Praying Pint

 

 

Isaiah 53:6    All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

When we wander away from God, He is longing for our return, ready to offer forgiveness. You might say, “Pastor, you don’t understand what I’ve done. A holy God could never forgive me.” We need to understand the basis for God’s forgiveness. How is a holy God able to forgive our sins?

The Bible acknowledges that God hates sin. The Pharisees had a lot of misconceptions about God, but they got that part right. Psalm 7:11 says, “God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day” (NLT). And Psalm 34:16 says, “The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.” God hates sin.

 

The Bible also teaches that God must punish sin. He can’t simply overlook or excuse sin; as an honest judge, He must punish sin. Nahum 1:2–3 says, “A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; the LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” It is impossible for a holy God not to punish sin.

But here’s the heart of the gospel: Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin. God had already suffered the pain of our rejection and rebellion against Him. But for no other reason than His great love for us, He chose to come to earth in the person of Jesus Christ and bear the penalty for our sin on the cross.

The prophet Isaiah put it this way: “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” (Isaiah 53:4–6). Jesus bore the punishment that you and I deserve for our sins.

That’s how a holy God is able to forgive us when we sin against Him: His Son has already paid the penalty for that sin. (Jeffress)

 

For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
Joshua 2:11

We use the word supreme to indicate someone or some group that serves as final authority. The Supreme Court, for example. Or Supreme Commander. Or Supreme Leader. But what is the ultimate supreme authority on earth? It is God and His Word. The teachings of the Bible are true and authoritative, and they’re wiser than the rules of men, the laws of congress, the opinions of politicians, or the ideologies of universities.

To truly reform our world, we must return to the Word of God as the ultimate authority. If we’re going to return our families to hopefulness and our churches to revival, it will be on the basis of the authority of Scripture. If we’re going to solve societal problems, it must be through the application of the wisdom of God’s Word. Tim Chester wrote, “We accept the supremacy of Scripture because we accept the supremacy of its author.”¹

It begins with us. Is the Word of God the supreme authority over your life, governing all your attitudes, works, actions, and habits? (Jeremiah)

 

Psa 37:1-6    Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

When we look abroad we see the world full of evil-doers, that flourish and live in ease. So it was seen of old, therefore let us not marvel at the matter. We are tempted to fret at this, to think them the only happy people, and so we are prone to do like them: but this we are warned against. Outward prosperity is fading. When we look forward, with an eye of faith, we shall see no reason to envy the wicked. Their weeping and wailing will be everlasting. The life of religion is a believing trust in the Lord, and diligent care to serve him according to his will. It is not trusting God, but tempting him, if we do not make conscience of our duty to him. A man’s life consists not in abundance, but, Thou shalt have food convenient for thee. This is more than we deserve, and it is enough for one that is going to heaven. To delight in God is as much a privilege as a duty. He has not promised to gratify the appetites of the body, and the humours of the fancy, but the desires of the renewed, sanctified soul. What is the desire of the heart of a good man? It is this, to know, and love, and serve God. Commit thy way unto the Lord; roll thy way upon the Lord, so the margin reads it. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, the burden of thy care. We must roll it off ourselves, not afflict and perplex ourselves with thoughts about future events, but refer them to God. By prayer spread thy case and all thy cares before the Lord, and trust in him. We must do our duty, and then leave the event with God. The promise is very sweet: He shall bring that to pass, whatever it is, which thou has committed to him.  (Henry)

Fret not thyself – The Hebrew word here means properly to burn, to be kindled, to be inflamed, and is often applied to anger, as if under its influence we become “heated:” Genesis 31:36; Genesis 34:7; 1 Samuel 15:11; 2 Samuel 19:43. Hence, it means to fret oneself, to be angry, or indignant. Compare Proverbs 24:19. We should perhaps express the same idea by the word “worrying” or “chafing.” The state of mind is that where we are worried, or envious, because others are prosperous and successful, and we are not. The idea is, therefore, closely allied with that in the other part of the verse, “neither be thou “envious.””

Because of evil-doers – Wicked men:

(a) at the fact that there are wicked men, or that God suffers them to live;

(b) at their numbers;

(c) at their success and prosperity.

Neither be thou envious – Envy is pain, mortification, discontent, at the superior excellence or prosperity of others, accompanied often with some degree of malignant feeling, and with a disposition to detract from their merit. It is the result of a comparison of ourselves with others who are more highly gifted or favored, or who are more successful than we are ourselves. The feeling referred to here is that which springs up in the mind when we see persons of corrupt or wicked character prospered, while we, endeavoring to do right, are left to poverty, to disappointment, and to tears. (Barnes)

 

 

Revelation 19:16    “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Psalm 141:2     “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” 

Romans 5:8    “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The sacrifice of Jesus, reminding us of the cost of our salvation. It’s humbling to think about what He endured for us, and it calls us to live in a way that honors His sacrifice. Following Jesus isn’t always easy; it requires us to step out of our comfort zones, deny ourselves, and love others even when it’s hard. But embracing His sacrifice means living with gratitude and sharing His love with the world.

Worship isn’t just something we do on Sundays or during quiet prayer times—it’s a lifestyle. Jesus isn’t looking for empty rituals; He wants our hearts. Worshiping Him means bringing our prayers, praise, and even our struggles to Him in sincerity. Through Jesus, we have direct access to God, and that’s something worth celebrating every day.

Recognize Jesus as the ultimate King over your life. Think about it—are we giving Him our best, or are we holding back? Honoring Jesus as King means letting Him lead, prioritizing His plans over our own, and offering Him of our time, talents, and resources. It’s about saying, “You’re in charge, Lord,” and trusting Him to guide us every step of the way.

The cross shows the seriousness of our sin—but it also shows us the immeasurable love of God.

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Trust God to protect your family by dedicating each member to Him for His glory.

 

 

Micah 7:19     He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Perhaps you made the decision to trust in Christ a long time ago, but since that time, you’ve strayed from God. Maybe your straying was due to a sudden, dramatic event in your life, such as a divorce, an affair, bankruptcy, or the death of a loved one. Or maybe your spiritual life has just been slowly eroding. And you wonder, What is God’s attitude toward me, a Christian who has wandered away from Him? How can I be forgiven?

In Colossians 2:13–14, Paul explained the extent of our forgiveness: “He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Notice that Paul said God has “forgiven us all our transgressions” (emphasis mine). If you have a hard time accepting this truth, I encourage you to write down the sins you have difficulty believing God could forgive you of. One by one, draw a line through each sin and write the word “forgiven.” That’s what God says: He has forgiven you of all your transgressions–not just the little sins but the big sins.

But Paul was referring not only to the kind of sins God has forgiven but also to the timing of those sins. In our minds, we see our lives as a timeline. One point on that timeline is the moment we trusted in Christ as Savior and received God’s forgiveness. So we wonder, What about all the sins I committed after that point? Let me remind you that when Jesus Christ died for your sins two thousand years ago, all your sins were still future. He died for all your sins. They have been forgiven forever.

I’m reminded of the story about a couple who went out to celebrate their wedding anniversary. As the husband drove them to the restaurant, his wife complained, “When we were first dating, we used to sit so close together and cuddle with each other in the car, and now look at us–you’re way over there, and I’m over here.” The husband replied, “I haven’t moved.”

No matter how far you’ve wandered away from God, He hasn’t moved. He’s right where He’s always been, and His attitude toward you hasn’t changed. He’s still waiting, working, and longing for your return home. Will you come? (Jeffress)

 

1Peter 2:24    He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Isaiah 53:5   But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

By whose stripes –   The word rendered “stripes”  means, properly, the livid and swollen mark of a blow; the mark designated by us when we use the expression “black and blue.” It is not properly a bloody wound, but that made by pinching, beating, scourging. The idea seems to be that the Saviour was scourged or whipped; and that the effect on us is the same in producing spiritual healing, or in recovering us from our faults, as if we had been scourged ourselves. By faith we see the bruises inflicted on him, the black and blue spots made by beating; we remember that they were on account of our sins, and not for his; and the effect in reclaiming us is the same as if they had been inflicted on us.

Ye were healed – Sin is often spoken of as a disease, and redemption from it as a restoration from a deadly malady. (Barnes)

 

 

1Peter 2:24    He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Romans 6:2-8   By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

Romans 6:11   In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 2:20   I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

That we, being dead to sins – In virtue of his having thus been suspended on a cross; that is, his being put to death as an atoning sacrifice was the means by which we become dead to sin, and live to God. The phrase “being dead to sins” is, in the original, ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἀπογενόμενοι tais hamartiais apogenomenoi – literally, “to be absent from sins.” The Greek word was probably used (by an euphemism) to denote to die, that is, to be absent from the world. This is a milder and less repulsive word than to say to die. It is not elsewhere used in the New Testament. The meaning is, that we being effectually separated from sin – that is, being so that it no longer influences us – should live unto God. We are to be, in regard to sin, as if we were dead; and it is to have no more influence over us than if we were in our graves. The means by which this is brought about is the death of Christ for as he died literally on the cross on account of our sins, the effect has been to lead us to see the evil of transgression, and to lead new, and holy lives.

Should live unto righteousness – Though dead in respect to sin, yet we have real life in another respect. We are made alive unto God to righteousness, to true holiness.  (Barnes)

 

 

1Peter 2:24    He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Acts 5:30   The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead —whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.

Acts 10:39   “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,

Acts 13:29    When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb.

Galatians 3:13    Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

In his own body – This alludes undoubtedly to his sufferings. The sufferings which he endured on the cross were such as if he had been guilty; that is, he was treated as he would have been if he had been a sinner. He was treated as a criminal; crucified as those most guilty were; endured the same kind of physical pain that the guilty do who are punished for their own sins; and passed through mental sorrows strongly resembling – as much so as the case admitted of – what the guilty themselves experience when they are left to distressing anguish of mind, and are abandoned by God. The sufferings of the Saviour were in all respects made as nearly like the sufferings of the most guilty, as the sufferings of a perfectly innocent being could be.

On the tree – The meaning is rather, as in the text, that while himself on the cross, he bore the sorrows which our sins deserved. It does not mean that he conveyed our sorrows there, but that while there he suffered under the intolerable burden, and was by that burden crushed in death. The phrase “on the tree,” literally “on the wood,” means the cross.  (Barnes)

 

 

1Peter 2:24    He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Hebrews 1:3     The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Isaiah 53:4    Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

Isaiah 53:12   Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

2 Corinthians 5:21     God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Romans 4:7-8    “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Romans 5:6-11    You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Galatians 3:13    Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

Who his own self – on the phrase “when he had by himself purged our sins.” The meaning is, that he did it in his own proper person; he did not make expiation by offering a bloody victim, but was himself the sacrifice.

Bare our sins – There is an allusion here undoubtedly to Isaiah 53:4, Isaiah 53:12. See the meaning of the phrase “to bear sins” fully considered in the notes at those places. As this cannot mean that Christ so took upon himself the sins of people as to become himself a sinner, it must mean that he put himself in the place of sinners, and bore that which those sins deserved; that is, that he endured in his own person that which, if it had been inflicted on the sinner himself, would have been a proper expression of the divine displeasure against sin, or would have been a proper punishment for sin.  He was treated as if he had been a sinner, in order that we might be treated as if we had not sinned; that is, as if we were righteous. There is no other way in which we can conceive that one bears the sins of another. They cannot be literally transferred to another; and all that can be meant is, that he should take the consequences on himself, and suffer as if he had committed the transgressions himself.  (Barnes)

 

Psalm 73:16-17    When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me—until I went into the sanctuary of God.

The writer of Psalm 73 knew in his head that God was good (verse 1). But this writer, Asaph, was troubled in his heart by what he saw around him. The wicked were thriving (verses 3-9). They scoffed at the notion of God (verses 10-11), yet they were growing richer (verse 12). Asaph, who tried to live a godly life, wondered why he had more problems than the arrogant (verses 13-14).

What did Asaph do? He expressed his questions to God. He went into the Lord’s presence like entering a sanctuary, and he gained new insights about the brevity of life for the wicked compared to the eternal glory afforded him by his faith (verses 15-24).

There’s a temptation when faced with spiritual questions to withdraw from God in frustration when we should withdraw to God in faith. We may not always understand our situations, but we’ll draw closer to the One who does understand.

Do you have spiritual questions? Go to God with them!

Faith does not eliminate questions. But faith knows where to take them.