May 2009
The purpose of the Monthly
View is to remind you how the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob sees things, because of
the finished work of Jesus Christ on the
cross. Long ago, the prophet Micah cried:
“Who is a God like You, pardoning
iniquity…because You delight in mercy…You
will cast all our sins into the depths of
the sea.”1
Dealing with Memories
On a recent doctor’s
appointment, the physician said, “Can
I ask you a personal question?” I
agreed, so he asked: “How do you deal
with memories?” I let him know of
my faith in the blood and righteousness
of Christ. I explained to him how I take
authority over thoughts, reminding myself
that I am a new man because of Christ and
that old things are passed away,2
now an entirely new identity from God’s
word rules my mind.
As the analogy goes, “Birds
may fly over your head, but you don’t
have to let them build a nest in your hair.”
It is the same with thoughts. They will
come up, but you don’t have to let
them rule your mind, emotions, and actions.
“Let the peace that comes from Christ
rule in your hearts…and let the words
of Christ, in all their richness, live in
your hearts and make you wise.”3
The secret is simply to
cast down foolish thoughts and to replace
them with God’s word. The Apostle
Paul explained how a war is going on for
our mind, saying: “We are human, but
we don’t wage war with human plans
and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons,
not mere worldly weapons, to knock down
the Devil’s strongholds. With these
weapons we break down every proud argument
[imagination] that keeps people from knowing
God. With these weapons, we conquer their
rebellious ideas [even memories], and we
teach them to obey Christ.”4
Be Covenant Minded
Dealing with memories is
not easy, unless you receive a new heart
and mind from God. The prophet Jeremiah
spoke of a new covenant, saying: “I
will put My law in their minds, and write
it on their hearts; and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people…for
they all shall know Me, from the least of
them to the greatest of them, says the LORD,
For I will forgive their iniquity, and their
sin I will remember no more.”5
As I reflect upon my life,
there are many more good memories than there
are bad ones. Besides, if God does not remember
my sins, why should I. It is understandable
to remember your sins if you have not received
pardon and forgiveness from God, but “…if
you confess your sins to God, He is faithful
and just to forgive you and to cleanse you
from every wrong.”6
After you receive Christ,
it is your responsibility to renew your
mind from bad memories with God’s
covenant. I pray that you may “…be
filled with joy, always thanking the Father,
who has enabled you to share the inheritance
that belongs to God’s holy people,
who live in the light. For God has rescued
us from the one who rules in the kingdom
of darkness, and He has brought us into
the Kingdom of His dear Son. God has purchased
our freedom with His blood and has forgiven
all our sins.”7
In Remembrance
Many of you took communion
last month at the Easter service. You may
recall the words of Jesus, “Do this
in remembrance of me.” Let me refresh
your memory: “And Jesus took bread,
gave thanks and broke it and gave it to
them saying, ‘This is My body which
is given for you; do this in remembrance
of Me.’ Likewise, He also took the
cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup
is the new covenant in My blood, which is
shed for you.’”8
It is very important to
take communion in remembrance of Jesus,
not in remembrance of your sin. The Apostle
Paul teaches: “For if you eat and
drink the cup unworthily [not understanding
the Lord’s body], you are eating and
drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.
That is why many of you are weak and sick
and some even died. But if we examine ourselves
[in Christ], we will not be examined by
God and judged in this way.”9
Next time you take communion,
do not examine your sin, but remember your
righteousness, because of the body and blood
of Jesus Christ. “For God made Christ,
who never sinned, to be the offering for
our sin, so that we could be made right
with God through Christ.”10
The Apostle Paul says, “Examine yourself
to see if your faith is really genuine.
Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that
Jesus Christ is in you, it means you have
failed the test. I hope you recognize that
we have passed the test and are approved
by God.”11
Receive A Pure Heart
As you see, memories can
be thoughts of past sins. We overcome them
by remembering our identity with Christ’s
righteousness, because of our new covenant
with God through the body and blood of Jesus
Christ. Similarly, the law of God brings
a sin consciousness to mind, whereas the
Holy Spirit brings a righteous consciousness.
Jesus taught, “…when the Holy
Spirit comes, He will convince the world
of sin, and of God’s righteousness,
and of the coming judgment.”12
The Psalmist David is an
example of one who cried out to God in his
sin, saying: “For I was born a sinner—yes,
from the moment my mother conceived me…Purify
me from my sins, and I will be clear, wash
me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh give
me back my joy again, you have broken me—now
let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking
at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew
a right spirit within me.”13
The Lord desires to give
all of us a pure heart, clean of guilt,
shame and past memories of sin. David was
“Under the old system [law and ordinances],
the blood of goats and bulls…could
cleanse people’s bodies from ritual
defilement. Just think how much more the
blood of Christ will purify our hearts from
deeds that lead to death [sin consciousness]
so that we can worship the living God. For
by the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself
to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”14
A Prayer For You ...
Father, Your Son, Jesus
told us that if two of us agree down here
on earth concerning anything we ask, that
You would do it for us. I agree with Charles
that Christ’s body and blood cleansed
my heart from past memories of sin. I take
authority over these memories in Christ
and declare that I am right with God because
of the blood of Christ. I commit to remembering
moment by moment that the body and blood
of Jesus Christ provided my healing and
forgiveness of sin. I thank you Father for
my freedom from sin’s penalty. I rejoice
in my salvation. Thank you Jesus and Holy
Spirit for living in and through me! Amen!
Scripture References:
Acknowledgement: A special thanks
to Sherry for transcribing this months view!
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