What Sins?

God Centered Theology

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You can go ahead and be turning your Bibles to the 10th chapter of Hebrews. There's always a method to my madness, and I want to thank

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Todd for singing the song they did because that song is specific and very important for today's message, and I just want to kind of read for you some of the lyrics that they sang.

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Seems like all I could see was the struggle haunted by ghosts that lived in my past, bound up in shackles of all my failures, wondering how long is this gonna last.

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Then you look at this prisoner and say to me, son, stop fighting a fight. It's already been won.

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I am redeemed. I am redeemed. You set me free, so I'll shake off these heavy chains.

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I preached my first sermon on January 4th, 2009 at this church.

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I was so scared, I just wondered my knees didn't break below me, and I just fell out and passed out.

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And you were such an encouragement to me, so what I want to do today is I want to be an encouragement to you.

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I want to encourage you by talking to you about what our Redeemer did for us.

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Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter 10.

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Now we're not going to go through all 18 verses, but we're going to do a flyover and come down at times and part for a minute.

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But starting in verse 1 of chapter 10, it says, for the law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

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Now this word translated perfect, I believe the King James, New King James, most translational use the word perfect, is a

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Greek word that means to take to completion. It means to take something and bring it to its intended end.

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The idea and the way this word was used a lot in that time in culture was of a race. When you're running a race, you're not having completed that race until you cross the finish line.

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And the idea is that these sacrifices in this Old Testament system could not complete, they could not bring salvation to its intended end, and it could not make perfect those who draw near.

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Under the Old Covenant, the priests were busy all day long, from dawn until sunset, sacrificing animals on behalf of the people's sins.

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It's estimated that during Passover, as many as 300 ,000 animals would be slain within a week.

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Just one week. The slaughter would be so tremendous that blood would literally run out of the temple.

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I'm glad I wasn't on cleanup crew at the temple during Passover. But no matter how many sacrifices that were made, how often, how much you really meant it, they were ineffective.

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Why? Number one, they could not bring access to God. Number two, they could not remove sin.

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Number three, they were only external. The law can't make anyone righteous or have anyone achieve a right standing before God.

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The Levitical system of sacrifices could not make anyone right before God, for it was just a type or shadow, as verse 1 describes to us as we read just a moment ago, a type or shadow of what was to come.

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The priests offered the same sacrifices day after day, year after year, and it never removed the stain of sin.

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Sure, it could cover it, maybe stay off the immediate judgment for that sin in the moment, but it could not solve the sin problem.

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So what you had is that those who draw near could not be, as this verse describes, made perfect through those sacrifices.

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Its purpose, the whole purpose of the sacrifices was to point, point, point forward, not to perfect.

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Their purpose was to point and not to perfect, for they could not perfect those that drew near.

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Verse 2, otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered? Because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have consciousness of sins?

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But in those, in them, in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sentence year by year, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

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Animal sacrifices could cover, they could deal with things in the immediate, but it could not remove sin for forever.

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God requires perfect righteousness to enter his kingdom, and see there's a problem with that.

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None of us have it. Romans chapter 3, none righteous, no not one. We have all sinned, past tense, sinned in Adam, continually fall short, present tense, daily miss the mark.

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All sinners, all unrighteousness, all of our righteousness that we would even dare to offer would be as filthy rags.

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There's nothing we can offer that would produce, we can't even produce the righteousness that would make us have right standing before God.

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That poses a problem. God requires righteousness. We don't have it. How are we to obtain it?

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Well, as those of you who are here this morning and placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you know, is we need a Redeemer.

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We need a substitute. We needed someone that was perfect and holy and righteous that could die on behalf of our sin, in our place, taking the very judgment we deserve, making the payment for us.

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That's the reason, my friends, that salvation is free. That's the reason it's a gift of his grace and by his mercy.

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Grace, mercy, we didn't deserve it. There's nothing we could ever do or offer to God to put him in any position where he would owe us anything.

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He did it freely, by his grace, by his mercy, and it's full and it's free and in salvation,

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Christ's righteousness is credited to you. Our sin is credited to him. It's a beautiful picture.

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Only Jesus Christ, the God -man, the perfect union between deity and humanity could make such a sacrifice that would satisfy

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God's demand for justice against sin. Only his death could be the ultimate sacrifice, the only effective payment for sin, to remove the guilt and stain of sin.

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It's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats. It's impossible for animals.

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It's possible for anything else other than God himself taking on human flesh, making his sacrifice to remove the stain of sin.

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Carrying on, verses 5 through 7, it says, Therefore when he comes, Jesus Christ, when he comes into the world, he says, sacrifice and offering you have not desired but a body.

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No animals, nothing else. A body you have prepared for me.

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In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sins you have taken no pleasure. Then I said,

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Behold, I have come in the scroll of the book it is written of me to do your will,

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O God. It was the second person of the

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Trinity, the Almighty God, the Eternal One, the monogamist, the only begotten, the unique, the one and only

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Son of God. It took full deity, full humanity to be the qualified, effective sacrifice for sin.

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One of my favorite Bible teachers out in California, John MacArthur, said in a commentary he wrote on the book of Hebrews that the people of that day had taken what was meant to be a symbol of real faith and had used it as a substitute for real faith.

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See, these people that were making these sacrifices and before you even start to let it creep into your mind that we're just gonna, you know, bash on them and we're not gonna involve us, hold your places.

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It's coming. But what was designed and meant to be in a reflection, a manifestation, a symbol of the faith that you already possessed in God, they were substituting as some sort of external conformity, some sort of external righteousness that built up their pride, made them feel good, made them, look at me, you know, that animal

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I sacrificed today, did y 'all see that one? Boy, it was a nice one, wasn't it? Yeah, I feel bad for the people in line behind me.

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Oh, how we laugh. We do the same thing. We do the same thing.

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I've been to church this many times. I've prayed this many times. Oh man, it's only March and I've already made it halfway through the

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Bible. Did you learn anything? Did it bring you to tears? Did you find yourself on your floor weeping before your

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Creator and just an awareness of the sin that you have and how the need for transformation in your life needs to come?

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Well, no, but I read it. I checked it, I checked my list, I checked my box, I did what else. External conformity is not confined to the

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Old Testament. We do it today. I'll let you in on a little secret.

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Pastors do it, too. We struggle with sin, we struggle with pride, we struggle with the same things you struggle with.

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We have doubts, we have fears, and I could speak for your pastor because I've experienced it for a year.

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Your spiritual life and your spiritual condition matters to this humble servant, and I guarantee you he prays for you in times and in ways that you're not even aware of because I've done it for the people at Calvary.

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So pray for him, encourage him when you get the opportunity, but also pray for each other. We play a role, and it's an important one, but we're sinners saved by grace just like all the rest of you.

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We needed the same Savior. We're no more important in that regard than anyone else, and we want to encourage you through the preaching teaching

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God's Word, but you have the chance to encourage each other with how you live, and sometimes it can be more profound than even what we can deliver to you, so never lose sight of that.

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Verses 10 through 12 of the same chapter. By this we will have been sanctified through the offering of the body, the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

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Every priest, you notice it didn't say some, it didn't say, you know, just a select few.

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Every priest stands daily ministering, serving, offering time after time after time after time after time again and again and again, the same sacrifices which can never, ever take away sins.

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They were meant to point, not to perfect. I love the

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Bible. One of my favorite preachers I like to watch online, a guy named

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Kenny Ball when he's around Maryland, I'm gonna borrow this from him, but he says, I just love my favorite theological word in the entire

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Bible is but, and then he'll say, I just love it when God buts in. We have a but here, my friends, but he,

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Jesus Christ, having offered how many? Oh no, one, one sacrifice, one sacrifices for sin or one sacrifice for sins for all time sat down, sat down, and where did he sit?

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At the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until his enemies shall be made a footstool for his feet.

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By Christ's one sacrifice of his own body, which was a requirement, and in taking on the full wrath for sin, to make atonement for sin, and that atonement, my friends, is made for anyone that places their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

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Anyone, anyone who repents of their sin, places their faith and trust in the free gift of eternal life, there is no one that will be excluded, not one.

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Full and free, every single person that bows that knee, places their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for the sacrifice that he made for sins shall have eternal life.

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And time would not permit me to run through all the verses and all the passages and all the context of all the books of the

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Bible that are consistently preaching that message. The priest stood daily making the same sacrifices.

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They never solved the problem, did they? They were only temporary. You know, this really shouldn't come as no surprise to any of you, but, and if this is a shock for you, if you need to go running out the back in full shock,

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God bless you. I mean, we'll pray for you on the way out, but brace yourselves.

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People will let you down. Nobody? I was expecting like a full, like, you know, this guy's lost his mind.

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Look, y 'all, people will let you down. Systems of belief will let you down.

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Church and church people will let you down. Even in some cases, your own family might let you down.

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We're all sinners in need of a Savior. And as I said before, it's not confined to the

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Old Testament. In today's world, it's no different. People want to substitute some external thing for faith.

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They want to achieve external conformity as their solution with no regard for the inward transformation

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I spoke of earlier. Romans 12, right? Two commands, one negative, one positive.

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Do not be conformed to this world, but what? Be ye transformed. How? By the renewing of your mind.

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Says nothing about external conformity, does it? Not one word. And the thing is, if you go to these people that rely on external conformity and you go to them for help in time of need, if you have struggles or trials or tribulations or spiritual warfare or Satan's in your house trying to cause you problems or you're stepping out for God and you're trying to lead your family the right way or you're trying to witness to someone for Christ or if you're trying to make a disciple or you're trying to be a pastor or Sunday school teacher or whatever,

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Satan's gonna show up at your door. He can't be everywhere at one time, but I guarantee you he's got enough fallen angels that clue him in to when you're starting to live for God.

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And if he don't get to you, and chances are as your pastor said very often in many of his sermons, chances are you'll never actually personally be tempted by Satan.

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You'll probably be one of his fallen angels or just his influence on the world system or it could be very well you have a direct encounter with Satan.

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We won't know this side of eternity, but I guarantee you there is three guarantees in life. Yes, I know we usually say death and taxes, but there is a third one that people live out and that is if you live for God, Satan will show up at your door.

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In fact, that's probably more guaranteed than death and taxes, but we can discuss that one later.

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But if you go to these people that desire, pursue, and then want to force on you external conformity, you go to them for help.

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Well, they'll just tell you, you know, I really practice my prideful external conformity voice, so y 'all just work with me.

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You know, if only you would do such -and -such, then all your problems would go away.

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If only you were this, if only you were that, if only you dress this way or talk this way or did this or did...

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Too often, too many want to solve things by changing only what is on the outside.

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Holiness is not external. It's just not.

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It's internal. And only to the degree that we are internally transformed, when we are internally holy and willfully submitting to the

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Father and His Word, then the external holiness will manifest itself because of the inward transformation of the heart.

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External holiness can never change your heart, but a transformed heart can make you to the degree that you're transformed externally holy, and people will see it.

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No amount of external conformity can change the sinful and sick heart of man. It's just not true.

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And if you go before God with your external conformity, with your filthy rags of righteousness, you will find yourself in a very lost state and separated from God for all of eternity.

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Those that seek external conformity can make you feel like that no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you may in fact change about yourself, no matter how many rules, you'll just never quite be good enough of them.

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You'll never quite be good. And you know what? You won't. Because no matter how much you change, no matter how hard you try, it's always going to be something else.

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Now don't misunderstand. Within the context of Christianity, there's the transformation, there's an ongoing sanctification, we're to be pursuing greater holiness and greater righteousness, allowing

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God to transform us. My friends, the point is in context with Hebrews chapter 10, if you view external conformity as by somehow your ticket to heaven, you're lost and you're in trouble, because God's gift of salvation doesn't work that way.

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It's full and free. Our justification, our right standing before God has nothing to do, nothing to do, nothing to do, come over here

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I want y 'all to feel left out, nothing to do with what we do, but what

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He did. Period. Justification, sanctification, glorification, righteousness, heaven, eternal life, nothing to do with what we do, but everything to do with what

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He did. If you go to the blood of animals for salvation, if you seek some sort of external conformity for righteousness, you will be just like those priests back there in the

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Old Testament. You'll be standing daily, offering those same sacrifices day after day, year after year, over and over and over again.

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Andy, this is kind of heavy, man. I could have sworn when you started you said something about encouragement.

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Well, I'm not doing that. Verses 17 and 18.

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He then says, "...and their sins and their lawless deeds

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I will remember no more." Now, where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

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When you come to Christ, it's a different story. Completely different story.

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When you come to God, if you've placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, if you were to tell

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Him about all of your sin, all of your failures, how you feel unworthy, and you've tried and you've tried and you just, no matter what you do, you just can't seem to get it right.

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When you go to Christ, with everything that you are, all of your sin, all of your failures, every single thing that you know about yourself,

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He knows infinitely better. And you tell Him everything that you are, and you've placed your faith and trust in Him.

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Do you know what He says to you? What sins?

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What sins? What are you talking about? What sins?

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What sins? I forgave those.

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You're forgiven, my friend. You're redeemed. What sins?

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What are you talking about? "...and

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their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

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What sins? There's no freedom in pharisaical activity.

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There's no freedom in legalism. There's no freedom in external conformity.

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But there's freedom in Christ. There's freedom in Christ. What sins?

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We're redeemed. You are redeemed. We're forgiven. My sins are as far as the east is from the west.

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What does the song say? I believe it's the second verse. Child, lift up your head.

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And what does it say that God says to us? He's not done with me yet. My friends, if you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and you take anything to God, what sins?

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You are forgiven. You are free. Walk in it. Live it.

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It's not a license to sin. It's a license to live freely and obey our Savior.

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Thank Him. Pray to Him. Worship Him. Thank Him for the one sacrifice that made the payment for sin.

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Let me read it for you one more time before we close.

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Seems like all I could see was the struggle. Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past.

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Bound up in shackles of all my failures. Wondering how long is this going to last.

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Then you look at this prisoner and say to me, son, stop fighting a fight.

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It's already been won. I am redeemed.

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You set me free. So church, shake off those heavy chains because every stain's been wiped away and you are not what you used to be.