07/03/2023
We are more than just a sinner in the general sense; we are people who commit very specific sins. It is easy to make the open ended statement "I am a sinner", but God wants to deal with each of us regarding the personal, and specific, sins we have committed. On the day of judgement, as we stand in His presence, we will be shown our individual sins, but will we have already dealt with them, or be ready to answer for each one of them in that faithful moment like Isaiah was?
“And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"”
Isaiah 6:5 ESV
Isaiah was convicted of a very specific sin when he came into the presence of God. Suddenly his sins were no longer lumped together in a bucket, but were laid out before Him where each could be examined. Then one in particular was selected to be dealt with... unclean lips.
When we pray for forgiveness are we praying regarding all of our sins in general? This is the way that we ask forgiveness in rote fashion, but as we do so there is probably one sin in particular that comes to the forefront; one that we are especially being convicted of and which needs to be addressed. This is the sin God wants to apply the burning coal to today...
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."”
Isaiah 6:6-7 ESV
When I was a boy I lived near a U.S. military base in Germany, and despite being outside of the United States, the military would put on a wonderful firework show on the Fourth of July. Following just such a show, I went, early the next morning, into the field where the show had been conducted and found an unexploded bag of gun powder. Curious as I was, I opened one end of it and tossed a lit match into it... nothing happened... then one more... still nothing... so I struck another match, and looking directly into the bag I deliberately stuck the match in and held it to a loose piece of the wrapping. The bag exploded and my face and hands were badly burned. I had no eye lashes or brows and the hand that had held the match was bright red and blistered.
Needless to say, I was taken to the hospital for treatment. The German doctor examined me for a moment and then lit a Bunsen burner. He explained that flame would draw the pain out of a burn and holding firmly to my wrist he tried to hold my hand as close as he could to the blue flame... I screamed loudly because the pain was magnified... not relieved. At that moment my mother interceded and the folk remedy he was employing was stopped.
Our sins are like that bag of gunpowder... we can toss a match of contrition at it, but until we deliberately select a place to focus on, we will toss match after match at it and although we may smell smoke, the bag remains. However, once a specific place is selected, and a certain sin identified, then the bag ignites and the sin it contains goes up in an explosion that destroys it in a loud swoosh and bang... in that instant, our lives are changed forevermore.
When we come before God He reveals to us, with the precision of a surgeon, the sin we are to deal with... He shows us that place in the bag where we should hold the match.
Dealing with sin is a painful thing. Facing it when it explodes leaves a mark, and healing from the experience takes time, but once healed, we will never do that particular thing again. We will be able to go and sin no more.
“Jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.""
John 8:10-11 ESV
Satan hates the idea of our forgiveness and will attempt to make the process as unpleasant as possible. He will hold our hand to the flame and the pain will be magnified incredibly; he will attempt to make our asking for forgiveness so painful that we might be reluctant to ask for it again; but Jesus will intercede on our behalf and the pain will be gone.
So, when we come to believe as a child, a new Christian, we often pray for our forgiveness in general terms, but as we stand before God He will point out one specific sin after another that must be dealt with completely and lastingly. The coal will be applied to our lips, and then our hands, eyes, ears, and later our feet, but each time the burning coal is placed on us we will find that we are a touch more pure, a little bit closer to perfection, and absolutely forgiven. In the end, the unpleasant experiences of being called to task for each sin will have changed us into a remarkably Christ-like person of God, and the pain of past sins will be gone forever. Are we willing to face our individual sins today, or are we still hiding from them by lumping them together so that no one of them will stand out?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your forgiveness of my sins, but I also thank you for making me aware of them in specific, and helping me to overcome each one entirely. I thank you for the pain of my healing, and the comfort I find in your Son Jesus Christ. Holy Father, lead me time and time again to understand my specific transgressions, and, in so doing, perfect me. Change me to be more like your Son... pure in every way. I understand the enormity of this task, and I know the limits of my human frailty. The sins in my life can seem overwhelming in number, but as I address them with you, one at a time, I become more and more capable of confronting the next... lead me in this quest Father, and hear me as I speak the words of Isaiah… "Here I am!", and prepare myself for the touch of the next glowing coal.
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."”
Isaiah 6:8 ESV
Rich Forbes