250: Steve Hyndman - The Process of Forgiveness

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:13

   Welcome to good for selfie and talks. I’m Levi and I’m Chris and I’m Brian, thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one taco week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode of the start of each week with a short intro before. Hand to kind of set the stage for the talk. You’re about to listen to and now let’s talk more about this week’s talk.

2. 0:50

   Hi. I’m Jamie from the Wellington, Ecclesia in New Zealand and I’m going to be hosting a podcast for the next few weeks. I’ve picked out a few talks, which have had a big impact on my life and my perspective or God in his word. And on the lives of people around me, this week’s talk is the first to work in a series on forgiveness given by Brother Steve Hyman, at the Auckland fraternal weekend in 2022, What particular stood out to me is the love that God has for us and his mercy and extending forgiveness and the process of forgiveness which we go through resulting in a genuine and permanent change in US.

3. 1:27

   The entire series will be uploaded soon to the extended podcast and this is class, number 250. So this is Brother, Steve, Hyman forgiveness, Class. 250, hello, everybody. Nice to be here. Nice to be amongst you all and at last or our brother, Dave has been trying to organize this for the last couple of years and it’s an absolute pleasure to be amongst you and feel that warmth. And, and it’s a delightful thing, isn’t it? Doesn’t matter where you go in the world, to feel that, that lovely, welcome, the bonds of Fellowship. So we’ve thought, I’d also pass on some love too. I was talking to my sister recently, Sarah, Sarah Lyons. And some of you and I see Erin Tony lines from years ago. And she said, say hello to everybody for me. I thought, however, that we’re going to do that. I thought rolled I know what I’m doing. I’m doing the first session.

4. 2:24

   Hello everybody. From Sarah. And and this is us. This is our clan very normal run-of-the-mill. Folk might say, so we have four girls and very blessed to have four girls. I was just thrilled to have all girls. That was a lovely thing. Three, you’re married. And one is studying in Melbourne, at the moment.

5. 2:45

   So, from the oldest is, is Melissa. Just this got 44 children and then we’ve got next one down. But Laura, Laura lives in well, Anton married, Luke Crouch, and little Okie over there and He’s just turned two and decided to give them a run for their money, isn’t that good? And then there’s Emma Emma as far left and then tally and married a local brother in Brisbane.

6. 3:13

   So yeah. That’s us, it’s very sort of lovely to have them on their way so to speak. Well forgiveness, what if I press B, nothing happens. Can I press? Let’s go back to the anyway. There we are. Let’s just stay there for the minute. I think that forgiveness and I’m sure a lot of you would agree as well.

7. 3:39

   That forgiveness is probably one of the most fundamental subjects of the Bible to think about, it really is important because it’s really an understanding of God as our chairman has really. It sort of indicated, its to understand to get a bit of a handle on forgiveness. It’s really understand. It’s character. And it’s a journey for all of us and I’m well and truly on that journey and nowhere near the end of it can tell you. Because every time I do this, this is about the sixth time that we’ve done this.

8. 4:12

   I’m just learning something new and I’m just changing this or changing that as we grow in our faith and I guess maturity. And in terms of our standing with God, But it is a core element of God’s character. I would say go as far as to say it is the most core element of his character.

9. 4:35

   It’s about having a relationship with God and it comes brothers and sisters from. I think the single most central part of God’s thinking and that is that God is love It’s the one of the first things that we see as a result of that love that he wants to forgive. He doesn’t doesn’t do it grudgingly. He actually wants to forgive and when we let God, forgive its total total forgiveness.

10. 5:08

    No grudges, no thoughts. He even forgets it. He has the power to forget your sin. So, when you get to the Judgment seat and you might talk to the angel and saying not to be worried about this thing, he might say to you, what seems that? No recollection. It’s gone. You discuss that years ago with God?

11. 5:30

    It’s gone from you. I think God does have the power to forgive properly and to forget sin he remembers them no more. And old, forgive you despite what we have done against him. You know why? Actually God forgives Psalm 79 in verse 9 says that he forgives us for his name’s sake. It’s not interesting.

12. 5:56

    You think wonder why wonder why that, what does that mean to forgive for my namesake? Well, what’s God’s name, we know that from from the early chapters of Exodus. His name is Yahweh. I will be who I will be 0. I will be manifested into a multitude of people. So in order for God to be manifested in a multitude of people, or Seen in a large group of people, he must forgive.

13. 6:22

    So old, forgive for the sake of my purpose, for the sake of my name, my name is my purpose. Here’s a little insight into the god that we serve you ever listen to this. This is Lux, Lux, 6 and verse 35. Don’t turn it up because of Tom, but he says this but love ye your enemies. And sale of your brother’s assistant, love your enemies do, good and lend hoping for nothing again, and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the highest for is he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil God is kind to the evil. remarkable being Be there for merciful as your father. Also is merciful judge, not and ye shall not be judged, condemn, not.

14. 7:20

    And ye shall not be condemned forgive, and you shall be forgiven That’s the God who we serve. Since the rain upon the just and the unjust.

15. 7:34

    Loves his enemies. There was a point in all of our lives that we were enemies with God when I reconciled to him. So as we progressed through these studies, We hope to answer brothers and sisters. A lot of those questions that do come up from time to time questions, questions, like this. How do I know I’m forgiven? Where did, where in the Bible?

16. 7:58

    Do I find that? How do I know I’m forgiven does? God forgive immediately or do I need to repeat the confession for a while? Is God looking for some repair repetitious request? I have nagging feelings of guilt, actually, let me go there.

17. 8:17

    Next one, I’ll have you. Here we are. Here we are. Let’s cut some. Have some nagging feelings of guilt. Why? Why do I have those? Should I ever forgive myself, even though I know God has If I repeat the sin over and over and over again, does God still forgive? if someone has sinned against me or a loved one, should I wait for them to repent before I forgive Are the conditions to God’s forgiveness.

18. 8:54

    If so, what are they going to? Look at all this. So don’t worry if you think, we’ll what’s the answer to that one? Under the law. Why did God want blood? Is he bloodthirsty? Where are we? We go to the next one.

19. 9:10

    Is he bloodthirsty? Why was God pleased to bruise his son? What did that make God happy? What does it mean? Well, he was pleased to bruise. His only son. What did Christ have to die? Such a cruel way and not an old man. Are there big and little sins? What does God really?

20. 9:34

    And actually Forget sin. And will all sin be reviewed at the Judgment seat. So searching some searching questions, aren’t they? So God willing, we’re going to be covering all those questions and giving you, hopefully some biblical answers of these things as we move through. Now, brothers and sisters. It’s an interesting thing. When you, when we do a subject on forgiveness, it can have the tendency to stir up. Things in our minds.

21. 10:09

    And I readily acknowledge that subjects like this touches very, very deeply. And you may have other thoughts or questions arising from this matter which I’m also very always very receptive to hear your thoughts on them as well. So I think that that feedback and those other ideas are often very, very stimulating and helpful for me I certainly didn’t hook don’t have all the answers to the these things and very much learning as we go along with you together.

22. 10:38

    But let’s have a little think about Sin, then for a start. So in order to appreciate the Wonder and the beauty of forgiveness Surely, we need to know really an act to get a handle on sin itself. Have a think about it, because we tend to negate a lot in our lives. We tend to diminish it a lot. So let’s have a little think about seeing what does Sin do in terms of our relationship with God. With our father, what does it do? Well, sin breaks, the connection, It breaks the connection that we have with God, it separates us. But forgiveness reconnects us with God. That’s what God is trying to do.

23. 11:21

    He’s trying to unify you with him again. He does not like this, this disconnection and he will do everything he can to be United with you again. It’s about reconciliation with God, you might remember this quote. This is quite a famous One. That John Carter said he said this in his book, Delight in God’s law, he said, sin ruptures the good relationship between God and man. It’s a relationship which is illustrated by the change from living in the Garden of Eden to the exclusion from. It’s Paradise, it life.

24. 11:59

    So he is basically saying a really good example of the disruptive nature of sin is what occurred in the Garden of Eden. At first God, Walked In the Garden, in the cool of the day and he often spoke to Adam and Eve, there’s a lovely relationship. Afterwards, a flaming sword Bard entrance to it in. This was exhibited, the altered relationship that sin had caused and sin affected man’s world as well as man himself, accursed ground and life of toil and sorrow, thorns and thistles remained as continue reminders, that sin leaves. It’s after-effects and its consequences. So this subject then is really really Central to our walk in our relationship with God, but also it has a huge bearing brothers and sisters on our walk in relationship with each other. It really does.

25. 12:59

    Show you that. In fact, our relationships, we have with each other is one in one of the conditions on which God will forgive us. True untainted forgiveness, between each other is nothing short of God, manifestation to each other. It’s absolutely God to each other. That’s what it is. It’s one of the best demonstrations of who God really is. So what do we know about God?

26. 13:27

    Well, we know this, we know that God is merciful and he is gracious, his long-suffering and His abundant in goodness and Truth. Now you think of all those qualities just think of them he is merciful Now, if someone’s merciful, they’re full of Mercy. Doesn’t make them forgiving. without gracious, Uhn deserve Divine favor, unmerited Divine favor, Precious, you have to be forgiving.

27. 14:01

    It’s undeserved favor, if not deserved such forgiving. What about someone who’s long-suffering to suffer for a long time? Means to be patient or slow to anger and if you’re very, very patient person, very patient and you can you can put up with certain things for thousands of years certain behaviors. You’re forgiving. No doubt about it whatsoever. What about goodness, KES head, kindness, That means you are willing.

28. 14:40

    You are happy to forgive, he’s very kind. His kind to the unthankful we read earlier. So he’s very, very happy to forgive and Truth, emeth. He’s just God is just this is what John says. God is just and faithful to forgive his his his trustworthiness is something that we can depend on. He will forgive and then and then verse 7 says, keeping Mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression and sin. So all of those qualities equal, keeping Mercy for thousands, And forgiving iniquity transgression. And it’s all part of his purpose. It’s a part of God’s Court of God’s glory. His character is to forgive sins. He’s doing it all the time as we’re going to see. But what about the next verse?

29. 15:42

    What about that next version? Hear you say the bit that says by no means clearing the guilty. What about that? We’re here that reads like this that by no means clear. The guilty visiting the iniquity of the father’s upon the children and upon the children’s children unto the third and fourth generation. Now there’s a few schools of thought on this and I want to tell you the one I believe having looked at just had a bit of a, look at the subject.

30. 16:09

    Let’s divide the verse up to two sections very briefly because of our time. That will by no means, clear the guilty. Now the Hebrew, let me tell you what the he beat one. Understand, no the door, here’s the Hebrew. Nikita, La única. That’s the Hebrew. For that little section. By no means clearing the guilty. Here’s how it should be rendered. A tweeting him who is Not Innocent. In other words, a quitting, the guilty. One commentator on the really good commentator on the Hebrew text says this that it’s that little bit of section of that verse has been misunderstood and misinterpreted misinterpreted by all a translators, the whole and you actually know that they AV my my barber here, I’ve got the Oxford version of the Bible. Is having trouble with as well, because the words the guilty they’re in italics, they’re not even there. No, they should be.

31. 17:18

    I quitting him who is Not Innocent. The translators have really struggled with that second half of the verse visiting, the iniquity of the father’s upon the children and upon the children’s children unto the third and fourth generation. Now, that sounds like face value. That sounds like if Dad does something wrong, all the kids are going to Copper.

32. 17:43

    If Grandpa great-great-great, Grandpa did something else. Something wrong. I’m going to get Doesn’t mean that at all. It’s not how God works. Deuteronomy 5 verse 9, I think puts a property says listen to this. For I Yahweh thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the father’s upon the children, unto the third, and fourth generation of them.

33. 18:06

    That hate me. so, this is all about, Prolonging the hatred down through the generations. So the truth of that statement, of course, is borne out in the story of Korah dathan and abiram remembered that sons of Korah separated themselves from their father. Before he went down into the pit. And of course the their families went on to write many of the other songs that’s arms many of them. So here’s how that verse I think should read keeping Mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin acquitting him who is Not Innocent a quitting. The the guilty visiting, the iniquity of the father’s upon the children and upon the children’s children, unto the third and fourth generation of them, that hate me. So God reacts, then to every generation and persons, according to their personal response to him, right? So not according to who, your parents were, who your granddad was Lets you make your own choice in relationship in relation to your relationship to God. That’s your choice. if however, we perpetuate that hatred, as we can actually see it amongst the Arabs and the Jews will see this Perpetual hatred are going on on on the god of Israel has a problem with that then because that’s a choice that each generation is making for themselves. And of course, that’s what really God is unable to work with.

34. 19:48

    He cannot work with people who utterly hate him or anything he stands for Do you know just a just a mere consideration of that, you know, you sit back and you wonder you really do Wonder at the god that we serve. You think what a remarkable being this is to consider that he should consider such small.

35. 20:13

    Specks of dust as us human beings upon this Speck of dust. We call Earth, What a God this is it remarkable. Remarkable characteristics, merciful, and kind and patient. And then we suddenly remember That is looking for people. We think and act like him. Doesn’t that make you stop and think? Because you and I both know that we are in need of so much forgiveness in our lives that we can’t come anywhere near a true reflection of God’s character.

36. 21:03

    What a challenge that is. So, in order for us to really appreciate the power of forgiveness, we’ve got to look at the terrible and appreciate the terrible features of sin, we do need to know that we’ve got to get down to that that Valley, as it were to appreciate the heights of the heavenlies.

37. 21:27

    We’ve got to, we’ve got to appreciate the depths of which our nature will go. Yet the absolute Wonder of God’s forgiveness. We need to own sin brothers and sisters. Without minimizing the magnitude of our failings own it. Be honest with God. And we need often to have an honest appraisal of ourselves and that’s why we are encouraged to examine ourselves every Sunday morning, examine yourself, take a long hard look in the mirror. What do you see?

38. 22:03

    When I look in the mirror, I don’t like it. And I’m not talking about what I actually see in the mirror. That’s bad enough. But when I really consider my own proclivities and my own biases.

39. 22:22

    It’s a very, very uncomfortable place to be. So personal acknowledgement of sin will bring us to Christ that’s that’s the design of it. It brings us to Christ you see because we are all sick. Remember what Jesus Christ said. It’s only those that acknowledge that sickness will go to a physician. You’re not going to go to a doctor unless you can you can fill that sickness in yourself.

40. 22:50

    Otherwise, you nothing wrong with me. That’s the, that’s the mind of the Pharisee. The Pharisees said that. Nothing wrong with me. I’m actually quite a good person at heart and I intend showing how good I am to everybody else. we will not go to the doctor unless we know actually, How that disease is at work in our mind. What David said, David said there is a loathsome disease in my loins.

41. 23:17

    Meaning, I’m all my children and all my my forebears and everybody else is going to have the same rotten bias that I’ve got to sin. We’re just passing it on. He saw it for what it was. You know, sometimes our diagnosis of other people’s illnesses, comes easier than diagnosing our own problems. That’s another element of human nature as well. And that’s what of Christ excitation when he said look up. Just be very careful.

42. 23:54

    He said about trying to take out the Splinter in your brother’s eye, because there could be an awful big log, just hanging out your own eye and you, it’s so big. You catch, you can’t see it. You can’t see it for what it is.

43. 24:11

    We’ve we can pretend to be blinded by our own affliction. So we’re all in the same Dreadful State without forgiveness and we have by Nature the same problem as the Pharisee. And think the Pharisee was something extraordinary, he wasn’t. He was very, very normal, a very normal person. He was full of pride is motivated by the Flesh and the lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes that seem familiar to you, I can relate to the Pharisee.

44. 24:45

    Horrible. It’s a really horrible state that we are born into. And I not only have that inbred bias to sin at same as everybody else, we all have a bias to to justify those sins as well. We justify them to ourselves so that we feel better about life or would justify them to other people as well. The reason I did this.

45. 25:08

    Yes, the reason I did that see we you there at that? Will you need to know the backstory? Story. Will you see my parents when I was younger? We like to Russia laws.

46. 25:32

    Whenever there’s a an opportunity to blame something else to blame someone else. Give plausible excuses. We generally will disown sin if we can, because it makes us feel shameful, but the whole that’s part of the fact. That’s part of the, that feeling of Shame. God says you’re actually, on the way you’ve started on need that shame to be there. You, I need you to feel that.

47. 25:59

    It’s not a very nice thing. Is it? This tendency is nothing new. Of course member, what Adam said, Adam said to God. Adam said The woman who you gave to be with me. since and now he’s blaming God first up, the woman who you gave she gave me of the tree. There’s a lot of other things going on here since Adam and I was just an innocent party. I came along here and I was just offered a piece of fruit and you know what, I would probably be actually be. All right, if I was my own self and was here on my own, I wouldn’t have gone that direction. It’s a good change to the woman and said what happened that woman says, well serpent.

48. 26:57

    The serpent beguiled me and I did now, it’s a funny thing, isn’t it? Those statements are both sort of true think there’s elements of truths in those things. Well, it was true. Adam, Adam did to the fruit. His wife did give that was actually true. It’s a we can actually color. We’re going to actually justify with these parent truths, but they’re not honest.

49. 27:21

    We’re not owning up and God wants us to be honest with ourselves. We have an instinct to buy asked her to blame, something else for a personal offense against God. The end of the day, they are always going to be against God. Always remember what David said, in relation to Bathsheba, he said against V. And the only have I sinned The end of the day that God said, look, putting aside my family and all my children and Bathsheba and Uriah putting aside all that. In the end, it’s against God.

50. 27:59

    I’ve sinned. God wants us to be honest. We have to be truthful. Open to him and Adam and Eve when they were blaming each other and blaming the serpent. They were unable to be forgiving. God says, until I can get you to talk openly. And honestly, to me, we cannot move.

51. 28:25

    God cannot forgive the unacknowledged unacknowledged sin. He wants to. He really does want to but he can’t do it until we acknowledge it to him in humility. If we cannot own our sin, neither can God, forgive us, brothers and sisters.

52. 28:44

    And what we are, then we are specialists at sin management. so, when we walk down the corridor of life, we We come to sign on the door that says sin manager. We swing open the door and they’re inside. Is you or me? Sitting back there, nice. Chair feet up on the desk. Hands Across her stomach.

53. 29:16

    Pretty smug. We’re brilliant. Adam sin management. It makes us feel so good. So much better. It’s actually fig Leaf syndrome. That’s what it is. We’re trying to cover something based on our own strengths. It’s all fig Leaf, we’d lie week on WE trick ourselves into believing that we are in fact, our okay, that things will be just forgotten about and disappear over time. Dinnerwire know, that didn’t want? I’m saying that because when I sat down to write this, I thought this is me.

54. 29:52

    So, a lot of the thoughts you’re getting through this weekend. Is my thoughts because of my own experience with myself. The fact that I’ve lied to myself trick myself, tried to trick, God, lie and con myself. We can’t do it. We have to be honest. And the reason we do this because we want to settle with this shame there, we want to settle in our own minds that which sin produces.

55. 30:24

    We want to feel better about ourselves. It’s an attempt to deal with sin without God, that’s what it is. And we make our own covering effectively.

56. 30:37

    So the need to see sin as God does is crucial to understanding the process of forgiveness. See it for what it really is. Has everybody going feeling pretty flat? Pretty low think? Well, gee, this is taught to good. It’s it really does flatten. You doesn’t it mentally and you sort of think We’re not, we’re by Nature, we’re not the most, if not the most attractive creatures, really human beings will do what they can to get out of their own problems. But then God says, now now that we’re down there now that we’re down in that horrible Valley, God says, I want you to do something.

57. 31:28

    Whoops, we going forward. We’re here we are. Look at that. This is what God wants us to do. He says it is part and parcel of Us coming to groups and being honest with ourselves. He says now now that you’re there. Wash U. Make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Stop doing the evil.

58. 32:01

    And then he says this and I think these words are so so beautiful. He says now now come now he said, let’s have a chat. Come on, let’s talk. Let’s reason together. Saith Yahweh, though. Your sins be as Scarlet. They shall be as white as snow.

59. 32:21

    and though, they be red, like crimson They shall be as wool. I want to wash you. Can you can you give me a chance to wash you clean effectively. That’s what that quote says me says to me white as wool of all things, we just woke up from a lamb. He wants to cover us with skin of a lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

60. 32:54

    I would like to cleanse you from your. You are actually not capable of self cleansing but I can and I want to and I will if you let me So the need to see our sin as God sees them. So this is, we’ve just opened a bit of a key here. Then, and the key is To see our sin from God’s perspective. Ah, now, that’s interesting.

61. 33:20

    Not from our own perspective. How does God see this? He’s given that he’s the one that’s doing forgiving. What’s he seeing with his own eyes? See the sin from God’s perspective, a see the sin as also a part of this restorative process It’s a part of the process that God requires us to undergo in order to have our sins. Forgiven, we have to go through this horrible, dark Valley to get there.

62. 33:51

    This progression is the same wherever you go in the Bible. It’s always the same. It’s never circumvented God’s process to forgiveness. The way through, there are no shortcuts when it comes to God’s method of forgiveness, the recipe. Is exactly the same. It’s the recipe for forgiveness and this method, this process is 100% fruit. 100% free. No Works.

63. 34:22

    God doesn’t want anything from us whatsoever? He wants you to sit down and just listen to him. Don’t want to do anything, but stay still just stand still and see the salvation of Yahweh. That’s what he wants.

64. 34:38

    No, you, how Mary’s? Is that the church would have us believe? No Kim. No community service. No Penance, no money. I want any of that? It needs to be. You need to know says God that this is free 100% free. For some very, very good reasons. The first reason is, we could never ever buy forgiveness.

65. 35:06

    You could never afford it in your wildest dreams. You can’t do it. Do you know if there was something that we could do to earn forgiveness? Well, then by definition, it’s not forgiveness because you burnt it. God wants to wipe the Slate clean without you doing anything. That’s what he’s looking for. He wants you to understand this.

66. 35:31

    Remember what he said to Abraham once? And this is the whole point of this. Remember, he said to Abraham, when he was offering up, Abraham was about to offer up, I say he said, Isaac, stop. So he said Abraham stop. I need you to know something, I Will provide. You just watch. I don’t want to do anything. I just want you to have.

67. 36:01

    A process going on in your mind, called Faith. That’s what I need you to have a. Let me do this for you. And another reason it’s free is because God is love brothers and sisters. That’s why it’s free and he wants to forgive. He’s if you like to use a colloquialism, our, he’s busting to forgive, he yearns to forgive that’s what he does.

68. 36:34

    We’re going to see that the story of The Prodigal Son later on. In our, in our studies he yearns to forgive us. That the love that God feels for us is extremely intense. And he’s very grieved. When we can’t bring ourselves to that point turn with me to Isaiah 55 and verse 1. So this is our breathing.

69. 37:03

    Isaiah 55. The first word home that’s on Old English word for listen. he’s basically saying, All you hello. He’s trying to get your attention, that’s what he’s doing. That’s the idea of that word everybody. It’s a this is a call. He’s calling out everyone that first Earth come here to the waters and he that hath, no money. Big loudspeaker Happening Here, Come GE by eat. Okay, come and buy wine and milk without money without price. I don’t want anything from you at this stage. Just come and have this.

70. 37:52

    Why do you spend money for that? Which is not bread and your labor for that? Which satisfies? Not hearken diligently. To me, listen carefully to what I’m saying and eat you that which is good and let your soul Delight itself in fatness or goodness.

71. 38:13

    Incline, your ear, listen to me. Please listen to me. And come to me. Here. And your soul shall live. He’s not talking about the three score years and ten. Now he’s talking about internally. Listen to me and I’ll give you eternal life and I will make an Everlasting Covenant with you. Even the sure mercies of David. That’s forgiveness.

72. 38:43

    I’ll forgive you. Free. What more do you want? I’m not even asking a penny. His only request is that we follow the process of forgiveness. And the reason he wants this brothers and sisters is because he made us. And he knows that in that process. It’s a healing process. It’s part of if you like a deep psychological process that God understands we need to go through. This formula this method, which God uses to show us is, is that, is our true standing before him before, forgiveness, and after forgiveness, so that we can see, we can appreciate the depths of it.

73. 39:41

    How we feel before and how we feel after. And the contrast is huge. but the tool that God uses, To get us to understand the actual tool in this process, is the suffering or the consequence of sin. That’s what God uses to teach us. If you like the fruits of what we’ve done.

74. 40:10

    We are not exempt from the, from the result of sin. In the end, the result of sin is death. And so the outcome of our sins are there to teach and remind us that God is wanting to lead us from sin itself. And through this process, God is looking for us, too. Turn away from sin will be some of us turn like like that we might turn quickly. Some of this sort of a bit more of a curve. Some of us like that and finally 80 years later. But got to got to keep working with us for as long as there’s breath in our bodies.

75. 41:00

    But there’s more to this. There’s more to this than just forgiveness much more busy. God wants us to understand in this, this this process at the the part of this process is US beginning. To think like him.

76. 41:22

    In this process now is this not all about is God’s purpose with youth Australia’s. Only have all the Earth will be filled with his glory. In that purpose, brothers and sisters. God is trying to get us to understand that, I need you to go that through that process because at the end of it, you’re going to be a part of that glorious purpose. And that that process it within that process, that’s how we get there.

77. 41:50

    And God is Not only forgiving because at the end of the day that fig state of forgiveness, it’s only temporary. Is it not? So you go to God In Prayer, it might be something particularly that you want to mention to God that you’ve been working on for a long time, or whatever it is.

78. 42:06

    Or what’s been bugging you for a long time and you’d lie, your heart out to God. In the end of the day that state of cleanliness before, God is only temporary.

79. 42:20

    It’s only there for a little while. Because a few days later or a few weeks over hours, whatever it is, you’ve got to go to God again and ask for forgiveness again. And God will forgive you again and again and over and over because that’s what he does. I says I don’t think like, you don’t think like a man.

80. 42:41

    I don’t have limitations to what I can do, what I can do. so what God is actually doing within this process is creating a new creature Within you. So you sort of think how is God creating a new creature with it? What is doing is creating a New Concept in your mind? And effectively what you said, you’ve been born with the bias brothers and sisters of sin, but God is actually given you this, he said that get this into you because that’s going to produce a whole new way of thinking, which you otherwise wouldn’t know about.

81. 43:20

    Eat this book. And understand the process that I need you to go through. It’s a healing process. And if God is both cleansing us from sin and creating himself within us. So God is not so much interested in a temporary state, but a permanent change.

82. 43:43

    Is that not true? God wants to change us permanently in the end? And of course, this side of the Judgment seat when no one’s ever going to get to the state where they can say, well, I’ve made such huge changes on almost Immortal. Anyway, never got a chance. God is looking for effort, that’s what he wants.

83. 44:04

    He wants a genuine effort. So the real reason in brothers and sisters for confession, repentance and conversion, is that we turn from sin? That’s actually the real reason and in that process God will forgive over and over and over and over again so that we can start to learn no because if it was just the case that God said, that’s okay.

84. 44:28

    Don’t worry, I’ll forgive you. It’s up. Yep. You’ve asked for forgiveness, it’s all good forgiven. Well then we’re not going to turn from sin. We might be forgiven, but we won’t turn from. But what the process does, it turns us away from God is very, very ingenious. If you like in his method of what he’s done with us, he wants us at some point to learn the Folly of giving into our weaknesses. The foolishness of it and how we feel every time when we come to him and in tears, and here I am again. God’s will say to us?

85. 45:07

    Well, we’ve been here before. How do you feel this time? and who forgive again, you know, whether it’s a one-year process or an 80 year process, Meanwhile, he’ll continue to forgive the repentant heart, that is genuinely trying to work with God and you may never ever be truly successful. As I said before, God is looking for an effort.

86. 45:34

    So we’ve got this three-part process, then that we must also undergo before forgiveness can take place. So the first step is confession. So here’s a couple of, here’s a couple of quotes, a couple of quotes confession See, the horror of sin for what it is. It’s a funny word to use, isn’t it? Do I see sin as horrible?

87. 45:57

    Am I horrified with my sin. The honest answer. It’s because we’re so many honest answers, probably not, because we’re so accustomed to doing, I guess to either doing or not doing what we should. So John says, if we confess our sins, if we confess our sins, he is faithful. And just to forgive us, our sins member one of the questions.

88. 46:24

    How do I know God has forgiven? John says, what can if you confess, he is faithful. And he is just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

89. 46:38

    Proverbs 28 verse 13. He that covereth his sin shall not prosper. But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. In Psalm 32 verse 5 says, I acknowledge my sin unto thee and mine iniquity. Have I not kid? I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Yahweh and they forgave us the iniquity of my sin. So confession is stage 1, the Second Step repentance not, remember that.

90. 47:13

    Paul the Apostle, when speaking to King Agrippa, he said this but and he’s explaining to King Agrippa what Paul had gone through and he said, but but showed first unto them of Damascus, this is when Paul was first converted at Jerusalem and throughout all the coasts of GDP then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do Works meet for repentance. The ESV says, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

91. 47:45

    So repentance is a really a change of heart. That’s what it is. It’s a new, it’s a new Viewpoint, A New Perspective, God’s perspective. Not just a temporary feel bad moment. We’re all familiar with that. That, that bad moment this has,

92. 48:03

    and you forget about it and do it again. Next type, whatever its this is a complete change and the result is the third step, which is Conversion course to turn and walk away in the opposite direction. So this is really odd that has, that has the idea of replacement. We’ve got to replace our Behavior, our thoughts, with something else.

93. 48:29

    So, if the, if it’s, if it’s a behavioral thing, we replace it. We recently had a school of prophets in in Brisbane. And the young men, as the young men, do they open up to each other? The really talk about some pretty heavy-duty subjects and one of them was pornography and they had, they had a great discussion on that in that they said that the The Way Forward, some of them felt that the way forward for them, for their success.

94. 48:57

    With that problem, they said was to replace That behavior was something else. They didn’t just say, well I’m not going to look at that website anymore. I’m not going to do that anymore and just set there. Twiddling their thumbs, then I’m just not going to do that anymore. They replace the behavior with something else. So that therefore their mind was occupied. And they were able to turn to turn away. That doesn’t mean that the weakness of wasn’t there anymore?

95. 49:22

    Of course it was, but they had to replace the behavior with something else. Big like a. All that the idea of displacement. So when you when you put a boat in the water what happens there’s a measure of disc displaces the water. That’s, that’s the concept here to push away and to put something else in its place, or has the idea of a whole 180 degree turn. So you were walking that way.

96. 49:50

    You’ve decided to walk this way instead. It’s a completely different set of behaviors, which were engaged in before. So the idea of God’s process then is to forgive sins. But that’s not the whole story. More importantly, brothers and sisters is to get us to change our Direction now the next week. No, that’s it.

97. 50:22

    There you go. So, I can say that the sky. I don’t know how to turn that off. So that’s all we’re actually not too far from the end. So Did you see acts there? By the way, let me just read it for you. That’s this in relation to being converted access and to you first God.

98. 50:43

    Having raised up his son, Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away. Every one of you from his iniquities, that was the idea of conversion this turning idea and see it. So you can you see in the process? It’s not just a thing that God has set up. He actually is trying to get us to see sin for what it is and not to repeat that.

99. 51:05

    Get that have this repetitious way in which we sin. So, God’s mercy and forgiveness cannot flow. Then until we see that exact process is acted upon, Now, here’s a couple. Here’s an example of how the process works. Isaiah 55 again. So look at verse 6. So here’s the process in verse 6 and 7. As I have 55 sick, he Yahweh, while he may be found call ye upon him, while he is near.

100. 51:33

     So sick, God’s attention, confess to God, call to him, and make that confession. That’s step one. Then step to let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous, man, his thoughts. so forsake that previous way of life, Or that previous activity or the previous Behavior. And let him return unto Yahweh return to Yahweh, there’s conversion. And look at the result, he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly.

101. 52:12

     Pardon. abundantly, pardon For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways. My ways saith Yahweh for as the heavens are higher than the earth. So are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. I don’t think like you So don’t limit God. Don’t ask questions. Like surely God can’t be forgiven me after all these years.

102. 52:39

     Yes, I’m working on with him but is he still willing? Yes, he is he’s still willing to forgive As long as you are willing to keep working with him through that process. If we are honest with God and ourselves and we undertake the righteous process that God requires, I would like to show you. Now the state in which we are in from God’s point of view and this is remarkable.

103. 53:05

     And it’s lovely. The way, John writes, this new you come to John first, John, three actually. This is where God is actually going to spend a bit of time in John this weekend. John is just so remarkable the way he he writes. So this is First John 3 and verse 4 where does God, where is God?

104. 53:28

     Sort of? Where’s the end game? If you like here, this is not just forgiveness. So First, John 3, and verse 4 says, whoever commits sin transgresses, also the law for sin is the transgression of the law. So, John States, clearly that, that all have sinned, we all have laws God’s law and we’ve all sinned against that law verse 5.

105. 53:54

     And you know, that he Jesus Christ was manifested to take away our sins and in him. Is no sin, and we all agree that in Jesus Christ. There was no sin, he was an innocent, man will say, yes, we look rule agree with that. So now what John does, he paint this metaphorical picture is symbolic picture and he says, whoever abides Network, just agreed that there’s no sin in Christ.

106. 54:27

     Imagine cross here. And John says now, whoever abides in him Sins, Not What? Whoever abides in Christ. Has no sin. Remember the key. The key to this is look at it from God’s perspective.

107. 54:57

     Whoever sins has not seen him Northern known him. Remember what John said in his in his gospel? He said this is life eternal? What is That they might Know Thee, the only true God. And Jesus Christ, whom thou Hast sent life. Eternal is based on a knowledge of God and his son Jesus Christ. And that made that means basically what he’s saying. If if we don’t know Christ, we are not in him. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous in front of God, in terms of what God sees, even as he, Jesus Christ is righteous. You brothers and sisters are basking in someone else’s victory.

108. 55:55

     And that is part of God’s plan. He wants you. Jesus Christ. Wants you to be a part of his victory. That is remarkable. Whoever abides in him Sins, Not what a state to be in.

109. 56:14

     So we have here, the third condition with John, just simply calls abiding in him. Remember When The Prodigal Son came home? He abide. He was stayed in the house with his father that’s abiding in Christ. What a wonderful thing that is. You see what God’s saying it. Just follow this progression. If we are in him, and we have no sin from God’s perspective because we are baptized, we are now in Jesus Christ.

110. 56:47

     He’s not looking at you or me anymore. See the point he’s looking at his son. We are covered. by Christ, because inside him, if you like the progression is at work, It’s happening.

111. 57:08

     He’s looking at his son Jesus Christ. I don’t think we think about that enough. I think sometimes we get so full of Despair and disappointment and sadness. Our own selves that we forget that we’re actually in Christ and we have a covering Only to believe that only to believe in my life that God is covering me and I’m going to do something about that.

112. 57:31

     I’m going to show my appreciation for the way I had, and what I do, and what I look at. And what I see and how I treat others, it’s the least I can do is show my appreciation. John is not saying that once we were baptized, we don’t actually sin or saying that at all, because in verse verse 10 of chapter 1, he says if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar.

113. 57:54

     And his word is not in US. John saying, of course we sin, not saying that you don’t do it, you don’t see me, I’m saying that you are in Christ. And as far as God is concerned, you are sinless. That is just astonishing. That is an astonishing state to be in. Yeah, that is the God, we serve Did you find that incredible?

114. 58:25

     He’s talking about. A way of life. He’s talking about in Holier Bible talks about a holy conversation, a holy way of life. How way of life with God at the center? And all that, that entails John says that God in his love, considers us sinless. Paul says, Paul puts another way he did. He merely says, justified by faith. That’s the way.

115. 58:58

     Paul puts it. Exactly the same thing we are justified by faith. The faith part is because I believe that God is faithful and just to his word.

116. 59:10

     So he’s point is and you’ve got these these stories and metaphors right through the Bible. You know, if we abide in Christ, if we are in the arc, or if we are in rahab’s, house on top of the wall, or in the house, while the angel of death passed over. All these things.

117. 59:29

     God is saying, your salvation is assured. Yes, we are rightly related to death, but God is saying, your Eternal salvation is assured not presumed upon. but in John’s language, we can have confidence in the day of judgment as a result of this process confidence in the day of judgment incredible word to use and what that confidence produces all that boldness in Christ produces, the peace that passes all understanding Remember Christ said my peace, I give to you not as the world giveth.

118. 1:00:11

     This is what he’s talking about. This deep sense of peace. Knowing that we are actually at work with God and he’s producing within us. A good a good work and isn’t this where God wants us? It got just doesn’t want us to to keep God that doesn’t want to keep her giving us this in this sort of mindless cyclic way. It’s not what God is about.

119. 1:00:35

     Yes, he will keep forgiving us. But he wants us to eventually turn from sin and abide in Christ, that’s what he wants. It’s an incredible state to be in. Well, brothers and sisters our time we’ve I think we’d be delayed start to me. One, give me one more minute. I’ll just want to just want to quickly.

120. 1:00:58

     Just give you the final condition. And the final condition is this. It seemed we would for in first, John, four and verse have look at verse 7 There’s one more condition, which we’re going to take a whole study to look at. But here it is here very, very quickly. Verse 7 and verse, John 4, It’s the pits, the, the condition of mutual forgiveness, forgiveness between ourselves beloved.

121. 1:01:27

     Now, going to change the word love here to forgiveness so that we get the sense of it. Because forgiveness at the end of the day Springs out of love beloved, let us forgive one another. for forgiveness is from God and everyone That Forgives is born of God and knows God. He That Forgives not knoweth, not God. Because God is love.

122. 1:01:57

     In this was manifested the love of God toward us because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live. That is have forgiveness through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God first. But the he’d loved us first before we come to him and sent his son to be the mercy seat for our sins. Yes, this is all about forgiveness. No doubt.

123. 1:02:27

     Beloved if God. So freak has forgiven us, we ought also to forgive one another And then John says, no man has seen God at any time. Do we all agree with that? John says or you all agree that nobody seen God at any time. So yes, all agree, but then he says, now if you forgive each other, God dwells in him in US. Ah, and we can see God in each other. So yes, you won’t see.

124. 1:03:00

     We haven’t seen V God at any time but we’ve can see God in each other. And his love. His forgiveness is perfected within us. His forgiveness, bears fruit. So what’s God’s? I’m in all this brothers and sisters again without a doubt. To see himself in all of us. So, brothers and sisters. If you can’t see, God in your brother or your sister is only one thing to do. Show God to your brother and sister. And forgive them.

125. 1:03:35

     That’s all there’s left to do. And because you see Verse 18 and first first John four and verse 18, there is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out, fear. Herein is our love made, perfect that we might have boldness in the day of judgment. How how do we have boldness? Because as he is, So are we in this world?

126. 1:04:08

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127. 1:04:49

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128. 1:05:12

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