Forgiving Heart: A Journey of Redemption and Restoration

The pattern of forgiveness is set by Jesus Christ's sacrifice for multitudes over 2,000 years.

We must imitate Jesus' example of forgiveness, as seen in Colossians 3:12-13.

Jesus forgave his enemies, including those who crucified him, showing his love and mercy.

God promises forgiveness for our sins, as stated in Deuteronomy 7:9-10 and 1 John 1:9.

Music Music The title of this message today is called, Do You Have a Forgiving Heart? When we think about forgiveness, we must first think about and study the pattern of forgiveness which began and was set into motion to be imitated and admired by those who follow the one who graciously poured out his life's blood for the forgiveness of multitudes of millions and millions over 2,000 years ago from the time that he went to the cross. Jesus Christ provided divine and supernatural forgiveness of sins in order that all of those who would come to him as Savior and Redeemer would have the opportunity to be conformed into his likeness and his image and be called his children and thus would inherit eternal life and live with him forever because they worshipped him and loved him with all of their hearts, their souls, their minds and everything within them. In Colossians 3.12, the Word declares, Clothe yourselves, therefore, as God's own chosen ones, His own picked representatives, who are purified, holy and well-loved by God Himself, by putting on behavior, marked by tenderheartedness, pity and mercy, kind feelings, a lowly opinion of yourself, gentle ways, and patience, which is tireless and long-suffering and has the power to endure whatever comes with good temper. Verse 13. Be gentle and forbearing with one another, and if anyone has a difference or a grievance or complaint against another, readily pardoning each other, even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, you must also forgive. We see the pattern of forgiveness here as we look at verse 13, which declares, even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, you must also forgive. We know that Jesus was terribly tried when he went to the cross. We know that he was never provoked to anger, to rage, or resentment. It was both by friends and by enemies that he suffered much. He never smeared or bad mouth or just went loose cannon on those who accused and scorned or abused him, but he patiently yielded to their malice, giving his back to the smiters and his cheeks to them who plucked off the hair of his face. His disciples he gently rebuked, but he never spoke to them in anger. Jesus's life of forgiveness to all of these and many others who were at the foot of the cross that day, was crowned by his dying prayer for his persecutors which said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. He loved his enemies. He lived for his enemies and he died for his enemies. Jesus was God incarnate. He was God clothed in flesh. He was God who came in human form, born of the Virgin Mary. He was the perfect holy pattern of gentleness, the only model of forgiveness. And we know that he forgave offenses that were most atrocious and grievous. It was a horrible thing that when the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world and was moved and motivated by pure love for the sinner whom he longed to have in his family. but he was not welcome Herod sought to slay the Christ child afterwards when he appeared publicly before man the Jews took stones up to stone him he was treated with contempt and rage and his miracles were said to be of the devil our precious holy and pure savior unspotted character was misrepresented and maligned by his being called a drunken man and a wine-bibber you know with what scornful cruelty they treated him in the hour of his passion men did all they could to do against him say not that you have never transgressed the word of God says and dear ones you and I and every single other person born into this earth have also crucified him Our sins were laid upon him by God Almighty. Isaiah chapter 53 declares, He was despised and we esteemed him not. You and I, we must confess these words. He was despised and we esteemed him not. We were there too at the foot of the cross. You have to know too that there was a time when we, who are now his redeemed, once hid as it were our faces from him, like Adam and Eve did in the garden after they sinned. He called us, but we gave him no answer. The Holy Spirit pursued and endeavored to capture our hearts. We were blind to his beautiful affections for our attention. We can never remember this without having deep emotions of regret, dear ones. We crucified our Christ. We did by our rejection of his love, and yet he has forgiven us. He is ready to forgive all who seek him with their whole heart. It mattered not how dark or black our transgressions may have been, dear listener, because the moment we come to Jesus in true repentance, He makes us whiter than snow. He puts away the most horrible of offenses, the ugliest of transgressions. In a moment he says, I forgive you, go and sin no more. And we there and then received a perfect pardon for our sins. It was like we start new life in Jesus Christ with a clean slate. You see, God Almighty has made a promise of forgiveness for our sins. In Deuteronomy chapter 7, beginning in verse 9, the word declares, Know therefore that the Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. Verse 10, But those who hate him, he will repay to their face by destruction. He will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. Therefore, take care to follow the commands and decrees and laws that I give you today. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1, verse 9 we have all been in debt at some time or another in our lives for most of us we don't have to stretch our imaginations too far to know what being in debt feels like by living in this economy in the year of 2023 but imagine that the debt we owed was in the amount so enormous that a calculator wouldn't have enough spaces for all of the zeros I don't know how one person could accumulate a debt like this of this magnitude, but Jesus told the story of someone who had in Matthew chapter 18, beginning in verse 23. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a human king who wishes to settle accounts with his attendants. When he began the accounting, one was brought to him who owed 10,000 talents. probably about 10 million dollars in our day. Verse 25. And because he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold with his wife and children and everything that he possessed in payment to be made. Verse 26. So the attendant fell on his knees begging him, have patience with me, I will repay you everything. Verse 27. And his master's heart was moved with compassion and he released him and forgave him canceling all of the debt. The man in the parable owed 10,000 talents and to gain the full appreciation of his debt we need to know that a talent was the highest known denomination of currency in the ancient Roman Empire. A single talent was equal to 3,000 denarii or the amount that would take the average worker then 3,000 days or nearly 10 years to earn. This servant owed not one, but 10,000 talents. If he gave every penny he made to the king, it would take him nearly 100,000 years to repay his debt. Without a doubt, he owed a debt he could not pay. Jesus was speaking of himself in this account. The king in the story is the king of kings, God himself. And the servant in the story is not a lazy bum who was a wanderer from some faraway land, but he represents you and me. Our first parents in the garden through the influence of the devil tried to steal God's kingdom from him by disobeying and revolting against what God had commanded them. Therefore, we are all born into sin because of this travesty. every time we choose to reject Christ's authority over our lives we carry out a coup which is an endeavor to overthrow God's throne and every time we willfully do that which we know displeases Him we fire shots of rebellion in His direction and every time we do the right thing for the wrong reason or claim that our lives are fine without His influence we assert that we, not God, are sovereign over the universe and all of our affairs in life. There is a well-known worldwide apostate woman teacher of the Bible who said, we really do not need God because we have all the power we need within us. what air what apostasy and what transgression against the most high God dear listener you nor I can put a price tag on the debt of our actions that have accumulated in being offensive and odious to our precious King of Kings and Lord of Glory when the servant in Jesus' story was brought before the King and was commanded to pay up or be sold into slavery He fell on his knees and he begged for mercy. You and I know anyone else in this position would do the same thing. With a debt so large, the only hope is God's grace. Before knowing how the account went, we all expected to see the servant pleading before the king on his knees, but we did not expect the master's response to his situation. the master as we read took pity on the servant he canceled the debt and he let him go according to matthew chapter 18 verse 27 which says and his master's heart was moved with compassion and he released him and forgave him canceling the debt now reading the story we tend to focus on the good fortune of the man who received mercy, while it is easy to forget the cost of forgiveness of the king. Dear ones, with a stroke of a pen, the king gave up his claim to a fortune and his right to punish the man who squandered away so much money. What kindness! We read that the king's heart was moved with compassion. What love! Let's look circumspectly at our main point in this message today. We are speaking of the promise of forgiveness here. We have the promise of forgiveness of our sins. Remember, yours and my king paid a great price to have us belong to his family of love. You and I have a responsibility in order to belong to this eternal family of love. 1 John chapter 1 in verse 9 declares, if we freely admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, he is faithful and just, true to his own nature and promises, and will forgive our sins, dismiss our lawlessness and continuously cleanse us from all unrighteousness, everything not in conformity to his will in purpose, thought, and action. You see, if we confess our sins, if from a deep sense of knowing our guilt, the impurity that lurks within, and the helplessness we know of ourselves, that we cannot help or remedy our poor, ailing, sick souls and humble ourselves before God, acknowledging our iniquity in His holiness and almighty power and our own utter helplessness and implore His generous mercy. Dear ones, He is faithful because He's promised this to us. He is faithful because to these he's promised mercy. King David cried out to the Lord saying in Psalms chapter 32 verse 5, I acknowledge my sin to you and my iniquity I do not hide. I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord continually unfolding the past until all is told. then you instantly forgave me the guilt and iniquity of my sin. Selah. Pause and calmly think about that. You see, Jesus Christ has died for us and because of this he made an atonement to divine justice and now we can be cleansed from all unrighteousness not only to forgive the sin but to purify our hearts. sin exists in the soul really in two forms first, sin exists in guilt we were all guilty of this of course, it requires forgiveness for pardon secondly, sin resides in pollution in our souls and this requires cleansing guilt must be forgiven it must be confessed and pollution must be cleansed and it must also be confessed. In order to find mercy, anyone has to know and feel himself to be a sinner and must admit that he or she is a sinner in order that they may fervently appeal God for pardon and forgiveness in order to have a clean heart. The individual must know and feel its great depravity acknowledge and deplore it before God in order to be fully sanctified And Apostle Peter was a prime example of this kind of repentance before God for his great treason in denying that he did not know Jesus. He did it not once, but he did it three times. You see, dear listener, few people are really pardoned hardened because they do not know, they do not confess, they do not feel their sins. Yes, they may go through the motions and believe the lie that they are saved and inherit everything that is promised to the truly redeemed of the Lord Jesus Christ. Few people are sanctified or cleansed from all sin because they do not know and feel and confess their own sick, grievous secret sins and the tormenting afflictions of their own heart. It is the birthright of every true child of God to be cleansed from all sin and to keep himself or herself unspotted from the world and to live a righteous life in Jesus Christ and to no more offend him. Now the question we have to ask here is a personal one. The question is, do you have a forgiving heart? We've seen in this word today of what our precious Savior did for us in providing and being the prime example and model of forgiveness when he went to the cross and asked his heavenly Father to forgive his persecutors as they mocked and pierced his side with a sword and killed the innocent Lamb of God on our behalf. We have seen in this word today the promise of forgiveness of sins and has been given to all true, sincere believers and followers of Jesus Christ. And now we come to the personal question again, and that is, do you have a forgiving heart? Jesus' model prayer in teaching his disciples was the Our Father who art in heaven and that prayer begins in Matthew chapter 6 beginning in verse 12 Jesus declared Father forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven, left, remitted and let go of the debts that have given up resentment against our debtors verse 13 and lead bring us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one for if you forgive people their trespasses their reckless and willful sins leaving them letting them go and giving up resentment your heavenly father will also forgive you verse 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses their reckless and willful sins leaving them letting them go and giving up resentment, neither will your father forgive you your trespasses. You see the importance of having a forgiving heart. We are left with two alternatives and those are to forgive those who have wronged us by what our precious master and savior has declared. He said, if you forgive people who hurt you, your heavenly father will forgive you. The other choice is if you don't forgive those who hurt you neither will your father forgive your trespasses some people say you don't know the hurt and pain that I have been left with for all these years you weren't there it's ruined my life I can't forgive them and many words go on in defense of oneself well dear listener maybe this is speaking or thinking some of these painful remembrances for yourself, or maybe it's somebody that you know. And nevertheless, everyone has been wronged or offended and sinned against at some point or another. And we talk about how important prayer is for those who hurt or offend us or hurt our feelings. now we've just heard how Jesus addressed the issue of forgiveness and if we want forgiveness of our Savior then we must forgive or else our future promise of inheritance which awaits us in heaven will not be for us as a believer we know that forgiveness is a core value of our faith but when someone hurts us it can be difficult to forgive them and it's natural to feel angry or frustrated and even betrayed when someone we love or trust causes us harm. And yet, as followers of Christ, we are called to forgive those who have wronged us. So what can we do when we find it hard to let go of anger and hurt? The truth is that forgiveness is not always easy, but it is essential for our spiritual well-being. forgiveness is not about forgetting what happened or excusing the offender's behavior it's about releasing the hurt and the anger and choosing to extend grace and mercy just as god has extended it to us through his son jesus christ then how should christians respond to these offenses which have occurred against them we of course were told to forgive them Forgiveness can be difficult and a painful process, especially when we have been deeply hurt. But as Christians, we are called to forgive as we have been forgiven by God. How do we respond biblically to forgiving those who have hurt us? When we are struggling to forgive someone who has hurt us, it's really helpful to remember the forgiveness that we've received from God when Jesus was telling the parable of the unforgiving servant to illustrate the importance of forgiving. And we've covered that in our message already. Just as a servant was forgiven of a great debt, we have all been forgiven an immeasurable amount of debt by God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Remembering God's mercy towards us can help us to extend that same mercy towards others. each believer in Jesus Christ has the responsibility to release that anger and bitterness that has taken over and has affected their relationship with people. This is a call for forgiveness on their part. Refusing to forgive leads to greater consequences and trouble and even health issues arise in one's life because of anger and jealousy and bitterness. Do you realize that anger and bitterness can consume us if we hold on to these, making it difficult to forgive? Many people, it seems, acquire hurt after hurt after hurt and run around with many arrows in their back. People like this are on guard and have trouble in their relationships with others and blame them for things that do not go right in their lives. Many people in this state and condition are also controlling people. In Ephesians chapter 4, verses 31 and 32, Paul instructs us, Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice, and to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you. When we repent and release our anger and bitterness, we free ourselves to forgive and move forward in our relationships. There's something very miraculous that happens when we obey God's word and his commands. The precious Holy Spirit, who is our helper, comes in to undergird and lift us up out of the bondage that we have been in. you know, you know when this happens you know that you have been set free. Hold on tight to your helper who has been given you to lead you into the freedom found in Jesus Christ. Experience the freedom by calling on your helper, dear one. Repentance is the key. Many go through reading many books on this subject that really deal with recovery. the author many times a psychologist leads people in a carnal recovery that is like putting a bandaid on a gaping wound but only repentance will lead the way to victory in having a forgiving heart because it's all done spiritually and supernaturally by the work of the Holy Spirit your helper in the soul another thing we are required to do as a believer in Jesus Christ is to pray for our enemies. Praying for those who have hurt us can be very difficult, but it is a powerful way to extend forgiveness, which is God's way to freedom in this area of your life. Jesus said in Matthew 5, verse 44, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. You see, praying for our enemies can help soften our hearts towards them and can even lead to reconciliation and healing in the relationship because it is following God's way to remedy this mountain that has blocked the way to freedom in this area of your life. Forgiving those who have hurt us is not always easy, but it is necessary for our own spiritual health and well-being. Remembering God's forgiveness, releasing our anger and bitterness, praying for our enemies are all important principles to keep in mind as we seek to respond to biblical forgiveness. If you are struggling to forgive someone who's hurt you the best way is to turn to God. This is the beginning. Call on him for his help and guidance in the journey of forgiveness. Then as you do, trust in his promises of healing and restoration. Be diligent to do your part. you must understand too dear one that forgiveness is a choice and not a feeling forgiveness is a powerful act that can bring healing and peace into relationships however many people struggle with forgiveness because they believe it is a feeling that they need to wait for before they can offer it to someone who has wronged them the truth is that forgiveness is a choice and requires personal intentional effort on our part and also commitment is vital in this effort of gaining one's freedom in having a forgiving heart. It is not a feeling that magically appears out of nowhere, but rather it is a personal firm decision to let go of resentment, anger, bitterness and choose to extend grace to the one who's offended you. Dear One, when we choose to forgive, we aren't condoning the wrong that was done to us, nor are we denying our feelings and our emotions. We are simply choosing to release ourselves from the bondage of bitterness and anger that can consume us when we hold on to these grudges. Forgiveness comes from the price that Jesus Christ paid on the cross to call you his own, and it allows you to move forward and heal from the hurt that was inflicted upon you. Forgiveness is actually a promise from God that you will or have received from him because you followed his guidelines for freedom. The Bible instructs us to forgive those who have wronged us. These instructions were not suggestions, but rather they are commandments. Colossians 3, verse 3 declares, bear with each other and forgive one another. You must forgive as the Lord forgave you. The act of forgiveness is not optional for Christians, but rather a foundational truth and principle for personal freedom, and it involves faith on yours and my part. Forgiveness is a process and leads to having a forgiving heart. Forgiveness and repentance leads to spiritual growth in our lives. Forgiveness is an act of obedience to God and can help you grow in your relationship with Him. You will see the Word of God come alive, and you will desire to spend time in the Word because you now understand it. It begins to shape and mold you into the image of the One who died for you. And this is so because you have truly tasted to see that He is good. Forgiveness is not a one-time happening, but rather it is a process that requires time and effort. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 declares, Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you. Colossians chapter 3 verse 13 declares, Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. forgive as the Lord forgave you the key in both scriptures is that we are to forgive fellow believers as God has forgiven us why do we forgive? well we forgive because we've been forgiven our forgiveness of others should reflect God's forgiveness to us his grace has been extended to us as sinners to overcome the horrible bondage of unforgiveness God promises that when we come to him asking for forgiveness, he freely grants it. He will give us a forgiving heart. 1 John 1 9 declares, If we freely admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, he is faithful and just, true to his own nature and promises, that he will forgive our sins, dismiss our lawlessness, and continuously cleanse us from all unrighteousness, everything not in conformity to his will and purpose, thought, and action. Our heart's desire and prayer to our Heavenly Father every day should be that he would forgive us of our debts and grievances that we have caused others, and moreover that we would follow the commands of Jesus that says you should forgive those who have offended and hurt you. Remember, remember, remember dear ones, this is a command and not a suggestion. Thank you. The title of this message today is called Do You Have a Conscientious Love for Jesus Christ It is my prayer and desire for everyone hearing this vital word of truth today that they will listen intently as this is life for one eternal salvation In Paul's epistle in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse 14, the command is given when he says, Let everything you do be done in love, true love to God and man as inspired by God's love for us. This scripture outlines our message today. Paul is saying the whole of their obedience to Christ is done in love and displayed in their actions, words, and deeds to one another. Everything done in love springs forth from subjection to all of Christ's ordinances and commands, and are first done in love to him and then the whole conduct of behavior towards one another. You see, dear church, God only knows the love of God. Remember, scripture tells us God is love. Only God knows the sinfulness of man. I have thought and said many times, if God showed us our sinfulness, we would crumble and melt into nothingness. In other words, we couldn't stand to see our real selves as God sees us. We have examples of where God spared people who were great sinners. We have Apostle Paul who killed many of God's elect before he was blinded and fell off his horse that day. Once the Lord appeared to him on that day and the horrible revelation surfaced in what he had done, he couldn't eat or drink for three days until God sent a messenger to lay hands upon him and heal him. And from there we know the rest of the story. God used this truly repentant man who says that he was the worst of sinners to write practically the whole New Testament. Apostle Paul also said that for him to live is Christ and for him to die is gain. That is found in Philippians chapter 1 verse 21. His only reason for existence is that he may spend his life in the joyful service of Christ. To die is that for him, in death, he will receive his crown of life. I think one of the most outstanding examples of a burning, conscientious love for Jesus Christ is found in Mary Magdalene's humility and yet boldness as she pursued her Lord Jesus Christ. It would be good for all of us to take notice and see where in our own lives We fall short of this kind of spirit-motivated exuberance. Let's read in Luke chapter 7, beginning in verse 36. behind him at his feet weeping. She began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet affectionately, and anointed them with the ointment, the perfume. Verse 39. Now when the Pharisee, who had invited Jesus, saw, he said to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would surely know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a notorious sinner, a social outcast devoted to sin. Verse 40, And Jesus replying to him, Simon, I have something to say to you. And he answered, Teacher, say it. A certain lender of money at interest had two debtors, one owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. When they had no means of paying, he freely forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more? Simon answered, The one I take it, for whom he forgave and counseled more. And Jesus said to him, You have decided correctly. Then turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, Do you see this woman? When I came into your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she from the moment I came in has not ceased intermittently to kiss my feet tenderly and caressingly. You did not anoint my head with cheap ordinary oil, but she has anointed my feet with costly rare perfume. Verse 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins many as they are, are forgiven her, because she has loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little. We read in verse 37 where this woman called Mary Magdalene heard of Jesus' whereabouts. She invited herself in the house where the Pharisee who had invited Jesus was. Remember that attitude of the Pharisees towards sinners? Even though they were the worst of sinners, as Jesus later pointed out, he called them whitewashed tombs. Mary brought with her an alabaster box of ointment. Standing behind Jesus, she began weeping, and then began to wet his feet with her tears. Then still weeping, she wiped his feet with the hair of her head. Then she begins to kiss his feet with sincere, appreciative affection, and then began to anoint his feet with the perfumed oil she had brought with her. Look at this. This woman desired to be near her Savior. In her desire, she burst through the door of the house, uninvited and armed with perfume ointment, which was very expensive at that time. She was called what we would say, she was bold. She was a sinner. Her shame was gone when she came to Christ. Dear Church, may you see in this account of Mary Magdalene, the love that she had for Jesus Christ, her Savior. This is like a mirror to show us what is in our own hearts. And no doubt, before she made her entrance into the Pharisee's house, she probably followed Jesus around as he was compassionately healing sicknesses and setting people free from demonic oppression. She saw, she observed, and felt the presence and power of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of multitudes. She couldn't wait any longer for her opportunity to be touched by her Master and Savior. She didn't want to live at a distance from him. She followed her Lamb wherever he went. May we, too, not be content to live far away from our precious Savior, dear listener. We need to see another point here in Mary's love for her Savior, which we should take notice and imitate, and that is the boldness of her confession. We see that she wasn't ashamed to come to Jesus in the daytime, whereas other followers of Jesus came to him at night. And those who came in the dark were ashamed that others might see them. But Mary didn't care who saw her because faith was working in her life. And when we look at the other significant factors of Mary's faith that was abounding in this account, we see that she had deep humility, even though she was bold in her approach. She gave the most tender and lowly service to her Jesus when she stooped to wash his feet, because this is the thing that slaves did for their masters. Mary's deep repentance for her sins came out in her tears as she bathed her Savior's feet. The tears ran like water over his feet, and with nothing near but her hair, she wiped Jesus' feet with her hair. Can we see the depth of true repentance for sin in this account of Mary, dear ones? Mary didn't make a big show of her repentance, but by her actions, she showed the depth of her deep sorrow for her sins and wrongdoing. And this really shows us how in our own lives, in the inmost depths of our own souls, what we should learn through Mary's demonstration, and take the hatred for our own sins and lay it before Jesus Christ with deep repentance. Mary demonstrated deep love and faith for her Savior when she had been forgiven much, and her life and the continuation of her conscientious love thereafter is made mention in various accounts throughout Jesus' days up to the death on the cross and the open tomb, and literally seeing in the garden after his resurrection from the grave. Some of Mary Magdalene's scriptural accounts are, she was one of the women at Calvary who were looking from afar when Jesus died on the cross. She was there when Jesus died on the cross. John 19 verse 25 tells us, But by the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clobis, and Mary Magdalene. She, Mary Magdalene, was at Joseph's tomb when the body of Jesus was wrapped in a fine linen cloth and a large stone was rolled against the door of the tomb. Matthew chapter 27 beginning in verse 57 tells us, When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it was to be given him. Verse 59, And Joseph took the body and rolled it up in a clean linen cloth used for swathing dead bodies, and then laid it upon his own fresh undefiled tomb, which he had hewn in the rock, and he had rolled a big boulder over the door of the tomb and went away. Verse 61, And Mary of Magdalene and the other Mary kept sitting there opposite of the tomb. Mary also was a witness of the risen Christ. Matthew 28, beginning in verse 1, tells us, Now after the Sabbath, near the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary who went to take a look in the tomb, and behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled the boulder back and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his garments as white as snow. Verse 4. There you will see him. Behold, I have told you. So they left the tomb hastily with fear and great joy and ran to the disciples. In fact, Mary was the first of any of Jesus' followers to see him after his resurrection. Now we're going to read this account in John chapter 20 beginning in verse 1. Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early. while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been rolled, lifted out of the groove across the entrance of the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciples, whom Jesus tenderly loved, and said to them, They'd taken him away, the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Upon this Peter and the other disciples came out, and they went towards the tomb, and they came running together, and the other disciple outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first, and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not enter. Then Simon Peter came up, following him, and went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. Verse 7. The burial napkin, the kerchief, which had been around Jesus' head, was not lying with the other linen cloths, but it was still rolled up, wrapped around and around in a place by itself. And the other disciple who had reached the tomb first went into, and he saw and was convinced and believed. And yet they did not know and understand the statement of scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went back again to their home, their lodging places. Verse 11 But Mary remained standing outside the tomb sobbing. As she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting there. one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said to her, Woman, why are you sobbing? She told them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. On saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know and recognize that it was Jesus. Verse 15. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you crying? For whom are you looking? Supposing that it was the gardener, she replied, Sir, if you carried him away from there, tell me where you've put him and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary, turning around, she said to him in Hebrew, Rabboni, which means teacher and master. Verse 17. Verse 18 closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace to you. Verse 20. So saying, he showed them his hands and his side. And when the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy, delight, exultation, ecstasy, and rapture. Jesus said to them, Peace be to you, just as the Father has sent me forth, so I am sending you. And after saying this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. Mary was the first who had the honor and the holy joy given to her to have first privilege of speaking with Jesus after he rose from the dead. It wasn't Peter or James or even John the Beloved. No, not one of these to whom Jesus would first show himself. Mary was marked out before the beginning of time for this awesome privilege. Just think about that. This woman had seven devils in her when she came to Jesus on that day in the Pharisee's house. What a merciful God we serve. Jesus said of Mary, Therefore I tell you, her sins, many as they are, are forgiven her, because she has loved much. Only the Lord Jesus Christ could know the depth of love and gratefulness of any poor sinner who knows that they have been set free. Mary was one of the principal followers of women who followed Jesus throughout his ministry on the earth. Dear ones the love that Mary had for her precious Savior was a conscientious vibrant on love that couldn be quenched And this reminds me of a testimony about the conscientious love for Jesus told about a traveling preacher who was going to Portsmouth Virginia in the 1800s It goes like this. The ship came into the port of which the master and two of the men were Christians. Learning that the blind preacher was to conduct a service that night, they made their way to the place. The scripture was on the words of Christ to Peter and asking Peter three times if he loved him. And this is because Peter had denied his Lord three times, saying he didn't know him. Towards the close of the preacher's message, he appealed to the audience repeatedly. Who of you can say, Lord, thou knowest all things? The deepest silence prevailed in the room, but the heart of one of the sailors was brimming full. and he could not restrain himself any longer, and bursting out, he exclaimed in thrilling tones, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. And the whole congregation that night was melted to tears. This young man, like Mary Magdalene, had a vibrant, conscientious love for his Savior. Jesus Christ, indwelling love, took possession of their hearts in a divine quickening and penetrated in their inmost being with his supernatural life. These wonderful examples show how our Heavenly Father strengthens us inwardly with his power and might and by his Spirit so that he can enliven and give life to our wills by conforming and bringing them to the will of obedience of Jesus Christ who died for us to inherit eternal life. The purpose here is that our hearts are then able to bow before him in humility and in total surrender, seeking the divine life that gives honor and glory to Christ alone. Conscientious love for Jesus now causes our own souls and hearts to delight and have pleasure in pleasing him in every moment of the day in all our actions, our words and deeds, our innermost being is totally aware of his presence within us at all times. We know that by the Spirit who dwells within us, he is revealed in us, and we come to know that he is actually in us as our life now. Dear Church, holy divine unity is one with us. Keeping the love of Jesus in your hearts and minds by the power of the Holy Spirit is an absolute mark of love that you have for him. Jesus said in John chapter 14 verse 15, If you really love me, you will keep, obey my commands. We'll drop down to verse 21 and see that what Jesus refers to here is That love for Jesus is the motivating power of all the actions of those who purport to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. Let's read that. Verse 21. The person who has my commands and keeps them is the one who really loves me. And whoever really loves me will be loved by my Father. And I too will love him and show and reveal myself to him. I will let myself be clearly seen by him and make myself real to him. So our Lord makes it very clear that those who purport to love him will keep his commands, and this will be the identifying mark of one's true and genuine Christianity. It won't be a half-hearted attempt at trying to be a Christian, because there's no such thing as part-time or nominal Christianity. Conscientious love for Jesus and obedience go hand in hand. And another ingredient of this love for Jesus is called gratitude. Holy gratitude puts us in a willing or receptive frame of mind to do everything in our power to that which would be agreeable with the one who died for us. We now want to please our Master more than anything in all of our actions, words, and deeds. And dear listener, the aim of all these things would be that it makes one inclined to move forward and promote Christ's interest and exemplify or manifest his character. You see, to pretend to love Jesus Christ while a person still loves their sins and holds them dear is not any less absurd or illogical than it would be for a man to declare openly his allegiance to his overseers while he is in league with those who are rebellious renegades together have conspired against his overseers and the government with intent to overthrow it. So in other words, a person who says that they love Jesus and are a follower of him and yet displays unchristian acts in outbursts of angry, accusing words that are shot like piercing arrows or others that secretly watch or see materials that are perverse and against Bible principles or those who have no lie or sting of guilt or sorrow for wrongdoing. these are all like the renegades who have conspired to overthrow the one who oversees him and his government. And we see much of this going on in the political scene today. You see, the important principle of a conscientious love for Jesus Christ is an affectionate obedience. In 1 Corinthians 16, verse 22, the word declares, If anyone does not love the Lord, does not have a friendly affection for him, and is not kindly disposed towards him, he shall be accursed. Our Lord will come. Maranatha. You see, true love for Jesus Christ also has an affectionate obedience that goes with it. The evidence of its possession in our inmost being is that this kind of obedience is the essential fruit of a renewed heart. There is no excuse for not knowing what Jesus commands of us in our obedience, because these are written in the Holy Book of Life. The fruit of our obedience to Christ is humble. Just as Jesus' life on earth represented humility, he expects the same of his disciples. Our Lord said in Matthew 11, verse 29, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me. For I am gentle, meek, and humble, lowly in heart, and you will find rest and relief and ease for the refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet for your souls. The fruit of our obedience does not question or choose to obey a few certain things, nor are we reluctant to obey readily. It seems as we boil down what Jesus commands of us, we can say that we hear the truth, repent of our sins, believe what he tells us, be baptized, and then do whatever else he commands us to do written in the book of life. Having a conscientious love for Jesus is put first because it is the ultimate reason for our obedience to him. He tells us again, if you love me, keep my commands. Personal affections for Jesus will always produce personal obedience. You see, conscientious love will never fail us, dear church. This kind of love is evident of pardon and forgiveness as we have seen in Mary Magdalene, who was a great sinner. But this Mary loved much because she'd been forgiven much. Without this affectionate love for Jesus, our best deed, kind as they are, will not gain the attention or acceptance of our Father in heaven. Matthew chapter 25, verse 40. The king will reply to them, Truly I tell you, insofar as you did it for one of the least in the estimation of men of these brethren, you did it for me. Then he will have to say to those on his left, Be gone from me, you curse, into eternal fire prepared for the devil and angels. Conscientious love to Jesus produces righteousness and aids us in keeping the commandments. And this love has the Holy Spirit's power to resist sin. When anyone professing to be a believer loves high positions or offices and power of that office in life, and loves the praise of men more than they love Jesus Christ, they will not confess him as their Savior or Master. Jesus will not and cannot be their centerpiece. Luke 9, verse 25 declares, For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and ruins, forfeits, loses himself? Because whoever is ashamed of me, of my teachings of him, will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in the threefold glory, the splendor and majesty of himself and of the Father and of the holy angels. Those who have the highest love for Jesus are swift and speedy to confess him as their Lord and Savior without reserve or embarrassment. Romans chapter 10 verse 10 declares For with the heart the person that believes, adheres to, relies on Christ and so is justified and declared righteous, acceptable to God and with the mouth he confesses and declares openly and speaks out freely his faith and confirms his salvation. You see, speaking out about Jesus openly when God opens the door for the opportunity to confess Christ is all preparation for heaven. Without a conscientious love to Jesus, no one is fit for any inheritance in heaven because they're devoted to destruction and God's word tells us that his wrath awaits them. Dear believer, remember that all of you who love Jesus much must be bold as Mary Magdalene in the acknowledgement of your faith in God Almighty. All true, sincere believers must not be afraid to tell the world what the Lord has done for them. We must all be able to speak out and confess Christ saying, I have had much forgiven in my life, therefore I am not ashamed to tell of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for me. May the precious Holy Spirit help you to do so. But let me tell you, you will never do it unless you have a deep sense of sin and repentance, just like our example in Mary Magdalene today. She felt her sin to be a bitter and hideous thing that had a hold of her, and she went to her great physician for his tender healing touch upon her spirit and soul hurts. Out of our hearts, by the wonderful working power of the Holy Spirit, comes the power to be made humble and contrite before God, just like we saw in an example of Mary Magdalene's life today. We are nothing. We have nothing to boast or brag about. If anything is done in us or for us, Jesus, by his great love, his grace, and wonderful miracle-working power, has done it all on the day he laid himself upon the cross over 2,000 years ago. Let us never forget what our precious Savior did for us personally As he did lay himself on that cross What love, what love dear church Always keep conscientious love for Jesus in your hearts and minds And always keep your eyes fixed upon the author and finisher of your faith Who is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior Thank you. Our wonderful Heavenly Father made a profound statement in Deuteronomy 31, verse 8. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will march with you. He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you. Let there be no cowardice or flinching, but fear not, neither become broken in spirit, depressed, dismayed, or unnerved with alarm. This says God will never leave nor forsake us if we remain faithful to him and his commands. This is a promise. Listen to what Jesus says in John chapter 6 verses 38 through 44. I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will and purpose, but to do the will and purpose of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should not lose any of all that he has given me, but that I should give new life and raise them all up in the last days. Verse 40. For this is my Father's will and his purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in and cleaves to and trusts and relies on him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up from the dead at the last day. Now the Jews murmured and found fault and grumbled about Jesus because he said, I myself, the bread that came down from heaven. And they kept asking, Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can he say, I have come down from heaven? So Jesus answered them, Stop grumbling and saying things against me to one another. For no one is able to come to me unless the Father who sent me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to me, and then I will raise him up from the dead at the last day. In John 17.12, Jesus, in praying to his heavenly Father, said, While I was with them, Father, I kept and preserved them in your name, in the knowledge and worship of you. Those you have given me, I guarded and protected, and not one of them has perished or is lost except the son of perdition, Judas Iscariot, the one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Well, what we have just read in these scriptures is indeed a spiritual reality that should excite and invigorate our hearts and souls as to the matchless love of our great eternal loving Father. Said in another way, these verses could say nothing can separate us from the love of God. The title of this message today is called God's Outstanding Love Will Never Depart from Us. This too is a promise from the Eternals. throne room for those who love God and obey his every command. Scripture tells us that God is on our side. For instance, in Romans chapter 8, verses 30 through 31, And those whom he thus for ordained, he is called. And those whom he called, he is justified, acquitted, made righteous, putting them in right standing with himself. and those whom he justified, he also glorified, raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being. What then shall we say to all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who can be our foe if God is on our side? Your personal assurance of God's incomparable love is, in fact, in your loving and sincere relationship with him and the knowledge of his faithfulness towards you. If we are strangers to him, then we will resent any interference that comes along in our lives which should witness his love for us. There is a true story. An account of a frightfully wicked woman working in one of the great paper mills of Glasgow, Scotland. She was converted through the efforts of a city missionary and became a great person of great Christian character. She described the process of her salvation in these terms. I was like the rags that go into the paper mill. They are torn and filthy, but they come out clear white paper. And this is what Jesus is doing for me. The author who shares this testimony finishes by saying, That is indeed the work which the great Redeemer is doing for millions in the world. That is by the method which the kingdom of God is being made triumph in the earth. For your information, cotton paper, also known as rag paper, is made using cotton liners or cotton from cotton rags and as the primary material. Cotton paper is superior in both strength and durability to wood pulp-based paper, which may contain high concentrates of acid, also absorbs ink and toner better. It issues many times for important legal papers, and by the turn of the 20th century, most paper was made from wood pulp, but cotton is still used in specialty papers. As cotton rags now often contain synthetic fibers, papermakers have turned to second-cut cotton linters as raw paper material sources for making pulp for cotton papers. Well, this is a simple but true account of the gradual maturing process. The fact is, God is really our Father and will desire us to be close to Him at all times. If God seems to be far away, it is because we have moved away from Him and not the other way around. Scripture shows that we must remain in fellowship with God in order to realize His faithfulness to us and also the fact and promise that his outstanding love will never depart from us. When this takes place, it is called living in Christ or walking in the Spirit. If we truly live in Christ, we are walking in the Spirit. In Romans 8, verse 31, some translations read, Since God is for us, who can be against us? Jesus tells us that he will not lose one who belongs to him. And all true believers in Jesus Christ can trust their omnipotent, omniscient, and all-loving God and Savior to never forsake them. This is a promise and a comfort for true, genuine believers as they journeyed through this life. And this was Paul's comfort as he penned Romans chapter 8 verses 31 through 38 for the church. He declares, And those whom he's foreordained, he also called, and those whom he called, he also justified, acquitted, putting them into right standing with himself. And those whom he justified, he also glorified, raising them to a heavenly dignity and a condition or state of being. Then what shall we say to all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who can be our foe if God is on our side? Verse 32 He who did not withhold or spare even his own son, but gave him up for us all, will he not also with him freely and graciously give us all other things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect when it is God who justifies, that is, who puts us in right relationship with himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, who acquits us? Who is there to condemn us? Will Christ Jesus, the Messiah, who died, or rather, who was raised from the dead? Who is at the right hand of God, actually, pleading as he intercedes for us? Verse 35. Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering, or infliction, and tribulation, or calamity, and distress, or persecution, or hunger, and destitution, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, For thy sake we are put to death all day long. We are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through him who loved us. Verse 38. For I am persuaded beyond doubt, am sure, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, or anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hallelujah. God who demonstrated his love, his knowledge and power so definitely and tangibly can also certainly be trusted to keep us victorious and safe from all dangers, external and internal. Furthermore, God who was willing to give the ultimate gift of his son to die for us, How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Think about this. Will God Almighty allow anything or anyone to steal from his hands after paying such a costly price in giving his life for us? God's word succinctly answers that for us in Psalms chapter 91 verses 14 through 15. Because he has set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high, because he knows and understands my name, has personal knowledge of my mercy and love and kindness, trusts and relies on me, knowing I will never forsake him, no never. And he shall call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, and I will deliver and honor him. And Jesus himself implicitly answers this question for us in John chapter 10 verses 27 through 29. hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater and mightier than all else, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. In reading this scripture, I was reminded of Peter as he was a disciple of Jesus, and he was prideful in a can-do spirit, over-assuming in many ways. Jesus points out to Peter his danger and how Satan wanted to sift him like chaff. Satan was determined to destroy Peter. But we see where Jesus, in Luke's gospel, had already prayed for him that Peter's faith may not fail him. In Luke 22, verse 32. I have prayed especially for you, Peter, that your own faith may not fail. And when you yourself have turned again, strengthened and established your brethren. This was Peter's safeguard in a timely intercession of his Redeemer. The Lord Almighty would not let Satan snatch Peter out of his hands. He was God, and Satan was a beautiful created angel called Lucifer before he revolted against God along with a third of the other angels in heaven. This account shows us how lovingly watchful the Lord was and is for the souls of men and women he has created. Peter was permitted to fall under temptation when he committed the greatest crime of denying his Lord and Savior. But the wonderful ending to Peter's denial of his Lord is that he repented of his great crime and was accepted back again into the sheepfold by the loving look of the Lord Jesus Christ. That loving look caused Peter great deep inner sorrow and deep repentance. and Peter with his impetuous nature later became a rock as his name was changed and later was destined to become one of the greatest apostles who helped build the church of the living God. He became a strengthener of the brethren and he proved his love to God by his obedience and his humble selfless service to the kingdom of God. Like ourselves, as was in Peter's case, It is only when self-confidence has been eradicated or purged out by humiliating discoveries in our own personal weakness that we too will be in a position to assume the care and strengthening of God's people. Like Peter, just as he did not earn salvation or the Lord's protection, Jesus freely intervened to deliver him. And this is called the grace and favor of the Almighty, loving Creator. His great outstanding love will not depart from us if we remain in the will of God and continually follow Him by faith. Peter's love for his Savior was evidenced by his remaining obedience after his great fall. His impetuous nature was reined in for good and God's saving grace of mankind. Impetuous means making an arbitrary decision, especially in an impulsive and forceful manner. God's awesome, outstanding love and grace and mercies are absolutely sure for those who truly love him. Who could imagine that he would redeem the most hardened and ignorant minds, such as Apostle Paul and immature, impetuous Peter, to do great things for his kingdom? God's grace is poured out to his precious church. It causes us to be changed and receive a new divine nature so that we can become effective for his kingdom, as were our dear brothers Paul and Peter, and even Mary Magdalene, our sister in the Lord for that matter. Our new divine nature enables us to perform the works of righteousness just as they did. Just think about that. What love God is being demonstrated in our lives here on earth. God's nature dwelling in mere creatures of clay. We see several things here that are at work in the divine foundational truths. God imputes righteousness to us despite the fact that we do not have any good works of our own. Titus chapter 3 verse 5 declares, He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but because of his own pity and mercy, by the cleansing bath of the new birth, the regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out so richly upon us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 1 Corinthians 1.30 tells us that God remakes us unto good works. God will freely give us what we need each time an occasion arises. Have you ever been in a situation where you were being challenged in the word of God by someone or people who were prideful in their knowledge of scripture or by those who appear at your door and thought that they were the only ones who belonged to the one true church? I have. Amazing how the good Lord gave me the right scriptures and grace to stand and not be intimidated by their quick remembrances of scripture for the sake of argument. Amazing, too, that the precious Holy Spirit showed me their air, their pride, and the emptiness of their doctrine, and I could only have pity on them and pray for their souls after they left. I kindly told them that they have and are convinced of their belief system. No matter what I would say, they would find fault. I told them I did not care to debate the scripture with them. You see, proof texting God's word is not acceptable to make one's point and be right. It is deception at the utmost and very dangerous for one's eternal destination. destination. Proof texting is taking a scripture out of context to make it fit your argument or point. You see, we do not receive God's grace all at once. But when God brings us into a trial or situation, he gives us the necessary grace to face them and also to deal wisely with them. Did you know that God's grace is his everlasting love given to us? I am reminded of a wonderful testimony how love is a catalyst for love. The story goes, Walking through my field on a winter's morning, I came upon a little lamb that I thought was dead. As I picked it up, I found it barely alive. The cruel mother had almost starved it to death by not having anything to do with it. She rejected it. I put it inside my jacket and brought it to my house. And there, inside the home, I rubbed its poor little limbs and warmed it by the fire and fed it with warm milk. Soon the little lamb revived. At first it had fear of me, but afterwards it thoroughly grew to trust and love me as I fed it mostly with my own hands. So it followed me wherever I went, bleeding after me whenever it saw me, and it was always happy when I would frisk and play around with it but never was it so pleased as when I would carry it in my arms The author of writing this article goes on to say Jesus is our shepherd the shepherd of our souls and of him it is said he carries lambs in his arms, and he gently leads those that are young. And if you desire to know the love of Jesus, read it in the Bible, and there you will find such love and things as I hope will melt your eyes to tears and your hearts to love him. The Apostle Paul describes in one of his trials where the Almighty told him that his grace was sufficient enough to bring him through. In Romans chapter 8, verse 33, Paul deals with a situation where he was being falsely accused of not being a genuine believer. He says, Who shall bring any charge against God's elect, when it is God who justifies, that is, who puts us in right relation to himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, who acquits us? The Apostle tells us that the only one we should think highly of or value in this concern is that of our Heavenly Father. Paul tells us that it is God himself who justifies. Justification is the process by which sinful human beings are made acceptable to a holy God. God justifies sinners, not good people. Paul declares that it is God who justifies the ungodly. Paul declared in the book of Romans, chapter 1, verse 17, For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith, disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith. And as it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith. So three times this verse from Habakkuk 2.4 is quoted by Paul. The emphasis is on the word just. The righteousness of God excludes the righteousness of man because only God is righteous. Justification is God's declaration that the demands of his law have been fulfilled in the righteousness of his Son. This reconciliation of man covers all sin as stated in Hebrews 10.14. For by one offering, he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. So justification of a man then is based on the work of Jesus Christ and is accomplished through his blood and brought to his people through his resurrection. The reason that most sinners are not justified is because they will not admit they are sinners. They always have an excuse or blame someone else for their faults and troubles. Sinners are the only people Jesus came to this earth to save from their sin. What love of our Savior, dear listener. When Peter separated himself from the Gentiles, he was denying the truth of justification by faith because he was saying in effect, we Jews are different and better from the Gentiles. Yet, both Jews and Gentiles are sinners, and can be saved only by acknowledging their sin and by faith in Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 3, verses 21 through 24 declares, But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference. For all have sinned and fall short from the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. So we need to understand, God's people are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. And this tells us that God would not declare a person righteous and justify them without a foundation of righteousness that comes from him alone. This first act of justification, by way of God's grace as a free gift to an individual, was to one who had repented of his or her sin. And this is called dealing with one's own sin first and admitting they are a sinner. And if one does not deal with their own sinful life, they will never know the outstanding love of God and his grace and his power working in their lives. And therefore then they will never stand up under the trials that are sure to come their way. And they will blame and accuse others for their problems and troubles and see themselves as good in their own eyes. Apostle Paul said in Romans 8.35 that tribulation and trials from outside circumstances from inner anxieties and distress from persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and the sword but shall never separate us from the love of God in the same chapter in chapter 8 verse 38 Paul ends up with an awesome list of obstacles and where he encourages us by saying, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come,

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