle with this because some of the things in this life are good.  The relationship with our spouse or children are good but they can not take first place.  That place is reserved for Jesus alone.  This is the love of the Christ follower

Celebrate His forgetfulness

"but Your love ⌊has delivered⌋ me from the Pit of destruction, 

for You have thrown all my sins behind Your back." 

Isaiah 38:17 (HCSB)

I hate it when I forget things.  I forget people's names.  I forget appointments.  Sometimes I forget promises or commitments.  Forgetting really irritates me.

But in the Christ followers life there is one time that we celebrate forgetfulness.  It's not ours but God's.  God intentionally forgets our sin.  He throws it behind His back.  When God forgives us, He doesn't want to be reminded of our sins of the past.  The truth is He doesn't want us to remember them either.  Don't carry around the guilt of past sin because it is forgiven.  God is not keeping a list so we should not either.

He has delivered.  He has forgiven.  He has forgotten!  Celebrate His forgetfulness!

How far?

As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

Psalm 103:12 (HCSB) 

God's grace for us is amazing.  His willingness to forgive us is beyond our comprehension.  This little verse from the Psalms is a wonderful reminder of how far God removes our sin from us.  While we sometimes remember the sins of our past, God has removed them from us.  Never to come back to us. 

 How far is the east from the west?  The two never shall meet.  Our sin will never be placed on our back again.  Jesus has taken our sin and He has removed them.

Now the point for us today is this:  If He has removed our sin and He intends never for us to have to deal with it again.  Then we need to leave our guilt and the sin itself alone.  Don't pick it up again!  Stop feeling guilt for what God has already forgiven and dealt with.

Work because of Grace

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. 
Ephesians 2:8-10 (HCSB)

In our Human thinking we sometimes will debate Grace - vs - Works.  There really is no debate when we see what Paul writes here to the Ephesians.  He is clear we are saved by grace.  Salvation is a gift from God.  All the boasting for salvation goes to God.  He is the one who has done the work for salvation.

But also notice we are His creation.  He is created us for works.  In fact in God's wisdom and plan He has prepared, ahead of time, what He would have us do.  There are some general things, like holiness, righteousness and becoming more like Jesus, that are common to us all.  But there are also some specific things that God has created you and recreated you to be as a New creation for Jesus.  God has a very specific plan for you personally.

So the reality is for the Christ follower we are saved by Grace and God has work for us to do.  In fact the evidence of our salvation is in our works. (See James)  The question for us as Christ followers is will we be found living out His grace in our works?

Forgiveness

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
1 John 1:9 (KJV)

God loves us so much that he offers us forgiveness.  It is part of His plan of grace for us as followers of Christ.  When we sin forgiveness is available.  You are never to far or to deep into your sin that Christ can not bring you out.  Our step is to confess.  We acknowledge to God that we understand what He says about our sin.  Confession means to agree with His assessment of us.  It should always be followed by repentance.

But the most amazing truth we find in this verse is not about us but about Him.  He is faithful.  He is just.  He will cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness.  It is in God's nature that no matter how far we have fallen or drifted from Him, He will always forgive when we confess our sins to Him.  As Christ followers we continue to struggle with sin, but He is faithful and will forgive.