|
ÂÂ
May 5, 2006
Bobby Conner: "The Father's
Heart Revealed"
ÂÂ
 "Forgive"
has to be one of the most liberating and exhilarating words known to mankind.
The fact that God is willing, even longing, to forgive fallen man is vital. To
ponder the thought that by God's divine grace, we are being delivered from the
bondage of sin's relentless darkness and deep despair, and releasing within us
rays of hope. It is completely beyond the mind of man to be able to comprehend
the awesome grace and mercy of God, whereby God restores us unto fellowship with
Himself.
The angels that rebelled never knew one single moment of divine grace, which
would have offered them the place of restoration and repentance. Yet, God in His
tender mercy continues to plead with fallen mankind to turn from sin to eternal
salvation. There is no sin so shockingly wicked that blocks God's mercy and
forgiveness. God pleads with a wicked, wayward people,
"Come now, let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet, they can be
washed as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as
wool," (Isaiah 1:18).
On the other hand, neither is sin so trivial that it negates the need for God's
extended mercy. Never forget it is the little foxes that spoil the vine (see
Song of Songs 2:15). We must not fall prey to the
enemy's deception, which wants us to believe God is only concerned about the big
sin issues in our lives. There is nothing too big or too little to deal with.
Now is the time each of us must deal radically with what has separated us from
God. God not only wants to remove our glaring flaws, He wants to remove every
small stain upon our heart. He knows that only those with clean hands and pure
hearts will ascend into the presence of the Lord.
God is Both the Source and
Substance of our Forgiveness
The source of our forgiveness is
the heart of God. "If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O
Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be
feared," (Psalm 130:3–4).
The substance that provides the power of our forgiveness is the blood of Christ.
The following song, written in the mid 1800's, poses a very powerful pointed
question, "What can wash away my sin?." Let the powerful words of this song
penetrate deep within your soul.
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my pardon this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing, this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! Precious is the flow –
That makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
The Holy Spirit inspired Paul the Apostle, to pen these words in
Ephesians 1:7, "In Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace."
The riches of God's grace have purchased our forgiveness through the precious
blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God. Christ, when He instituted communion, reminded
us that the forgiveness of our sins is in His blood, "For
this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness
of sins," (Matthew 26:28).
Again, the songwriter penned these thought provoking words, "There is a fountain
filled with blood drawn from Emanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath its
flood lose all their guilt and stain. Have you been to Jesus for His cleansing
power, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb"? Such words seem strange to the
ears of a carnal church. (In fact, much of the unbelieving "church" has been
busily removing such songs from their hymnals.) The words of another old song
ring in my thoughts, "I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore.
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more. But the Master of the sea
heard my despairing cry. From the waters lifted me, now safe am I." What an
awesome God we serve, willing to hear our cries of deep desperation, and extend
His hand of mercy to pull us from the sea of sin.
 Scripture
States "Those Who Have Been Forgiven Much, Love Much"
Each of us should pour out our
life in love to the Lord; for we were bound in the bondage of sin, deep within a
horrible pit. In His loving kindness, God came and reached down to us, and
through forgiveness, He lifted us out of the miry clay and freed us from the pit
of sin. "I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined
to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the
miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock,"
(Psalm 40:1–2).
Jesus releases to us great insights into God's heart of restoration and
forgiveness, in the parable of the prodigal son found in
Luke 15:11–24:
"And He said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger of them said to
his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.' So he
divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son
gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and
there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent
everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be
impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that
country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly
filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was
giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my
father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!
I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son;
make me as one of your hired men.' So he got up and came to his father. But
while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for
him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, 'Father,
I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be
called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best
robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and
bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of
mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And
they began to celebrate."
In this passage, we discover the high cost for low living. The son set out to
spend his inheritance on "high living," only to end up in one of the lowest
places. Nevertheless, we see the Father's heart to embrace the broken, repentant
son. Once the Lord said to me, "If you would preach
repentance like I mean it, you will see more people do it." The word
"repent" can be broken down like this: "re" means "to put back," and "pent"
means "the highest place." Thus, when we repent, God picks us up and replaces us
to the highest place. This is the revelation of the prodigal son, from the pig
pen of sin to the father's loving embrace!
It is Crucial that We Gain
a Much Clearer Comprehension of Forgiveness
There are two aspects of
forgiveness we need revelation about--God's divine forgiveness for our sins, as
well as our need to forgive others for their offences against us. Only as we
experience both, will we be equipped to walk an upright, victorious life.
Immense is the value of the life-altering directive given in
Ephesians 4:29–32, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of
your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace
to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and
evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
Notice the motivating factor--we have received the tender mercy of God applied
to our life. Now we should want to extend mercy to all, just as God has to us.
You might protest saying, "You just don't know what harm they did to me." That
is true, however, whatever someone has done to us cannot begin to compare to
what we have done to Christ. Nevertheless, God in His tender mercy has forgiven
us. It is with this same mercy that we should forgive one another.
Men and women who do not know forgiveness, carry their moral void with them into
every area of their daily lives. Un-forgiveness fosters bitterness, anger, and
all types of malice, which are key elements in sickness. Remember, it is a merry
heart that does good like a medicine. The person who does not know forgiveness
is someone void of true peace.
The Prophet Nehemiah reminds us of our stubbornness and God's longsuffering. We
discover that God longs to release forgiveness to each of us in
Nehemiah 9:17, "They refused to listen and did not
remember Your wondrous deeds which You had performed among them; so they became
stubborn and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are
a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in
loving-kindness; and You did not forsake them."
From this passage notice some of God's attributes:
• God is a God of wondrous, miraculous works.
• God is a God of forgiveness.
• God is a God of grace.
• God is a God of compassion.
• God is a God who is slow to anger.
• God is a God who is overflowing in loving kindness.
• God is a God who does not forsake.
The Prophet's words assist us to better understand that God is a God of love and
mercy, longing to release to each one of us, a much better life than we could
ever conceive for ourselves. God longs to release us into a life of victory that
results into a bright future for now and eternity. Now is the time to cast all
our cares completely upon Christ, knowing He is a faithful friend--ready and
willing to bear us through every issue of life. Open wide your heart and
experience the Father's heart of forgiveness.
By Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries
www.bobbyconner.org
~~~~~~~~~~~
Bobby Conner's Upcoming Itinerary:
May 12-14, 2006
Strategic Kingdom Alignment--New Life Centre
220 Adelaide St. N.; London, Ontario CANADA
Contact: www.newlifecentre.com
May 17-18, 2006
Encountering Him in the Land--Encounter Meetings in Israel
32 Lehi Street, 97856; Jerusalem, Israel
Contact:
www.frontlineministries-int.com/home.htmÂÂ
May 18-19, 2006
Dudley, England
|
NEWSLETTER
