(Behold the Lamb of God who takes way the sins of the world) 

John 1:29, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

   It is often that I struggle with some degree of depression for a few weeks this time of year, and this year has been no deferent. But there was something a little different. It seems the faithfulness and kind mercies of my God never fail me. My lord Jesus Christ caused my faith and fight for godliness to again deepen this year as He has done with me in the past. I heard a sermon from my favorite preacher, John Piper, in which he was expounding on the last 3 verses of the book of Romans. During this he concentrated on the phrase "Now to Him who is able to establish (strengthen) you according to my gospel." I have always known and affirmed this to be true; that we are strengthened by the gospel of Jesus Christ. But the Holy Spirit more than ever stamped the great relevance and sureness of this to my mind and heart. And so after being moved by the Spirit of God, I set out to preach to myself the basic gospel truths on a more constant and rigorous manner than I usually do. I know now that I would have most likely been in grave spiritual danger if God had not caused me to mature in this way this year. Thanks be to the Father of Glory and my Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ who are my unchanging Master, Lord, and Friend by the eternal Covenant of Grace which was made sure and agreed upon before the world had one dusty stone place upon its barren surface.  Oh Lord You are Great You are Great and Your mercies endure forever. Amen 

          One of the gospel truths which my Lord Jesus Christ washed afresh over my mind was in our first verse John 1:29, "Who takes away the sins or the world." In those words I was reminded that not only are my sins just merely forgiven but that they are also "taken away." Because Christ has infinite worth, being God Himself, therefore His dieing for me in my place fully pays the debt my sins demanded and much more. God being the Judge of the universe is able not only in this position to forgive me but also forever take away my sins from the record books as if they were never there, for Christ's sake. Praise God my sins have been "taken way."

         The more I placed my thoughts on this truth my heart was filled with more and more joy for I became increasingly aware that I am forgiven, washed clean of all guilt and lovingly "accepted" before God the Father my Judge, only and totally because of Christ the LORD! Oh how I am gradually persuaded more over the years that the freeness from depression, guilt, shame, anger and the like receive their death wound in how well and fully my heart rests and continues in thoughts, worship and meditation of the free righteousness and death of Jesus Christ. My brain and heart still have a hard time grasping and accepting the righteousness and forgivness purchased by Jesus Christ is completely and thoroughly "Free" without coast or without price on my part. Oh how can this be! How can God be so Kind, merciful and loving, how is it possible, it is to great for words to tell! But it is true! The same God who can be seen as "infinite" in Power, has displayed by the heavens and universe, has proven through the sending of His Son Jesus Christ to dwell on earth, that He is as great and boundless in His Mercy and kindness! By the power of the Spirit when one is able to see how guilty their sin makes them before the Almighty God, they therefore know how dreadful and horrific their situation is.  No wonder it also takes the pure power of the Spirit to cause us to fully trust and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ to take away all our sin, to wash our minds clean, to reform our hearts from stone to flesh, to remove all guilt and provide for us His righteousness for us to eternally ware, so we may always stand before God without blame bright shining as the sun, rejoicing in the only and true originally Sun, the Son of Righteousness, who is "The LORD our Righteousness."

Romans 5:21, "so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

            In our above verse I was strengthened in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. For I am made aware daily by the weakness and sin of my hands that I will never be righteous enough to please God and thus bring peace to my burdened conscience. I need to find a rock for which my soul may rests all its shame and weariness at. This rock is Christ the Lord! For here in the scriptures I saw were my hope may stand and exalt, in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In the righteousness of Christ "GRACE" will forever reign in my life, because Christ's righteousness is infinite and our LORD Jesus Christ will forever stand at the right hand of God the Father interceding that the Blood He shed and the obedience He lived will forever be applied to me. Hebrews 7:25, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

             Romans 5:21 does a wonderful job of contrasting why we were enslaved to sin vs. why God's Grace reigns in the believers life. First we are told because of "death", now "sin" is able to reign in our lives as king and master. When Adam sinned, being the head representative for all mankind, caused himself and all mankind to die spiritually. "God is Spirit" and so if we are spiritually dead, God's true greatness and reality becomes dead and unattainable to us to know. Which is why the verse says in "death" sin reigns in our lives. 1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Because we are spiritually dead toward God, sin then took advantage of this by rushing in and enslaving us. Being unable to know God or see His true beauty sin now rushes in and binds us up and takes us prisoners to be its slave. Therefore, "sin reigned in death." But now because of Christ, "even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul is giving us the rock solid foundation and assurance to why and how "grace" will eternally reign in our lives. It will infallibly reign in our lives forever because its assurance is founded on the "righteousness" of Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:19, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by [Christ] one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Romans 8:3-4, "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son...that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us." Here it is plain that the law was weak, but why? It was weak in that it was unable to cause us to live righteously. And if we are not righteous we have NO hope of being God's children. Thus God took care of our problem Himself. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to live 33 years of perfect obedience or righteousness for us in our place, just as in the same manner Christ died for us and took our punishment in our place. Christ gives His righteousness to us as a gift as if we lived it ourselves. 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in [Christ]." This is why we are called parts of Christ's body, because Christ's own righteousness becomes ours by faith in Him. Christ is infinite is worth and therefore this obedience is a perfect infinite worthy and pleasing righteousness to our Heavenly Father. Which is to say the righteousness, which Christ lived and gave to His church, is as infinite and eternal as the Fathers love toward His Son and His obedience. Therefore through the righteousness of Christ "grace" will always and forever reign victoriously in our lives! Love never fails! It gives me great peace and joy to know the righteous requirement, which the Father demands from me, is up in Heaven sited at His right hand interceding for me. What comfort it is to hold and cherish that this righteous requirement cannot be bought or earned but has already been accomplished by Christ for me. Christ is my acceptance and righteousness before God, both now and forever more!

          Praise God, Praise God my righteousness cannot fade away or be taken way, for Christ the Lord has made me righteous by His blood. I was lost in darkness but now the morning Star has shinned upon me and has dawned its grace over me; and I know His light will only grow brighter as the years continue their race into the future. As I peer into the future through that ancient and trusted window of God's words, I see Christ leading me by His hand into His Heavenly home and Majesty, and as I look back, back, back into the years gone past, even before the first year began to run its course which God stretched before it, I see in the mind of God the same hands of grace and kindness leading me into His Kingdom of love, I see that ancient living Fountain covering me with Mercies unending and without measure. Praise God, Praise God, for love never Fails, Christ never fails! Oh may His Unfailing Love be a sign to all the powers in the physical and spiritual plains that our God is Holy and there is none who compares to Him, to His Power, His Wisdom and His Love.

2 Peter 1:12, "For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth."

         This verse again impressed upon me the importance of preaching the wonder of the gospel of Jesus Christ daily, if not hourly, to myself. Here Peter made clear these people are already "established" in the "truth"(or. gospel). Yet Peter wants not to be careless by not "reminding" them of the gospel of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. "Why is this", my lazing sinful flesh responses, why be so diligent in daily and hourly being reminded of the Gospel? To answer this question I answer with the same I gave at the beginning, "Now to Him who is able to establish (strengthen) you according to my gospel." The gospel of Christ strengths me! The more I dwell my thoughts, faith, and thankfulness there the more I will be strengthened in life to; Love God, live purely and be refreshed in peace and satisfaction in Christ. Lets face it, life it hard but God is good. I need to settle my heart more in my Great God Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Oh God give me the strength to do so.