This year I am going to be a much better person.  I am going to do good things for others.  I am going to be a kinder, more understanding person.  I will go to church.  I will give generously.  I will help the sick and the poor.  I will read the Word every day.

What a great idea!  If I, or any of us, could do these things consistently – wonderful- but to do these things in order to earn favor with God or to expect him to look at us as better Christians or better followers then it is a waste of time.  On January 1st 2010 I was as perfect as I was on December 31st 2009 – Kinda pushing it a bit right?  However if I was to depend on how good I was in 2009, how much I did for others, how much money I gave to the church or how much I helped the sick and the poor so that I could gain favor with God, then I would have totally blown it.  

The truth is, in Christ Jesus I already have complete and utter favor with God – I am totally perfect!  Nothing I can do will either take away from that perfection or add to it.  It is complete.  

God told us very clearly what would happen to us if we could not love him with all our hearts and all our minds and all our strength – we would feel his wrath.  But He is so merciful that He gave us an out-clause.  He sure didn’t have to – boy did we not deserve it.  Instead of us paying for our sins he came and paid for them Himself.  How unbelievably gracious is that?  

He came as a baby – an innocent helpless thing; totally dependant on those around him for survival.  He grew up just like we all did (some of us have a lot more of that to do!) and never once sinned.  Easy right?  Try it.  Just try the first and great commandment – see how easy it is?  

Because He was sinless he couldn’t be punished with God’s wrath.  So he took MY sins and instead was punished for them.  He took the wrath of God for ME.  What was he thinking?  How could he love me that much?  I know I couldn’t love someone that much.  And I definitely know that my dying for them wouldn’t benefit them – they would still be alive and would still have to face God and still have to figure out how to avoid His wrath.

 What is life anyway but a vapour?  Seriously 100 years is nothing.  We may live 80 years if we are blessed, but compare that to eternity.  I’ll take eternity thank you very much.

Every drop of blood that poured from Jesus, every tear He shed, every pain He felt was for ME.  Wow! I find that very hard to believe.  Also, believing that without Christ I would be under God’s wrath may at times be a difficult thing to grasp, but maybe not-------I also believe that if I put my hand in the fire that it will get burnt but I am not going to try it to prove or disprove a point. – Christ and His sacrifice for sinners is fully acceptable in heaven and, therefore, so am I. Wow! In Heaven!  I am fully accepted in Heaven and when the Lord looks upon me He sees His perfection.  My new year’s resolution means nothing and anyway it will be broken with in a week, but the salvation and the promises that Christ has given us can never be broken.

Gillian McKee
gillianmckee@comcast.net

Articles and Sermons

HOME