God knows which direction we need to go

When the compass says I’m heading north, I look outside to get my bearings and often disagree. Comparing what I’ve always assumed to be true just by looking at my surroundings, it’s sometimes a real eye-opener to realize what direction I’m actually headed.

I’ve never been so turned around that north was south, or east was west, but I’ve been close a couple of times. So, without turning around, how far can you travel north before you find yourself headed south or south suddenly headed north? At some point (north or south pole) you begin facing the opposite direction — that’s basically a no-brainer.

But what about east and west? Is there a point when you stop going east and begin facing west; a place where a sunrise becomes a sunset? No, because, unlike north and south, that will never happen with east and west.

Psalm 103:12 tells us “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” God promises to remove our sins as far as the east is from the west, not as far as the north is from the south. So why did God choose these specific compass points? Start walking west and you’ll never suddenly start going east. They are forever removed from one another and that perfectly describes God’s promise for removing our sins. The direction does matter.

Our salvation is found only in Jesus. He is the One who paid the price for sin and provided the way for us to experience this amazing forgiveness. Many people see their relationship with God as being dependent upon what they do, not what Jesus did. If we do enough good works, live what we think is a good enough life and, for heaven’s sake, don’t murder anyone, surely God will see that we’re truly doing our best and we’ll be okay with Him.

Two men in the New Testament were doing what they thought was necessary to follow God and still came up short. Acts 8:26-35 tells us about an Ethiopian official who traveled to worship God in the Temple in Jerusalem. Acts 10 is the story of Cornelius, “a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people, and prayed to God continually” (verse 2).

Both men were doing what they thought would please God. Because God is just and patient, and He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), He sent someone to explain that while their efforts were good, both were missing a personal relationship with God through Jesus. Philip, one of the early church deacons, met with the Ethiopian official as he returned to Africa, and the Apostle Peter met with Cornelius and his family. Sin must be punished, and Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned.” What these men did not understand was that Jesus had already taken that punishment for them.

No matter what our past, when we acknowledge Jesus’ sacrifice for us, God promises to remove our sin “as far as the east is from the west.” We can’t rely on our own sense of direction to get us through the twists and turns of life. God knows which direction we need to go — and ultimately that direction is to the foot of the cross.

Tucson faith leaders, we would like to include your original sermon or scriptures of encouragement. Sermons must be written by the person submitting them, not borrowed from another source or writer. If you are a faith leader from any religion or denomination, please contact Sara Brown at sbbrown@tucson.com.