When Jesus forgives us, a load is lifted off our shoulders.

Jesus forgives us and lifts our load of sin when we repent of our sins and are water baptized by immersion with His name “JESUS” called upon us.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38 KJV

The word “remission” means “forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon).

"And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." - Acts 22:16 KJV

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." - Psalm 32:1

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." - Ephesians 4:31-32

When WE forgive OTHERS that have sinned against US, we KEEP that load of sin lifted off our shoulders.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." - Matthew 6:12 KJV ["and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us." - Matthew 6:12 NLT]

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." - Matthew 6:14-15 KJV ["If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." - Matthew 6:14-15 NLT]

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." - Proverbs 31:26 KJV

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." - Proverbs 31:28 KJV

"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." - Proverbs 31:30 KJV

A key to why God chose tongues to be the sign of a person receiving His Spirit, His Holy Ghost, is found in James 3:2-8.

"For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." - James 3:2

"Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body." - James 3:3

"Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth." - James 3:4

"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" - James 3:5

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." - James 3:6

"For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:" - James 3:7

"But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." - James 3:8

In these verses, the tongue is described as an “unruly evil” among the members of the body.

James declares, “the tongue can no man tame.”

No man can tame the tongue, but by a repentant heart and the desire to receive God’s Spirit, God can tame our tongue.

With words of praise, worship, and thanksgiving, Jesus will baptize a person with the Holy Ghost and they will speak in another tongue (language) as the Spirit of God speaks through them.

The tongue is the last thing to surrender to Jesus when we are allowing Him to fill us with His Spirit. When the Lord controls our tongue, it is a sign that we have given Him full control of our life!

Because the tongue is the last to surrender, it makes sense that tongues are the sign for being FILLED with the Holy Ghost.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:4

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

“For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:38-39 KJV

Jesus is our Heavenly Father that put on flesh and blood to die for our sins. He revealed that through His name "Jesus" is healing, forgiveness, deliverance, miracles, and salvation.

"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." - John 14:7

"Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." - John 14:8

"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" - John 14:9

"Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." - John 14:10

"Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." - John 14:11

Mothers of faith.

The Bible instructs to teach a child the way he should go.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

Timothy was an apostolic preacher that assisted Apostle Paul in establishing many churches in the faith. He had been taught from a child the Word of God.

"And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." - 2 Timothy 3:15

Apostle Paul recalled the genuine faith in Timothy, for he shared the faith that filled his grandmother and mother. This strong faith impacted Timothy’s life and ministry.

"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." - 2 Timothy 1:5

These mothers of faith impacted the life of not only Timothy - their son and grandson - but also the lives of many, as Timothy went forth to minister with Paul the Apostle.

"And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily." - Acts 16:5

Wonderful, Wonderful,

Jesus is to me,

Counsellor, Mighty God,

Prince of Peace is He.

Saving me, keeping me

from all sin and shame,

Wonderful is my Redeemer.

Praise His Name.

(Song By Haldor Lillenas)

(Isaiah 9:6, Job 19:25, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:38-39)

Jesus paid the price of suffering and death for our sins to make a way for us to be reconciled to Him. We have peace with Him by His blood if we obey the gospel.

"And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;" - Colossians 1:20-23

What is the gospel?

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" - 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." - Acts 2:38

We can walk with God once again, with His Spirit within us.

"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:39

The preacher pleads –

"And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." - Acts 2:40

How can we respond?

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." - Acts 2:41-42

Repentance (turning from sin and turning to Jesus), water baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus for the washing away of sins, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost with the sign of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gives the utterance, continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, not forsaking the assembling together… and so much the more, as you see the day approaching. (Acts 2:4, Hebrews 10:25)