6/20 Salvation Through Affliction

Date: Wednesday June 20, 2012
Today's Chapters: Psalms 50-55
Message Title: Salvation Through Affliction 
Hello My Friend,

If you have called on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you then you are a forgiven child of the living God. Not by any good that you have done, but by the grace of God through our faith in Christ redeeming us from death and hell. Being forgiven does not mean that we will never sin again, but it does mean that we are forgiven and that Christ will cleanse us from all sin. With that said, being saved does not mean that it is a free ticket to live in sin and not face any consequences for it. We will suffer for our sins, but we can endure them through Christ and maybe even win some to Christ through our suffering. “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” -James 5:19,20. 

Even before Jesus came to earth people looked to the cross to be saved, this Psalm is a foretelling of the end of the law and beginning of permanent redemption through Christ. “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.” - Psalm 50:14-18,21.

Jesus is coming sooner that we think, people can deny it all they want, they can pretend that He never existed, that the Bible is not true, or they can eliminate truth, but every man, woman, and child, will stand before Christ when He returns and will be held accountable for their actions. “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” - Luke 21:33-36.

The only way a person can stand before Jesus and escape the judgment of the world is by believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and receiving Him as our Savior. So, what happens when we sin again? We seek forgiveness for our sins. David sinned many times, perhaps the most memorable one is when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, one of David's soldiers wives. He wrote this Psalm after the prophet Nathan came to him about his sin. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”- Psalm 51:10-13,16,17.
While the penalty of sin has been blotted out by the blood of Christ, the consequences of sin still remains. Sin for the saved brings a personal conviction that goes beyond guilt we have felt before we were saved. Seeking forgiveness for our sins cleanses our soul and spirit and restores the joy of our salvation. Do not mistake seeking forgiveness for a sin for seeking salvation all over again, we are saved once we receive Christ and nothing we do can take away our salvation. The reason we need to seek forgiveness for a sin is to get right with God, to be set free of our guilt and shame of it, and to acknowledge to God that we do not want that sin in our lives.

“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” - Hebrews 9:24-28.

If we are one of God's, we can be assured that God will be for us and that we will have so much care from Him that we need never stand in fear of our enemies. However, those who refuse to even acknowledge God will have a huge awakening come the day Jesus returns. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” - Psalm 53:1-3.

I use to think that as long as I was being what I thought was good that it would mean I would somehow get to heaven. Then it hit me, in all the good that I have done, was it for God or was it for me? I never acknowledged God for any success that I had. In fact, I never acknowledged God at all when I was living in sin, which I did not know was sin because I did not have the truth in me. Once I learned the truth I knew that there was no good in me and that there was no way I could do enough good to make up for all the bad I have done. Praise God that He made a way for us to be redeemed. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” - Romans 3:10-12,23,24. 

No one is exempt from falling into sin, the strongest Christian can, and some try to run from God and their problems, usually they end up with more problems. David tried to run a few times and although he had peace for a little while it would not last. He cries to God to give him wings to escape, but later learns only God can help him escape. “My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah. Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” - Psalm 55:4-7,22.

When we truly seek God for forgiveness He will help us overcome the afflictions we face for our own sins. How amazing is God that even when we cause our own hurt He never leaves nor forsakes us? “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” - Romans 5:8-10.
Today's Prayer: God, It still is a mystery to me that with all I have done You call me one of Your own. Thank You for loving me and not giving up on me and for making me who I am today. I am nothing without You and I know that no matter what I go through that You are still with me, even if I do fall. Lord, keep my eyes on You so that I can be alert and ready for any evil that comes my way. Help me to endure my afflictions and keep looking to You for peace through my burdens. I know that everything will come to pass and I will be able to see some souls saved through my light affliction. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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