Steve Hyndman - Class 1: Forgiveness - The Process

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

1. 0:01

   Well, forgiveness. What if I press B? Nothing happens. Can I press? Let’s go back there, shall we? There we are. Let’s just go there for the minute. I think that forgiveness, and I’m sure a lot of you would agree as well, that forgiveness is probably one of the most fundamental subjects of the Bible to think about.

2. 0:26

   It really is important because it’s it’s it’s really an understanding of God. The chairman has really sort of indicated it’s to understand, to get a bit of a handle on forgiveness. It’s really understand God’s character and it’s a journey for all of us. And I’m well and truly on that journey and nowhere.

3. 0:44

   Near the end of it I. Can tell you because every time I do this, this is about the sixth time that we’ve done this. I’m just learning something new and I’m just changing this or changing that. As we grow in in in our faith and I guess maturity in in in terms of our standing with God.

4. 1:01

   But it is a core. Element of God’s character. I would, I would say, go as far as to say. It is the. Most core element of his character. 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, and 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.

5. 1:41

   And when we let God forgive, it’s. Total total forgiveness. No grudges, No thoughts. He even forgets it. He has the power to forget your sin. So when you get to the judgment scene and you might talk to the Angel and say, I’m not worried about this thing, he might say to you, what thing’s that?

6. 2:02

   No recollection. It’s gone. You discussed that years ago with God. It’s gone from you. I think God does have have the power to forgive properly. And to forget sin. He remembers them no more and I will forgive you, despite what we have done against him. You know why? Actually, God Forgives Psalm 79 and verse 9 says that He forgives us for his namesake. Isn’t that interesting, you think? Wonder why?

7. 2:35

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

8. 3:11

   This is Luke’s. Luke’s 6. Verse 35 and turn it up because of time. But he says this, but love ye your enemies. Didn’t say love your brothers and sisters, 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 he is he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. God is kind to the evil remarkable being. Be therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you 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.

9. 4:12

   Loves his enemies. There was a point in all our lives that we were enemies with God, but we’re now reconciled to him. So as we’ve 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?

10. 4:35

    Where in the Bible 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 repet repetitious request? I have nagging feelings of guilt. Actually, let me go there. Is that right? No. Next 10. Here we are. Here we are.

11. 4:57

    Here we are. Listen, I 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?

12. 5:29

    Are there conditions to God’s forgiveness? If so, what are they? We’re going to look at all these, so don’t worry if you think, oh, 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.

13. 5:48

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

14. 6:11

    Does God really and actually forget sin and will? All sin be reviewed at the Judgment. Seat So we’re 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 old things in our in our minds.

15. 6:47

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

16. 7:16

    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. And actually get a handle on sin itself. Have to think about it, because we tend to negate it a lot in our lives. We tend to diminish it a lot.

17. 7:36

    So let’s have a little think about sin. 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.

18. 7:59

    He’s trying to unify you with him again, He does not like this, this disconnection, and he’ll 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 a famous one that John Carter said he said this in his book Delight in God’s Law. He said sin ruptures.

19. 8:25

    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 its paradiasic life. So he’s 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 the cool of the day, and he often spoke to Adam and Eve. It was a lovely relationship afterwards. Flaming sword barred 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 a cursed ground, a life of toil and sorrow, Thorns and thistles remained as continual reminders that sin leaves its after effects and its consequences. So this subject then is really, really central to our walk and our relationship with God.

20. 9:30

    But also it has a huge bearing brothers and sisters on our walk and relationship with each other. It really does. I’m gonna show you that in fact our relationships with 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.

21. 9:53

    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? Well, we know this. We know that God is merciful and He is gracious. He’s long-suffering, and He’s abundant in goodness and truth now. You think of all those qualities, Just think of them. He’s merciful.

22. 10:19

    Now, if someone’s merciful, they’re full of mercy. Doesn’t make them forgiving. What about gracious, undeserved divine favor? Unmerited divine favor? Gracious. You have to be forgiving it’s undeserved favor. You’ve not deserved it, so it’s 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 a 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.

23. 11:11

    What about goodness? Kiss head kindness. That means you are willing. You are happy to forgive. He’s very kind. He’s 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, his trustworthiness.

24. 11:46

    Is something that we can depend on. He will forgive and then and then verse 7 says keeping mercy for thousands for giving iniquity and transgression and sin. So all of those qualities. Equal, keeping mercy for thousands and forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. It’s all part of his purpose. It’s a part of God’s, of God’s glory.

25. 12:09

    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. What about that next verse? I hear you say The bit that says by number means clearing the guilty. What about that?

26. 12:29

    Well, here it reads like this, that by no means clear. The guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children’s children unto the 3rd and 4th 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 this subject.

27. 12:47

    Let’s divide the verse up into 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 Hebrew you won’t understand. Nor do I. Here’s the Hebrew Nake la yennaka. That’s the Hebrew for that little section. By no means clearing the guilty. Here’s how.

28. 13:10

    It should be rendered. Acquitting him who is not innocent. In other words, acquitting the guilty. One commentator on the and 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 our translators, the whole lot. And you actually know that the AV my, my Bible.

29. 13:44

    Here, I’ve got the Oxford. Version of the Bible. Is having trouble with it as well because the words the guilty, they’re in italics. They’re not even there, nor they should be acquitting him, who is not innocent. The translators have really struggled with that second-half of the. Verse. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children’s children unto the 3rd and 4th generation.

30. 14:13

    Now that sounds like face value. That sounds like if Dad does something wrong, all the kids are going to cop it. If grandpa great great, great, Grandpa did something else, something wrong, I’m going to get it. Doesn’t mean that at all. It’s not how God works.

31. 14:32

    Deuteronomy 5 verse nine I think puts a property says Now listen to this for I, Yahweh thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and to the third and 4th generation of them that hate me. Ah, so this is all about prolonging the hatred down through the generations. So the truth of that statement, of course is born out in the story of Cora Dathan and Ibarram. Remember, the sons of Korra 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 of the of the songs, the Psalms.

32. 15:15

    Many of them. So here’s how that verse I think should read. Keeping mercy for thousands for giving iniquity, transgression and sin. Acquitting him who is not innocent. Acquitting the the guilty. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children unto the 3rd and 4th generation of them that hate me.

33. 15:38

    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, That’s you make your own choice in relationship, in 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, we can see this perpetual hatred that going.

34. 16:12

    On and 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. 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 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 specks of dust as us human beings upon this.

35. 16:56

    Speck of us we call. Earth. What a God. This is remarkable, remarkable characteristics, merciful and kind and patient. And then we suddenly remember that he’s looking for people who 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. 17:41

    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. 18:05

    We’ve got to We’ve got to appreciate the depths of which our nature will go. Yet the 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 an honest appraisal of ourselves.

38. 18:30

    And that’s why we’re encouraged to examine ourselves every Sunday morning. Examine yourself. Take a long, hard look in the mirror. What? Do you see? When I look in the mirror, I don’t like it. I’m I’m not talking about what I actually see in the mirror. That’s bad enough, but when I really consider.

39. 18:54

    My own proclivities and my own biases. It’s a very, very uncomfortable place to be. So personal acknowledgment 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 feel that sickness in yourself. Otherwise, nothing wrong with me. That’s the that’s the mind of the Pharisee, the Pharisee said. There’s nothing wrong with me.

40. 19:34

    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 minds. Remember what David said, David said there is a loathsome disease in my loins, meaning I’m. All.

41. 19:58

    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 why of Christ’s excitation when he said look, just be very careful, 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.

42. 20:42

    And you, it’s so big you actually can’t see it. You can’t see it from what it is. We 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. I don’t think the Pharisee was something extraordinary. He wasn’t.

43. 21:06

    He was very, very normal, a very normal person. He was full of pride. He was motivated by the flesh. And the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes that sound familiar to you. I can relate to the Pharisee.

44. 21:23

    Horrible. It’s a it’s a it’s a really horrible state that we’re we’re born into. And I not only have that inbred bias to sin the 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 we justify them to other people as well. The reason I did this?

45. 21:46

    Oh, yes, the reason I did that. See. Were you there at that? Oh, well, yeah. You need to know the back story. Well, you see, my parents when I was younger, we like to rationalize whenever there’s 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. That’s the whole that’s part of the in fact, that’s part of the that feeling of shame.

46. 22:32

    God says you’re actually on the way you’ve started. I need that shame to be there. You. I need you to. Feel that? It’s not a very nice thing, is it?

47. 22:42

    This tendency is nothing new, of course. Remember what Adam said. Adam said to God, Adam said. The woman who you gave to be with me. So. So now he’s blaming God. First up, the woman who you gave, she gave me of the tree. There’s a lot of the things going on here, says Adam.

48. 23:08

    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 actually be all right if I was my own self and was here on my. Own I wouldn’t have gone that direction.

49. 23:27

    So God turns to the woman and said what happened? The woman says, well, serpent. The serpent begoiled 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 truth in those things. Well, it was true, Adam. Adam did add to the fruit his wife did give That was actually true. It’s a we can actually color, we can actually justify with these apparent truths, but they’re not honest. We’re not owning up, and God wants us to be honest with ourselves.

50. 24:05

    We have an instinct to buy. Us to to to blame something else for our personal offenses against God at 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 the and the. Only have I sinned?

51. 24:25

    The end of the day that God said, look, putting aside my family and all my children and Bathsheba and you’re right. Putting aside all that, in the end it’s against God. 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 or blaming the serpent, they were unable to be forgiven. God says.

52. 24:53

    Until I can get you to talk openly and honestly to me, we cannot move. God cannot forgive the unacknowledged sin he wants to. He really does want it, 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 and and what we are then we are specialists at sin management. So when we walk down the corridor of life we we come to a sign on the door and it says sin manager. We swing open the door and there inside is you or me sitting back on a nice chair, feet up on the desk, hands across our stomach, Pretty smug.

53. 25:56

    We’re we’re brilliant at it. 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 lie, we con, we trick ourselves into believing that we are in fact are OK, that things will be just forgotten about and disappear overtime. Do you know why I know that?

54. 26:25

    Didn’t know what? I’m saying that because when I sat down to write this, I thought, this is me. 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, tricked myself, tried to trick God, lie and and and con myself, we.

55. 26:51

    Can’t do it. We have to be honest. And the reason we do this because we we want to settle. We there’s shame there. We want to settle in our own minds. That which sin produces, 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. So the need to see sin as God does is crucial to understanding the process of forgiveness.

56. 27:23

    See it for what it really is. How’s everybody going? Feeling Pretty flat. Pretty low. Think, wow, Gee, this is not too good. It’s 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, 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. 28:06

    Whoops, we’re going forward. Yeah, 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 you, make you clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes.

58. 28:36

    Stop doing the evil. And then he says this. And I think these words are so, so beautiful. He says. Now, now come, now, he said. Let. Let’s have a chat. Come on, let’s talk. Let’s reason together. Say it. The away though your sins be a scarlet. They should be as white as snow.

59. 29:00

    And though they’d 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. What is wool of all things? Where does wool come from? A lamb. He wants to cover us with skin of a lamb slain.

60. 29:29

    From the foundation of the world. 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.

61. 29:49

    Here then, and the key is to see our sin from God’s perspective. Ah, now that’s interesting. Not from our own perspective. How does God see this? He’s given that He’s the one that’s doing the forgiving. What’s he seeing with his own eyes? See the sin from God’s perspective? 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.

62. 30:25

    We have to go through this horrible dark valley to get there. 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% free. 100% free.

63. 30:58

    No works. God doesn’t want anything from us whatsoever. He wants you to. Sit down and just listen to him. Don’t want you to do anything. Stay still. Just stand still and see the salvation of Yahweh. That’s what he wants.

64. 31:16

    Know how Mary’s. As the the the Church would have us believe. No. No community service, no penance, no money. Don’t 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. 31:44

    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’ve earned 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. 32:09

    Remember what he said to to Abraham once. And this is the. Whole. Point of this remember what he said to Abraham when he was offering up. Abraham was about to OfferUp Isaac. He said Isaac stop. Sorry, he said. Abraham, stop. I need you to know something. I will provide you. Just watch. I don’t want you to do anything.

67. 32:36

    I just want you to have a process going on in your mind called faith. That’s what I need you to have. And 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 used to forgive.

68. 33:10

    That’s what he does. We’re going to see that and destroy the prodigal son later on. In our in our studies, he yearns to forgive us the 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 in verse one.

69. 33:37

    So this is our our reading Isaiah 55. First word ho. That’s an old. English word for listen, he’s basically saying oy hello. He’s trying to get your attention. That’s what he’s doing. That’s the idea of that word. Everybody. This is a call. He’s calling out everyone that thirsteth come here to the waters and he that hath no money.

70. 34:13

    Big loudspeaker happening here. Come, ye buy, eat. They 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. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and good labor for that which satisfies not harken diligently to me. Listen carefully to what I’m saying, and eat you that which is good.

71. 34:44

    And let your soul delight itself in fatness or goodness. 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 school years and 10. 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. 35:21

    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. Brother and sister 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 the it’s our true standing before Him.

73. 36:11

    Before forgiveness and after forgiveness so that we can see we can appreciate the depths of it, how we feel before and how we feel after. And the contrast is huge.

74. 36:29

    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. We are not exempt from the from the result of sin. In the end.

75. 36:57

    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 to to turn away from sin, albeit some of us turn like like that we might turn quickly, some of us sort of a bit more of a curve. Some of us like that.

76. 37:27

    And finally. 80 years later. But God will. God will keep working with us for as long as there’s breath in our bodies. But there’s more to this.

77. 37:44

    There’s more to this than just forgiveness. Much more. Because, see, God wants us to understand in this, this, this process at the the part of this process is us beginning. To think like him in this process now is is this not all about is God’s purpose with the earth as truly as I live, all the earth will be filled with this glory. In that purpose, brothers and sisters, God is trying to get us to understand that.

78. 38:14

    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 within. That process, that’s how we get there. And God is not only forgiving because at the end of the day that that state of forgiveness, it’s only temporary, is it not? So you go to God in prayer.

79. 38:39

    There might be something particularly that you want to mention to God that you’ve been working on for a long time, whatever it is or what’s been bugging you for a long time, and you’d lay your heart out to God. At the end of the day. That state of cleanliness before God is only temporary.

80. 38:59

    It’s only there for a little while. Because a few days later, or a few weeks or hours, whatever it is, you’ve got to go to God again. I’ll ask if we give this again, and God will forgive you again and again and over and over. Because that’s what he does, he says. I don’t think like you, I don’t think. Like a man, I don’t have limitations to what I can do or what I can’t do.

81. 39:26

    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 he’s doing. Is creating a new concept in your mind and effectively what you said you’ve been born with the Bias brothers and sisters, a sin. But God has actually given you this. And he said, now get this into you because that’s going to produce a whole new way of thinking, which you otherwise wouldn’t know about.

82. 39:58

    Eat this book and understand the process that I need you to go through. It’s a healing process. And 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.

83. 40:21

    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, I’m almost immortal anyway. Never. I’m going to chance. God is looking for effort.

84. 40:41

    That’s what he wants. He wants a genuine effort. So the real reason then, 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.

85. 41:03

    No, because. If if it was just the case that God said, oh, that’s OK don’t worry, I’ll forgive you. It’s up you’ve you’ve you’ve asked forgiven us. 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 it. But what the process does, it turns us away from it.

86. 41:23

    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 in to our weaknesses,

87. 41:37

    the foolishness of it, and how we feel every time when we come to him and in tears. And here I am again, God will say to us, well, we’ve been here before. How do you feel this time? And He will forgive again, you know, whether it’s a one year process or an 80 year process.

88. 41:59

    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. So we’ve got this three-part process then that we must all undergo before forgiveness can take place. So the first step is confession.

89. 42:19

    So here’s a couple of Here’s a couple of quotes. Here we are, Couple of quotes. Confession. See the horror of sin for what it what it is. It’s a funny word to use, isn’t it? Do I see sin as horrible? Am I horrified with my sin? The honest answer, it’s because we’re so the honest answer is probably not because we’re so accustomed to doing, I guess, to either doing or not doing what we should.

90. 42:53

    So John says if we confess our sins. Is that up there? Yes, if we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Remember one of the questions, how do I know God is 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. Proverbs 28 and verse 13 He that covereth his sin shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

91. 43:29

    And Psalm 32 verse five says, I acknowledge my sin unto thee and my iniquity, have I not hid? I said, I will confess my transgression unto Yahweh. And they forgave us the iniquity of my sin. So confession. Is stage 1 the second step repentance you? Might remember that Paul the Apostle when speaking to king of gripper he said this but. And he’s explaining to King Gribba what Paul had gone through, And he said, but but showed first unto them of Damascus.

92. 44:02

    This is when Paul was first converted at Jerusalem and throughout all the coast of GD, and 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.

93. 44:23

    So repentance is really a change of heart. That’s what it is. It’s a a, 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. That says what? A. What an idiot. What have I done that for?

94. 44:41

    And you forget about it and do it again next day? Whatever it’s. This is a complete change and the result is the third step, which is.

95. 44:55

    Conversion of course to to, to, to turn and walk away in the opposite direction. See, this is really has the has the idea of replacement. We’ve got to replace our behaviour, our thoughts with something else. So if the if, if it’s, if it’s a behavioral thing, we replace it.

96. 45:14

    We’re recently at a school of prophets in in in Brisbane. And the young men, as the young men do, they open up to each other and they 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 with that problem, they said was to replace that behavior with something else. They didn’t just say, well, I’m not going to look at that. Website anymore?

97. 45:43

    I’m not going to do that anymore and just sit there twiddling their thumbs. Then I’m just not going to do that anymore. They replaced 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 wasn’t there anymore. Of course it was, but they had to replace the behavior with something else, a bit like a or that the idea of displacement. So when you when you put a boat in the water, what happens? There’s a a a measure of it displaces the water. That’s the that’s the the concept here to. Push away and to put.

98. 46:20

    Something else in its place or it has the idea of a a whole 180 degree turn. So you were walking that way you’ve decided to. Walk this way. Instead, it’s a completely different set of behaviours which which we were engaged in before.

99. 46:41

    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 what was the next? What was that there? No, that’s it. There you go. So actually that can stay there. Let’s go. I don’t know how to turn that off.

100. 47:05

     So. That’s all right. We’re actually not too far from the end. So did you see Axe there, by the way? Let me just read it for you, this, this in relation to being converted, Axe says unto you. First, God having raised up his son Jesus. Sent him to bless you in turning away everyone of you from his iniquities.

101. 47:30

     That was the idea of conversion, this turning idea. And see. And so can you see in the process, it’s not just a a thing that God has set up. He actually is trying to get us to cease in for what it is and not to repeat that have this repetitious way in which we sin.

102. 47:47

     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 have a look at verse 6. So here’s, here’s the process. In in verse six and seven zai. 55 Seek ye Yahweh while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.

103. 48:11

     So seek God’s attention, confess to God, call to him, and make that confession. That’s step one. Then Step 2. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts right. So forsake that previous way of life. Or that previous activity, or the previous behavior, and let him return unto Yahweh. Return to Yahweh and there’s conversion, and look at the result.

104. 48:44

     He will have mercy upon him and to our God. For he will. Abundantly pardon. Abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways. My ways. S Yahweh, For as the heaven is higher than the earth. So are my ways higher than your ways? And my thoughts than your thoughts?

105. 49:06

     I don’t think like you so so don’t limit God. Don’t ask questions like. Surely God can’t be forgiven me after all these years. Yes, I am working on it 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.

106. 49:37

     I would like to show you now the state in which we are in from God’s point of view. And this is remarkable and it’s lovely the way John writes this. Now you come to John first, John. Three actually.

107. 49:52

     This is where God is actually going. We’re 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 three and verse 4. Where does God? Where does God? Sort of. Where’s the end game if you like here? Because it’s not just forgiveness. So first John three and verse four says whoever commits sin transgresses also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.

108. 50:22

     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 And you know that he Jesus Christ was manifest to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. And we all agree that in Jesus Christ there was number sin, He was an innocent man. Who will say yes, we all agree with that. So now what John does, he paints this metaphorical picture, this symbolic picture, and he says.

109. 51:00

     Whoever abides now, we’ve just agreed that there’s no sin in Christ. Imagine Christ here and John says now whoever abides. In him sin. Not what? Whoever abides in Christ has no sin. Remember the key. The key to this is look at it from God’s perspective.

110. 51:35

     Whoever sins has not seen him nor than 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 there has sin. Life eternal is based on a knowledge. Of God and his Son, Jesus Christ. And that 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 what God sees, even as he, Jesus Christ, is righteous.

111. 52:27

     You, brothers and sisters, are basking in someone else’s victory, 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.

112. 52:53

     So we have here the third condition. John just simply calls it abiding in him. Remember when the political 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 say. Just follow this progression if we are in Him and we have no sin from God’s perspective because we are baptized.

113. 53:21

     We are now. In Jesus Christ. 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.

114. 53:46

     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 of our own selves that we forget that we’re actually in Christ and we have a covering. I need to believe that. I need to believe in my life, that God is covering me and I’m going to do something.

115. 54:08

     About that, I’m going to show my appreciation by the way I, I I act and what I do and what I look at and what I see and how I treat others. That’s the least I can do, is show my appreciation. John is not saying that once we’re baptized we don’t actually sin.

116. 54:24

     Not saying that at all, because in verse verse 10 of chapter one he says. If we say. That we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. John’s saying of course we sin. Not saying that you don’t, that you don’t sin. Me. I’m saying that you are in Christ, and as far as God is concerned, you are sinless.

117. 54:47

     That is just astonishing. That is an astonishing state to be in. Yet that is the God we serve. Did you find that incredible? He’s talking about a way of life. He’s talking about it holy. Our Bible talks about a. Holy conversation. A holy way of life. Our way of life, with God at the center. And all that that entails.

118. 55:23

     John says that God in his love considers us sinless. Paul says Paul puts it another way he he merely says justified by faith. That’s the way 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. So his 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 Ark, or if we are in Rahab’s.

119. 55:59

     House on top of the wall. Or in the house while the Angel of death passed over all these things, 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.

120. 56:20

     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 an incredible. Word to use and what that confidence produces. All that boldness in Christ produces the peace that passes all understanding.

121. 56:43

     Remember when Christ said my piece I give to you. Not as the world giveth. 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? God just doesn’t want us to, to keep God that doesn’t want to keep for giving us this in this sort of mindless, cyclic way.

122. 57:11

     It’s not what God is about. 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 where I think we we’ve been of a late start than we one give me one more minute I just want to I just want to quickly just give you the final condition and the final condition is this.

123. 57:43

     It seemed we were in first John foreign verse. Have a 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 seven and first John 4. It’s it’s the the condition of mutual forgiveness, forgiveness between ourselves, beloved. Now I’m going to change the word love here to forgiveness so that we get the the sense of it.

124. 58:10

     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. 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.

125. 58:45

     That is, have forgiveness through him here in his love. Not that we love God first, but that he 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, beloved, if God so has forgiven us, we ought also to forgive one another. And then John says no man has seen God at anytime. Do we all agree with that?

126. 59:15

     John says you all agree that nobody’s seen God at anytime. He said 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 we haven’t seen the God at anytime, but we’ve.

127. 59:42

     Can see God in each other and his love, His forgiveness is perfected within us. His forgiveness bears fruit. So what’s God’s aim in all this, brothers and sisters? Again, without a doubt, to see himself in all of us. So your brothers and sisters, if you can’t see God in your brother or your sister, there’s only one thing to do.

128. 1:00:07

     Show God to your brother and and sister. And forgive them. That’s all there’s left to do. And. Because you see verse eighteen of 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?

129. 1:00:36

     How do we have boldness? Because as he is. So are we in this world. We are Christ to our brother. Thank you.