Mary’s Roto-Rooter Service…Being free from guilt and condemnation. I’m number #1 in the number #2 business. Flush your troubles away. Call my Roto-Rooter service and away go troubles down the drain, A flush beats a full house. (Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1 )
I hear Christians talk about their sins over and over again. I guess there is a sense of false guilt to beat oneself over and over again on the head. Maybe I should bring a baseball bat with me to a Bible study and help beat them up? I can’t help but think of this scripture: (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Cor. 5:17).
When Jesus came into my life that day was the best day of my life. I think some folks need to pray, “Lord restore unto me the joy of my salvation.” (Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:2)
It was like a 100 lbs. of guilt went off my shoulders. I walk into some churches to hear about what I am not doing. Mary can’t live the Christian life in her own strength. Paul said he would boast in his infirmities that the power of Christ can rest upon him.
(But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Cor. 12:9)
It says in Ephesians to be strong in the Lord and in the “power of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10) and I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philip 4:13
So what is the problem with Christians? Why can we become Pharisees (judgmental) or hypocrites and not live a victorious Christian life? It’s because we fail to accept the fact that Jesus Christ already walked the perfect walk for us. He sent us the Holy Spirit to live inside us so we have grace (God’s ability) in us to give us the power to live it through Him.
(God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21)
Our righteousness is like a bunch of women’s menstrual rags they used to use back then or women’s sanitary napkins:
(All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6)
One morning recently I woke up and I heard God say in my spirit that He wants me to wear the new robe He gave me. It’s the best robe and it’s the one that he gave the prodigal son. (But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Luke 15:22).
My mother used to run around in this ugly terry cloth robe because it was comfortable. That is what a lot of Christians do they run around in these ugly terry cloth robes and one robe is condemnation and guilt, because those are comfortable robes to put on.
(To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds; wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:22-25)
(And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:10-11)
Guilt and condemnation will keep us out of the throne room of God to make our requests before God.
(Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16)
(In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12
Through the blood of Jesus, I’m in right standing with God. If I make a mistake and flub up guess what? I still have that blood to cleanse me from all iniquity: 1John 1:9 is what I live by “confess your sin and he is faithful and just to forgive you your sin can cleanse you from all unrighteousness.”
I was walking into church to attend their single’s parents group and I was thinking about how all three of my toilets at home were stopped up. I thought about it and I said, “God do I have crap in my life?” Immediately, I heard in my spirit, “Yes you do.” For about ten minutes, I had this deep laughter way down in my spirit. I chuckled out loud. God is very happy/pleasantly pleased that I and getting garbage/crap out of my life.
One way I get garbage out of my life is not to say garbage out of my mouth all the time. I’ve suggested in the past to bring garbage bags if singles want to trash talk their ex-husbands and wives. Trash talking other people, and then trash talking myself with a bunch of guilt and condemnation. We are to love our neighbors as we “love” our selves. Some people need to forgive others and forgive themselves. We can’t right all the wrongs. (And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark 11:25) Maybe forgive yourself?
For me, my grief counselor said I was very hard on myself that I could not save my husband when he had a heart attack in front of me. I had to forgive myself that I was not able to intervene in the situation before he died or during it. I was beating myself over and over about my lack of ability to save him. Grace is God’s ability in us. I did not have the ability to save him….I am not God and neither are you. Even doctors have lost their patients on the table in the hospital.
I can't even save myself.
It’s sort of like riding a bicycle when I was four years old. I struggled and struggled trying to ride that bike, but I kept picking myself back up again with cuts and bruises and I kept trying to ride that bike. Once I got on it and away I road on that bike. I may fall down over and over again, but I can confess my sins, pick myself up, and move on. Hopefully, I learn to ride that bike eventually (get it right)!
(For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity Proverbs 24:16)
The works that I do in the Lord are works that I do out of a love relationship with my heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. He has created me to do good works through this love relationship not to prove myself, out of guilt or necessity, but I’m a cheerful, lover of God. Just like I loved and cheerfully wanted to please and serve my husband because we were in a loving relationship. It’s a joy serving others when you love them and they appreciate it and God sure appreciates it!
(For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Each of you should give whatever you have decided. You shouldn't be sorry that you gave or feel forced to give, since God “loves” a cheerful giver. 2 Cor. 9:7
Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Duet 15:10)
What do we see wrong with this story? It was a person “confident in his own righteousness”, not trusting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's not worth holding on to sin, repent is to turn away from it, confess it and trust in God's grace to cover our sins:
(To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14)
I hear Christians talk about their sins over and over again. I guess there is a sense of false guilt to beat oneself over and over again on the head. Maybe I should bring a baseball bat with me to a Bible study and help beat them up? I can’t help but think of this scripture: (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Cor. 5:17).
When Jesus came into my life that day was the best day of my life. I think some folks need to pray, “Lord restore unto me the joy of my salvation.” (Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:2)
It was like a 100 lbs. of guilt went off my shoulders. I walk into some churches to hear about what I am not doing. Mary can’t live the Christian life in her own strength. Paul said he would boast in his infirmities that the power of Christ can rest upon him.
(But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Cor. 12:9)
It says in Ephesians to be strong in the Lord and in the “power of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10) and I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philip 4:13
So what is the problem with Christians? Why can we become Pharisees (judgmental) or hypocrites and not live a victorious Christian life? It’s because we fail to accept the fact that Jesus Christ already walked the perfect walk for us. He sent us the Holy Spirit to live inside us so we have grace (God’s ability) in us to give us the power to live it through Him.
(God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21)
Our righteousness is like a bunch of women’s menstrual rags they used to use back then or women’s sanitary napkins:
(All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6)
One morning recently I woke up and I heard God say in my spirit that He wants me to wear the new robe He gave me. It’s the best robe and it’s the one that he gave the prodigal son. (But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Luke 15:22).
My mother used to run around in this ugly terry cloth robe because it was comfortable. That is what a lot of Christians do they run around in these ugly terry cloth robes and one robe is condemnation and guilt, because those are comfortable robes to put on.
(To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds; wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Ephesians 4:22-25)
(And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:10-11)
Guilt and condemnation will keep us out of the throne room of God to make our requests before God.
(Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16)
(In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:12
Through the blood of Jesus, I’m in right standing with God. If I make a mistake and flub up guess what? I still have that blood to cleanse me from all iniquity: 1John 1:9 is what I live by “confess your sin and he is faithful and just to forgive you your sin can cleanse you from all unrighteousness.”
I was walking into church to attend their single’s parents group and I was thinking about how all three of my toilets at home were stopped up. I thought about it and I said, “God do I have crap in my life?” Immediately, I heard in my spirit, “Yes you do.” For about ten minutes, I had this deep laughter way down in my spirit. I chuckled out loud. God is very happy/pleasantly pleased that I and getting garbage/crap out of my life.
One way I get garbage out of my life is not to say garbage out of my mouth all the time. I’ve suggested in the past to bring garbage bags if singles want to trash talk their ex-husbands and wives. Trash talking other people, and then trash talking myself with a bunch of guilt and condemnation. We are to love our neighbors as we “love” our selves. Some people need to forgive others and forgive themselves. We can’t right all the wrongs. (And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Mark 11:25) Maybe forgive yourself?
For me, my grief counselor said I was very hard on myself that I could not save my husband when he had a heart attack in front of me. I had to forgive myself that I was not able to intervene in the situation before he died or during it. I was beating myself over and over about my lack of ability to save him. Grace is God’s ability in us. I did not have the ability to save him….I am not God and neither are you. Even doctors have lost their patients on the table in the hospital.
I can't even save myself.
It’s sort of like riding a bicycle when I was four years old. I struggled and struggled trying to ride that bike, but I kept picking myself back up again with cuts and bruises and I kept trying to ride that bike. Once I got on it and away I road on that bike. I may fall down over and over again, but I can confess my sins, pick myself up, and move on. Hopefully, I learn to ride that bike eventually (get it right)!
(For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity Proverbs 24:16)
The works that I do in the Lord are works that I do out of a love relationship with my heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. He has created me to do good works through this love relationship not to prove myself, out of guilt or necessity, but I’m a cheerful, lover of God. Just like I loved and cheerfully wanted to please and serve my husband because we were in a loving relationship. It’s a joy serving others when you love them and they appreciate it and God sure appreciates it!
(For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10
Each of you should give whatever you have decided. You shouldn't be sorry that you gave or feel forced to give, since God “loves” a cheerful giver. 2 Cor. 9:7
Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Duet 15:10)
What do we see wrong with this story? It was a person “confident in his own righteousness”, not trusting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's not worth holding on to sin, repent is to turn away from it, confess it and trust in God's grace to cover our sins:
(To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14)
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