Old Testament Scripture Reading: (Psalms 51:1 – 6 KJV)
Psa 51: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
New Testament Scripture Reading: ( 1 Peter 1:13 – 21 KJV)
1Pe 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
1Pe 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Transforming Power Statements:
1) In the beginning there can be no doubt that God our creator displayed tremendous love toward mankind in that everything He had made, He placed under the dominion of Adam & Eve who were the pinnacle of His creation, made in “His Image”, the focal point of His great Love, which is a very deep thing; but after the “fall”, God’s beautiful love for them became distorted in their minds, even though God Himself never changed!
2) Realizing that we are all just like “wounded children” as a result of the severe impact of our “fallen nature” as did King David, after he had been through a long season of sin which he allowed to skew his judgment and to commit serious transgression against God, when he needed a friend known as Nathan the Prophet to speak a parable from the Spirit of God to allow him to see for himself the depth of his depravity, and cry out for mercy and cleansing from his loving Father; a process that we all need in order to make spiritual progress on our journey in this life.
3) The Apostle Peter reminds us of our need to make “Biblical Mental preparation” focused on the “hope that God has provided for His “wounded children” knowing that we shall still require Grace which God has provided by way of “His Wounded Son, Jesus”, Who was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, chastised for our peace and through His stripes we are healed from the works of the devil, that runs deep within the fallen human soul and can only be purified by a Savior of equal righteousness to God; Who also defeated even the last enemy which is death by His resurrection from the dead!