Transgression – Page 2

11.c. “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

Micah 6:6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Matthew 19:16     And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

Luke 10:25    And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

Acts 2:37     Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Romans 10:2-3   For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

The question has been asked for centuries one way or another. How can I stand before God? How can I inherit eternal life? What shall we do? These questions are asked by those who are lost. Some of them want to know how to be right with God and others want to challenge the answer with no intent of needing or wanting to be right with God. This question will be asked by searching-souls continuously until the judgement seat of Jesus Christ and His return. It is more than just asking the question, isn’t it? It is what we do after we have been given the answer. If we humble ourselves and surrender our self-centeredness and self-reliance to the message of grace, mercy, and hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ we find peace, rest, and joy flooding our souls. Repentance and turning away from these self-seeking ways and trusting in the promise of forgiveness frees us from the burden of carrying our past and sin in our own power. Humble surrender, by faith, to the redeeming work of Jesus Christ on the cross enables our eyes to our hearts, minds, and souls be opened to forgiveness and the hope of eternity with Jesus Christ forever.

10.x. “But me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.”

Micah 3:8 But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight, who build Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us.” Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.

Amos 9:10    All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, who say, ‘Disaster shall not overtake or meet us.’

Jeremiah 7:8-12    “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail.  Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known,  and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?  Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD.

2 Peter 2:1-3    But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.  And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Ezekiel 22:12    In you they take bribes to shed blood; you take interest and profit and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; but me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.

Micah did not hold back any words calling out the sin of the people. Justice was a mockery, greed was everywhere, false things were called truth, and things that ought not to have been done were willingly condoned. The further the people got away from God the more they believed in deceptive words, false teachings, and capitalizing on their neighbor’s misfortune. They lost sight of God and their sinful ways. They became so accustomed to their sinful way of life it was normal and they still thought they were in God’s will. To convince themselves of this they proclaimed disaster will not find us or overtake us. And such is the way of many lost prodigal souls. They lost their love for God and His Word. They lost being able to discern what was right and wrong. This is still true today. When God’s Word is not hungered and thirsted for in our daily lives we too will fall away, believe false teachings, and use worldly wisdom and acceptance to convince ourselves that we are right with God. God’s Word is true and able to discern our thoughts and intents if we would but seek it to be active in our lives. His Word is living water and the bread of life. With it filling our souls we will not be led astray by worldly compromise or social norms. Be intentional with His Word every day. Seek it, taste, and see that it is good for your soul.

6.p Stricken for the transgression of my people?

Revelation 5:6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

Isaiah 53:7-8   He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

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

John 1:36    and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

1 Peter 1:19-20     but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you

The Lamb of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Lamb without spot or blemish, the Lamb led to the slaughter, the Lamb cut off fro the land of the living, the Lamb stricken for the transgression of My people. Jesus was the Lamb of God sent to redeem those who, aware of their sin, aware of their need for redemption, and aware of their need for forgiveness, believe (trust in, cling too, and rely on) in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for their sin.

We see Jesus as the Lamb stand and as though it had been slain, and ever a reminder of the price that was paid and that He lives. The church in Ephesus was scolded for the loss of their first love. That first love would be the purest grateful, thankful, and relieved heart realizing their sins had been forgiven. We will do well to remember the Lamb of God that was slain for our sin with this first love forever remembered in our daily lives.

5.r. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Job 14:14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come. You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands. For then you would number my steps; you would not keep watch over my sin: my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity.

Ezekiel 37:11-12 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’  Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people

1 Corinthians 15:42-44   So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.  It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

Acts 26:8    Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

1 Thessalonians 4:16    For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Death of our bodies will happen. We will all die and enter into eternity. The physical body we currently have will perish but we will be raised in an imperishable body. God will raise us from the dead and our dry bones will once again be united with our spiritual body and we will walk with Jesus Christ in our new heavenly home. Do you remember when Jesus said “I go to prepare a place for you” “In my Father’s house is many rooms”, in this promise we have hope of eternity? In this promise, we find a reason to live worthy of being called and adopted as children of God.

Job is aware of man’s sin, God’s holiness, man’s death, God’s forgiveness in “till my renewal should come” and “my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity”. It is more than just knowing about death and resurrection and sin and forgiveness. It is knowing and living each day with the thought that I could leave this world and enter eternity in a moment. We never know the exact time or day we will die and enter eternity. We live most days like it is far off in the distance and give no more thought about it than for a couple of seconds at best if at all. How would we live if we knew today was our last day in this earthly body? How would we live if we knew today was our last day to honor, glorify, follow, trust, obey, and rely on Jesus Christ? Would you stand before our Savior and hear “well done my good and faithful servant?” Or, would you hear “depart from me I do not know you.”

Our walk with Jesus should be much more than a passing thought each day. It should be the primary and predominant thought throughout each day.

5.f. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;

Job 10:14 If I sin, you watch me and do not acquit me of my iniquity. If I am guilty, woe to me! If I am in the right, I cannot lift up my head, for I am filled with disgrace and look on my affliction.

Psalms 139:1    O LORD, you have searched me and known me!

Psalms 130:3    If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

Exodus 34:7    keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Ecclesiastes 7:20   Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Isaiah 53:6    All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;

Romans 3:23-24     for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Throughout scripture, we see men of God who speak of the sin of man. We read of it from Genesis through Revelation. We see the history of man’s sin in light of God’s Holiness. We catch a glimpse of man’s choice to honor and reverence his Creator or not. We see men and women who have intentionally chosen to seek after and live to honor God. We also see those who have intentionally chosen to reject God and only seek to live to please and honor themselves. We read of both God’s steadfast love toward His creation and those who seek to honor, glorify, and worship Him and His anger and wrath towards those who reject Him and live for self-interests, self-gain, self-satisfying, and self-centered reasons.

We live in an age where technological advances have far outstripped our ethics; we have a lot of “power,” but no clear moral benchmarks to aid us in the use of such power. One reason we lack the moral foundation is that we have left the doctrinal foundation of creation and who we are before a Holy and Wise Creator. We seem to lack the desire to search our heart, mind, and soul for that which is not pleasing to Him (sin). We intentionally choose to neglect His word and seek the Holy Spirit to lead us in sin awareness. For the record, neglecting His word and not being aware of sin does not mean we are guiltless. It just means we have turned our back and hardened our hearts to the true things that honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

When we choose to be in His word and seek and desire to do that which is God-honoring and glorifying we will see more and more of our sinful nature and His grace and mercy. We will see more clearly that which honors Him. We will continue to grow and mature in this understanding and knowledge. We will begin to understand love and hope that is found in trusting, obeying, relying on, clinging to, and living for Jesus Christ.

127. For your servant knows that I have sinned.

2 Samuel 19:16 And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David. And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king, and they crossed the ford to bring over the king’s household and to do his pleasure. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, and said to the king, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart. For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.

Psalms 32:2    Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Romans 4:6-8     just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Jeremiah 31:34     And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Isaiah 43:25     “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Sometimes we know we have sinned. We know we have done something wrong and against that which would honor God. Like Shimei who knew he was doing wrong when he was cursing David and throwing stones at him. In moments like this, it is easy to see the sin and know we need to seek forgiveness. There are other times when we may not know we have sinned. This can so easily happen when we are neglecting God’s word and our commitment to living for Him has been replaced with living for self and what this world has to offer. We end up closing our heart and mind to God. We become deaf and blind to what our life has become. What we need is a wake-up call into our spiritual lives. We need someone to intrude on our way of life and show us our sin. We need someone to intrude on our way of life and show us our sin. We need the light of His word turned on and expose our sin of complacency, neglect, pride, lust, hate, envy…….

Joni Eareckson Tada said it like this; “One thing’s for sure about God: He is an intruder. He encroaches and invades and infringes. He crashes the party, tears aside curtains, throws open locked doors, and hits the light switch in dark rooms. God even overstepped the realm of death itself. Even in the most holy place of the temple, He tore the veil from top to bottom. Oh Friend, in the same way, God and His Word is a razor edge sword piercing my complacent soul, boldly intruding into my sin, rashly calling it what it is, and challenging me to leave it behind. I say all this because I want you to be gloriously blessed by the fact that your God cares enough about you to step into your life, sometimes when you least expect it. That’s something to celebrate today. If you feel any conviction of sin, don’t resist it. Join me in thanking God that He intrudes into our lives.”

29. Unintentional and unknown sin

Numbers 15:22  “But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses,

Leviticus 4:2    “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the LORD’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them,

Leviticus 4:13-14    “If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt,  when the sin which they have committed becomes known,

Leviticus 4:22    “When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the LORD his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt,

Leviticus 5:15    “If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD,

17  “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity.

Psalms 19:7  The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Job 6:24    “Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray.

Psalms 40:12    For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me.

One of the hardest diseases of the soul to detect is unknown, unintentional sin. This disease eats away from the inside out. It seems never to be seen by the one infected. We easily see it in those we spend time with and on occasion those we first meet. We can see it in how they act, in what they say and think, and in what they do or do not do. This disease affects everyone. It routinely consumes more and more of the life of the person as they become more and more neglectful and complacent with God’s word.

Being blind to the disease does not keep us from being accountable. Imagine being on a trip to a different state or country and while in the course of your trip you get arrested for some act. It takes you by surprise and you tell the officer you did not know of the law which you broke. They are not going to say, “oh, that makes a big difference, you can go”. The judge is not going to say, “Well, because you did not know of the law you broke, you are not guilty.”

The fact remains you are guilty and must bear the consequences of your action. In the letter from Paul in Romans it states it like this; “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” In Matthew, the outcome is; “Depart from me for I never knew you.”

Being neglectful and complacent in His word allows more and more diseases to invade our heart and soul. These diseases destroy the fruits of the Spirit and render the infected worthless in serving, honoring, glorifying, worshiping, following, and obeying God.

Stay in His word and come to God with a heart and soul deep open prayer like David. “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

24. According to the riches of his grace

Numbers 14:17 And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

Exodus 34:6-7     The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,  keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Psalms 103:8   The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Micah 7:18     Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.

Nahum 1:2-3    The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.  The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Romans 3:24-26     and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 1:7-8     In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,  which he lavished upon us

It is hard to explain forgiveness of sin to those who do not believe in God, Sin, Judgment, Anger, Wrath, Redemption, and Salvation. As a believer we have had our heart and mind opened up to know God and the need of salvation. I wonder if we limit our understanding of what this means. God reached out, He called us, He demonstrated His love for us, He opened our understanding, knowledge, and wisdom, He showed us the need for redemption, He provided a sacrifice for our sin, He sent Jesus Christ His only son to die for us, He forgave us, He gave us new birth, He promised to never leave us or forsake us, He promised eternity with Him, He gives us peace, rest, joy, faith, hope, and love, He filled us with His Holy Spirit, He leads us, and He has plans and purposes for us.

We should never become complacent and neglectful of time with Him and His word. Commit to reading it everyday.

16. It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Exodus 33:19   And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

Romans 9:15-18     For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Psalms 65:4     Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

Romans 2:4    Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Numbers 14:18    ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

To understand God’s grace requires the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom into God’s love, mercy, compassion, patience, kindness, and goodness. How do we know of all of these attributes of God? By spending time in His word. In His word, we find wisdom and understanding of God’s great love for us. We see His promises of blessings and judgments. We see His power, might, and strength. We see His anger toward sin, unbelief, and complacency. We know of peace in times of uncertainty. We know of His rest when burdens weigh us down. We know of His great wonders. We know His compassion for the lost. A million lifetimes in His word and we will still just scratch the surface of getting to know the depth and width of His love for us.

He chose us to be His children and joint heirs with Christ. He chose us for more than a big moment decision once upon a time. He chose us to live every small moment in the light of the big moment of belief. We are never to become complacent or neglectful of His word. The big moment decision is not the end. It is the beginning of a lifetime of always seeking to honor, glorify, serve, hear, follow and obey.

6. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice

Exodus 23:20 “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

Malachi 3:1    “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.

Isaiah 63:9   In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Psalms 91:11     For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Numbers 20:16    And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.

Exodus 33:14    And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Hebrews 12:25    See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

Hebrews 3:10     Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’

“Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice” – “They always go astray in their heart” – “They refused him who warned them” – “if we reject him who warns from heaven” – “they did not escape when they refused” These verses indicate the natural intent of man’s heart. They are given to make us aware of this intent and not to yield to it.

“I will send an angel to guard you” – “Bring you to the place I have prepared” – “he will prepare the way” – “he redeemed” – “Lifted them up” – “carried them” – “guard you in all your ways” – “heard our voice” – “Brought us out” – My presence will go with you” – “I will give you rest” These verses are what is being rejected. They are the promises of God and examples of what to be mindful of in ruction found in the natural intent of the heart of man.

Being mindful of these intents of the heart should drive us to our knees with humble confession. These examples should make us aware of how the world follows this intent. They should draw us to His word each day to keep the light of His holiness, power, strength, might, and love in our heart so that we are not led astray by the way of the culture we live in. Being complacent and neglectful of His word leaves us powerless, blind, and deaf to His leading and guidance.

Dedicate your whole heart, mind, and soul toiIntentionally commit to humbly serving, honoring, glorifying, worshiping, following, and obeying Him. Read His word each day with the intent of being fed, led, and being filled with the love of God.