THE CONFESSION OF A REBEL SON

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

 

                I spent the first seventeen years of my life making life miserable for everyone around me. Everyone who loved me and cared for me was injured and abused by me. My wanton rebellion and ungodliness caused embarrassment, pain and heartache to all my family. None were more hurt by my actions than my mother.

 

                After God graciously stopped me in my mad rush to hell and saved me by his grace, one great goal of my life was to make up to my mother for all the heartache and misery I brought into her life.

 

My mother died this morning (November 14, 1998). I spent thirty-two years trying to atone, trying to make up for the things I had done to her and against her. I failed miserably! She would have disagreed with that statement. In fact, she did disagree on the many occasions she heard it. But my conscience is not satisfied. My conscience tells me, incessantly, “You have not done enough.” I have to live with the pain of that fact until I leave this world.

 

I have written these things and made this acknowledgement to you for a reason. I want you to consider this - If one sinner cannot make up and atone for his offenses against another sinner to the satisfaction of his own conscience, how can any of us hope to make up and atone for our sins and crimes against the thrice holy Lord God?

 

                What does God require of us? He requires, upon penalty of eternal death, that we walk before him in reverence, obey his Word, and keep his statutes perfectly, without the least deviation, from the cradle to the grave, and serve him in absolute holiness with all our hearts, souls, minds and beings, all the days of our lives. God requires from us, as sinners, perfect righteousness, that is perfect obedience (Matt. 5:20), and complete satisfaction for all our sins (Ezek. 18:20).

 

                Not only does God require these things from us, he has put his voice in our inmost beings demanding the same things. Our consciences can never be satisfied with less than perfect righteousness and perfect satisfaction. That is the reason no man can truly find peace before God, until he is brought by grace to rest in Christ alone as that all-sufficient Savior who alone is our righteousness and redemption.

 

                I could never make up to my mother, because I can never do enough, give enough, or make myself good enough to satisfy my own conscience. And no sinner can ever do enough, give enough, or make himself good enough to satisfy even his own conscience, much less God himself. But, blessed be his name, the Lord Jesus Christ is enough! Trusting Christ alone as my only atonement for sin and my only righteousness before God, my conscience speaks peace to my heart saying, “CHRIST IS ENOUGH,” because God himself says, “CHRIST IS ENOUGH!”. His obedience is enough (Rom. 5:19). His blood is enough (Rom. 3:24-26). Christ is enough. He is the propitiation for our sins.

 

Grace For Today Radio Message #588

Grace Baptist Church of Danville

2734 Old Stanford Road - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net