Participants: Shelley Quinn
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000125A
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00:23 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:24 And we welcome you to A Sharper Focus. 00:27 Pastor John Lomacang is still out of town, 00:30 and I believe he's in Dubai and will be back next week. 00:34 But we're so glad that we've had this opportunity 00:36 just to spend a little time together 00:39 and to get into the Bible a little deeper. 00:42 This is our Wednesday Night Service 00:44 at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 00:48 We're coming to you from the 3ABN Worship Center. 00:51 So thank you for joining us whether you're tuning in 00:54 by television, by radio, internet, 00:56 however you're joining us, you're welcome. 01:00 Tonight, we're going to be continuing in our study 01:03 on the joy of repentance. 01:05 Now that sounds like an oxymoron 01:08 but you can absolutely... 01:11 Repentance brings us a renewed relationship with the Lord, 01:14 so that is why repentance is so important 01:18 and brings us true joy. 01:20 We will be talking tonight. 01:22 We went to the first four steps of prior last week. 01:26 So tonight, what we will do is look at the fifth 01:30 and most crucial step to repentance. 01:34 Let's begin with prayer. 01:36 Father, we come in the name of Jesus, 01:37 thanking You for Your Word, thanking you, Father, 01:41 that Your Word sanctifies us, 01:44 and we pray to be sanctified by Your Word. 01:46 Please get me out of the way, I ask in the name of Jesus. 01:49 You will send Your Holy Spirit to be our teacher. 01:51 And I pray, Father, give us ears to hear 01:54 what the Holy Spirit has to say. 01:56 Amen. 01:58 Now I have to warn you all. 01:59 I've been awake since 3 o'clock this morning. 02:02 So if I fall asleep while I'm talking, 02:05 you all just keep listening. 02:06 Okay? 02:09 But I think I was trying to remember where we left off. 02:12 I know we went through four steps last week, 02:16 and I'm trying to remember where we left off, 02:18 but let me just go back and we'll review the four steps 02:22 that we have looked at about the joy of repentance. 02:27 So often, people will say, 02:29 "How can you talk about joy in repentance?" 02:32 In the same... 02:35 It just sounds like it's an oxymoron 02:36 to say that there's joy in repentance 02:39 but truly there is 02:41 because repentance is what turns our hearts back to God. 02:46 Now, do anybody remember the first step? 02:50 The first step in the joy of repentance 02:53 is to recognize our sin. 02:56 When we recognize our sin, 02:59 this actually should make our hearts to rejoice. 03:03 That means that the Holy Spirit is convicting and convincing us 03:08 of what's wrong in our lives. 03:10 That's His job and it means 03:11 we're tuning in to what the Spirit says. 03:15 So often in today's world, 03:18 many of us in the world 03:21 do not even recognize sin as sin. 03:25 There's people who are enjoying 03:28 what they think is fun and they don't see it as sin. 03:32 So when the Holy Spirit works on our hearts 03:36 and we recognize our own sin and our own sin debt, 03:40 that's when we should rejoice. 03:42 So that was the first step. 03:45 Now following the recognition of sin 03:49 is godly sorrow. 03:51 I'm not saying our sin should make us happy, 03:54 it's the recognition of sin that should make us happy. 03:58 But godly sorrow leads to repentance, 04:02 the Bible says, that leads to salvation. 04:05 So godly sorrow is the second step. 04:09 The third step, does anybody remember 04:11 what the third step was? 04:13 Confession. 04:15 Now this is such a wonderful, 04:19 beautiful topic is the confession of sin 04:22 because confession is the clearing house 04:27 of our conscience. 04:28 As we come before the Lord, and we confess our sins, 04:33 and usually, I find that I'm doing this in weeping. 04:36 You know, I'm talking about joy, 04:38 happiness and joy are two different things. 04:41 Happiness is something that circumstances can change. 04:46 Joy is something that's in our heart, 04:48 that's deep, and it keeps... 04:50 It's something that comes from the Lord. 04:53 So when you're going before the Lord, 04:55 confessing your sin, what does 1 John 1:9 say? 05:00 "If we confess our sins, 05:03 He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 05:07 and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." 05:11 Then the fourth step was what? 05:15 We can recognize our sin, we can have godly sorrow, 05:21 we can confess our sin, 05:24 but the fourth step is something that 05:25 some people have a difficult time doing. 05:28 And that is receiving God's forgiveness. 05:31 We've got to open up our heart and receive forgiveness 05:36 and trust that we've been forgiven. 05:39 And that is a step that will truly 05:42 be life changing. 05:44 Now let's go back, I want to review, 05:48 since we're reviewing the steps, 05:49 we were using David last week as our example, 05:53 and Psalm 51 is a beautiful psalm 05:56 of repentance. 05:57 But let's go to 1 Kings Chapter 14. 06:01 I do want to review... 06:03 I believe this is about where we left off last week, 06:07 and I should have checked. 06:08 But 1 Kings 14, as you're turning there, 06:12 let me set this up. 06:14 You will remember when King Solomon died, 06:17 he had a son named Rehoboam. 06:19 And Rehoboam was one 06:23 who made a really tragic mistake. 06:27 He went to his father's counselors. 06:32 When Israel came and Jeroboam 06:35 and all of Israel came before Rehoboam, 06:38 and they said to him, 06:40 "You know, your father was harsh on us, 06:43 would you reduce our taxes, would you be a little bit, 06:47 give us a little lighter burden, 06:48 and we will serve you faithfully if you do." 06:52 So Rehoboam went to his father's counselors 06:54 who said, "This is wisdom. 06:57 This is wise because if you do this, 06:59 the people will be your loyal subjects." 07:02 But you know what? 07:03 Rehoboam went to his young counselors, 07:06 and they said, "Oh, no. 07:08 You tell them, 'If you think my father 07:12 was difficult to deal with, 07:14 I've got more power in my little finger 07:16 than my father had. 07:17 I'm gonna double your burden.'" 07:19 And when he said this, he accepted this counsel, 07:24 he tells it to the people, and what happened? 07:27 Jeroboam flees, 07:28 he goes to the northern part of Israel. 07:31 And this is where the tribes split up. 07:34 Then you had the ten tribes to the north 07:37 and all you had to the south was the two tribes, 07:40 Judah and Benjamin. 07:42 So Rehoboam is now over 07:44 just a tiny part of God's people, 07:49 ruling over them. 07:51 Jeroboam, God actually chose Jeroboam, 07:56 he opened the way of Jeroboam 07:58 to be the king of the northern kingdom. 08:03 But you know what happened with Jeroboam? 08:05 He started taking matters into his own hands, 08:09 and he worried that if the people 08:13 because they were separated from Jerusalem, 08:15 if they went down to Jerusalem for the annual feast, 08:18 he worried that their hearts would be turned 08:21 and they would become faithful to Rehoboam as a king. 08:26 So in order to protect his kingdom, what he did was, 08:31 he had two golden calves made, 08:35 and he appointed priests of every class of people 08:41 and he said, 08:42 "Hear, O Israel, here are your gods." 08:45 So now, Jeroboam's son is sick. 08:51 He tells his wife, 08:52 "I want you to go to the prophet." 08:55 And the prophet's name was Ahijah. 08:59 I always have a difficult time saying his name. 09:01 But anyway, Ahijah is correct but I always say Ahijah. 09:06 But anyway, King Jeroboam sends his wife in disguise 09:11 to this prophet whose eyesight is failing him 09:15 to find out if his son is going to live. 09:18 But the Lord lets Jeroboam know that this woman is coming 09:23 and she is the wife of King Jeroboam. 09:27 So when he comes in, 09:30 God gives Ahijah a message 09:34 to give to the wife of Jeroboam. 09:36 And this is what it says, 1 Kings 14, 09:41 let's look at verse 8. 09:43 These are the words. 09:45 Well, let's start with verse 7. 09:48 Here is what the Lord says to the prophet. 09:51 "Go tell Jeroboam, 09:53 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel.'" 09:55 Now here's God's words. 09:57 "Because I exalted you from among the people 10:00 and made you ruler over My people, Israel, 10:04 and tore the kingdom away 10:05 from the house of David and gave it to you, 10:09 and yet you have not been as My servant David 10:14 who kept My commandments 10:17 and who followed Me with all of his heart 10:20 to do only what was right in My eyes." 10:25 Then He goes on to tell him, 10:26 "Because you've done all this evil, 10:28 I'm gonna tear the kingdom away from you." 10:31 But we want to focus as we did last week on verse 8. 10:36 This is after David's death, 10:38 how could God say 10:41 that David kept all of His commandments, 10:44 that he did only what was right in His eyes. 10:48 We know that David was guilty of adultery with Bathsheba, 10:54 he was guilty of the murder of Uriah, her husband. 10:58 We know that David broke, and what does James say? 11:03 Break one, break them all, right? 11:06 So he was guilty of breaking all of God's commandments 11:10 but yet God speaks 11:12 as if David were always totally pure. 11:15 And what we looked at last week 11:17 was because when Nathan went to him and said, 11:21 "You're the man, 11:22 you're the man I'm talking about here. 11:24 This is what God has said." 11:26 We looked at Psalm 51 11:27 which is the most beautiful psalm of repentance. 11:30 And David turned his heart back to the Lord and he prayed 11:34 and he said, "Oh, cleanse me, Lord, 11:36 wash me with hyssop and I will be clean. 11:38 Cleanse me, Father. 11:40 And do not take Your Spirit away from me." 11:43 What I believe with all of my heart 11:47 is that 1 Kings 14:8 11:50 proves that God forgets 11:53 what we ask Him to forgive. 11:56 Isn't that beautiful? 11:57 'Cause when He's speaking of David, 12:00 David has confessed these sins before the Lord, 12:04 and God has cleansed him. 12:06 He has washed him and made him whiter than snow. 12:09 And now when He speaks of David, all He says is, 12:12 "He kept all of My commandments. 12:14 He did only what was right in My eyes." 12:17 What a beautiful thing to think of! 12:19 And did we look last week how man records this 12:24 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 12:27 but turn to 1 Kings 15:5. 12:32 This gives me such great assurance 12:36 that the Bible is the Word of God 12:38 because when man was quoting God, 12:41 he said it exactly like God said it. 12:44 Now under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as man 12:47 is now recording the event, 12:50 here is how the writer writes it. 12:52 He's not quoting God now, but he says because... 12:54 1 Kings 15:5, he says, 12:57 "Because David did was right in the eyes of the Lord 13:01 and had not turned aside 13:02 from anything that He commanded him 13:04 all the days of his life," 13:06 except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 13:10 Now I believe the Holy Spirit 13:13 inspired this writer to write this. 13:15 But the point is, 13:18 if man had written 13:21 1 Kings 14:8 13:25 to say that they were quoting God, 13:26 they would have put in the words 13:30 except for the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 13:33 So we have great hope 13:36 that when we have recognized our sin, 13:38 when godly sorrow seizes our heart, 13:41 when we confess our sin before the Lord, 13:44 we can receive His forgiveness. 13:47 Turn to Micah. 13:49 We're going to look at Micah, 13:52 it's tucked in there between Jonah and Nahum. 13:58 Micah, and we'll look at 7:7 14:04 through 9. 14:06 Micah 7:7 through 9. 14:12 And he says, "Therefore I will look to the Lord, 14:17 I will wait for the God of my salvation, 14:19 My God will hear me. 14:22 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy. 14:26 When I fall, I will arise, when I sit in darkness, 14:30 the Lord will be a light to me. 14:33 I will bear the indignation of the Lord, 14:35 because I have sinned against Him 14:39 until He pleads my case 14:42 and executes justice for me. 14:47 He will bring me forth to the light, 14:49 I will see His righteousness." 14:52 When He pleads His case, when God pleads His case, 14:57 Christ is your intercessor. 15:00 And the justice, He brings forth justice. 15:03 He's not talking about God's avenging justice, 15:07 he's talking about God's paternal justice. 15:10 So what we have here 15:13 is that the conclusion of these four steps of repentance, 15:16 God renders a verdict, and here is the verdict. 15:21 He looks down on the sinner who has confessed his sin. 15:25 And what God sees is the blood of Jesus Christ 15:28 covering that sin. 15:29 And He says, "That sinner is pardoned. 15:34 He is acquitted of his guilt." 15:37 What is the penalty for sin? 15:40 Death. 15:41 But He says, "No, no, no. 15:43 I have washed them and made them whiter than snow. 15:47 I have applied the blood of Jesus." 15:49 So He looks down, 15:50 and that's what it means to be justified. 15:53 To be justified means 15:54 that God has executed His justice 15:58 in your favor 16:00 that you are covered with the blood of Jesus. 16:03 And now God looks at you, you are acquitted of your sin. 16:08 It's just as if you'd never sin before. 16:10 So this is how we are made righteous by faith 16:16 in the imputed righteousness of Jesus. 16:20 Now that word imputed simply means 16:22 that Christ's perfect life, 16:25 His perfect obedience is credited to our account. 16:29 So suddenly, where we had such a sin debt, 16:33 Christ's righteousness is credited, 16:36 it wipes out that sin debt, we're justified. 16:40 Hallelujah! 16:41 But now, underserved mercy is ours 16:44 but we must, in repentance, go forward to the fifth step 16:49 because genuine repentance doesn't happen 16:52 until the fifth step. 16:54 This is critical. 16:56 And the fifth step, let's go through them again. 16:59 Number one, recognition of sin. 17:02 Number two, godly sorrow. 17:04 Number three, confession of our sin. 17:07 Number four, we receive God's forgiveness. 17:13 But the critical step is the fifth step, 17:16 we change our conduct. 17:19 When this happens, 17:22 this is where transformation 17:24 and triumph are forged together. 17:28 God gives us the power to change our conduct. 17:32 If we are heading in the wrong direction 17:35 and when we're sinning, 17:37 we're heading in the wrong direction, right? 17:39 Our sin separates us, 17:41 it creates a barrier between us and God. 17:43 But as we are going in the wrong direction, 17:46 and we go through these first four steps of repentance, 17:50 then God grants us repentance as a gift 17:54 and He causes us to make a U-turn, 17:57 and now we're going in the right direction 18:00 directly toward Him. 18:03 And this represents sanctification, 18:07 the imparted righteousness of Jesus. 18:10 As we open up our hearts 18:12 and by the power of the Holy Spirit, 18:14 Christ lives in our heart through faith. 18:17 This process of sanctification, as it begins, 18:22 it makes the seduction of sin wither away. 18:26 Suddenly, sin isn't as seductive to us. 18:30 With absolute confidence in Christ's ability to save us, 18:35 we develop an unwavering commitment to our Lord, 18:39 and there's no room for compromise anymore. 18:42 So the process of repentance is incomplete, 18:47 please hear me. 18:48 The process of repentance is incomplete 18:51 unless we turn from self 18:54 and our selfish ways back to God. 18:58 That is what is so imperative. 19:02 But this is not an act 19:03 that we can do under our own power. 19:05 What does Jeremiah 13:23 said? 19:09 God says, 19:10 "You think you can change your heart? 19:12 You can't change yourself anymore 19:14 than an Ethiopian can change his skin 19:16 or a leper his spots." 19:17 We cannot change our self. 19:20 Turn to Acts Chapter 5, 19:24 because we will see it's only by God's power 19:26 working mightily within us that God enables us 19:31 to turn back to Him and to do His will. 19:34 Repentance is a gift of God's grace, 19:40 and that is what He gives to the penancent. 19:43 Acts 5:31. 19:46 Acts 5:31, and the Bible says, 19:52 "Him," speaking of Jesus, 19:56 "God has exalted to His right hand 19:59 to be Prince and Savior 20:02 to give repentance to Israel 20:06 and forgiveness of sins." 20:08 Your version may say, to grant repentance. 20:12 Repentance is a gift from God. 20:16 Now here, I have to ask you a question. 20:19 When you confess your sins before the Lord, 20:23 do you ask Him to give you repentance? 20:27 If you don't, I want to encourage you 20:30 to begin doing that. 20:31 As you confess your sins and receive His forgiveness. 20:36 Pray and ask God, "O Lord, 20:39 fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit. 20:42 Grant me the power. 20:44 Give me the gift of repentance. 20:46 Help me to turn back." 20:48 If you don't, you know what happens? 20:50 We just keep doing the same old sin 20:52 over and over and over again. 20:55 We're confessing the same thing always to the Lord. 20:59 And we think, "What's wrong with me, Lord? 21:02 You know, why can't I get beyond this?" 21:04 It's because we have to pray 21:07 for God's power to turn around. 21:11 We have to ask God for this gift. 21:13 Turn to Romans Chapter 8, one of my favorite scriptures. 21:19 Romans Chapter 8, 21:22 and let's look at verses 13 and 14. 21:26 Romans 8:13 and 14. 21:30 Paul is writing to the Romans, and he says this. 21:35 "If you live according to the flesh..." 21:37 What's gonna happen? 21:39 "You will die. 21:41 But if by the Spirit 21:45 you put to death the deeds of the body, 21:48 you will live. 21:50 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 21:53 these are the sons of God." 21:56 The Holy Spirit does not operate in our lives 22:01 without our consent. 22:04 Do you realize that? 22:05 Do you see what this scripture is saying? 22:07 If by the Spirit, 22:10 you put to death the deeds of the flesh. 22:14 It takes a cooperative effort. 22:17 The Holy Spirit is not going to work 22:19 without your consent 22:21 but when you're praying and asking, 22:23 "God, I want to change my conduct, 22:26 I want to turn back to you. 22:30 Grant me repentance, fill me with Your Holy Spirit," 22:33 then the Holy Spirit is not gonna do 22:35 all of the work for you, He works with you. 22:40 He empowers you to... 22:43 It's, "If by the Spirit, 22:46 you put to death the deeds of the body, 22:50 you will live." 22:52 We work together with the Holy Spirit 22:55 to accomplish this. 22:56 It's only by His power that it's made possible. 23:00 And our sanctification, 23:02 this is our progress in sanctification, 23:06 depends on our daily commitment to cooperate 23:10 with the Holy Spirit. 23:12 So David was fully aware 23:16 that His absolute dependence was upon God 23:19 because in Psalm 51:10, 23:22 we won't turn there right now, this is still a review. 23:24 But he said, "Create in me a clean heart, 23:26 O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me." 23:31 David knew he couldn't do it on his own. 23:34 It is God, Paul told the Philippians 2:13, 23:38 who works in you to will and to do His good work. 23:44 First He changes your will, lining it up with His. 23:48 He makes you desire His will. 23:52 Then He's not gonna force you to act. 23:55 The way He works in you to will and to do His good work 23:59 is, He, as that you take a step of faith 24:02 and as you go forward, 24:05 the power of the Holy Spirit shows up, 24:07 and He works in you to do His good will. 24:11 So genuine repentance results in us being yoked 24:17 to Christ's power. 24:19 When He said, "Come to Me you who are heavy laden, 24:21 and I will give you rest. 24:23 Take my yoke upon you, "He said, 24:25 "Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart." 24:29 The good thing is... 24:32 I love what Matthew wrote in 12:20. 24:36 He said, "A bruised reed He will not break, 24:40 and smoking flax He will not quench." 24:43 If you feel battered, 24:46 if you feel bruised by your mistakes, 24:49 come to Christ, He will heal you. 24:52 If your first love, passion for Christ is gone, 24:55 if you feel like the wick of your spiritual lamp 24:58 is flickering and it's smoldering 25:00 and about to go out, 25:01 come to Christ 25:03 and He will add the oil of joy to your life 25:06 and your lamp will burn rightly. 25:09 So the five steps are recognition of sin, 25:14 godly sorrow, confession, receive God's forgiveness, 25:18 and change your conduct. 25:19 Turn to Acts 3:19, we're going to see, 25:24 and I think I skipped over all of those scriptures 25:27 I was going to share with you. 25:30 While you're turning to Acts, let me run back here 25:33 'cause I think I promised someone to give these. 25:36 When we're considering David, 25:39 we know God's not a man that He can lie, 25:42 and the only reason He could declare 25:44 David's absolute innocence was that God forgets 25:47 the sin we ask Him to forgive. 25:49 Let me give you just some scripture references 25:51 that you might want to jot down. 25:53 Isaiah 43:25, Isaiah 43:25, God says, 25:58 "I, even I am He who blots out 26:01 and cancels your transgressions for My own sake. 26:06 And I will not remember your sins." 26:10 You know, for God's own peace of mind, 26:15 He doesn't. 26:17 When we come back to Him 26:19 and we keep confessing the same thing, 26:21 it's like He's saying, 26:23 "Why are you talking about this?" 26:25 He puts it out of His mind. 26:26 It's not like us. 26:28 Have you ever noticed that, 26:30 if someone sins against you and really wounds you, 26:33 have you ever noticed that you can pray 26:36 and you can get to that point of forgiving them, 26:38 and all of a sudden, everything is going along fine, 26:41 you're doing well. 26:43 But the next time they do a similar sin to you, 26:46 what happens? 26:48 Does not all the pain from the past 26:52 rear its ugly head and come forward? 26:54 And it's like you have to forgive them 26:56 all over again for the past. 26:59 That's not the way God operates. 27:01 Isn't that wonderful? 27:03 He says in Isaiah 44:22, again just jot this down. 27:07 Isaiah 44:22, 27:09 "I have blotted out like a thick cloud 27:13 your transgressions and like a cloud, 27:16 your sins returned to me for I have redeemed you." 27:21 And I love what the New Testament says 27:24 in Hebrews 8:10 through 12. 27:27 He says, "This is the covenant, 27:29 I will put My laws in their minds, 27:31 write them on their hearts, I will be their God, 27:34 they shall be My people. 27:36 Their sins and their lawless deeds 27:39 I will remember no more." 27:42 So when we confess our sins in sincere hearted repentance, 27:47 God applies the blood of Jesus to those sins 27:51 and as far He is concerned, 27:53 when He looks over here at Shelley Quinn's record, 27:57 He sees the blood of Jesus here, 27:59 the blood of Jesus there, 28:01 the blood of Jesus here that has blotted out my sin. 28:05 Hallelujah. 28:06 I love this. 28:08 Now Acts 3:19, you should be there, 28:11 Acts 3:19. 28:19 Acts 3:19. 28:24 I just missed my mouth, I was taking a sip of water 28:26 and I gave myself a little bath. 28:31 Here's what Acts 3:19 says, 28:36 "Repent therefore and be converted." 28:41 To be converted means to be given life. 28:45 "Repent and be converted, 28:48 that your sins may be..." What? 28:51 "Blotted out, 28:53 so that times of refreshing may come 28:58 from the presence of the Lord." 29:03 You know, now the Old King James 29:05 version says, when times of refreshing 29:08 comes from the Lord. 29:09 That's not correct. 29:10 What the scripture is saying here, 29:14 and it was corrected in the New King James is, 29:17 "Repent and be converted, 29:20 so that your sins may be blotted out, 29:23 so that you may receive times of refreshing 29:26 from the Lord." 29:28 How many of you have ever been burdened with sin 29:31 and you're feeling down, 29:33 even to the point what Satan does 29:35 is, he tries to make us feel so condemned 29:38 that we feel ashamed to come to our father. 29:41 Have you ever been at that point 29:43 where it's kind of like, 29:45 something is going on in your life 29:47 and you just feel such shame that you begin to avoid God? 29:52 There are people who've actually 29:54 turned their backs on God for a while 29:55 because of guilt and shame. 29:57 It's not godly sorrow, it's a worldly sorrow. 30:01 And what happens then is when they finally, 30:06 when the Holy Spirit has chased them down 30:08 and they finally say unco, 30:11 and they confess their sins before the Lord, 30:14 the times of refreshing 30:16 that come from the presence of the Lord 30:18 is just almost overwhelming. 30:21 We've seen it here at our own church. 30:23 We've had people who've come in by watching 3ABN on television, 30:27 or listening on the radio, 30:29 people who have been converted from alcoholism, 30:32 from drug addiction, from all kinds of sin. 30:36 And we see people... 30:38 I don't even want to talk about my past 30:40 and I'm sure you've got things in your past as well 30:43 that you just assumed not talk about your BC days, 30:47 Before Christ, but what happens is 30:51 when God gets a hold of you, 30:54 He gives you these times of refreshing 30:56 and your heart is lifted. 30:59 He said in Isaiah 30:15, 31:01 "In returning to Me and resting in Me, 31:04 you shall be saved. 31:05 In quietness and in trusting confidence 31:08 shall be your strength." 31:10 So repentance gives us confidence before the Lord 31:14 and it ensures us 31:17 that He has the power to save us. 31:20 It brings rest to our weary souls, doesn't it? 31:24 You know, I marveled at God's mercy 31:27 and how He has mingled it with grace. 31:31 So as we plead to be washed from our wrongdoing, 31:34 the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us of our confess sins 31:38 and God grants us forgiveness, 31:42 a gift that is precious beyond all price. 31:45 So we should receive it with joy. 31:47 I want to share with you, those are the five steps. 31:51 And I've been thinking, 31:53 what could I share with you 31:55 to fill up the rest of this hour. 31:59 What occurred to me was this. 32:02 Why is it that we can go through 32:05 these five steps of repentance? 32:07 We can turn back to the Lord. 32:09 And then as we're going along, 32:11 suddenly one day, we realize, "Whoops! 32:15 I'm not turned full face to the Lord." 32:19 Does anybody ever found that in their own lives 32:22 where God may be... 32:23 He teaches you something and you're running in that 32:26 teaching for a while and it's exciting to you, 32:29 and you're on fire for the Lord. 32:31 And the next thing you know, 32:32 you wake up and it's kind of like, 32:34 "I'm not applying this anymore in my life." 32:37 Has that ever happened to anyone 32:38 besides me in this crowd? 32:41 You know, I was praying one day. 32:45 This was in the year 2000. 32:47 And I was claiming 1 Corinthians 6:17 that says, 32:53 "If we are in Christ Jesus, 32:55 we are one spirit with the Lord." 32:59 And so I was using that as an affirmation, 33:02 praying it back to the Lord. 33:03 And I said, "Oh, Father, I'm so glad 33:06 that You have placed me in Christ. 33:10 I'm so glad to be in Christ. 33:12 I'm so glad that I'm one spirit with you." 33:15 Now Romans 4:17 says that God calls things 33:18 that are not as though they already were. 33:20 He gives life to the dead and calls things. 33:22 I knew I was calling things 33:25 that were not as if they already were 33:27 because I knew I didn't... 33:29 I thought, "Lord... 33:31 And we don't want go by feelings 33:32 but I didn't feel one in spirit with him. 33:36 I'm saying, "Lord, what's wrong with me? 33:38 How can You show me something? 33:40 And how can I just be running in this teaching 33:44 and then suddenly wake up one day and realize, 33:48 'When did I stop doing this?'" 33:52 And as I am praying and weeping before the Lord, 33:56 I said, "Lord, what's wrong with me?" 34:01 The still small voice of the Lord 34:03 impressed this thought upon my mind, 34:05 "I will soon show you 34:09 the wall of resistance 34:12 that you are hitting." 34:14 I want you to know, 34:15 I got so excited because those words, 34:18 wall of resistance, it made sense to me. 34:22 That's how I felt, I felt like I was running the race 34:27 and suddenly, I hit the wall. 34:30 And it was something that, you know, 34:32 it's kind of three steps forward, 34:34 two steps back. 34:36 So now, I am praying, God has told me. 34:40 He's gonna show me the wall of resistance. 34:43 And now one day, I am praying two weeks later. 34:48 And I was praying 2 Corinthians 3:18. 34:51 Let's look at 2 Corinthians 3:18, 34:54 such a precious promise. 34:57 And as I was praying this, 35:03 I'm claiming it as my own. 35:07 And I am saying, "Thank you, Father, 35:11 that You've taken the veil from my face 35:13 and I am beholding as in a mirror 35:16 the glory of the Lord, 35:18 and I'm being transformed into the same image 35:22 from glory to glory 35:24 just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 35:27 Do you know what that scripture is saying? 35:30 The scripture is saying that as we follow Christ, 35:33 as we behold as in a mirror, here's the mirror. 35:37 If you want to know who you are in Christ Jesus, 35:41 here's your mirror. 35:42 You look in here to find out your true identity. 35:48 You're not who you think you are, 35:51 you're not who other people think you are. 35:53 You are who God says you are. 35:56 And so you look into this mirror 35:58 and you begin as you're seeing the glory 36:02 or the character of God. 36:04 The Holy Spirit takes you 36:07 from one level of His character to the next. 36:11 So I am praying this and just thanking God, 36:15 "Oh, thank you, Lord 36:16 that You're doing this alone again." 36:19 I'm weeping, and I'm not a weepy woman, 36:22 except in the presence of the Lord. 36:25 And I'm before the Lord and I said, 36:26 "Father, I don't feel like, 36:29 I don't see that I'm going from glory to glory. 36:33 Help me, Lord. 36:34 You said You were gonna show me 36:36 what this wall of resistance was." 36:39 And suddenly, there is this picture 36:42 that God put in my mind. 36:44 And I see myself, and there's a staircase, 36:49 and they're huge. 36:50 I mean, huge steps like 60-feet high steps. 36:56 And then they're long, and then you come to the next, 36:59 really tall step, and then long, 37:02 and up to the next. 37:03 And it's going all the way up into the clouds. 37:06 And I see myself, 37:08 I'm about a third of the way up the staircase. 37:10 And I'm running along, running along, looking back. 37:14 And all of a sudden, wham! 37:17 I hit the wall, 37:19 and the wall was actually the step. 37:22 I mean, I'm six feet tall, 37:24 but this is like way over my head. 37:27 And I said, "Lord, what is this wall?" 37:32 And you know what He said to me? 37:34 You know what I'm saying 37:35 when I say this still small voice. 37:37 How many of you know that you know that God has impressed 37:39 His thoughts upon your mind 37:41 by the power of the Holy Spirit? 37:43 And He said to me, 37:45 "The wall of resistance that you're hitting 37:48 is the wall of self preservation." 37:52 Did you get that? 37:54 The wall of resistance you are hitting 37:57 is the wall of self preservation. 38:02 We can only be filled with the Holy Spirit 38:07 to the degree we are emptied of self. 38:12 And so that is why it is so important 38:16 that after we have confessed our sins, 38:19 after we receive God's forgiveness, 38:21 after He has granted us repentance 38:25 and changed our conduct, 38:27 we must walk 38:29 and surrender to God day by day. 38:33 I mean, this is critical. 38:35 Otherwise, what we end up doing is just the same old sin 38:39 over and over and over again. 38:43 So now, God is showing me. 38:49 I said, "How do I get over this wall?" 38:52 There's only one way. 38:53 When He reaches down with His righteous right hand, 38:58 and as David said, by my God, I leap over the wall. 39:03 It's God who has to bring you up 39:05 to that next place. 39:07 It just requires surrender. 39:09 And I'm saying, "Lord, I don't understand this." 39:14 And He gave me another little picture in my mind, 39:17 and this picture was this tiny, tiny, little sugar ant. 39:22 Next to the sugar ant was this huge elephant, 39:26 millions of times bigger 39:27 than the teensy weensy little sugar ant. 39:30 And here's what the Spirit of the Lord spoken to my mind. 39:34 He said, "Shelley, your greatest strength, 39:38 your greatest human strength is like this of the sugar ant 39:44 in comparison to Mine would be like 39:47 the elephants to the sugar ant. 39:49 Why would you try to live your Christian life 39:55 by your own strength 39:56 when I ask you to draw in My power 40:00 because My grace is sufficient for you, 40:04 My power is made perfect in your weakness." 40:08 You remember what Paul told to Galatians in 3:3. 40:12 He said, "You foolish Galatians, 40:14 having begun in the Spirit are you now trying 40:17 to perfect your walk in the flesh?" 40:19 Yeah, they were. 40:22 They were wanting to go back and earn their way. 40:24 How many times have I tried to perfect 40:28 my walk with Christ in the flesh? 40:30 How many times have I tried and failed 40:32 because it's impossible, 40:34 you cannot perfect your walk in the flesh. 40:37 We've begun with the Spirit, 40:39 we must continue with the Spirit. 40:41 So now what is surrender? 40:45 How do we surrender? 40:48 You know, every time I talk about this, 40:51 I have a whole teaching on surrender. 40:53 And it's interesting as we go to various churches. 40:57 If I ask the men, 40:58 what does surrender mean to you? 41:01 Most men say, 41:03 "Well, it means we have to give up. 41:06 You know, we've lost. 41:08 We got to give up," right? 41:10 And women often will say, 41:13 "It means somebody is gonna control me. 41:15 It doesn't have a very positive association in our mind 41:20 when we use the word surrender. 41:22 But when we surrender to God, it is the most beautiful thing, 41:26 it is a thing of power because that's where 41:30 when we're that tiny, little ant, 41:32 that now He is going to yoke us to Him 41:37 and He... 41:38 If you see a little, tiny sugar ant 41:40 yoke to an elephant, 41:42 and they're going down the road. 41:45 Here's the sugar ant, here's the elephant, 41:46 who's carrying the load? 41:50 The elephant. 41:51 That's what it's like when we're surrendered to God. 41:54 It's his power, He helps us. 41:58 So how do we surrender? 42:00 Luke 22:42 is one of the best beginnings. 42:04 Why don't you turn there right now? 42:05 Luke 22:42. 42:12 Luke 22:42, 42:17 Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane. 42:22 The Son of God, 42:25 God our savior cloaked His divinity, 42:29 cloaked with humanity, the Son of Man, 42:33 now He is coming to that point 42:37 where He is about to face the humiliation of the death 42:42 on a cross, 42:44 but He is also about to suffer the second death for us 42:49 that Revelation talks about, 42:52 that death that is beyond just a physical death, 42:56 that could mean He's gone forever. 42:59 And just the idea of being separated 43:01 from His Father is overwhelming Him. 43:03 So He is in the Garden of Gethsemane, 43:06 and I didn't turn there but I know the scripture. 43:08 Luke 22:42, in the Garden of Gethsemane, 43:12 He is pleading with the Lord. 43:17 He's wanting to be delivered from this hour. 43:19 He says, "Lord, if possible, take this cup from Me 43:23 that I don't have to drink this cup of the second death, 43:28 that I don't have to go through this." 43:30 But then Luke 22:42, He says, 43:33 "Father, not My will, but Yours be done." 43:39 That is the beginning point for us when we surrender. 43:43 We have to go before the Lord and say, 43:45 "Lord, not my will but Yours be done." 43:50 And as we do that, if we would do this every day, 43:54 wake up and say, "Lord, 43:57 not my will but Yours be done in my life today. 44:00 Help me, Lord, to walk and surrender to You." 44:05 The next scripture would be Luke 9:23. 44:11 Luke 9:23, 44:17 Jesus is speaking here. 44:22 And He's talking with His disciples 44:26 and He said to them all, 44:29 "If anyone desires to come after Me, 44:33 let him deny himself 44:38 and take up his cross..." 44:40 How often? 44:42 "Daily and follow Me." 44:47 Take up your cross daily and follow Him. 44:51 What does it mean to take up your cross? 44:53 Have you ever heard somebody say, 44:54 "Oh, we've all got our cross to bear?" 44:57 You know, bless her heart, 44:59 she's that no good man left her, just penniless. 45:03 And she's got all those little kids and... 45:06 But we've all got our cross to bear. 45:09 That's not what Jesus is talking about here. 45:12 That is a very imperfect application 45:15 of what He's talking about. 45:17 When Jesus told His disciples 45:18 you've got to pick up your cross, 45:20 they knew exactly what He meant. 45:23 To pick up the cross in that day and age 45:26 meant that you're about to be crucified. 45:29 You're about to die. 45:30 Jesus is saying to His disciples, 45:33 "If you want to come after Me, 45:38 you've got to pick up your cross every day. 45:40 You've got to die to self day by day." 45:45 And the reason it's a day-by-day thing 45:47 is because I guarantee you 45:50 that old flesh wants to rear its ugly head. 45:53 It just doesn't stay down, does it? 45:55 But remember what we read in Romans 8:13, 45:59 you cannot crucify your own... 46:01 If you pick up you flesh, 46:02 you can't do this killing of your fleshly deeds by yourself. 46:08 It's if by the power of the Holy Spirit 46:11 you put to death the deeds of the body. 46:13 So you need a co-executioner. 46:15 He's got to be the one who's working with you. 46:19 So you pick up your cross daily. 46:22 As Paul said, "I die daily, brothers, I mean it. 46:25 You know, I'm crucified to the world and the world to me." 46:29 This is an important step of surrender. 46:36 Now if you have gone through 46:42 this of praying that God will, 46:44 not His will but yours be done, let me die to self today, 46:49 but you forget to do this next step, 46:52 you're gonna be like the Galatians trying to perfect 46:55 your own walk with Christ by your power. 46:59 The next step is Luke 11:9. 47:06 Luke 11:9... 47:14 When Jesus is talking 47:20 to His disciples, 47:22 He says in Luke 11:9, 47:26 "Ask, and it will be given to you, 47:29 seek, and you shall find, 47:32 knock, and the door shall be opened to you." 47:37 This shows you a progression, a progression of determination. 47:42 You're asking, you're seeking and you're knocking. 47:46 And in the Greek, these words, these verbs, 47:49 ask, seek, and knock 47:52 are all linear verbs. 47:54 They're all in the present perfect tense. 47:56 And what it means is, 47:57 and the more accurate translation of this verse is, 48:01 Jesus said, 48:03 "If anyone asks and keeps on asking, 48:08 he will receive. 48:09 If anyone seeks and keeps on seeking, 48:14 he will find. 48:15 And if anyone knocks and keeps on knocking, 48:18 the door will be opened to him." 48:21 So look down at verse 13, 48:25 what is He telling us we should ask for. 48:29 In verse 13, He essentially says, 48:32 and I may be paraphrasing just a little, 48:35 but essentially what Jesus is saying is, 48:40 "If you being evil 48:42 know how to give good gifts to your children, 48:47 how much more will the heavenly Father 48:51 give the Holy Spirit to those who ask..." 48:58 And again the linear verb, "And keep on asking?" 49:03 We don't just ask once, 49:07 and it's not like God is saying 49:09 you've to beg Him for the Holy Spirit 49:11 that He is not going to give you. 49:13 You ask, 49:15 but if you quench the Spirit during the day, 49:18 you ask again. 49:20 And the next morning, you get up and say, 49:23 "Father, not my will but Yours be done today, Oh Lord." 49:29 One day, I was so bold as to say, 49:31 as I'm praying to the Lord, 49:33 "Oh, Lord, I am willing to do Your will." 49:36 You know what I heard? 49:38 "No, you're not." 49:39 And I thought... 49:41 Who do you think that was, the devil or God? 49:44 I'm telling you, it's God. You know why? 49:47 The Holy Spirit was speaking not audibly 49:50 but He was speaking into my mind, 49:52 pressing this thought upon my mind. 49:54 If I was willing to do God's will, 49:56 I'd be doing it. 49:57 And so when He said, 49:59 "No, you're not," I said, 50:02 "Oh, Lord, I'm willing to be made willing." 50:05 And He said, "That's all I ask of you." 50:07 See, we can't even change our will on our own. 50:11 Philippians 2:13, 50:12 "God works in us to will and to do His good pleasure." 50:18 So we have to come before the Lord and say, 50:21 "Lord, I'm willing to be made willing to do Your will today. 50:26 Help me, Father, by Your power to pick up my cross." 50:33 And then... 50:35 And the idea of picking up the cross 50:36 is to die to your selfishness, your own self ways. 50:41 Then as you ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, 50:45 day by day, moment by moment, 50:47 God is eager to give His Spirit to you. 50:50 The only reason that we have to ask again 50:53 is 'cause we grieve the Spirit, we resist the Spirit, 50:56 we quench the Spirit. 50:57 We also need to be reminded, I believe, totally. 51:01 Every day, I need to be reminded 51:03 how dependent I am upon God. 51:06 Have you ever experienced this? 51:11 I am... 51:15 Most of us are here in full-time ministry. 51:20 Have you ever gotten up some day 51:21 where you're just kind of rushing 51:23 and maybe you don't do your morning worship 51:27 and you get to work? 51:28 And we always... 51:30 The beauty of working at 3ABN 51:31 is we always start off with a morning devotional. 51:33 We have our time to study together, to pray. 51:38 And so you've got something, you've got an appetizer, 51:43 I'll put it that way, right? 51:45 It's not a full meal, 51:47 we don't have time for the full meal 51:48 every morning at work. 51:49 But we've got the appetizer. 51:51 So then, you go on about your business 51:54 and you fall into this hectic pace that we all keep. 51:59 You know, I jokingly said that 52:03 I have been operating like a humming bird on steroids, 52:07 practically this entire year. 52:10 And it's really not a joke, I am... 52:12 You know, I realized that 52:13 I'm working throughout most of my day, 52:17 there's an adrenaline rush 52:18 because it's push, push, drive, drive, go, go, go. 52:22 If I don't go through 52:23 the process of surrender at home, 52:27 if I am not totally cognizant, what I have found is, 52:31 I'm not praying as much during the day. 52:33 I'm beginning to rely on my own power, 52:36 on my own abilities. 52:38 Anybody ever been there, done that? 52:40 And you come to the end of the day, 52:42 you've been working for the Lord 52:45 without really working with the Lord in cooperation. 52:52 And it makes for a tiring day, doesn't it? 52:56 Now one thing I appreciate about JD. 52:59 When JD went to work in the pastoral department, 53:02 something that he recognized was this. 53:06 "Who am I to answer these questions 53:09 of these precious viewers, 53:12 the people who watch and listen to 3ABN, 53:15 and call in with such pain in their hearts, 53:18 such problems?" 53:20 And he recognized 53:23 that he needed the power of the Holy Spirit to pray. 53:28 You know, Paul told us 53:29 that the Holy Spirit has been given to us 53:33 as our prayer partner, has He not? 53:36 He is the one 53:37 that we don't know how we should pray as we ought, 53:40 but we're given the Holy Spirit. 53:43 So JD spends his day on every call, I believe, 53:47 am I correct, JD? 53:49 On every call, he tells the caller, 53:53 "I'm going to invite the Holy Spirit 53:57 to pray with us, to lead us in prayer." 54:00 We can't even pray right on our own. 54:04 And you know, we get to where we feel. 54:06 I mean, JD will... 54:07 Sometimes when we're driving home, 54:09 we always talk about the day, we share what's going on. 54:12 And I'll say, 54:13 "Did you have any really good calls today, honey?" 54:16 And he'll say, 54:17 "Oh, the most amazing thing happened." 54:19 And he starts telling me the story and he'd say, 54:22 "And suddenly, I was saying this and this," 54:24 and he said, "I don't know where it came from." 54:27 Well, he said, "Well, yes, I do." 54:28 He said, "The Lord just poured it into me, 54:31 and I was able to share 54:33 and God brought healing in his wings." 54:37 See, we can't do anything. 54:40 What did Jesus say in John 15:5, 54:43 "Apart from Me, you can do nothing, nada." 54:49 And our job is to learn 54:53 that God's plan of salvation is so simple. 54:56 It is one that we would recognize our sin, 55:01 that we would feel godly sorrow, 55:04 allow the Holy Spirit to bring godly sorrow into our hearts 55:08 that we would confess our sins before Him, 55:12 and then receive His forgiveness, 55:15 and ask Him to grant us repentance. 55:17 Then as He grants us repentance, 55:20 He turns us in the right direction. 55:23 Then all He's asking is day by day, 55:25 get up and say, "Lord, help me to surrender." 55:30 You know what Ellen White wrote? 55:32 She said, "Lord, take my heart, for I can't give it." 55:37 We have to ask God, "Help us to surrender. 55:40 So I'm willing to do Your will, Lord. 55:43 I need You." 55:44 I mean, I find myself saying this throughout the day, 55:48 I'll say, "Lord, I need You so much. 55:50 I can't do anything good, 55:53 anything of eternal value on my own. 55:56 I need You, Lord." 55:58 And He's so anxious to show up. 56:01 And then we pray, and then you know, the beauty of it is, 56:04 as we open our hearts to God, 56:07 He pours His love into our hearts 56:09 by the power of the Holy Spirit. 56:11 And that's how He perfects us in love. 56:15 We've got just one more minute. 56:17 Let's turn to 1 Thessalonians Chapter 3, 56:21 1 Thessalonians 3. 56:25 And I know that... 56:27 I guess you all know too. 56:29 I seem to work this scripture into almost any message 56:32 that I'm giving lately. 56:34 This has become 56:37 probably one of my most favorite texts in the Bible. 56:43 I have many favorite texts 56:44 but this one is right at the top. 56:46 1 Thessalonians Chapter 3, 56:49 we're gonna begin with verse 12. 56:52 And Paul is writing and he says, 56:54 "May the Lord make you increase 56:59 and abound in love to one another and to all, 57:02 just as we do to you." 57:04 Who's doing the work here? 57:05 It's God. 57:07 But what is the purpose of this work? 57:10 Why is Paul praying and saying, 57:12 "Let God pour out His love into you, 57:15 may He cause you to increase and abound"? 57:17 He said, "So that He may establish your hearts 57:22 blameless in holiness 57:24 before our Lord and Father, 57:27 God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ 57:30 with all His saints." 57:31 As we surrender to His power and ask, 57:35 "Lord, fill me afresh with Your Holy Spirit," 57:38 He pours the essence of His character, 57:42 His love into our hearts. 57:44 And then He empowers us. 57:47 As I said, the seduction of sin withers away, 57:51 we don't want it anymore. 57:52 All we want is Him. 57:54 Thank you so much for joining us. 57:56 Our prayer is that God blesses you 57:59 and multiplies His mercy love and grace to you. 58:02 Good night. |
Revised 2019-01-14