Forsaken!

I have never known what it was like to be abandoned as a child. There are some people not only in our country but others around the world who have been abandoned by their parents. This is the meaning behind being forsaken. When you and I read Mark 15:33-41 we read where Jesus cries out with a loud voice asking the question, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ( psalm 22:1) The reason why God the Father abandoned God the Son that day while he was on the cross is because Jesus had all the sin debt of the world placed on him and God always judges sin. That is why from noon till three o’clock that afternoon the whole area was dark. The last time darkness like this had happened was when Egypt experienced the plague of darkness for three days. Exodus 10:21-23. That darkness could be felt. It should surprise us that God, who is holy, judges sin. When Adam and Eve sinned against him in the garden, he judged their sin and an innocent animal (lamb) lost its life and shed its blood for the covering of those sins. God judged sin again when he commanded Noah to build an ark. God judged sin again in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with brimstone and fire coming down from heaven. God judges the sin of Israel by sending them off in captivity for a period of seventy years. And now God judges our sin that he has placed on Jesus Christ so that we could have his righteousness if we place our faith in him alone for salvation. How do we know that Jesus paid for our sins in full? Because in John 19:30, “He said, It is finished!” Then he committed his spirit to his Father and breathed his last. God the Father drew up the plan of salvation. Jesus Christ secured our salvation with his death, burial and resurrection. And God the Holy Spirit applies this salvation to all and on all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have made a profession of faith in Christ Jesus and have publicly told the world that you are a Christian through believers baptism do you still continue to live in sin so that grace may abound? (Roman 6:1-14) Everyday we as believers need to remind ourselves that our identity is no longer in the world but in Christ Jesus. You can read Romans 6-8 everyday for two weeks and pray through asking the Lord to apply his truth to you so that you no longer live this life in the flesh but in the Spirit. You may find it very helpful to memorize and meditate on Galatians 2:20. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” If you would like to know more about having a new life in Christ Jesus please visit us at First Baptist Church in downtown Lake City or one of the many other Bible believing Churches in our area.