Stop Carrying What Jesus Already Buried
Have you ever laid something down at the foot of the cross, only to pick it back up again? Maybe you confessed a sin, felt the weight lift, but then found yourself reaching back for it. “I really needed that, Jesus. Can I take it back?” If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone.
At Lakeview Christian Church of Portage Lakes, we see this struggle all the time. People come to Christ, experience genuine forgiveness, but then struggle to accept that their slate is truly clean. They look at the whiteboard of their past and think, “Even though it feels clean, I can still see the haze. I need to feel guilty a little bit longer.”
Stop it.
Clothed in Christ’s Compassion
Paul tells us in Galatians 3:27 that we “clothe ourselves with Christ.” This isn’t just poetic language—it’s a powerful truth about our new identity. When you accept Jesus, you can’t walk this life without Him surrounding you, clothing you in His compassion and love.
Your sins aren’t just forgiven—they’re forgotten. When Jesus wiped your slate clean, He wiped it completely clean. He buried your old self in the waters of baptism and raised you to newness of life. This is transformation, not reformation.
The Promise of a Clean Slate
Acts 3:19 gives us this incredible promise: “Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” Not covered up. Not hidden. Blotted out—completely erased. The blood of the Lamb frees us. Isaiah 1:18 declares, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.”
This is the heart of our mission at Lakeview Christian Church: Be the change as Jesus has changed us. We live this out through “Just 3″—Study, Share, and Serve. When we study God’s Word, we learn to love and know God more deeply, understanding the complete forgiveness He offers.
The Cost of Following
For the crowd listening to Peter on the day of Pentecost, accepting Christ was costly. Some lost families, businesses, and social standing. Yet 3,000 people stepped forward because they understood something crucial: when you realize Jesus is alive and offers complete forgiveness, nothing else matters.
Today, we often make following Jesus too complicated. We add conditions to His grace. We create a list of things we must do before we’re “worthy” of His forgiveness. But that’s not the gospel.
Living in Freedom
When you truly accept that your slate is clean, everything changes. You stop living in guilt and start living in gratitude. You stop hiding your past and start sharing your testimony. You stop trying to earn what’s already been given.
This is where our “Share” commitment comes alive. When we share to know and love others, we tell them about the freedom we’ve found. We don’t share from a place of superiority but from a place of transformation. We say, “I was lost, but now I’m found. I was guilty, but now I’m free.”
Love in Action
Our “Serve” commitment flows naturally from this freedom. When you’re no longer weighed down by guilt and shame, you have the energy and passion to serve as love in action. You demonstrate to the world what it means to be changed by Christ.
At Lakeview Christian Church of Portage Lakes, we believe that Jesus doesn’t just want to forgive you—He wants to free you. He doesn’t want you carrying around guilt for sins He’s already buried. He wants you to walk in the newness of life He’s given you.
Your Next Step
Maybe today you need to stop picking up what Jesus has already buried. Maybe you need to accept that when He said, “It is finished,” He meant it. Your sins—past, present, and future—are covered by His blood.
Stop looking at the haze on the whiteboard. Stop feeling like you need to be guilty a little bit longer. Accept the complete forgiveness Christ offers and start living in the freedom He died to give you.
Your slate is wiped clean. Now live like it.
