I Will Blot Out Their Transgressions

The message is about how much of modern preaching focuses on self-improvement rather than the true gospel. The pastor emphasizes that we are owned by God and saved by His grace. He reassures that no matter what trials we face, God will be there for us because we are His. The passage from Isaiah reminds us that God loves us and has redeemed us, not because of anything we've done, but for His own sake. We cannot earn or attain His salvation. The following message is brought to you by the people of Redeemer Church of Piketon, Ohio. For more information, please visit RedeemerPiketon.org. And now here's Pastor Jason Booth with the message. Beloved, today, I simply want to title this message, I Will Blot Out Their Transgressions. I Will Blot Out Their Transgressions. Much of what passes as preaching today is self-improvement schemes. And you've all heard them. Four steps to a happier family. Five steps to financial security. Three ways for a happier family life. You name it, whatever the topic. Success in life was even the name of one particular TV preacher's television show for many years on television before he was uncovered as stealing offering monies and sending the checks straight to his bank account. And, you know, the stories are just numerous, too numerous to tell, of how our modern age conveniences itself with gospel attainment and with self-improvement schemes instead of the gospel, the true good news of God in His Christ. And when I read passages like passage 43 here in Isaiah, and I read passages like this, I, the Lord, am your Savior. I can save you. I will save you. I'm the only one who can save you. He created Jacob. He says, He formed you, O Israel. He says, Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are Mine. My time with you should not be spent teaching you how to milk more joy out of this daily life. My time should be spent with you reminding you of what really matters. And beloved, we are His. He is our Redeemer. We are not our own. The Scripture teaches us that we've been bought with a price. We have this wonderful reality that we must be reminded of this possession, or rather that we are possessed, held fast by the threefold hand of grace. The Father loves us. The Son rescues us. And the Spirit of God testifies to these truths. And we are saved in the grip of His grace. We have been redeemed. The Bible says we've been called by name. And just as He spoke here prophetically to the children of Israel, these words spiritually absolutely apply to God's people throughout all time. He is the Redeemer. And it's good to know that no matter what happens in this life, He will hold us fast. The Bible says as we pass through the waters, these are all pictures of trial. If you pass through waters, the Bible says He will be there. If you walk through fire itself, He will be there. And we have a beautiful picture of this in the three Hebrew children. They literally were thrown into a fiery furnace. And who was with them the whole way? The king himself looked down in there. And what did he see? He saw a fourth man likened to the Son of God. When you go through the fires, the Lord will be there. When you go through the waters, He will be there. Why? Because you are His. And you don't need me to give you some scheme to make life better. You simply need to remember whose you are. And that the trials of this current time will not be worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. And what did the Lord say in verse 3? I love this. He says, I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Speaking to the children of Israel here, He says, I give Egypt as your ransom. In other words, I've chosen you. And I've left the mighty kingdom to rot for your sake. This is the God of sovereign grace. The God who elects His people for His own pleasure, for His own goodwill. And if you are found in Him, then your heart should be happy. Because happy is the man whose God is the Lord. You should be thrilled because you have an ever-present help in time of storm. You go through all the trials of this life and understand the Lord of glory is the architect of each and every moment of your life. And He is holding you fast, carrying you through the toughest of times and the worst of situations. And why does He do this for us? The Bible says in verse 4, You are precious in my eyes. What have we done to deserve or garner His favor? We've done nothing. And so many will say, You've got to perform certain acts in order to be pleasing to God. Have you ever read the Old Testament? These people are just as sorry as we are. Why? Because they're people. They're fallen people in a fallen world. And while the Lord does punish and chasten those whom He loves, that's clear from Scripture. We also know from Scripture that He will never leave us or forsake us. We are precious in His eyes, says verse 4, and honored and He says, I love you. To be loved by God. There's an old spiritual that says, Oh, to be kept by Jesus. I preached a sermon on it about a year ago. What a glorious thought to be kept by Jesus. Many of us in younger days would run home for comfort if we'd scratched our knees or cut ourselves out in the woods or had an accident and fell. We typically, as young children, we would make a lot of noise and the whole way we'd be marching toward mom or marching toward grandma. Because in our hearts, we figured something's wrong. We need to go where the help is going to come from. And childlike faith swells up within us as the tears pour down our face. And what do we do? We go marching to mom. We go marching to grandma, marching to aunts or uncles, whoever it might be. But we have this childlike faith that our loved ones, our parents can make it better. And here we see in Scripture that we are loved by God. Beloved, we are kept by Jesus. We are kept by His nail-scarred hands. He will never let us loose. How do we know that? The Bible says in chapter 43, verse 1, Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have redeemed you. You'll walk through the waters of trial and tribulation. You'll go through fiery times of trial. But fear not, says the Lord, I have redeemed you. You might be stricken with a sickness unto death. Fear not, I have redeemed you. Your world might come crumbling down around your feet. Fear not, says the Lord, I have redeemed you. You might lose every ounce of earthly strength you have in your physical frame. Fear not, I have redeemed you. Everyone could forsake you. Your friends could turn their backs on you. And you might think you have not a hope in this world. But the Scripture tells us to fear not. Why? Because the Lord has redeemed us. And He loves us. And we're precious in His sight. But it is not because of anything we have done. It's not because of anything we have offered. And how do we know this from the Word? Verse 22. Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob. But you have been weary of me, O Israel. All friends, let this apply to our hearts. Let's be honest today with our testimony. And let us tell the Lord the true confession. Lord, I don't love You like I should. Lord, I don't serve You with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Lord, I don't love You like You love me. Oh, I have a desire at times to do just that. And there are times when my desire for You burns white hot. And then there are other times when I'd rather watch cable than study Your Word. Why not be honest, friends? Let's just tell the truth on ourselves. The Spirit knows. He searches the heart. He knows what we really are. Now, the preacher's not up here piling on. I promise you, I'm not trying to tell you that you're not as spiritual as I am. I'm trying to tell you that we're all in the same pot. You did not call upon me, O Jacob. You have been weary of me, O Israel. You've not brought me Your sheep for burnt offerings or honored me with Your sacrifices. God's people in the Old Testament sound a lot like God's people in the New Testament. They weren't doing anything. Verse 24 and 25, I want to focus here. The Lord is speaking to His people. He's reading them an indictment of their lackadaisical attitude and their half-hearted commitment. He says, you have not bought me, sweet Cain, with money. Or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins. You have wearied me with your iniquities. Now, you tell me if the Lord couldn't say the same thing today to His people. Given a true evaluation in our own flesh, in our own strength, this would be the evaluation that the Lord would make. You've not given me a thing. Now, I love they use the ancient words of their day talking about perhaps sugar, Cain. It was probably a pretty exotic thing to have. And so, here the Lord says, you've not offered me anything. You've not even, I don't even have the fat of your sacrifices. You've not done a thing for me. But you've wearied me with your sins. Is this not the same testimony God would have to make about us apart from Christ? We've wearied Him with our sins. We've wearied Him with our lackadaisical attitudes and our fallen frame in nature. Oh, but beloved, if it stopped right there, we'd be of all men most miserable. We know we failed this test. We failed this test before we were ever born. For in sin did my mother conceive me. But you've got to wrap your minds. God give us through your Holy Spirit the ability to seek verse 25 for what it is. And Lord, may you apply it to our hearts. Verse 25, gospel hope, beloved. Listen to this. I, I am he who blots out your transgressions I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake. Why does He save us? Because you were good little boys and girls? Because you did everything just right? No, He saves us in spite of ourselves because of what Jesus Christ finished on the cross of Calvary. He saves us, the Bible says, for His own sake. And I think about the prayer that Jesus prayed for His own people. He prayed that we would be one. And He cried out in agony for you and for me in the garden. And He bled and He died in agony for you and for me. And God the Son blotted out our transgressions by His perfect sacrifice. If God the Son died for us, then God Himself is our Redeemer. And He has saved us, just as Isaiah promised, for His own sake. You can't earn it. You can't attain it. It's too high to be reached. It's too low to plumb. His ways are past finding out. You and I have no hope in and of ourselves. But thanks be to God, the Scripture declares that He is the God who blots out transgressions. He is the God who does these things for His own sake. Hallelujah! I will not remember your sins. Could we say that a little louder for the legalists and the religionists in the back? How will the Lord remember? He won't. What will the Lord remember? He won't remember our sins. Who will the Lord remember? He will remember us as His children when we pass from this life into the next. He'll not lose a one. He has blotted out our transgressions and He will remember our sins no more. Praise the name of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. I will not remember your sins. You haven't brought anything to God. You haven't given Him anything. You haven't offered Him anything of any salvific merit. And yet the Lord of glory says, I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions. Hallelujah! Your blood has washed away my sins. Jesus, thank you. The Father's wrath completely satisfied. Jesus, thank you. Once your enemy, now feed it at your table. Jesus, thank you. You think you've been good enough for God? You're an idolater. Oh, but if your song is Christ's and His righteousness alone. If your testimony is Jesus Christ went my way and I know that in me no good thing dwells, but greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. This old flesh, I'm gonna battle it every day. I'm gonna pray that God give me strength that I might do the right and shun the wrong, but I will not rest my righteousness on my works. My righteousness is filthy rags in comparison to the glorious, perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God. And let me tell you, beloved, our hope must be in the risen Christ. It must be in Christ, buried, resurrected and coming again with life and liberty for His people. God blots out transgressions for Christ's sake and we are His children forevermore, forevermore, forevermore, forevermore. Why? Because He loves us. We are precious in His sight. He has called us and He has left the nations to tremble as a ransom. He's called us. Not because we were the mightiest, not because we were the greatest, not because we did anything in ourselves, but for His own good pleasure. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor, for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are created. Hallelujah forevermore. He is glorious and our salvation is forever settled in heaven because it is He who blots out our transgressions. Hallelujah forevermore. Thus says the Lord who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior. They lie down, they cannot rise. They are extinguished, quenched like a wick. Remember not the former things nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? What is this new thing? Beloved, may I contend to you that the new thing the Lord is doing is the new and living way found in Christ Jesus. He is the new and living way. Do you know Him this morning? Do you know Him? Is He the one who blots out your transgressions? Do you know Him in the full pardon of your sins? I cannot save you. I'm not some magician. I can't wave my hand over you and make you a Christian. All that I could. But that's not how the Lord has set this whole thing up. He simply told us to tell the truth about Jesus. The truth is that you are a sinner, lost and undone without an ounce of hope in this whole world. You have nothing to give to God. And you face certain judgment apart from His Christ. But He calls His people, He bids His people come to drink of the waters of life deeply and freely. Come and buy wine and milk without price, the Scripture says. That means this isn't gonna cost you a thing. Why? Jesus paid it all. He drank damnation dry for the sake of His people. And today, if you hear His voice and you believe that the gospel is true, in your heart you believe Jesus is who He says He is. Flesh and blood did not reveal that to you. Call on His name. For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. And you'll experience a God who blots out transgressions. Oh, every time I think of myself as something that I'm some bigger, I get a bigger image of myself than I really ought to. Boy, I tell you, life has a way of putting you right back down. It's like we're dough in a basket. We just sort of swell and rise. And then life's circumstances come along and just beat you back down into the bowl. Let us not think too highly of ourselves. Let's say it like Jesus did. Beloveds, do not rejoice that the demons are subject unto you. In other words, don't rejoice in the accolades that you think you have or the power you think you have. But rather, that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. For I want to tell you that the same God who blots out our transgressions has our names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. It is He who blots out transgressions. And I pray that the Lord would speak richly to our hearts through this gospel truth, that even though we go through the waters, we go through the fires, we go through the trials of this old world, maybe not a friend one, He won't leave us because He loves us and we're precious in His sight. He has done a work of salvation that cannot be undone. Your sins are blotted out. You're redeemed. You belong to Him. And one day, beloved, as we were talking before church about all the members of our church that have passed on in these last 20 some years, isn't it a glorious thought to know that He's faithful and that one day we're going to spend eternity as a forever family in the presence of God, knowing full well that we're only there because of His grace and His mercy. He loves us. I know we all say we love Him and there are times when maybe that love burns hot, other times when it's lackadaisical, but this much is the truth. He loves His people. Full stop. And He blots out our transgressions and He holds us fast by the power of His right hand. Who sits at the right hand of power? Jesus Christ. We are sealed in this family by the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord, for blotting out our transgressions. Thank you, Lord, for loving us. Thank you, Lord, for being our Redeemer. Thank you, Lord, for holding us fast when the trial of this old life throws our way. Father God, give us the strength by Your Holy Spirit to apprehend even portions of this glorious truth that it might hold us firm and fast in the days ahead. Oh God, move upon our hearts, I pray, that we would leave this place changed by this encounter with Your words. Oh God, move upon us, I pray, that we would not be changed by power, but by Your Spirit that we, Lord God, trust that our lives will be altered, changed, edified. Thank you, Lord, for Your word. Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful word for You are He who blots out our transgressions. And let us love You, Lord. Let us love You. Let our hearts be filled with the overflow with gratitude this day and forevermore. Through Christ our Lord, amen, amen, amen. To learn more about the good news of Jesus, please visit RedeemerPrison.org.