[0:00] A warm welcome to our cellars this morning. As we join together in the worship of God, we seek his blessing upon our time together around his word.
[0:15] We shall begin by singing to God's praise from Psalm 63. Psalm 63. And we're singing verses 1 to 8.
[0:25] 1st, 6 stanzas of the psalm. Psalm 63 from the beginning. 1st, 6 stanzas of the psalm.
[0:57] 1st, 6 stanzas of the psalm. 2st, 7 dashas of the psalm. 1st, 7 Teams. 2nd,� 1st, 1-1 is frustrating. 3rd, 2-1 is fascinating.
[1:11] 2nd, 1-2 is great. 3rd, 3 – 9-9 when I read. 4th, 9-10 for read.
[1:25] For thou mine help hast been, my soul thee follows hard, and me thy right hand doth sustain. And so on.
[1:36] Let us sing these verses, Psalm 63, from the beginning. Lord thee, my God, I rarely seek my soul, the thirst for thee. Lord thee, my God, I rarely seek my soul, the thirst for thee.
[2:02] My flesh, O sin, and thy heart's land, lay in the water.
[2:15] That I, thy power may hold, and kindness of thy grace.
[2:32] I, thy heart's in thee, here to forclenct thy holy grace.
[2:46] Since death is thine of the night, my little dear is of here.
[3:01] I, thy hand, thy name, will lift my heart, and bless thee, boy, thy hand.
[3:16] Even as when my heart will pass, my soul shall bear me.
[3:31] Then shall thy mouth with joy for us sing praises unto thee.
[3:47] When I do thee, upon my country, and my heart will be high.
[4:02] And when all the earth may be high. And when all the earth may be chained, it watches all the night.
[4:18] In shadow of thy winds of joy, for thou my helpless being.
[4:33] Thy right and giver such may.
[4:52] I just joined together in prayer, let this pray. eternal and ever-blessed God as we come before you in this act of worship may we experience the very thing that your servant the psalmist was remembering and deciding even as he contemplated the worship of God remembering the privilege of knowing the visitation of heaven upon the services of your house something that we may be taking for granted and believing that what we have is all that is to be had there is no question but that were you to visit us and disclose to us your glory in its fullness none of us would be able to bear that experience when we think of what it was like for the privileged disciples who the Lord took with him up unto the Mount of Transfiguration and the glory of the Lord came and made an impression upon them so much so that your servant Peter wanted to remain there to build three tabernacles thinking that this was something that would be able to be retained preserved prolonged and yet you have proved time and time again that your visits are altogether too brief even though you are ever present that presence is not the way it could be or even dare we say should be may you remind us of that even in this service today as we read your word may your word speak to us may it be the living word that it is in our experience so that it would penetrate the dark dark recesses of our very being that our soul would be moved and our heart a cause to to praise the name of the one whose name is to be praised to the endless ages of eternity remember each one present with their varying needs be the temporal or spiritual sometimes the need that we have is so intertwined our spiritual need and our temporal need go together at times if we are cast down in our soul we drag the body and the mind and the mind down with it if we are laid low in our body we pull down that which is spiritual at times also even though you are able to lift us up when we are cast down in our bodies and in our minds we are we are in your hands in a most wonderful way and to that end we commit every person here thankful that the circumstances while they are
[8:52] not known to us they are known to you the God who knows all things your eye is upon us as the the searcher of the heart and the mind you discern the intents of the heart you discern purposes even though they may not be fully disclosed or worked out even in our own lives we pray that you would remember us each one that your blessing would accompany God which is done in your name in this place and indeed in every location where men and women young and old are gathered together in your name may the blessings of the most high God be sought and be found and we give thanks that it is a greater blessing still that it is recorded that you were found of those that did not seek you we pray
[9:58] Lord that you would prove that that is the kind of God that you are a God of infinite mercy we remember before you all who are depending upon visitations of grace today and they are bound up in the circumstances of life with illness to contend with some in the home some in hospital some being cared for in homes for the elderly we pray that you would remember all such remember any who may be in the hospice at this time or places of mercy where their needs are being met in extraordinary ways we seek that you would bless the proclamation of truth even in such context remember the world in which we live that is so fragile because of the nature of man there is enmity there is hostility there is ongoing frictions between men and between nations we pray that you would bring peace and healing and that the God of all grace would be the one who would heal and bring that peace that passes all understanding accompany the preaching of your word in such context with power bless governments and all who rule may they learn to rule well remember our own government and those who are entrusted with governing we pray for the various parliaments and ask for mercy for all our shortcomings even as they are brought to light we pray for our queen and we give thanks for her longevity we give thanks for the longevity of her reign and we pray for her family and we ask that every dealing that you have with her individually and corporately in the bounds of the royal family that it would be sanctified so that there would be an acknowledgement that they serve the god of heaven we seek to serve and we are encouraged to serve but we serve the god of heaven more more than we would serve any other creature hear our petitions on behalf of those who do not pray for themselves bless young and old alike remember the teachers in the sunday school remember those that they seek to bring bible truth to their attention may it be accompanied with power so that interest kindled would continue and that it would remain with them all the days of their lives sometimes we marvel at truth that we learned in our infancy that has remained with us and that has made an indelible impression upon us and we give thanks for those who brought such truth to bade upon our hearts who are now many of them no longer in this world and we believe are now entered into the joy of the
[13:25] Lord but the joy of the Lord was the strength as they laboured to bring that Christ to the attention of others and we give thanks for their labour we pray that you would remember all who are grieving and sorrowful today wherever their lot is cast heal their hurts bind their wounds and grant to them a sense of your presence we ask that you would continue to watch over us here in this place for giving every sin in Jesus name amen we're going to read from the scriptures of the Old Testament reading the book of the prophet Isaiah chapter 43 the book of the prophet Isaiah chapter 43 we can read the whole chapter but now thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob and he that formed thee O
[14:26] Israel fear not for I have redeemed thee I have called thee by thy name thou art mine when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest through fire thou shalt not be burned neither shall the flame kindle upon thee for I am the Lord thy God the Holy One of Israel thy Saviour I gave Egypt for thy ransom Ethiopia and Seba for thee since thou wast precious in my sight thou hast been honourable and I have loved thee therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life fear not for I am with thee I will bring thy seed from east and gather thee from the west I will say to the north give up and to the south keep not back bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth even everyone that is called by my name for
[15:32] I have created him for my glory I have formed him I have made him bring forth the blind people that have eyes and the deaf that have ears let be gathered together and let the people be assembled who among them can declare this and show us former things let them bring forth their witnesses that they may be justified or let them hear and say it is truth ye are my witnesses saith the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am he before me there was no God formed neither shall there be after me even I am the Lord and beside me there is no saviour I have declared and have saved and I have showed when there was no strange God among you therefore ye are my witnesses saith the
[16:34] Lord that I am God yea before the day was I am he and there is none that can deliver out of my hand I will work and who shall let it thus saith the Lord your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel for your sake I have sent to Babylon and have brought down other nobles and the Chaldeans whose cry is in the ships I am the Lord your Holy One the Creator of Israel your King thus saith the Lord which maketh away in the sea and a path in the mighty waters which bringeth forth the chariot and torch the army and the power they shall lie down together they shall not rise they are extinct they are quenched as tell remember ye not the former things neither consider the things of old behold I will do a new thing now it shall bring forth spring forth shall ye not know it
[17:38] I will even make away in the wilderness and rivers in the desert the beast of the field shall honour me the dragons and the owls because I give waters in the wilderness and drink to my people my chosen this people have I formed for myself they shall show forth my praise but thou hast not called upon me O Jacob but thou hast been weary of me O Israel thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices I have not caused thee with an offering nor wear thee with incense thou hast brought me no sweet cane with money neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wear me with thine iniquities
[18:40] I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins put me in remembrance let us plead together declare thou that thou mayest be justified thy first father hath sinned and thy teachers have transgressed against me therefore I have profaned the princess of the sanctuary and have given Jacob to the curse and Israel to reproach so I'm down with the Lord at his blessing to a reading of his word and to his name praise boys and girls as you attend Sunday school today you're looking at chapter 15 the last part of chapter 15 of the gospel of
[19:45] Luke and in that chapter there are three parables and the first of these parables has to do with a lost coin and a lost sheep or there's a price pressure lost sheep the lost coin and the prodigal that's how we remember it anyway my memory is not all that good but I'm sure that we all think of this third story the third parable there as the parable of the prodigal and prodigal means if we understand it right it means being wastefully extravagant so so it's the parable of somebody who was wastefully extravagant but if you read down into that chapter what you actually find is this
[20:51] Jesus who tells the parable said in the words of the father for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost and is found so there we have I think a slight correction to our thinking the lost sheep the lost coin and the lost son because that is really the message that Jesus wanted to teach us that there was delight that there was a rejoicing on the part of God for whoever was lost or whatever was lost once it was found and Jesus wanted us to understand that those who are lost in the world he takes delight in finding them and the
[21:55] Bible tells us that it reminds us of that if you remember the gospel is the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ that's what the gospel is all about and it tells us that Jesus came into the world to seek and to save who the lost that's what he came into the world to do to seek and to save the lost and I don't know if you've ever been lost any one of you sometimes we can't be lost without realising it I certainly have had that experience I thought I knew where I was going or that I was on the right road and I thought I knew well this is the way I need to go to get to where I want to get and all of a sudden I found that I was on the completely wrong road in other words
[22:55] I was lost I didn't realise it at the time and it took a discovery to realise it and everybody in here today either is lost or was lost that's the way the bible tells us there's nobody in here who's nearly lost or nearly found they're either one thing or the other they're lost now or they were lost at some point and Jesus wants to tell us that whoever is now no longer lost the reason that is true about them is because Jesus found them which is a very famous hymn that's sung by a great many people it's been sung many many times amazing grace is the name of the the psalm how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me goes on to say
[24:01] I once was lost but now I'm found was blind but now I see and the person who composed that hymn knew what it was to be lost even without knowing how lost he was that's where he talks about being blind he was blind he was blind to his lostness and Jesus came into his life and saved him and that's what your teachers in the Sunday school want to do today to teach you about how Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost when I was preparing my sermon for today I actually came across a story which I remember being told a long time ago and it's a story about a boy I don't know how old the boy was but his father was a carpenter and he asked his father if his father would give him some wood because he wanted more than anything to have a little boat a little toy boat that he would be able to sail on the stream at the back of their house or stream or river and he wanted to take the wood and make this wee boat and his father gave him the boat and the little boy set about making this lovely little boat for himself and it took him a while to do it but then the day came when he went down to the river at the back of their house and he was absolutely delighted to see the boat sail because it floated away quite happily but unfortunately once the boat got out into the middle of the stream the current carried it away and before long it went out of sight and the boat disappeared and he was broken hearted this boat that he had lovingly made and was so looking forward to having to play with disappeared but a wonder happened many many months afterwards he was in the town and in a shop in the town there was second hand goods and in the window of that shop lo and behold there was this little boat and it was the little boat that he had made himself and he couldn't believe his eyes so he went into the shop and told the shop keeper that's my boat you've got there and the man said well it may have been your boat but it's mine now and he said but I made it well he said somebody came in with this boat and sold it to me and if you want it then you have to buy it and the boy went away because what the shopkeeper was wanting for it was more than he could pay but he decided to save up and to save up until he was able to buy the boat back again and he took the boat went and paid the money and took the boat home with him and he said
[27:38] I made you you were once mine but I lost you but now I've found you and I never let you go and the story is supposed to be a true story but it's a picture it's only a picture of the way God was spoken of in this passage as the one who created all things and to whom all things belong how men and women were lost lost to him but he set out through the gospel to bring them back to themselves well I hope that you understand something of the gospel message and that you'll understand that Jesus the saviour of sinners is in the world to seek and to save the lost I'm going to sing as you go out to San Lisgo now psalm 119 at verse 57 psalm 119 and we're singing this section of the psalm that my huge portion art alone which I did choose
[28:46] O Lord I have resolved and said that I would keep thy holy word in my whole heart I did entreat thy face and favour free according to thy gracious word be merciful to me and we're going to sing the whole of this section down to verse 64 the my sure portion art alone which I did choose O Lord I have Latter I have which I looked 12 даль incorporate The Lord, which I did choose, O Lord, Thy heart, which I did choose, O Lord, I have reached all and set the kind, O keep Thy holy word.
[29:47] With my whole heart I take and see, Thy vision never free.
[30:05] According to Thy vision's work, Is there a shameful hold to me?
[30:21] I thought upon Thy former wish, How did my life well die?
[30:37] Until Thy test in all its good, My feet and heart and eye, I did not stay in our anger long, As those that saw for God, God, I did not stay in thy love to be, My self I did not fail.
[31:29] Thy hope will bend me, Rock yet I, Thy peace and death of sight, I rise again, I need to pray, In all of Thy love that rise.
[32:06] I am companion to the Lord, Who did not be obey, O Lord, O Lord, O Lord, Thy mercy, In hell's sake, And, Till the day, Thy love, I pray.
[32:41] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. We are going to turn back to the passage read, The Old Testament book of the prophet Isaiah, Chapter 43, And at verse 25, Isaiah 43, At verse 25, I, Even I, Am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, For mine own sake, And will not remember thy sins.
[33:17] I, Even I, Am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, For mine own sake, And will not remember thy sins. I would imagine that these words of the prophet Isaiah, Are precious to the people of God.
[33:40] And why would they be precious to God's people? Well, in the first place, They know that they have sinned in their life.
[33:51] Secondly, They know that they must answer to God, For these sins. And thirdly, And most importantly, They know that God has promised, To deal, With their sins, In a way, That only he can.
[34:15] Now to the person who does not believe in God, Or to the person who does not, Agree with the Bible's teaching on sin. I can, Well, I suspect that these words are not all that important to them.
[34:34] Well, if you don't believe in God, Then a God who is going to do anything with sin, Is neither here nor there. And if you don't believe in the reality of sin, Or don't agree with the Bible's teaching on sin, What does it matter?
[34:57] If sin is blotted out or not, It's not really an issue with you. And I would have to say that is really a great mistake to make.
[35:12] The kind of error that marked out the people to whom the prophet Isaiah was preaching in his day and generation.
[35:25] Which is quite strange because in the first instance he was sent to speak to God's people. But God's people had lost their way.
[35:37] And they had gone away from God. And many of them no longer believed in God. And I was reading these words of Stuart Briscoe.
[35:52] And he was making an observation concerning the generation of the prophet Isaiah that was speaking to.
[36:07] And he says he was speaking to them, a people from 2,700 years ago. And this is how he describes them.
[36:18] They were a parting community. Given over to hedonistic lifestyles. They were so captivated by their own sin, That they failed to see how far they had fallen.
[36:32] And they mocked God for not intervening in their lives. Public morality had been stood on its head. And private morality had been restructured to fit each person's taste.
[36:51] I was thinking when I was reading that, You could almost say that this picture that Stuart Briscoe is making, Of a people living 2,700 years ago.
[37:09] You could fit it into our generation. And the thinking of many people who live in our generation. They are pleasure-seeking.
[37:22] They are hedonistic. They mocked God because they say God. If God is, then he is powerless to do anything about our society.
[37:35] And if God is what he says he is, then surely that is an example of the kind of things he would involve himself in and put right if he had the power to do so.
[37:47] I was thinking along these lines and thinking about the moral condition of our generation.
[38:00] Morality is something that is not often referred to. Because people have now got into a mindset where they are so opposed to the notion of any kind of morality.
[38:21] Other than a morality of their own making. So I was thinking, well, if we talk about sin.
[38:33] Sin is really something that has to do with our moral condition. Sin in the first instance has to do with God and our relationship with God.
[38:46] But the morality of those who appear before God or who are accountable to God is really demonstrated in their sinfulness or in their rebelliousness as it is declared here.
[39:05] Let me look at it like this with you. I hope you understand where I am coming from. I will give you first of all the dictionary definition of morality.
[39:19] Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong and good and bad behaviour.
[39:32] A distinction between right and wrong and good and bad behaviour. Now, I could be completely wrong here.
[39:43] But maybe 50 years ago, maybe less, maybe more. If we talked about the morals of a person, we would usually be thinking more about their morality being seen or exposed in the way that they conducted themselves within marriage.
[40:08] Or outside of marriage with regard to their sexual behaviour. Usually morality would be associated in that kind of way.
[40:23] In that kind of thinking. That kind of thinking. But I've noticed that that is no longer an issue as far as society is concerned.
[40:35] Because behaviours or mis behaviours within the general terms described there are no longer an issue. Because most people can do what they like with whoever they like, if they like, at any time.
[40:54] It's not something that any person has a right to judge. As far as society is concerned. And maybe you disagree. But it's not something that you often hear commented on.
[41:14] But I was listening to two separate issues where morality was considered to be a factor.
[41:25] The first is, I'm sure you stick to the back teeth of it, is the position of the Prime Minister. Whether he is somebody who is immoral because of the way that he has lied to Parliament.
[41:46] He has consistently and repeatedly been exposed as somebody who has lied in various ways to various people.
[42:03] So the argument there, the talk revolves around, is this man morally acceptable to be a leader of the people?
[42:21] And you're listening to the judgements made and the arguments presented both for and against such a decision or a consideration.
[42:36] The second thing that I listened to and I was quite surprised by, because it introduced into it the idea of morality, because this last week we saw the horrible, and it is a horrible behaviour on the part of a football player who abused a cat.
[43:01] That was his, maybe one or two cats, I'm not sure. But what he did was just disgusting.
[43:14] It was, there's nobody here that would excuse that behaviour. And I think that goes without saying. Most people who listened to what he had done and who saw the fact that this thing had been shared on some kind of platform, somebody taking delight in seeing this being done.
[43:40] But it is the argument that followed on from that. Whether it was morally right for a person to remain in post as a football player, and whether it was morally right on the part of his employers to allow him to play, or to employ him to play.
[44:07] And there was a very heated discussion about the morality of the decision making process. Now remember with interest I have to say, listening to a former professional football player said, the FA are not in the business of morality.
[44:35] They are in a moral body. In his opinion, a former football player he said, they are not in the business of supporting or otherwise of a person's behaviour.
[44:49] They are in the business of making money. And they don't care how they make their money. And if anything interferes with that, they will take any course of action that suits them.
[45:00] Now, what has this got to do with what we have here? Well, I thought these were two things that we see society involve itself in, go into great depths of discussion about, with views on either side, or side, which are not supported in any meaningful way with anything other than popular or public or private opinion.
[45:38] What matters in determining the morality of behaviour is what I think, or what I feel, or the end product, whether it will be something that will be advantageous or not.
[45:56] Now, the real truth is this, that when men and women are dependent upon personal opinion to determine their actions, whether they are good or proper or advantageous, there is always the possibility, the probability that they will get it wrong.
[46:25] And the fact is that there is only one person that the Bible sets before us, who has the final word with regard to an individual's moral condition, and that is God.
[46:42] The only person who has the last word with regard to society's moral condition is God, because he and he alone determines what is right and proper.
[47:01] He judges, he condemns, and in this passage he shows mercy. And God is saying, what he is saying, repeat it, read through this chapter for yourself again, and God is reminding the reader, I, even I, am he.
[47:19] There is nobody above me to whom I can refer, to whom I can turn to ask, is this right or wrong.
[47:31] I am the one who determines. No one else can do what I do. Remember, the chapter begins with God declaring himself to be a creator and a redeemer.
[47:47] And no one else has the right to do that. Now, man on the other hand, would argue and say, are we not free to decide for ourselves?
[47:59] Do we not have the right to decide for ourselves what I can do, what I can't do? You have that argument with regard to the taking of medication, that virus that is prevalent in our society.
[48:20] Many say, I have the right to either take this remedy or decline it in my body.
[48:35] Now, the emphasis that is placed repeatedly on man's right to do whatever man chooses is something that is very much prevalent in our generation.
[48:51] I was reading John Blanchard, and he is talking about the various philosophies that have come to the fore in the passing of generations.
[49:05] But he makes this observation. Once God is removed, there can be no absolute basis for moral standards.
[49:17] No absolute basis. Because take God away, who is the person who alone can determine right from wrong, and dictate the consequences of action for right or wrong.
[49:35] Take God away, and anything goes. The only values that then exist are those we invent for ourselves.
[49:47] And the result is moral and social chaos. Who decides what the rules are?
[49:58] Who decides how the rules are? Who decides how the rules are to be kept? Who decides what happens to those who break the rules? If we look at our society, actions were dictated, rules were drafted, laws were enacted, and rules were accepted.
[50:22] Every individual within society, our society, our nation were expected to observe these laws and rules. And if the lawmakers themselves choose to disregard them at will, it is a recipe for disaster.
[50:40] It is a recipe for any kind of, well, just live your life the way you want to live it without resorting to anybody to tell you how to live it.
[50:59] Governments, police forces, individuals, because they have the power to do, to resist, or the power to enforce.
[51:12] The point is this, that if it is left to man, if it is left to people like myself or yourself, however strong-willed you are, however righteous you are, however straight you are, at some point, because of the fact that we are sinful by nature, we will get things wrong and we will twist things to suit ourselves.
[51:36] Whether you are a Putin or a Biden or a Johnson. Now here, the prophet is speaking of something very simple.
[51:50] He is speaking of sin. He is speaking of transgression. For as one translation puts it, rebelliousness. And remember, these words are a comfort to the believer, because the believer understands that the person who is speaking here, who is saying that he is going to do something with sin, with that rebelliousness, that no other can.
[52:20] And the believer knows that the God who is saying that is the very God to whom they have gone, in order that their sins are dealt with, in order that their sins are covered as this promise to you.
[52:35] Because, in the final analysis, he is the one who is sinned against. He is the one who is the focus of rebellion.
[52:47] But he is dealing with it, not remotely, but personally. Remember, that's what he is saying. He is not saying, we are going to set up a committee.
[53:01] We are going to set up a parliament and we are going to choose a hundred true and good men who will sort things out. No, he says, I, even I, am he.
[53:14] That blocketh out thy transgressions for mine own sake. I am taking responsibility. I am taking charge of your circumstances, your situation.
[53:25] You are a fallen race. Your sin is seen in the way that you live your life here in this world. It comes out in all kinds of ways. And I am not going to leave it to a council or a parliament or a nation who gather national heads to meet together in whatever forum they meet.
[53:50] Because they can't agree or won't agree. But I don't depend upon their agreement to do what needs to be done. And what needs to be done is to deal with the sin that is in the world.
[54:04] He has not left it to anyone else. And it doesn't matter who the culprit is. Whether it is an individual or a nation.
[54:15] If he is choosing to deal with that individual or with that nation. As he was here dealing with the nation of Israel. A nation upon which he was going to pour down his justice pleasure because of their waywardness.
[54:33] And their neglect of his word. But he reminds us that he is doing what he is doing because of who he is. Don't forget who he is.
[54:46] I. I am he. Don't forget who he is. He is. the God who is the triune God, the God who lives and who continues to live and who ever will live and who will never change or be subject to change.
[55:13] I'm sure you've noticed and perhaps you are one of them who at times found reason to accuse God of not being an adequate God.
[55:30] If for example a person suffers sudden bereavement or a person who is who has grief that is undoubtedly deep and sensitive because they've lost a child or a loved one a partner or they've seen events unfold that they would not wish to see unfold whether it's an accident or an incident.
[56:01] And the question that burns and burns and burns is why does God allow this to happen? Why if God is God does he not intervene?
[56:11] Why if God is God does he not prevent these sadnesses and sorrows and griefs? Why does he not just stop these things happening?
[56:21] when the God to whom they point a finger is saying here, I am he who is going to do just that.
[56:33] Some people look at the cross and they say, what kind of God is that? What kind of father is that? You know, that's not a recent thing but it's a common enough thing where you see the theology of the New Testament being abused because they see there cosmic child abuse.
[57:03] They see Christ, the Son of God permitted to suffer on the cross and they say his father was someone who was willing to see that happen.
[57:17] Not just willing to see it happen, he was responsible for it. But the question, where was God, is not a sensible question because where was God?
[57:31] God was on the cross. God was on the cross in Christ Jesus. It was the Son of the Living God who was on the cross. It was the Son of the Living God who was suffering.
[57:44] It was the Son of the Living God who was dying. And he was doing that because he was doing something about sin. He was doing something for the sinner that the sinner could not do for themselves.
[57:58] God is saying here in this passage, I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions. I'm blotting them out.
[58:10] And I'm not going to remember them anymore. That's what he says. For my own sake, he says. Not for you, but for mine.
[58:21] Because my name is bound up with my people. And their salvation is something I have committed to. Their redemption.
[58:35] And it is not possible to redeem this people for myself without dealing with their sins. And I deal with their sins by blotting them out. I deal with their sins by not remembering them.
[58:49] Oh, you're saying. How can a God who doesn't remember? How can a God who cannot forget?
[59:00] Choose not to remember? And that's the answer in that question. If you're a believer, you rejoice at the infinite wisdom of a God who chose a way in which he could deal with the sins of his people by blotting them out.
[59:21] I've told the story before. It's told by G.B. Duncan.
[59:33] It's told in a different way. Or with a different design. He's telling about a child that he saw.
[59:45] Maybe a four or five year old child. And that child is carrying a baby in her arms.
[60:00] And you can just visualize it. A four or five year old struggling to carry a year old baby. You've seen it perhaps yourself.
[60:13] Somebody trying to carry something that's too heavy for them. But they're doing it anyway. And I don't know if it's a true story. Certainly it sounds as if it was.
[60:26] He goes to the child and he says, My, he says, what a burden you're carrying. And the response of the child was, it's not a burden, it's my brother.
[60:39] It's not a burden, it's my brother. Now the purpose for the story is just to say, you know, if you're carrying, If you're in a relationship within the church of God, with the people of God, It's never a burden what you can do for them.
[61:06] Because of the relationship. But if you turn this on its head, and this is really where it took me. I was thinking, if sin is a burden, You would want to take your burden to someone who would be able to share it.
[61:29] Who would be able to carry it with you. Who would be able to take it away altogether. For the people of God, they understand that God has brought home to them the reality of sin and the consequences of it.
[61:47] He has presented himself as the God who is able to deal with that sin. Here in this verse it says, Blot it out. Deal with it so that it is never something that he will remember and hold against them again.
[62:06] So they know to go to that God. But if your sin is not a burden, If your sin is not something that concerns you, If your sin is something that you're oblivious to, Then you're not going to go to God.
[62:22] You're not going to look to a God to blot it out if it's not something you're aware of. If you're oblivious to it. The beginning of this prophecy.
[62:39] The prophet writes, Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson.
[62:52] They shall be as white. That's what God is saying he's going to do. He's going to do it in the passion of the Lord Jesus Christ. The deepest, darkest dye he is going to purify.
[63:09] And that is what he sees sin as. In the life of every person in the world. And he is undertaking in the passion of Jesus Christ to whitewash.
[63:24] Not in the way that that is used derogatorily. But do it in a way that he alone can. Purify.
[63:35] Make white what cannot in any other way be made pure. Through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Now I wish the best for every one of you.
[63:52] But I would wish that you were as miserable as sin would make you. And I would wish for you that God would make your sin as black.
[64:06] As black could be. And that you would know that. Not that it would be something that you're oblivious to. Not that it would be something that you couldn't care less about.
[64:19] But that it would be something that would oppress your very soul. If it would make you go to God. To seek deliverance from it.
[64:33] I don't want you to be in that place any longer. Than God would allow you to be in it. Because.
[64:45] If you come to him. But he says. He is the one who will blot it out. He is the one. Who will put it.
[64:56] Where he will no longer. Remind you of it. He will not remember it. Not in the sense that. That it is forgotten.
[65:08] Because of a. A weakness on his part. But because it has been dealt with. So as it never needs. To be remembered again. God is the one.
[65:22] Peter was preaching. On the day of Pentecost. And his words to the people were. Repent ye therefore. And be converted. That your sins may be blotted out.
[65:35] When the time of refreshing shall come. From the presence of the Lord. Repent. And let your sins be blotted out.
[65:47] That's what God is telling us here. He is reminding us. That when it comes to. Determining what sin is. He is the one.
[65:59] Who is sinned against. And he is the one. He is not going to allow governments. To decide. What's appropriate. And what's not. He is not going to allow governments.
[66:09] To describe. To decide. What is a lie. And what is not. That's a shameful thing.
[66:20] About the kind of society. We live in. That we think. That we can. That we can. Live. With untruth on our lips.
[66:32] Pemently. Without having. To answer to God for it. But that's not the way it is. And he reminds us. That that will be. What awaits everyone.
[66:44] At the last. Well may God bless these thoughts to us. Let us pray. Lord hear our prayers. And may we have.
[66:55] An understanding of what sin is. So that we can appreciate. What you have done. In order to take sin away. Jesus Christ on the cross.
[67:08] Spore the sins of his people. In his body. On the tree. And that means. That he was answering. For their sins.
[67:20] For my sins. If I truly believe in him. I pray Lord. That you would remind. Each one of us. Where to take. Our sins. That they be dealt with.
[67:30] In that way. Cleanse us everyone. Go before us. In Jesus precious name. Amen. Our closing psalm. Is Psalm 103.
[67:42] At verse 13. Psalm 103. At verse 13. Such pity. As a father had. And to his children. Dear. Like pity. Shows the Lord.
[67:53] To such as worship him. In fear. For he remembers. We are dust. And he are frail. Well knows. Frail man. His days are like the grass. His flower. In field he grows.
[68:04] For over it. The wind doth pass. And it away is gone. And of the place. Where once it was. It shall no more be known. But unto them. That do him fear. God's mercy.
[68:15] Never ends. And to their children. Children still. His righteousness. Extends. Such pity. As a father. has. To his children.
[68:40] Dear. Like it is shows the Lord with such troubles worship and fears.
[68:55] For He remembers we are just, and He are free when those play on His days are like the grass, as well in beauty grows.
[69:23] For over is the wind just passed, and without we is gone.
[69:37] And of the flesh that was in force, it shall no more be known.
[69:51] But unto them, unto them fear, those men should never end.
[70:05] Come to their children, children still, as righteousness extends.
[70:19] Amen. Amen. Amen. May we grace, glory, and peace from God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit rest and abide with you all and ever and always. Amen.
[70:30] Amen. man Who