There are times when I feel overwhelmed by my sin. I know that what I’m thinking or saying or doing is sinful, but I do it anyway. Even more than that, I know that what I need to do is pray—to repent of my sin to God, pray for His forgiveness, thank Him for all that He has done for me…and I don’t. Because I don’t feel like it. “I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:19). YUK! This is how my week has been.
At the same time (in total contrast, oddly enough) I’ve been thinking a lot about how God is holy. And, interestingly, I keep coming across the word “holiness.” I just received a book called “The Holiness of God.” A sermon I’m in the middle of listening to is called “Born to Holiness.” I’ve been playing the piano some this week, and nearly every song I turn to has “holiness” in the title.
So, instead of writing first thing this morning, I read the first couple chapters of my new book on God’s holiness. Right off the bat, the prophet, Isaiah is mentioned. Isaiah had a first-hand experience with God. He saw God with his own eyes. Isaiah came into the very presence of God!! From Scripture, it’s clear that Isaiah was a godly man before this face-to-face encounter with God, but still, when he faced the sheer and absolute holiness of God, it dropped Isaiah to his knees. He could see with painful clarity the how sinful he was. Instantly, he understood the extreme contrast of holy, holy, holy God and his own sinful self. Where Isaiah’s experience encouraged me this morning is when I reread what God did for Isaiah. God didn’t just leave the prophet laying there on the ground, crushed by the guilt and awfulness of his sinfulness. God didn’t say from His lofty throne, “See, I told you how full of sin you were, and now you finally know it too.” Instead, God cleansed Isaiah of his sin. Immediately. Not after a few weeks, or a few days, or some long conversation. The Bible says God cleansed Isaiah and right then, his “guilt was taken away” (Isaiah 6:7). Taken away. His guilt wasn’t set aside for future discussion or to be rehashed with God some time down the road. Isaiah’s sin and guilt was taken away, gone, meaning God saw it no more. It didn’t exist to God any longer. In recognizing his own sinfulness before God, Isaiah received the wonderful gift of God’s forgiveness.
And this is what I forget sometimes. I wallow around in anger or irritation or self-pity…and I turn my back on God. But if I let go of my pride and go to God…if I confess the multitude of my sins, He will forgive me. God is full of mercy and grace for those who come to Him with a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). Just like Isaiah, I get to experience instant cleansing, knowing in my heart that through my faith in Jesus and His atoning death, God graciously forgives me. Sin carries with it a tremendous burden of guilt. You don’t have to haul that guilt around any longer. You too, can experience forgiveness for your sin when you put your faith in Jesus. You too can be cleansed. If you’d like prayer, have questions, or need a Bible, let me know.
