Dad saw the
little boy hit his younger sister. Dad asked
his son, “Why did you hit her?” The boy did
not realize he had been seen and he blurted out, “I didn’t hit her.” But both Dad and his son knew the denial was
a lie. No one likes to be discovered doing
something we know is wrong, not child nor adult. But, not only don’t we want others to know
our failings, we can also be afraid of the consequence of our actions. So, it is common for us to deny our sin.
This denial of
guilt does not just happen with children.
How many times in the last 50 years have our nation’s leaders, men and
women of both parties, been caught doing something which is wrong, or at least
which goes contrary to their own stated values?
You know the public denials from the news stories and from the pages of
history. Again, fear of consequences is
one of the driving forces for the lies which deny the truth of their
actions. However, the lies become worse
than the actual sin! It would have been
better if they had just admitted their wrong-doing and promised to change their
behavior.
Such
denials are not new in our day, but have their beginning with God’s first children. When Adam was confronted by God about his disobedience,
Adam blamed someone else. "The woman you put here with me-- she gave me some fruit from the
tree, and I ate it." (Genesis 3:12) Adam pushed blame onto Eve, AND even onto God
Himself. Imagine that! Adam did not want to face the consequence of
his sin. When the Lord questioned Eve
about her part in this sin, she denied her guilt by blaming another, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:13) God had in fact previously stated the consequences
for such rebellion. “. . . when you eat of it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:17) No wonder Adam and Eve denied their guilt. They were not only ashamed, but they were
also afraid of the results of their sin and punishment.
The
Christian Church observes Ash Wednesday on February 17 this year. This is the start of the penitential season of
Lent which lasts for the next 6 Sundays, up to our Easter celebration on April
4. Because Lent is the time in the
church year, prior to Jesus’ resurrection, we focus on the opposition Jesus
endured, on the suffering he faced. During Lent we consider the injustice and
evil which led to Jesus’ death on the cross.
Since our sin is part of the reason that the Son of God Himself died,
this is naturally a special time of repentance.
It is a time to admit our sin, and to turn from that sin and turn to
God.
But,
it is difficult to admit our
failings. It is tough for children to
say, “I did wrong. I’m sorry.” Our politicians and leaders often deny their guilt. And, even though we should confess, it is
difficult for children of God to confess our transgressions against our loving
Creator and Father. Sometimes God’s
followers even have more difficulty repenting.
We know what we are supposed to do, and not do. We have learned how we are to love and serve
God and others. Therefore, we do not
want to admit our failure.
Jesus
told a parable about humility and about confession to the people of his
time. Listen to the story from Luke
18:9-14, and see if you also can see a reason that we can confess our sin.
”9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on
everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple
to pray, one a Pharisee and the
other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee
stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other
men-- robbers, evildoers, adulterers-- or even like this tax collector. 12 I
fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 13 "But the tax
collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat
his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14 "I tell you
that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted."
The Pharisee
ignored and denied his failings before God.
But, denying our sin does us no good.
On February 16 I was driving home from a pastors’ meeting in Anchorage
when I heard a “ding” from my dashboard.
I had a low tire and the gage alerted me to my problem. I had picked up a small piece of snow plow
blade in my tire and it was quickly deflating.
I could have ignored the warning, but the tire would only have been
destroyed. I limped into the Palmer
Midas and they addressed the problem and fixed the tire.
Likewise, if we
deny our sins, things only get worse. We
need to admit our failings in order to bring change to our lives. Like the tax collector, we have all acted in
rebellion, in disobedience, selfishness, greed, lust, and self-indulgence. We are sinful. The tax collector humbly confessed his
sins. 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
But, did you hear
the words of Jesus that make this confession possible? Jesus’ explanation to the parable is, "I tell you that this man, rather than the
other, went home justified before God.” Jesus
came to forgive us and save us. In His
death on the cross, Jesus forgives sins.
The tax collector knew the mercy of God.
Because of this mercy and forgiveness, we can confess
When children
grow older, and have faced their disobedience, they quickly learn if their
parents not only want good behavior, but also if they are forgiving. When a
child learns by experience that Mom and Dad are loving and forgiving parents,
then the child is more willing to confess their sins. When they admit these
sins, they can also face their need for godly change.
Jesus says of the
tax collector who confessed his sins, "I
tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God.” Knowing that God forgives us for
the sake of Jesus’ death on the cross, helps us to understand God’s love, and
enables us to confess our sins.
May the sacrificial,
forgiving love of God help you in your repentance this Lenten season!
A Child of God, Able
to Repent Because God Forgives,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. “SHANE WOODS MEMORIAL ICE FISHING OUTING” - The St. John Promise
Keepers are sponsoring the annual Shane
Woods Memorial Ice Fishing Outing on Saturday, February 20. WE
WILL MEET AT NOON AT SEVENTEEN MILE LAKE, north of town off the Glenn Highway. This outing is for families of all ages and
sizes! We will provide poles, bait, and
snacks.
Here
is an ADFG map with directions. Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Also,
we are looking for people who would like to help make this a great outing for
the kids at St. John. If you can help, or if you have a snow
machine with which you could give rides to children, please contact
Eric Wyatt or Pastor Rockey.
P.P.S. The Red Letter Challenge at St. John started
with a first devotion on Tuesday February 16.
Over 260 books have been distributed so St. John members and friends can
grow together through Jesus’ words. If
you would still like a book please call the church office.
P.P.P.S. I went fishing a number of times this
week. However, though I was on the ice 4
times, I only took pictures on Sunday, February 14, at Aurora Lake in Funny
River. I caught no fish that day, but it
was beautiful outside. Here are a few pictures.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RWAqq7T3jg1udBvKA
*****
ABOUT
THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as senior
pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly
devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's changes I now call this
weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God."
Since
I am no longer senior pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send
this message to those who asked to receive it. (Though I am now serving
again part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.) Perhaps you also know that I “killed” my
computer on November 7, 2020. In so
doing I lost, for a time at least, all my e-mail contacts. So, I was really goofed up. Many who were receiving this devotion each
week were no longer receiving it. I
tried to rebuild my distribution list, but I am not sure how accurate I have
been.
So, if you stopped receiving these
devotions and wondered why, now you understand.
And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive
them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my distribution
list. My e-mail address is
jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions
help each of you in your daily walk with our Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father,
Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus,
St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
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