Original Entry: April 27, 2008
McMinnville, OR
And where
these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Hebrews 10:18
If we
deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth,
no sacrifice for sins is left… Hebrews 10:26
In my
office is my old college football helmet with two stickers on the back. One is
a three leaf clover honoring Coach Pat Malley who lost his battle to cancer
after 27 years of leading the Santa Clara Bronco football program. The other is
the number 43 that represents a college teammate and friend who died of a
ruptured aneurism after making the game saving tackle on a two point
conversion. At the time we were 8-1 and
ranked in the top 20 nationally and it appeared we would be heading to the NCAA
playoffs.
Instead we
headed to the funeral of a dearly loved member of our team.
As the
memorial service ended and the team, serving as pall bearers, loaded the casket
into the Hearst something happened I have never forgotten. Dave’s dad, weeping, turned to a bunch of
18-22 year old kids and screamed, “Don’t let his death be in vain. Don’t let his death be in vain!”
What I
heard was, “Use my son’s death to win the national championship. Let his sacrifice for this team be the fuel
needed to finish well.”
We lost
and tied our next two games and our 1985 season was over. Reflecting on those final two games I have
come to several conclusions. Our head
coach was the youngest in the nation at that time at only 27 years old and I
don’t believe he had the life experience to navigate a team through such
tragedy. Quite possibly no man could for
that matter. Secondly, we had lost our heart to Dave and his family and were
not able to pull ourselves up again. The
words of Dave’s dad are those of a father with nothing left to hope for but
that his son’s sacrifice was not in vain.
When Jesus
died and rose again he freed all who would choose to follow him from their
sins. He came to free all men, to
release them, and to bring victory over the sins of all. Jesus has the power, only He has the power,
to set a man free. For a man to come to
Christ and not find freedom from sin is to make Christ’s suffering in
vain. If the follower of Jesus does not
find freedom what is next?
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John
8:36).
I believe
there are three possible conclusions for the continued bondage of a man who
claims to follow Jesus but continue sot live in bondage to sin. The first and
most obvious answer is that he never came to Christ but is either deceived or
is deceiving others. We see this all the time with high school boys trying to
win the adoration of a godly girl by saying, “I am a Christian too!” Second, he may be a man in the healing
process. Total healing and subsequent
freedom is seldom instantaneous and is often and ongoing healing process. Often our recovery is a jagged line climbing
through time. The third, and most
frightening dilemma, is the willful choice to continue to walk in darkness. The apostle John stated it clearly when he
said, “If we claim to have fellowship
with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth” (1 John
1:6). Sadly there is nothing left for the man who openly sins, except the
hope for repentance or the judgment of Jesus Christ.
To ignore
Christ’s sacrifice, to continue a life of sin, is to reject and ultimately
nullify the power of His sacrifice over our life. Examine your life today. Is
there a secret life of sin that you refuse to repent of and receive healing
for?
