Not Guility

Not Guilty

Song & video at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc6-roDSpBo

I stand accused
There’s a list a mile long of all my sins
Of everything that I’ve done wrong
I’m so ashamed
There’s nowhere left for me to hide
This is the day I must answer for my life
My fate is in the judge’s hands
But then he turns to me and says
I know you I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not Guilty!
How can it be?
I can’t begin to comprehend
What kind of grace would take the place for all my sin?
I stand in awe now that I’ve been set free
And the tears well up
As I look at that cross
‘Cause it should’ve been me
My fate was in the nail scarred hands
He stretched them out for me and said
I know you I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not Guilty!
I’m falling on my knees to thank You
With everything I am I’ll praise You
So grateful for the words I heard You say
I know you. I love you. I gave My life
I know you, I love you
I gave My life to save you
Love paid the price for mercy
My verdict: Not guilty Not guilty Not guilty Song by Mandisa

This week let’s look at being declared “Not Guilty”.

God’s Word says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23). All of us sin and we sin on a daily basis. Although we do sin, God still loves us and when we repent of our sins, he forgives us of our sins. “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” (Romans 3:24).

I like how The Message translates this verse: “He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.”

This means that we are declared “not guilty” for our sins. That does not mean that we have a license to continue sinning. Human-beings will make wrong choices leading to sin, but God does not want us to live apart from him, so that is why Jesus shed his blood for us. God’s Word says, “For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). God did not want us to spend eternity separated from him so he gave us the gift of eternal life in his Son. The gift is ready for us to accept and it is free because Jesus already paid the price.

He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. (Romans 8:3b-4)

Paul writes in his letter to the Romans “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” (Romans 8:1, 2).

God has given us the gift of freedom. He has declared us “not guilty”. We are not living under the Law, but we are living under the grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus and under the power of the Holy Spirit. No one could keep the all the Law therefore no one could be saved By the Law.

Paul goes on to say, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5).

In other words, there are people today who are living the ways of the world. These people believe they are in control of their lives and they are entitled to anything they want. They are focused on the material possessions of this earthly life. They are not concerned about their sinful nature because they are living for themselves. These people will do whatever it takes to reach whatever worldly goal they have in mind. The sins of greed, anger, hatred, jealously, etc, are not in their vocabulary. They live for today.

We cannot have our cake and eat it too. Listen to the words of Jesus to the church at Laodicea: ““I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16).

We cannot take a stand for Jesus in one breath and then change our minds the next. We cannot take the middle of the road. We cannot vacillate between good and bad. We cannot live worldly and project a Christian image. There is no middle-of-the-road when it comes to Jesus. Either we have the Spirit of Christ in us or we do not.

But the Good News is that when we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior, our sins are forgiven and we are guaranteed that we will spend eternity with Him in Heaven. We are living under the grace of the One who took our place on Calvary. “God did not sent His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).

He went to the Cross for us. When Jesus was nailed to the Cross, his words were: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

When one the thieves said to him, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:42-43).

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1 NKJV

He has stamped us: “Not Guilty!”


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