Sin to Big, and A
Sea to Shallow
Have you ever felt that your sin is too big for God to ever
forgive you? Maybe you have even been
told that God could never forgive someone like you. But deep in your heart you have a desire to
know him. You desire to be forgiven.
He will turn again,
he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19
Surly this could not apply to you for you know how really big
your sin is and the sea is to shallow to bury it in. There are even those who know what you have
done and they look at you with accusing eyes.
I want you to notice something very important here there is no list as
to which sins could be buried in the depths of the sea and which sins could
not.
I was talking to a friend one day about Jesus love for
her. But you don’t understand, she said,
he could never love me I’ve been to bad.
To Bad...?
Many things can come to mind as too bad. All I need to do is start listing names and
events and all sorts of evil deeds come to mind.
Hitler, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, the Rwandan Genocide, abortion,
pedophiles, King Manassas....
King Manassas, who is that guy? What does he have to do with the likes of
Hitler or any of the others? If you read
the bible account about this King, he was BAD and not just bad he was EVIL, not
the kind of guy you would want to call your dad, your husband, friend....
This King sacrificed his own children, he killed Gods
prophets he lead his people away from the one true God.
2 Chronicles 33:6 And
he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of
Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and
dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the
sight of the LORD,
Manasseh was brought to his scenes after spending time in
captivity in Babylon
and the Lord forgave this man of his sins.
2 Chronicles 33:13 And prayed unto him: and he was entreated
of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh
knew that the LORD he [was] God
The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus forgiving peoples
sins but one of my favorites is the story of the demoniacs in Matthew 8:28-34 Mark
5:1-17 and Luke 8:26-40 I think this is a very important story one that the
Lord does not want us to miss.
The story starts out that Jesus tells his disciples that he
wanted to cross over to the other side of the lake and his disciples spent an
eventful night when a storm nearly sends their boat to the bottom of the lake
they are only saved when Jesus commands the storm to be still.
Upon their arrival across the lake they meet up with
something by far more frightening then the storm they had just come through, an
insane devil posed man comes tearing out of the tombs naked, covered in
bleeding festering sores where he had cut himself. Broken chains hung from his wrists and ankles
where someone had tried to bind him but he had broken the chains. He now ran free along the shore of the lake
his home the tombs with the dead. His
eyes wild with hate, he charges down the beach toward them.
How quickly the disciples forget the power of Jesus to command
the storm to be still and they made tracks for the boat and had already pushed
off the shore before they realized that Jesus was not with them. Turning they saw their Master standing firm
as the crazed and naked man reaches out to attack suddenly he falls at the feet
of Jesus and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, [thou]
Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come
out of the man. Jesus sends these
unclean spirits into a heard of pigs and the pigs run off a cliff and drowned
in the lake.
The once crazed man now sits in his right mind at Jesus feet
longing never to leave his
Saviour.
Luke goes on to say:
Luke 8:38-40 Now the man out of
whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus
sent him away, saying,
Return to thine own house, and show
how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published
throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
And it came to pass, that, when
Jesus was returned, the people [gladly] received him: for they were all waiting
for him.
Here is the story of a man that was completely in Satan’s
control he had not gotten in this condition simply by cheating in a business
deal or writing bad checks this man had sinned Big in fact every one in his
village, his family his church had written him off as to bad! I want to point out something I find very
interesting about this story and that is the bible doesn’t give a reason why
Jesus crossed the lake that night. The bible only tells us that Jesus. Luke 8: 22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that
he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over
unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
Jesus crossed the lake heals this man then leaves... is it
possible that somewhere in this tormented mans heart there was a cry for
help? Is it possible that Jesus crossed
the sea for no other reason then to come to the rescue of this one man with a
really BIG SIN problem?
I believe that he did there is no sin so bad that his blood
does not cover it, there is no sin so
big that he can bury it in the deepest part of the sea. He say that all who will come to him he will
not cast out. He does not qualify that
with except those who have... If you come to him and ask forgiveness for what
ever it is you have done he will forgive you.
He goes a step further and says in Jeremiah
31:34 ... I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Walter loved Jesus he was so excited about his love for
Jesus he couldn’t help but share. His
son did not share this same love and would bring friends over and he would make
fun of his father and his faith in Jesus.
One day his father was reading his bible when his son and his friend
came home. What ya reading pop the son
snickered with his friends. Well son I
just was reading how Moses and the children of Israel
crossed the Red Sea and how God delivered them
by drowning Pharaoh and his army in the sea.
The son roared with laughter. Pop
they crossed through some reed swamp and the water was only a few inches
deep.... Praise the Lord the father said!
That would even be a greater victory for the Lord image drowning Pharaoh
and his entire army in only a couple inches of water. I also read today about how God will cast our
sins into the depths of the sea. Isn’t
that a wonderful promise? His son
laughed and grabbed an encyclopedia off the book shelf and said here read this
it will have more useful information in it.
Walter grew quite as his sons friends settled down to play cards. You really shut him up one of his friends
chuckled. Walter continued to turn the
pages of the encyclopedia then stopped and read with interest and big smile
lighting his face he could contain his joy no longer as he excitedly read. Praise the Lord! The deepest part of the sea is seven miles
deeper then Mount Everest is high!
Friend what ever you have done he is faithful and able to
forgive. Satan the lier would love
nothing more than to keep you trapped believing that God can’t forgive you. If
Satan has you so bound up that like the demoniac you can’t even leave the tombs
he will hear your cry and he will cross the sea just for you.
There is no sin to big or sea to shallow that God can’t
forgive.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them.
In the end you will not lose out on salvation because your
sin was too big or that the sea was to shallow to bury your big sin in. If you lose out on salvation it will be
because you chose to reject his forgiveness, his salvation. God will have done his level best, his
utmost, the maximum possible to save you and if you reject it there was nothing
more he could have done.
Remember King Manasseh God’s uttermost for him turned out
having to spend some time in Prison his kingdom taken from him.
The thief on the cross who asked Jesus to remember him...
God’s uttermost
Sampson having his eyes gouged out... God’s uttermost
The day the demoniac was healed and pigs flew... God’s
uttermost to an entire city
Johan in the belly of a fish.... God’s uttermost
An invitation to an evangelistic meeting...God’s uttermost
What more can God do... He loves you so much his heart aches
for you. He will do everything he can to save you but he will never force you
to chose him he will never force you to love him.
Go tell His salvation with happy accord;
He saith in His mercy to you and to me,
Your sins shall be cast into the depths of the sea.
Refrain
Into
the sea, Calvary’s sea,
His love is an ocean, so boundless and free;
Into the sea, Calvary’s sea,
Our sins shall be cast into the depths of the sea.
O seek Him believing the word of His grace,His love is an ocean, so boundless and free;
Into the sea, Calvary’s sea,
Our sins shall be cast into the depths of the sea.
And find in the Savior, the light of His face;
There shineth His Gospel, the shadows will flee;
Our sins shall be cast into the depths of the sea.
Refrain
The burden so heavy, at Calvary fell,For Christ is our ransom, and now all is well;
Yea, broken the bondage, henceforth we are free;
Our sins shall be cast into the depths of the sea.
Refrain
Then glad be our service; to give day by day,Love’s willing allegiance to all He may say;
We’ll sing in His glory, there ever to be,
Our sins shall be cast into the depths of the sea.
Words: Eliza
E. Hewitt, 1908.
Music: W.
Howard Doane,
Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in
love to my soul [delivered it] from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast
all my sins behind thy back. Isaiah 38:17
Don't Doubt His Goodness
I will never forget they year 2004 it will for ever stand out in my mind as a mile post in the lives of the Wolfe family. Nothing started out that fateful year that would give us any evidence of the life changing event that would soon change our lives forever. The Lord had blessed Ivan with lots of work the children were doing good in school. Sarah my daughter come home one day from school complaining about having a headache thinking maybe she hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before I gave her a drink and sent her to bed for a nap. When your seven a day at school can be lots of work besides all the school work and playing with your friends you are bound to come home warn out. A few days later she came home again complaining of a headache after about a week I decided that maybe she needed to go see an eye doctor and get some glasses maybe her eyes were being strained. No, her eyes were fine she could be just having some allergies or might be starting to get some migraines. After that the headaches just seemed to escalate she would start screaming and crying that her head hurt and then would throw-up. Well migraines run in our family and I tried everything I knew how to give her relief. One night it got so bad I took her to the local hospital to see if they could help her. They did a cat scan and not seeing anything they sent us home with some Tylenol. I thought maybe her back is out and that is what is causing the headaches so I took her to a Chiropractor. What a relief it was for her and the family when her back was adjusted the headaches stopped.
We were sound asleep Sarah was sleeping with me because she had become afraid she might have a headache. About 3 am Saturday morning she woke up screaming and holding her head then she started throwing up. I was able to get a hold of her chiropractor and she told me to have Sarah at her house at 8:00 and she would adjust her back again. She would adjust Sarah's back and there would be a few moments of calm then she would start crying that her head hurt again. This dear lady looked at me and said, I want you to take her to St Lukes don't stop anywhere else and you need to go NOW.
By the time we arrived at St Lukes Sarah was now throwing up blood. I have never been to and ER when they got you right in, but they took one look at Sarah and we were in a room and had a doctor and a nurse right there. They were touching her arms and her legs can you fill that, do you feel it more on this side or the other side? What was the doctor doing, didn't he know that she was having headaches not poor blood circulation? A deep since of foreboding engulfed me as I watched the doctor check Sarah over. He left and brought in another doctor as they continued examining Sarah and talking quietly to each other.
I am weeping now as I remember sitting there thinking this is not good.... I couldn't imagine this poor little girl having to live her life with migraines. I had seen my brother, my husband and sister-in-law suffer from these debilitating headaches. How was a little seven year old going to live with them.
They rushed Sarah down to have a cat-scan and soon we were back in our little cubical waiting for the doctor. A new doctor swept in and introduced himself and with the next breath said the most horrible words I have ever heard. Your daughter has a brain tumor, she could die! What seemed like moments later we were rushed upstairs to PICU where they drilled a hole in my little girls head to release the pressure on her brain.
We would be in PICU for the next four weeks watching our little girl balance between life and death. There were days I didn't think I would live, it felt as if the life was being crushed out of me as I watched my little girl fight for her life, how gladly I would have traded places with her. One night after a really bad day I left her dad with Sarah and went to try and get a little sleep. As is stumbled to my little cubby of a room to try and rest I started to cry and I just couldn't stop. Lord I cried I don't know how much more I can take of this.... please show me what to do. I picked up my bible and opened it and just started to read and it was the story of Elisha and his servant. That servant went out and behold the city was surrounded with and army. The poor servant freaks out and comes running back to Elisha, "Master we are going to die there is an army out there and... we are going to die! I love this part! This was the prophets reply "Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them". Elisha prays that the Lord will open his servants eyes and the Lord does. What amazement and relief must have flooded that servants face for surrounding the army was another army even greater in number, it was an army of angels in fiery chariots.
That night God told me that He that was for us (Sarah, me, Ivan, her brothers) was greater then he that was against us and we had noting to fear. For the first time that night I was able to surrender my little girl to God. I knew that live or die we would all be ok, that I could trust God with our lives completely.
I would love to say that the sun came out the flowers bloomed and everything was smooth sailing from that moment on. But as long as we live in a world of sin there are going to be bad things that happen but God used those moment to teach us trust, and faith and everyday I grew to love him more. It has been 8 years now since we first sat in the ER waiting for the doctor to fix her headaches. She has had seven surgeries, two strokes, countless seizures and is losing her hearing. She has had to learn to walk and talk again twice now, they told us she would be a vegetable the rest of her life. But every time God has proven that he is greater then he that is against us.
One day someone angry for my daughters suffering longing for her to be well said to me angrily, "How could God do this to a little girl what has she ever done to him." I was shocked at their anger and surprised because in all my wild emotional ups and downs that was the one emotion I had never felt. Anger at God. I had been angry at the devil, doctors, nurses, at that moments I still would have loved to murder cancer! But anger at God for my little girl having cancer. I was shocked at the words that came out of my mouth. Don't blame God for my little girl being sick! I can tell you very clearly who made her sick it is the devil and God has made me a promise that he is going to take care of him one day soon.
I was reading from the book "The Great Controversy" and as I read this statement it made me think of the past years battle against cancer and the side effects of the treatments, and my friends anger at God.
"The mysterious providence which permits the righteous to suffer persecution at the hand of the wicked, has been a cause of great perplexity to many who are weak in faith. Some are even ready to cast away their confidence in God, because he suffers the basest of men to prosper, while the best and purest are afflicted and tormented by their cruel power. How, it is asked, can One who is just and merciful, and who is also infinite in power, tolerate such injustice and oppression? This is a question with which we have nothing to do. God has given us sufficient evidence of his love, and we are not to doubt his goodness because we cannot understand the workings of his providence. " GC 41 Ellen White
I know the statement in context is talking about persecution that was suffered by those who would not give up their faith in God and remain obedient to him. But as we face trial like cancer, the loss of a child we too are being persecuted by the enemy of God. He would love nothing more then to destroy us by separating us from God and he is not above using every low down trick in his book of evil. So why does God let him get away with it? Why didn't God just heal my little girl the bible is full of stories of him doing just that?
God has given us sufficient evidence of his love, and we are not to doubt his goodness because we cannot understand the workings of his providence.
Sarah says that she is going to be ok, because her Jesus is taking care of her. Yes, Jesus is taking care of my daughter, me, my husband, the boy and yes, even you. Over and over we have seen the evidence of his overwhelming love for us and I know that we can trust him.
Pray Without Ceasing
Part of simplifying my life has got to be the time I spend
with Jesus, not just my quite time but my whole day. If we made it our habit to be in constant communion
with him through out the day not only would it help us when we are faced with
sin, but what about our other choices in what we take on as our responsibilities even volunteering
for good things like church work, helping at our children’s school etc. What about us that are struggling with diet? What about our praise and thanksgiving?
How often do our prayers sound like a shopping list?
Dear Lord,
Help me to get my bills paid this month, and if you can see
a way help us to get a new car ours is about six years old now and it would
sure be nice to have a new one. Please
be with all the sick people and those that are hungry, and oh, Lord please be with my kids help them
to make good choices.... and our prayers run on.
We then go about our day and never once think about it again
until meal time when we say a rushed prayer and gobble down out food a quick prayer as we lay in bed before we close our eyes in exhausted slumber.
If God is our friend why do we pray to him like he is some
automated help line that we can talk to at set times of the day and speed dial
when we are really in trouble and ignore when we are to busy.
What if I treated my best friend on earth that way? What if the only time I ever talked to them
was when I wanted or needed their help? Not much of a friendship.
What would happen if we talked to our best friend, our
Saviour and our God like a friend, what if we would share our joys, our praise,
our needs, our sorrows, our pain? What
if we talked with Him about everything in our lives?
Could it be that the path to a simpler life is the one were
we are in constant communion with Him? What if next time I was asked to volunteer at
church, school or my community I really did ask God first if that is what he
wanted me to do? What if next time I
wanted to buy something I want to him first about it... What if I talked to him
about what I am watching on TV or the movies I want to watch? What if I told him how much I enjoyed the
bright sunflowers along the roadside? What
if when my daughter is having seizures everyday I tell him about it and how
scared it makes me but then share with him how grateful I am to have received
such a precious gift from him like my little girl? What if I told him that I believe he will
take care of my sick loved one but to please help my unbelief?
What if I really treated him as my friend, a friend I never
wanted to be without, a friend I talked to about everything?
The reason why so many are left to
themselves in places of temptation is that they do not set the Lord always
before them. When we permit our communion with God to be broken, our defense is
departed from us. Not all your good purposes and good intentions will enable
you to withstand evil. You must be men and women of prayer. Your petitions
must not be faint, occasional, and fitful, but earnest, persevering, and
constant. It is not always necessary to bow upon your knees in order to pray.
Cultivate the habit of talking with the Saviour when you are alone, when you
are walking, and when you are busy with your daily labor. Let the heart be
continually uplifted in silent petition for help, for light, for strength, for
knowledge. Let every breath be a prayer. {HDL 57.2}
Learn to pray aloud where only God can hear you {R.H '84/17}
Dear Lord,
So often I have treated you like a helpline, only asking you
for help when I couldn’t solve it myself. I have also failed to thank and praise you for
all that you have done for me, even when I have not been much of a friend. Lord, show me how to be a friend to you, put
a desire in my heart to want to discuss everything with you first. Help me to know the joy of a friendship with
you. Lord let me hear your voice, and
let me be willing to obey. And thine
ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it,
when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
A Simpler Life
Have you ever wondered how God would take care of his children during the times of trouble that
Here are a few quotes from the Ellen White on this subject.
The Lord has shown me in vision, repeatedly, that it is contrary to the Bible to make any provision for our temporal wants in the time of trouble. I saw that if the saints have food laid up by them, or in the fields, in the time of trouble when sword, famine, and pestilence are in the land, it will be taken from them by violent hands, and strangers would reap their fields. Then will be the time for us to trust wholly in God, and He will sustain us. I saw that our bread and water would be sure at that time, and we should not lack, or suffer hunger. The Lord has shown me that some of His children would fear when they see the price of food rising, and they would buy food and lay it by for the time of trouble. Then in a time of need, I saw them go to their food and look at it, and it had bred worms, and was full of living creatures, and not fit for use. {Mar 181.1}
They are now to store up, for the present and the future, supplies that will provide for the soul in times of emergency. They are to lay up in store the precious gold and silver and precious gems of the Word of God, jewels that will never perish.--Lt 31, 1891. {PM 205.1}
It is wrong for the Christian to think that he will be able to save himself during this time. Our only security is our obedience to God. He is our supplier, it is he who will supply all our needs both spiritual and temporal.
One day in my reading I came across these beautiful quotes.
I saw the saints leaving the cities and villages, and associating together in companies, and living in the most solitary places. Angels provided them food and water, while the wicked were suffering from hunger and thirst. {Mar 270.2}
During the night a very impressive scene passed before me. There seemed to be great confusion and the conflict of armies. A messenger from the Lord stood before me, and said, "Call your household. I will lead you; follow me." He led me down a dark passage, through a forest, then through the clefts of mountains, and said, "Here you are safe." There were others who had been led to this retreat. The heavenly messenger said. "The time of trouble has come as a thief in the night, as the Lord warned you it would come." {Mar 270.3}
In the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ, the righteous will be preserved through the ministration of heavenly angels; but there will be no security for the transgressor of God's law. Angels cannot then protect those who are disregarding one of the divine precepts. {Mar 270.4}
In the closing period of earth's history the Lord will work mightily in behalf of those who stand steadfastly for the right. . . . In the midst of the time of trouble--trouble such as has not been since there was a nation--His chosen ones will stand unmoved. Satan with all the hosts of evil cannot destroy the weakest of God's saints. Angels that excel in strength will protect them, and in their behalf Jehovah will reveal Himself as a "God of gods," able to save to the uttermost those who have put their trust in Him. {Mar 270.5}
I do believe the time is here when it would be wise to get out into the country. A place where we can raise our children away from the worldly influences and as a family be unencumbered by the "stuff" that the world sees as important. As I am working toward simplifying my life I wonder how I got myself into such a cluttered up mess. I have boxes stored in my garage that I haven't even looked at in two years. I have things stashed in my cupboards and closets that I can't even enjoy because I have no time or place to bring them out so they just sit there gathering dust.
Lord I want to be done with this life as I know it. Help me to surrender all my stuff to you, help me to sort through my things and discover all that I don't need. Help me define what is really important and work on putting those things at the top of my priority list. Lord help me to rest in the promise that you will supply all my needs, that you are my place of refuge in all of life's chaos. Lord I long to reside in the sheltering hollow of your hands.
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