Be of Good Cheer: Find Joy in the Forgiveness of Sins
Are We of Good Cheer When Our Sins Are Forgiven?
Today’s blog post sharing I would like to share my learnings from this morning’s exhortation at my church. The sermon speaker started of his sermon sharing from a bible passage in Matthew 9:2-8. The sermon speaker reminds us from this verse that when our sins are forgiven, we become sons of God. This alone should give us a reason to be of good cheer. Yet, the speaker prompts a question to the congregation: “do you truly rejoice because your sins are forgiven?”
In Matthew 9:2-8, Jesus healed a paralytic, but more importantly, He forgave the man's sins first. It’s easy to focus on physical healing or external miracles. But Jesus pointed us in this verse to the greater miracle — the forgiveness of sins.
Sin Is Not a Trivial Matter
“Sin is not a trivial matter” — this is the first point the sermon speaker shared in his sermon. In Romans 7:7 and 7:13, it reminds us that sin is not just doing wrong.. sin is missing the mark of God. It isn’t something we can afford to take lightly. The sermon speaker referred the congregation to Leviticus 1, 4, and 5, he shared with us that these passages are talking about burnt offerings and sin offerings not to burden us with rituals, but to show how serious sin is in God’s eyes.
What struck me was this thought: Major sins might be handled in our lives, but do we ignore the smaller ones? This is because if these minor sins were continued on in our life, it will continue to pile up, leading ultimately to death.
Hence, a question for all of us to reflect: “are we sensitive to sin in our daily life? Do we even fear sin, as we should?”
Forgiveness Takes Precedence Over Healing
“Forgiveness takes precedence over healing” — this is the second point that was brought up during the sermon. In Matthew 9, Jesus shows us that in life, we will always face problems. Believing in God doesn’t mean we will live problem-free. But the question is: Do we fear sin more than we fear sickness, death, or suffering?
The sermon speaker shared with us Isaiah 53:4-5 which reminds us that Jesus bore not only our sins but also our sicknesses and griefs. Yet, believing this doesn’t mean healing is guaranteed. The speaker went on to share another verse in 1 Timothy 5:23 which shows that even in Paul's time, physical ailments weren’t always miraculously healed. That being said, we must have faith that God has the power to heal and have trust in him that healing will happen according to His will, not ours.
In Isaiah 53:6 and Revelation 21:4, these 2 verses give us hope that although we still live with sorrow, sickness, and death now, we hold onto the promise that one day, all former things will pass away.
What’s Eternal Matters More
The sermon speaker concluded his morning exhortation with the bible verse 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is perishing, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” A question for reflection: “If all sicknesses could be healed, how could Paul say our outward bodies are wasting away?”
God’s heart is for us to shift our focus from the temporary to what’s eternal. Healing is temporary. Comfort in this life is temporary. But the unseen — the forgiveness of sins, the promise of eternal life is what truly matters.
In conclusion, we can learn in Matthew 9, the paralytic rose and walked but more importantly, he was forgiven. That’s where his joy came from. As we face life’s struggles and even death, we are challenged to find cheer not in what we can see, but in what Christ has already done for us.
If you would like to experience this joy that I found in the forgiveness of sins, do reach out to me on Telegram. 😊