Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: PHP
Program Code: PHP000008
|
00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Today on Pressing into His Presence, 00:04 we're going to consider 00:06 how we can experience the grace of God's forgiveness. 00:09 After we've been through the joy of repentance, 00:13 please grab a Bible, a piece of paper and a pen, 00:16 because you may want to jot some scripture references down. 00:41 Welcome to Pressing into His Presence. 00:43 In this series on prayer, 00:45 we're learning various prayer segments, 00:48 if you will, that prepare our heart to meet with God 00:53 and step by step we're learning to draw near to him 00:57 to seek his face in a time of intimate communication. 01:01 And by matter of observation only, 01:04 we're also considering how each segment 01:07 correlates to an area of the sanctuary service. 01:10 Our companion book for this series 01:13 which I was privileged to write 01:15 is also titled Pressing into His Presence. 01:17 So if you're following along in this book, 01:20 today we're starting on Chapter 5. 01:23 In our last two programs, we studied repentance. 01:27 We considered how repentance resembles 01:30 the sanctuary service performed at the altar of burnt offering. 01:34 And we examined the anatomy of sin. 01:37 We thumbed through God's catalog of sins. 01:40 And we learned that confession 01:42 is the clearing house of our conscience. 01:45 The point of that study 01:46 was to awaken our need for our Savior 01:49 and for the Christians 01:50 continued attitude of repentance. 01:54 Before we go on, let's just review 01:56 that five-step process of repentance. 01:59 First we recognize and think differently 02:02 about ungodly behavior. 02:04 Then secondly, godly sorrow causes us to regret our sin. 02:09 Then our attitudes are altered 02:12 and we confess our sins asking for forgiveness. 02:16 The fourth step is to learn to receive God's forgiveness 02:20 applying His healing balm to our wounded soul 02:24 and the fifth step, Halleluiah, 02:26 is that God empowers us to change our conduct 02:30 and to make a U turn 02:32 into the right direction, straight toward Him. 02:36 Now the first three steps were addressed in previous programs. 02:40 Today, we're going to advance 02:43 to the all important conclusion of these final two steps. 02:47 And you might wonder why it's necessary 02:50 to make such a big issue of repentance. 02:53 Confession is so often undervalued 02:55 by the people of God. 02:57 We suffer spiritually when we don't understand its worth. 03:02 One great reward of confession is confidence. 03:05 A clear conscience gives us confidence before God. 03:11 And the Apostle John said, in I John 3:21. 03:17 He said, "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, 03:22 we have confidence toward God." 03:25 You know, I went through a deep season of repentance 03:29 as I was learning to press into the Lord's presence. 03:33 It's a humbling thing to experience 03:36 as we draw near to our holy God to experience His brightness. 03:42 It reveals that the records of our best efforts 03:45 to do right are seriously smudged and stained. 03:49 I learned the vital necessity of confession of sin 03:52 at the beginning of my prayer 03:54 just as the priest of the sanctuary service 03:57 who dare not approach God without first taking time 04:01 to be cleansed at the courtyard laver. 04:04 In the courtyard the altar and-- 04:07 between the altar and the door of the temple, 04:09 stood a shining bronze laver, 04:12 it was a sacred wash bowl of the sanctuary 04:16 and it was made of two parts. 04:18 The laver served as a cistern 04:20 that stored the daily quantity of water 04:23 released its supply through spouts in its base 04:26 which the base was probably saucer like in shape 04:30 and it served as the washbasin. 04:33 The finest brass was used to fashion this laver. 04:37 It was made from the bronze mirrors 04:40 brought out of Egypt donated by the women 04:42 who served at the door of the tabernacle entrance. 04:46 And the lavers basin performed as a sort of reflection pool 04:51 where the priest could see any pollution on the person 04:54 or on their garments and they washed it away 04:57 before they could enter 04:59 into the tabernacle of God's holy presence. 05:02 The priests were required to wash their hands 05:05 and their feet in the water from the laver 05:08 under penalty of death for failure to do so. 05:11 They were required to inspect themselves 05:15 to wash away all impurities 05:17 and present themselves spotless, 05:21 spotlessly clean before the Lord. 05:24 And the application of our daily need 05:26 to confess our sins is transparent. 05:30 We must revere God's holiness 05:32 and we must come with purity of heart 05:35 and clean hands before His throne of grace. 05:38 Looking into the reflection pool of our conscience, 05:41 we should inspect our hearts and confess our sins. 05:45 Without confession and repentance 05:47 we cannot have confidence that our worship 05:49 is acceptable for our God. 05:52 it says. 05:57 "Let us draw near with a true heart 06:00 in full assurance of faith, 06:01 having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience 06:05 and our bodies washed with pure water." 06:09 The good news is that to us 06:12 a fountain has been opened for sin and uncleanness. 06:16 The guilt of sin is washed from us 06:18 by the blood of the lamb. 06:20 We are washed and sanctified by the word of God 06:23 in the name of our Lord Jesus and by the spirit of God. 06:27 It is not by works of righteousness 06:29 that we are saved but according to God's mercy 06:33 through our daily repentance the washing of regeneration 06:36 and renewing of the Holy Spirit 06:38 will cleanse us from the pollution of sin. 06:42 So let us receive His grace of forgiveness 06:45 that we maybe spotless before our Lord. 06:49 And let us realize our need. 06:52 It never fails to amaze me 06:54 when someone will come up to me and they'll ask, 06:57 do you believe in righteousness by faith? 07:01 Are they kidding? 07:02 Isaiah 64:6 says this 07:05 "We are all like an unclean thing, 07:09 and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." 07:15 In other words, what Isaiah is saying, 07:18 if you read between the lines is that righteousness by faith 07:21 is the only kind of righteousness there is. 07:26 Dark motives are hidden in the crevasses of our heart 07:30 which can only be exposed and brought to the attention 07:34 under God's great search light of inspection. 07:40 When we're in His presence 07:42 inconsistencies in our conduct are revealed, 07:46 reflecting cracks in our character 07:49 and actually as Lord led me through this teaching, 07:52 I was quite startled at my own sinfulness. 07:55 As I considered my past, 07:57 I blushed at the words my unbridled tongue 08:00 at the one wastefulness of my resources 08:03 and the shame of self-indulgence. 08:05 I blushed at each time I had flaunted 08:09 my flesh nature in the face of the holy God. 08:13 In fact my face was crimson red 08:15 as I considered the conduct of my uncrucified flesh. 08:20 On one particular morning my acts of confession 08:23 engulfed my emotions and almost overwhelming. 08:28 Now I thank you might know what I mean. 08:30 Maybe you know someone 08:31 who is so focused on their own faults 08:34 that they become miserable and dejected. 08:37 They can't see what God is ready, 08:39 willing and able to do for them. 08:42 You know, I came dangerously close 08:44 to this morbid condition that day 08:47 but God came to my rescue 08:50 by teaching me to receive His forgiveness in faith. 08:55 When God impressed me to return to praying 09:00 His scripture promises, His affirmations 09:03 of what He would do in my life, 09:05 He provide-- actually proved to me 09:08 that I had missed the point of confession and repentance. 09:13 God does not call us to grovel in His presence, 09:18 repentance should bring joy. 09:21 The joy is found in 1 John 1:7-9, 09:27 it says this "If we walk in the light 09:30 as He is in the light the blood of Jesus Christ 09:34 His Son cleanses us from all sin. 09:37 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, 09:39 and the truth is not in us. 09:41 But if we confess our sins, 09:44 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 09:49 and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 09:53 You know, I marvel at God's mercy mingled with grace. 09:57 As we plead to be washed from our wrong doing, 10:00 the blood of Jesus Christ 10:02 cleanses us of all confessed sin. 10:06 God grants us forgiveness, 10:09 the gift that is precious beyond all price. 10:13 Acts 5:31 tells us that repentance is a gift. 10:17 Listen, it says, "Him, Jesus, God has exalted 10:22 to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, 10:26 to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin." 10:33 Yes, even repentance is a gift. 10:37 We can't do it under our own power, 10:40 but our gracious God will enable us 10:43 to turn away from sin. 10:45 He desires that we should open our hearts 10:48 and receive His gift of forgiveness. 10:52 Grace grants us forgiveness and liberty and access 10:56 to our heavenly Father, the God of new beginnings. 11:00 Indeed His mercies are new every morning. 11:04 Halleluiah. 11:06 And receiving His forgiveness takes our focus 11:09 from what we have done to what God has done. 11:15 Our situation no longer, it changes 11:20 and no longer must we wander in the wasteland of sin. 11:24 You know, God counsels us in Isaiah 43:18, 19. 11:32 He says "Forget the former things, 11:36 do not dwell on the past. 11:39 See, I am doing a new thing! 11:42 Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? 11:44 I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." 11:50 Do you hear the voice of God speaking to you right now? 11:54 Have you confessed your sin? 11:56 Then receive His forgiveness, let go off the past, 12:00 let go of your mistakes 12:01 and let God fulfill His purposes in your life. 12:05 Calling on God to hear our confession 12:07 and forgive our sins can be considered 12:11 a way of rededicating ourselves as His temple. 12:14 Does it not astonish you to consider 12:17 that we are the living temple of the living God? 12:22 Christ in us is our hope of attaining God's glory. 12:26 And He abides in us when we abide in Him. 12:30 Jesus tells us in John 15:4 12:33 that "Abide in me, and I in you. 12:38 As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, 12:41 unless it abides in the vine, 12:43 neither can you, unless you abide in me." 12:48 If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, 12:51 you are grafted into the vine. 12:54 The source of the life giving sap 12:58 which I think that S-A-P is can aptly be used 13:03 as acronym for the spirit's anointing power. 13:07 If we stay connected to divine Christ Jesus, 13:12 we will stay filled with His Holy Spirit. 13:16 You know, David understood 13:18 how important it was to stay connected. 13:21 Listen to these words from his famous prayer of repentance. 13:27 He said in Psalm 51:11. 13:30 "Do not cast me away from your presence, 13:33 and do not take your Holy Spirit from me." 13:38 David understood the presence of God dwells within us 13:41 by His Holy Spirit unless we have quenched 13:46 or extinguished His presence 13:49 by the continual practice of sin. 13:52 But even so once we confess 13:55 which is like cleansing our temple, 13:58 we can ask to be filled afresh by His spirit. 14:02 Here's what our Lord and Savior 14:04 instructed us to do in Luke 11, 14:07 we'll read verse 9 and verse 13 from the amplified version. 14:11 I love this. 14:13 He said, "So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking 14:18 and it shall be given to you, seek and keep on seeking 14:23 and you shall find, knock and keep on knocking 14:27 and the door shall be opened to you 14:29 how much more will your heavenly Father 14:33 give the Holy Spirit to those who ask 14:37 and continue to ask Him!" 14:42 When King Solomon, the wisest man 14:45 who ever lived dedicated God's temple, 14:48 he repeatedly called upon God to hear and forgive. 14:53 Solomon knew that the people 14:54 would fall short of God's glory, 14:56 but he trusted that God was ready 14:58 and able to hear the prayers of the penitent sinner 15:01 and willing to bestow the gift of forgiveness 15:05 to sincere hearted believers. 15:07 It was after his prayer of dedication 15:10 and the praises of the people in worship 15:13 that the cloud of God's glory filled the temple. 15:17 For us to be openhearted and ready to receive 15:21 this most special gift of forgiveness, 15:25 we must likewise be convinced of God's ability 15:30 to hear and forgive. 15:33 And God promised in 2 Chronicle 7:14. 15:37 He said, "If my people 15:38 who are called by My name will humble themselves, 15:42 and pray and seek My face, 15:45 and turn from their wicked ways, 15:47 then I will hear from heaven, 15:49 and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 15:54 Humble yourself, seek his face, confess your sin 15:59 and believe that the righteous judge of the universe 16:02 will dismiss the case against you 16:04 and declare you pardoned, then just as Salomon asked God 16:08 to clothe the priests with salvation 16:12 and to arise to his resting place in the temple. 16:15 You can now trust that you've been clothed 16:17 in the garment of salvation. 16:19 And you can do as Jesus said, 16:22 you can invite God to fill you again 16:25 with His Holy Spirit. 16:27 You know, Isaiah 1:18, 16:30 records these wonderful words of the Lord. 16:33 He says "Come now, and let us reason together,'' 16:38 Says the Lord, "Though your sins are as scarlet, 16:42 they will be as white as snow." 16:45 God invites us to come before Him, 16:48 to press into His presence, to consider our sinfulness 16:53 and to receive the gift of repentance. 16:56 Though our garments are tainted with sin, 16:59 the Creator offers to wash and purify us, 17:03 that His image maybe reflected in us 17:07 with the brilliance superior to the sun's reflection 17:11 on pure white snow. 17:14 That's why David prayed in Psalms 51. 17:18 He said, "Lord wash me thoroughly from my iniquity 17:22 and cleanse me from my sin, wash me 17:25 and I shall be whiter than snow." 17:28 David understood God's repentance process 17:32 and he yearned for the blessing of its outcome. 17:37 God would restore to him 17:39 the joy of His salvation by cleansing him of sin. 17:45 Revelation 1:5 speaks of Jesus Christ, 17:50 the faithful witnesses who loved us 17:53 and washed us from our sins in His own blood. 17:58 Through repentance our sin stained robes are washed 18:06 and they're made white in the blood of the Lamb. 18:09 We are redeemed through His blood. 18:12 We receive forgiveness of sins 18:15 according to the glorious riches of His grace. 18:18 I know that the joy of repentance 18:20 wasn't fully disclosed in our previous programs, 18:23 but let me ask you, are you getting happy yet? 18:28 Well, if you still need a little more, 18:31 here's something that ought 18:32 to make your heart leap for joy. 18:36 When God forgives, He forgets. 18:40 Let me prove this to you 18:41 from a scripture found in 1 Kings 14:8 18:45 and it is an amazing scripture. 18:48 It records what God had to say about David after his death. 18:53 These are the words of the Lord. 18:55 He said, "You have not been as My servant David, 19:00 who kept My commandments 19:02 and who followed Me with all of his heart, 19:06 to do only what was right in My eyes." 19:11 Well, you know, this is something 19:12 that I know that these words were direct quote from God 19:16 and it makes me really trust the Bible 19:18 because mere man would have made 19:21 mention of David's guilt in the murder of Uriah. 19:25 As actually the author of 1 Kings 19:26 proves in the very next chapter 19:28 where in 1 Kings 15:5. 19:30 Listen to what, when he is not quoting 19:32 the direct words of the Lord, 19:34 here's how the author of Kings says it, 19:37 he says, "David did what was right 19:39 in the eyes of the Lord 19:41 and had not turned aside from anything 19:43 that He commanded him all the days of his life 19:46 except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 19:52 Man is always going to point out sin, but not God. 19:57 He said David kept His commandments, 20:00 followed Him with all of his heart 20:04 and did only what was right in His eyes. 20:08 In this passage God was sending a message to the King Jeroboam, 20:13 He was prophesying 20:14 the destruction of Jeroboam's house 20:16 because the king did not followed God 20:18 with all of his heart like David. 20:21 But wait a minute, David was buried in his grave. 20:25 Why would God say that David 20:28 who was guilty of adultery, guilty of murder, 20:31 guilty of breaking all of God's commandments, 20:34 why would God say that God, 20:37 that David had kept His commandments 20:40 and done only what was right in His eyes? 20:44 I think Psalms 103:12 20:47 may actually answer our question. 20:50 It says "As far as the east is from the west, 20:56 so far has He removed our transgressions from us." 21:01 Wow. 21:03 God is not a man that He could lie. 21:06 It seems obvious to me that the only reason 21:10 that God would declare David's absolute innocence 21:14 is that God forgets the sins that we ask Him to forgive. 21:19 Halleluiah. What a thing. 21:21 Let's look at other scriptures that support this truth. 21:24 God said in Isaiah 43:25. 21:29 These are the words of the Lord. 21:31 "I, even I, am He who blots out 21:35 and cancels your transgressions, 21:38 for My own sake, 21:39 and I will not remember your sins." 21:44 Then He speaks again in Isaiah 44:22 saying 21:49 "I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, 21:52 your transgressions, and like a cloud, your sins. 21:56 Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." 22:00 And His New Testament promise 22:03 in Hebrews 8:10-12 says it this way. 22:07 "This is the covenant" He's speaking of the new covenant. 22:11 "I will put my laws in their minds 22:14 and write them on their hearts, 22:16 and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, 22:20 their sins and their lawless deeds 22:24 I will remember no more." 22:27 As we confess our sins in sincere hearted repentance, 22:34 God applies the blood of Jesus Christ 22:37 to blot out their stain. 22:39 They are covered and they're cancelled in the memory of God. 22:42 When He looks upon our record all 22:44 He sees is the blood of Jesus, indeed His grace is sufficient. 22:50 Oh, what joy? 22:52 Oh, how I hope your heart is soaring right now. 22:56 If its not, I hope you go back 22:58 and meditate on these scriptures in this segment 23:01 and ask God to illuminate the truth of the grace 23:06 of forgiveness in your mind. 23:08 You know, I can't think 23:09 of better news to share with you. 23:12 There are still some more wonderful truths 23:14 that we will examine but in my opinion 23:17 this is as good as it gets 23:19 as Micah wrote in Micah 7:7-9. 23:24 He says "I will look to the Lord, 23:29 I will wait for the God of my salvation, 23:33 My God will hear me. 23:35 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy, 23:39 when I fall, I will arise, when I sit in darkness, 23:44 the Lord will be a light to me. 23:49 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, 23:51 because I have sinned against Him, 23:53 until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. 23:58 He will bring me forth to the light, 24:00 I will see His righteousness." 24:06 Now, there is one condition that I must add 24:11 because Christ added it first. 24:15 We are expected even commanded to forgive others. 24:20 And although many would like 24:22 to sweep this topic under the rug, 24:24 Jesus was adamant about us 24:27 developing a forgiving heart towards others. 24:30 He does not lay down the gauntlet 24:32 to challenge us to a losing battle. 24:35 Everything that he asks of us He will empower us to do. 24:41 Some Christians are alarmed to learn 24:43 that they must forgive an offending party 24:46 who has wounded them, just the thought of it 24:49 can make hearts raise and breathing accelerate. 24:53 If this describes you, please be assure 24:57 that just as God said for my own sake, 25:01 I will not remember your sins. 25:04 It is for your own earthly and eternal benefit 25:09 that Christ commands you to forgive others. 25:13 Jesus taught His disciples to pray in this manner. 25:18 He said, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. 25:24 And in Mark 11:25-26. 25:30 He also said, "And whenever you stand praying, 25:37 if you have anything against any one, forgive him. 25:42 That your Father in heaven may also forgives you. 25:48 But if you do not forgive, 25:51 neither will your Father in heaven 25:53 forgive your trespasses." 25:56 Now that's a sobering thought, isn't it? 25:59 Here we are talking about the joy of repentance, 26:04 the grace of forgiveness, the idea that God can cancel 26:11 the memory of our sin 26:13 and look upon us as being pure as new snow 26:19 and yet sometimes we are so unforgiving, 26:25 but if we don't learn how to forgive 26:30 then we can end up unforgiven. 26:32 Now I don't want you to let this tamper your joy. 26:36 I'm sorry that we are out of time 26:38 and that I'm having to stop on this 26:41 but I want you to be sure and join us next time, 26:46 because so many of us like I went through 26:51 don't know how to truly forgive somebody 26:54 that has done us a very serious wrong. 26:58 But next time on our next program 27:00 we are going to uncover 27:02 how God can empower us to forgive others. 27:07 And I believe that you're going to be very blessed. 27:11 I hope that you are enjoying this series. 27:14 We have thus far looked at the idea 27:18 of entering into His gates 27:21 with thanksgiving and pressing forward, 27:25 walking through His courts with praise 27:27 and then we've talked about repentance 27:32 and confession of sin 27:34 and we've talked about receiving 27:37 that five step process of repentance 27:39 which ends with receiving the grace of His repentance. 27:45 And next time we're going to see how God can teach us 27:49 and empower us to be as gracious as He is. 27:53 A prayer for you is that the grace of our Lord 27:56 and Savior Jesus Christ, the love of the Father 27:59 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 28:02 will be with you always. 28:04 Thank you for sharing this time with us. 28:07 And we hope to see you next time. |
Revised 2014-12-17