I want to share some great news with you this morning: As a believer, your sins are forgiven. Are you persuaded of this? Is your soul at rest in the saving grace of God?

Martin Luther said on his commentary on the book of Galatians, "I must listen to the gospel, which teaches me, not what I ought to do, but what Jesus Christ the Son of God has done for me...that He suffered and died to deliver me from sin and death. The gospel wills me to receive this, and to believe it. And this is the truth of the gospel...the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consists. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually.

This is why I always like to come back to the message of the gospel. It needs to be beaten into our heads because we often forget it. Some worry that if we tell people their sins are forgiven, it'll just encourage them to sin more. But this reveals a misunderstanding. We can only overcome sin’s power in our lives when we believe that Christ has already broken it.

John Colquhoun warns against trying to obey without believing in full forgiveness: “When a man is driven to obedience by dread of God’s wrath rather than drawn by belief in His love, he shows that he is under a legal spirit.” We must see that the gospel itself is the fuel that gives us power to overcome sin. Paul writes, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6).

When we believed in Jesus, we were crucified with Him—set free from sin’s power. Before we can grow in holiness, we must first believe this truth. Paul says, “Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Only then can we follow his command: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:12). Because Christ has died for our sins, we are called to take our sin seriously. How can we continue in sin when our Savior died for it? If we continue on in our sins without repentance, it will lead to our own spiritual decay. John Owen once said, "Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you."

As we seek to overcome our sins, let us continually come back to the free grace of God in Christ to fuel our obedience. As Thomas Chalmers said, “The freer the gospel, the more sanctifying is the gospel.” It's only when we receive the fullness of God's grace that we will be a holy people who glorify God with our lives.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Sunday morning worship is a Saturday night decision! One of the best ways to get the most out of our time together in corporate worship is to come prepared, going to bed early on Saturday night, and by reviewing the sermon text, our song list, and our responsive readings. To help you prepare for Sunday worship, I've provided each element of our worship below for your review prior to Sunday.

 

In Christ,

Hunter Hanson