August 26 2025

Tuesday August 26

Forgiven and Forgotten

Ephesians 1:7-10

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

Well, it's a good thing and a wonderful thing to be back in your own bed, (instead of sleeping on the floor of a van), and back in your own home. But most of all, to be back home with your wonderful, beautiful wife, especially today, August the 26th, which is our 53rd wedding anniversary. Wow!!!! God has blessed us so much!!!

I want to thank you for your prayers, not only for these past few days as we traveled over 2,300 plus miles on the road driving, bringing that van back from Salt Lake City, Utah, and with little or no sleep. I’m convinced God was merciful to protect and provide strength for us because of your prayers. Also, Edith and I want to thank you so much for the 53 years of praying for us, and the Lord using Edith and I together as a family, as a husband-and-wife team, to share the good news of Jesus Christ to so many people, not only here in the States, but around the world. We have been so blessed and we're so thankful and grateful to you.

But today, most of all, I am thankful that I have been forgiven for all my sins before a holy God. That God now is my Father in heaven. That He loves me. He cares for me. He meets all our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. I have been so blessed with His forgiveness. Now that's what we read about in Ephesians 1:7. “In whom we have redemption through His blood. Yes, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace”. 

We don't deserve this kind of forgiveness, but God gives it to us. He forgives us because Christ died on the cross for our sins. Now, a couple more things about forgiveness we want to continue to talk about. In John 1:29, when John the Baptist introduced Jesus Christ to his public ministry, and he saw Jesus coming to be baptized, he said, "Behold the lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world." It is possible that John was thinking about and referring to Leviticus 16. You remember in Leviticus16, the great atonement chapter of the Old Testament, that on the Day of Atonement, one day a year, the High Priest of Israel would take the blood of a goat into the Most Holy Place, dipped his fingers in that blood, and then he would sprinkle it on the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place before a holy God.

Remember that the Mercy Seat was setting over the Ark of the Covenant, which included the law of God, the law of Moses, the law that condemns us, the law that tells us we're sinners, which reminds us that none of us are perfect. We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God that's revealed in His moral law. And there the mercy seat was sitting above and over it reminding us that with God there is abundant mercy and kindness and grace if we'll turn to His way of salvation which is through the blood. (Read Dr. Towns Devotional that is posted on my website at: https://www.pmiministries.org/post/365-ways-to-know-god-by-elmer-towns-august-24

There was another goat called the scapegoat. And that scapegoat would be outside the tabernacle doors. The priest laid his hands on the head of that goat and confessed all the sins of the people of Israel. Symbolically he would put the sins of the people on the head of that goat. Then that goat then would be taken by a man that was appointed by the priest and led out into the wilderness, and maybe there was another man further out already waiting, and he would take it further and further and further into the wilderness. And so finally, there is no way that that goat could find its way back to the people of God. And my friend, this scapegoat symbolized that their sins were not only covered there in the tabernacle, atoned for, but they were also removed.

That reminds me of Psalms 103:10-12 where it says: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” My friend, God's not only saved us and forgiven us, and no longer holds our sins against us, they are also no longer on our account. They were put on Christ account. And on Christ account, they were paid in full.

God has now removed our sins from us. The removal of our sins is as far as the east is from the west. It doesn't matter how far east you go, you can't get to the west. And no matter how far west you go, you won't get to the east, so to speak. They're removed from each other, never to come together.

Your sins will never come together upon you again because you're forgiven in Christ Jesus. I love what it says in Hebrews 8:11 where God says, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities. And I will remember their sin no more." God not only forgives us, He forgets our sins. We might not forget them, but God does.

Forgiven and Forgotten!!!!!  Oh, how blessed we are. Today you can experience and enjoy forgiveness of sins through Christ!

God bless!