" ... O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name ... provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake!" ( Psalm 79:9 ). Beyond our salvation, there is God's glory. When we think about Christ's atoning sacrifice for sin, we must not think only of the "for us" blessing - the forgiveness of our sins. We must also think of the "for God" character of the atonement which has been provided for us by God. We rejoice in the forgiveness of our sins. We also rejoice in this: God's holiness is proclaimed in the death of Christ for sinners. We may think first of the blessing that has come to us through the the shedding of Christ's precious blood. Scripture speaks first of the "for God" character of the atonement - God is "just" - before speaking of the "for us" blessing - God is "the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" ( Romans 3:26 ).
Psalm 118:19-29 God is calling us to praise Him. * “I will praise the Lord” (Psalm 118:20). * “I will praise You” (Psalm 118:21). * “You are my God, and I will praise You” (Psalm 118:28). Praise is more than words that we sing in church. Our whole life is to be full of praise to God. We come to the Lord’s Table to receive forgiveness from Him. We go from the Lord’s Table to share His forgiveness with others. * “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12), * “Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive” (Colossians 3:13). * How many times should I forgive my brother? - “As many as seven?” “Seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22). If we’re still counting, we’ve missed the point! * “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34). Thank God that Jesus prayed this prayer for every one of us. Let it shape our attitudes and actions towards one another. ...