Preparation: 1 John 1:7-9

God, Have My Heart

Remember the old Vaudeville joke about the woman who said to the photographer: “I hope you are able to do me justice.” His blunt reply was, “Madame, you don’t need justice. You need mercy!” I don’t know about you, but that’s how I feel about myself. When I look in the mirror of God’s Word, I’m appalled by my reflection. The sinful smudges and imperfections are utterly embarrassing. And so I realize: I don’t need God’s justice. I need His mercy.
That’s why I find such comfort in 1 John 1:7, “The Blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.” What an amazing promise! That word “purifies” in the Greek carries with it two significant images. One is the image of a spiritual makeover. When we come in contact with the blood of Jesus, He takes the unsightly mess we’ve made of our life and transforms us into something wonderfully attractive. In God’s eyes, the ugly duckling suddenly becomes a saintly swan! That’s not justice, that’s mercy!
The other image is the concept of pardon. On September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford granted President Richard Nixon a highly controversial, full and unconditional pardon for any crimes he may have committed in the Watergate fiasco. In a televised broadcast to the nation, Ford explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interest of the country because the Nixon situation, “is an American tragedy that could go on and on and on. Someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.”
That’s precisely what Jesus has done for us. Our life is a sinful tragedy because we’ve committed heinous crimes against our Lord. There’s no use denying it. We know we are guilty as sin or, should I say, guilty of sin. That’s why the last thing we want is justice. We desperately desire mercy! And we need it to be permanent: for our sins to somehow be totally pardoned by God and immutably expunged from our record.
That’s where the purifying power of Jesus’ blood comes into play. At the last supper in Matthew 26:28, Christ pointed to the cup and promised: “This is my blood covenant which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins.” And then, the next day, He gave definition to that moment on Calvary. When Jesus died on the cross, that was the most hideous moment in history.
But in the dinge of death’s darkness, Jesus shed His blood. His death offering gave us life. And so the beautiful prophecy of Isaiah 44:22 came true:“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Bam! Just like that, God gave us a spiritual facelift. When Jesus drew His last breath, justice was fulfilled; mercy was released; and we were pardoned.
Is God’s grace that great? You can bet your life on it! Or, better yet, live your life because of it. Certainly, God has forgiven and forgotten our sins, but I think it is healthy for us to always remember the price that Jesus paid for that to be true.
Idon’t know about you, but when I watched the scourging in the movie, “The Passion of The Christ,” I winced with every crack of the whip that sliced into Jesus’ back. The scourging was one of the most violent moments in the movie, but, you know, that’s probably exactly how it went down. As I watched Jesus being whipped within an inch of His life, I couldn’t help but think about Isaiah 53: “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement that brought us peace was upon His shoulders; and by His wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray—each of us has turned to his own way. But the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
And so, as I watched lash after lash tear the flesh of Jesus back, I thought:

ONE. “There’s a blow for my ego. Pardon me, Lord.”
TWO. “There’s a blow for my lust. I’m so sorry, Jesus.”
THREE. “There’s a blow for my temper. Forgive me, Jesus.”
FOUR. “There’s a blow for all the times I’ve lied. What have I done to You, Jesus?”
FIVE. “There’s a blow for my selfishness and pride. Oh Jesus, how can I repay You?”
Idon’t know about you, but when I watched the scourging in the movie, “The Passion of The Christ,” I winced with every crack of the whip that sliced into Jesus’ back. The scourging was one of the most violent moments in the movie, but, you know, that’s probably exactly how it went down. As I watched Jesus being whipped within an inch of His life, I couldn’t help but think about Isaiah 53: “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement that brought us peace was upon His shoulders; and by His wounds, we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray—each of us has turned to his own way. But the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
An unknown author once said, “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you’re beyond the need of God's grace." (go to my comment below)