A.What is your soul worth to you?How much would you give to liberate your soul from sin?
B.These are difficult questions for us to answer because nothing is as valuable as our souls, and we have nothing valuable enough to give in exchange for them once we have lost them to sin.
C.Therefore, the forgiveness of God should be priceless to us.Let us consider how valuable forgiveness is.
II.THE TRUTH ABOUT SIN – MISERABLE OPPRESSION
A.Satan deceitfully presents sin to us as a self-empowering and gratifying experience that appeals to our flesh.
1.Satan’s temptations are designed to distract us from the truth about sin by enticing us through lust.
a.Satan desires for us to be enamored with the attraction of pleasure, pride, and power so that we will not notice or care about the consequences.
b.Notice James 1:14-15 – “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
c.If anyone looked beyond the object of his lust and truly believed in what sin accomplishes, then he would not sin.
2.Even when we know the truth about sin, Satan deceives us by denying the law of sin and death.
a.From the beginning, Satan has contradicted God by telling us that we can indulge our carnal desires in defiance of God’s law without suffering death (Gen. 3:1-5).
b.Satan’s methods remain the same to this day, for he is still “the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).
3.Not only is Satan’s message about sin deceitful, but he also disguises himself and his messengers to make his message more appealing.
a.Notice 2Corinthians 11:14-15 – “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”
b.Peter warned about such false messengers in 2Peter 2:18-19 – “For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”
B.However, the Scriptures describe the true, oppressive nature of sin through various familiar figures.
1.The figure of slavery illustrates how sin is the cruel master of sinners.
a.Whether we realize it or not, we all slaves either to sin and death or to God and righteousness.Notice Romans 6:16 – “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”
b.Every sinner has been overcome by sin and enslaved by it, “for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved” (2Pet. 2:19).
c.Sinners have a cruel master who pays them the wages of death (Rom. 6:23) and whose bonds sinners cannot break (Heb. 2:15).
2.The figure of debt illustrates the futility of attempting to atone for our own sins.
a.The parable of the unforgiving slave demonstrates how that sin is a tremendous debt for which sinners do not have the means to repay (Matt. 18:23-35).
i.In this parable, the slave represents a sinner, and the king represents the Lord.
ii.The slave owed his king ten thousand talents.A talent of silver in Israel weighed about 100 pounds, so if the slave owed ten thousand talents of silver, then this would be approximately $224 million in U.S. dollars today.
iii.Just as the slave had no hope of ever repaying his debt to the king, so also sinners have no hope of repaying their debts to God.
b.Sin bankrupts sinners to the point that no amount of good works, prayer, or personal sacrifice can pay off the debt.
i.When we sin, we offend God to such an extent that we can never make up for it (Ps. 51:3-4, 16).A lifetime of service cannot erase one sinful deed.
ii.Consider Isaiah 64:6 – “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away” (see also Luke 17:10).
3.The figure of a heavy burden illustrates how sinners are crushed beneath their own sins.
a.David expressed his misery under the burden of sin in the psalms.
i.Notice Psalm 32:3-4 – “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.”
ii.Read Psalm 38 for David’s most vivid description of the heavy burden of sin.
b.The burden of sin is too heavy for sinners to carry.They cannot move the oppressive spiritual load, and it hinders them like an immovable anchor to which they are chained.
III.THE FREEDOM OF FORGIVENESS
A.Thankfully, God has offered the way of forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ.
1.When a sinner realizes his condition, he cries out for a savior.Notice Romans 7:24 – “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”
2.The answer to this question – “Who will set me free?” – is Jesus Christ.
a.Romans 7:25 – “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
b.Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
c.Ephesians 1:7-8 – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”
B.Redemption and forgiveness relieve us from the oppression of sin and give us liberty.
1.Redemption and forgiveness are inseparable.
a.Redemption is liberation procured by the payment of a ransom.Through His sacrifice, Christ paid our ransom (Matt. 20:28; 1Tim. 2:6).
b.Forgiveness is remission of a penalty or debt.Through His sacrifice, Christ provided for our remission (Isa. 53:4-6).
2.By redeeming us and forgiving us, Jesus Christ did for us what we could never do for ourselves.
a.He freed us from the slavery of sin that mastered us.
b.He paid the debt of sin that bankrupted us.
c.He carried the burden of sin that crushed us.
3.The relief of forgiveness is well-expressed by David.
a.Psalm 32:1-2 – “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!”
b.Psalm 51:10-12 – “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.”
4.Through Jesus alone could we ever be free from the bondage of sin and death so that we could serve God acceptably (Rom. 6:17-18; 8:15).
C.How can we state the value of forgiveness?
1.The Lord said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26)
2.The value of forgiveness is immeasurable, for it is the price of our souls and the cost of Christ’s blood.
IV.HOW CAN YOU BE FORGIVEN?
A.Believe in Jesus Christ: Acts 10:43 – “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
B.Confess your belief: Romans 10:9 – “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
C.Repent and be baptized: Acts 2:38 – “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
D.Walk in the light and confess your sins: 1John 1:7, 9 – “If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
