No Longer Accused

By Bonnie Scasta, Women’s Ministry Director

“1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?’ 3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him.’ And to him he said, ‘Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.’ 5 And I said, ‘Let them put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments....” Zechariah 3:1-6

This narrative begins with Joshua, the high priest, standing before the Lord. Satan enters ready to accuse God’s man. The passage does not indicate the specifics of the accusations that Satan intends to spew forth, but I am sure we can relate. What would the charges be if it were you or I standing before the Lord? Pride? Sexual immorality? Greed? Idolatry? Lust? Would the enemy say you are unloved? Unwanted, unseen, less than, or alone?

Most of us resonate with some if not all of these. We feel attack by charges like these all the time—charges which can be intensified by the harsh words or actions of others. What’s more, we believe these things to be true of ourselves and operate as if we were condemned.

God’s response to Joshua brings hope for anyone struggling under accusations like these. These verses show that God rebukes the enemy for us. He does not tell the enemy that Joshua has not sinned or that his good outweighs his bad. The Lord rebukes the enemy because He has chosen Jerusalem, chosen Joshua and plucked him from the fire. If our trust is in Jesus, then we too are chosen. We too are snatched from this destruction, protected from the attacks of the enemy.

Not only are we chosen and the accusations rebuked, but the Lord also makes us clean, as he made Joshua clean. The high priest is standing before the Lord and Satan, with filthy clothes that mirror the filth of his sin. Joshua, however, is not hiding in shame or trying to clean himself up on his own. He stands before the Lord as he is, and the Lord calls him clean. He commands the angels to take off those filthy clothes and replace them white robes that evidence his righteousness.

This is a picture of the gospel, reminding us that no matter how dark our deeds, thoughts, or desires may be, there is hope in Jesus, who took on all our sins on the cross. All the debt our sin incurred is paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross. There is no wrath or condemnation left for us. He snatched us up and chose us just like Joshua.

Faith in Him not only removes our guilt, but also places Christ’s perfection upon us. We too get clean robes through Jesus. Now when God looks at us, He sees, not the condemnation of Satan, but Christ’s obedience. As the Father looks on Christ with perfect delight, He now looks on believers with complete love. Because of this great love, we can and should walk in the freedom that we are no longer defined or tainted by our sin. We are no longer condemned. We are redeemed!

What accusations have you readily agreed with, rather than actively rebuking them? Are you hiding in shame because you know you stand before the Lord, filthy from your sin? Will you trust in Christ to remove these accusations, believing you are clean before him and walk in the freedom He provides?

Overcoming Sin

By Ricky Chelette, Executive Director

I wish I hated sin more than I do.  The fact is I like sin… at least sometimes. The reason sin appeals to me so much is that it always appears to meet a supposedly real need while masking a legitimate need with a quick pleasure. Let’s be honest.  If sin were not pleasurable—at least in the moment—we would never do it.

Yet sin kills. The Bible is very clear on this: “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).  And earlier in the same book we read, “… because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man…” (Rom 5:17).   To put it bluntly, when we sin, something dies. Every time. Always. Sin kills.

But how do we overcome sin? Is victory even possible when we are bound to bodies of flesh that war against our spirit?  Even the apostle Paul seems to battle this endless war with the flesh when he wrote, “who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24)

The writer of Hebrews gives us hope.  He encouraged his readers to walk in the Lord and know who they were in Christ and what Christ had done for them. In chapter 10 he gives them three simple truths that we would do well to apply in our battle plan with sin: 

1. 10:22 – Draw near to God.  “Let us draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith”.  When we feel the urge to sin we do not need to run from God; instead, we should run to Him.  We need to understand that He, as a loving heavenly Father, is willing to receive us in our struggle and empower us to overcome our momentary battle.  If we run to Him, we will be reminded of who He is and who we are as His sons and daughters. When we believe who we are, we act in accordance with that belief.
2. 10:23 – Hold on to hope.  “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful”. And what is that hope? The truth that the resurrection has empowered us to overcome the sin in this world.  The truth that Jesus is sufficient to meet the needs of our heart.  The truth that we will not always battle sin, Satan is defeated, Jesus is coming, and God is faithful.  As we look to these truths we are empowered and encouraged to live lives worthy of our relationship and identification with our Father.
3. 10:23-24a – Encourage others in community. “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some”.  Sin is always about me. It is never concerned with the needs of others, but is rather consumed with personal pleasure, and the satisfaction and cessation of pain. The writer of Hebrews knew that if we lift our eyes off of self and on to others who have hurts, needs, and struggles of their own, we will quickly find our own obsession with comfort giving way to the good of serving others.

How are you at running to God with your sin?  Is your view of God as Father such that you know He is not out to condemn you, but to love you and call you to be more than you think you can be?  

Do you find yourself overly focused on the now instead of the not yet?  Are you hopeful for the future? God has more for you.  He is preparing a day when you will be transformed and no longer bound by this sin-inclined body (1 Cor 15:53). 

Are you actively involved in a body of believers?  Are you serving in that body or  are you simply  attending to see what you can get from the group?  Seek ways to actively invest in your community. Serve those less fortunate than yourself. Use your gifts, talents, and abilities to make the lives of others better.  

When we put these principles into practice, sin is overcome, death is conquered, and we live the abundant life Christ died to secure for you and me!