SABAOTH WINTER 2021                                                   FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER – The Eternal Purpose

The Sacrifices of God Are A Broken spirit: A Broken And A Contrite Heart

 

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Circumcision of a Regenerated Heart

In the series The Sacrifices of God Are A Broken spirit: A Broken And A Contrite Heart, we have looked at Conviction – Empowerment To See The Spirituality of God’s Law. Where we saw that Spiritual truth cannot provide Spiritual liveliness to a mind that is dead to righteousness; as such the mind is unable to capture the essence of the truth and similarly, Spiritual truth cannot make an unregenerate will to believe.

We have also looked at Faith – Empowerment To Persuade The Mind That God’s Law And Power Is True And Real. We saw that saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God: That it is faith that propels one to take the next step past simply having knowledge of Christ and believing in the facts presented. We then examined Repentance – Empowerment for a yielded will to turn away from sin to God. Where we saw that Repentance is an act by which we realise we have offended an Holy and righteous God; this act is characterised by a deliberate turn away from the sinful act(s) in question, begging for God’s forgiveness and turning to him and his ways, We also looked at The Eternal Value of A Sound Conscience where we saw that Our conscience is like a moral nerve for our soul. That it is possible for man to sear his/her conscience and be rendered capable of doing the most terrible things without being aware of the fact that they are doing it any longer. THE CONSIENCE IS SEARED; and this can go on until THERE IS NO MORE HUMAN FEELING.   The last topic we looked at was Confession – Its Power to Remove The Sting of Sin. Where we saw the importance of having a grasp of the following facts:

1. Every sin is essentially unforgivable if it is not confessed
2. NOT confessing is to LIE to God.
3. Lying to God is an intentional and High Handed sin, for which there is no atonement.
4. By confessing you are no longer lying to God but instead agreeing with Him that you have trespassed. Then the sin can be atoned for.
5. The condition of the heart is a priority when it comes to imputing the work of the cross to a believer.
6. An unrepentant man who offers a sacrifice is NOT forgiven.
7. The Cross is not a forgiveness vending machine. It is only efficacious for the one who confesses and repents.

We will now have a look at Circumcision of A Regenerated Heart:

When the sun had gone down and a [deep] darkness had come, there appeared a smoking brazier and a flaming torch which passed between the [divided] pieces [of the animals].  (Genesis 15:17 Amp)

Comparable to the oath to which God had submitted himself; CIRCUMCISION in the old testament; is an act of oat of Abraham’s covenanted commitment to the Lord that: the Lord alone would be his God, whom he would trust and serve.

“This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you”.(Genesis 17:10-11)

There was a permanency about this physical male circumcision that would serve as a constant reminder of the covenantal promises of God. God’s will through Abraham’s lineage was that the creator of life will be revealed to the world that he may permanently destroy the destroyer of life which is sin. Physically, someone who is not circumcised is one who has a covering around that part of his anatomy that creates live; in the uncircumcised, the source of life is covered up or hidden, with circumcision, that part is revealed.

And the male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”  (Genesis 17:14 Amp.)

Circumcision was God’s appointed “sign of the covenant” which signified Abraham’s covenanted commitment to the Lord that:

the Lord alone would be his God, whom he would trust and serve.

In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:11-12)

Just as the Jewish circumcision is primarily a covenant with God but also aimed at dealing with the hygiene problem of dirt on the foreskin; spiritual circumcision is primarily about how the work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary deals with the inordinate activities of the soul which necessitates the need to divide between the spirit and the soul. John Calvin comments:

“Christ accomplishes in us spiritual circumcision, not through means of that ancient sign, which was in force under Moses, but by baptism. Baptism, therefore, is a sign of the thing that is presented to us, which while absent was prefigured by circumcision.”

When a holy law is applied (just like a searchlight) to sinful man, then his sinfulness comes out in full display.

We are all sinners by nature. If God asks nothing of us, all seems to go well, but as soon as He demands something of us the occasion is provided for a grand display of our sinfulness

When the Law is applied: our weaknesses manifest

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. (Romans 3:19-22)

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23).

It is for this reason that the inordinate activities of the soul of a believer should be checked. And this is done by the Word of God. In this end-time period we are in, a believer is expected to strictly follow in the steps of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by laying down the lower form of life that man develops through his own fleshly activities (Psuche); So as to be able to live by the Spirit and share with God in His eternal life (Zoe).

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

If we care only of the law in commandments, trying to fulfil it and apply it in our living, the law of God becomes words of death to us because by ourselves we CANNOT fulfil the law of God! But we can decide what the law of God is to us if we take every part of it and every word of it as the breath of God, the word breathed out by the God whom we love and enjoy, the law is life-giving to us just as the Holy Spirit is. We can either be fed by reading the law of God (In an ‘organic’ way) or we can be trembling before its requirements.

Being able to discern good and bad; right and wrong; life and death in situations of life comes from the regular time we spend in enjoying the Word of God, praying and singing God’s word, even memorizing it.

Just as in physical circumcision and as Jesus was “cut off” from the land of the living, the skin of the orange has to be peeled off, the body cut through, before you can get to the seed in which resides the “source of life’ of the orange. We have to apply the Word of God to our life

“piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit”

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit (pneuma) and soul (psyche) and body (soma) be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

There is physical un-circumcision which can be inconsequential; but the un-circumcision of the heart will surely incur the wrath of God.

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart. (Jeremiah 9:25-26)

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans 8:13).

 

Prayers:

 AND WE CONTINUALLY PRAY:

1. Heavenly Father, that You will Keep us in Your Word daily, that we may be daily saved, nourished, and enlivened by Your Word.
2. Heavenly Father, that You quicken us to rejoice evermore; Pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks: for this is Your will in Christ Jesus concerning us.
3. May give us the grace to have a prayerful attitude as we come to Your Word, receiving the Word into us by means of all prayer, thanksgiving, petition, singing, and psalming.
4. O Lord, and bind each and everyone of us to the work of the cross of Calvary where the power, the authority, the love, the forgiveness, the mercy and the grace would flow into our lives.
5. Heavenly Father, that You quicken us with Your presence like never before; that we may continually be empowered to actively seek the purification our motives and conscience.
6. Heavenly Father, that You will circumcise our hearts, that we may be able to enter the covenant of being Your people, who are fully joined to You and fully submissive to You.
7. Heavenly Father, that You will work in us to replace our heart of stone that is cold and unyielding with a heart of flesh that is alive and responsive to You.
8. O Lord that as being indwelled by You is the great joy of salvation; You would grant us this honour; put Your Spirit within us O Lord and choose to take residence in us.
9. Heavenly Father, and we bind the inner man of each and every one of us to a loving relationship with the Holy Spirit. Give us the grace to know that, ‘to seek you through knowledge about you without seeking a relationship with the Holy Spirit ends up in confusion and unbalance in our perception of You.
10. Heavenly Father, that You teach us to accurately, righteously fear You.
11. Heavenly Father, that You will give us the grace wisdom and power to recognise that the object and purpose of your instruction and charges to us is Love, which springs from a pure heart and a good and clear conscience and sincere, unfeigned faith.
12. Heavenly Father, and bind each and everyone of us to the work of the cross of Calvary where the power, the authority, the love, the forgiveness, the mercy and the grace would flow into our lives.

 

 

 

                                         SABAOTH WINTER 2021                                                             FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER – The Eternal Purpose

The Sacrifices of God Are A Broken spirit: A Broken And A Contrite Heart

 

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Confession – Its Power To Remove The Sting of Sin

I remember some years back when I used to go with Pa Olagunju for weekly ministration to people at the detention centre just outside of London, and during the week prior to one of the Saturdays, he told me that I will be sharing the message at the centre, so I asked him what topic he wanted me to share on, and he replied asking – “am I the Holy Spirit”? So I decided to go and ask the Holy Spirit, what I am supposed to share? I then had a witness in my heart to “pray for the conviction of your own sin”.

So, there I was thinking, am I supposed to go and share my own sins with the people? Then I had known who the boss was (to some extent), so I started praying – “Holy Spirit convict me of my sins”. Just imagine what a ‘lovely’ (I mean terrible) time I had from that Tuesday until we were actually on the journey to the detention centre; then I felt a refreshing from the Holy Spirit and a witness to my heart to “just present the Gospel” simply as just around the 4 spiritual laws.

We got there prepared the room, and the people started coming in and after a worship session Baba said go on and do your thing, so I went on and just simply presented the gospel, As I finished the Holy Spirit started to do his work of conviction of sin and what followed was confession and I actually had to tell a guy to mind what he was saying, remembering that he was in a detention facility; WHAT GOD ONLY WANTED FROM HIM WAS THE GODLY SORROW THAT LEADS TO REPENTANCE; And I am sure the confession he was trying to make released the DELIVERANCE he sought.

In the series The Sacrifices of God Are A Broken spirit: A Broken And A Contrite Heart, we have looked at Conviction – Empowerment To See The Spirituality of God’s Law. Where we saw that Spiritual truth cannot provide Spiritual liveliness to a mind that is dead to righteousness; as such the mind is unable to capture the essence of the truth and similarly, Spiritual truth cannot make an unregenerate will to believe.

We have also looked at Faith – Empowerment To Persuade The Mind That God’s Law And Power Is True And Real. We saw that saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God: That it is faith that propels one to take the next step past simply having knowledge of Christ and believing in the facts presented. We then examined Repentance – Empowerment for a yielded will to turn away from sin to God. Where we saw that Repentance is an act by which we realise we have offended an Holy and righteous God; this act is characterised by a deliberate turn away from the sinful act(s) in question, begging for God’s forgiveness and turning to him and his ways, The last topic we looked at was The Eternal Value of A Sound Conscience where we saw that Our conscience is like a moral nerve for our soul. That it is possible for man to sear his/her conscience and be rendered capable of doing the most terrible things without being aware of the fact that they are doing it any longer. THE CONSIENCE IS SEARED; and this can go on until THERE IS NO MORE HUMAN FEELING.

We will now have a look at Confession – Its Power To Remove The Sting of Sin in:

Conviction – Empowerment To See The Spirituality of God’s Law.

Faith – Empowerment To Persuade The Mind That God’s Law And Power Is True And Real.

Repentance – Empowerment for a yielded will to turn away from sin to God.

The Eternal Value of A Sound Conscience

Confession – Its Power to Remove The Sting of Sin

Circumcision of The Regenerated Heart.

Dead To Sin – Empowerment to overcome indwelling sin

Alive to Christ, Jesus – Empowerment to live a righteous and Godly life.

The Consecration, Quickening (or Awakening), Faith and Repentance Needed For Revival

God’s Way of Restoration & The Cleansing That Leads To Joy.

 

Confession – Its Power To Remove The Sting of Sin

Dictionary Definition of confession:

1: To tell or make known (something, such as something wrong or damaging to oneself) ADMIT E.g. he confessed his guilt

2a: to acknowledge (sin) to God or to ANOTHER BELIEVER

b: to receive the confession of (a penitent)

3: to declare faith in or adherence to : PROFESS

4: to disclose one’s faults specifically : to unburden one’s sins or the state of one’s conscience to God or to ANOTHER BELIEVER

5: ADMIT, OWN confess to a crime

 

The POWER OF COFESSION TO REMOVE THE STING OF SIN

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

First things first, It is important to have a grasp of the following facts:

1. Every sin is essentially unforgivable if it is not confessed
2. NOT confessing is to LIE to God.
3. Lying to God is an intentional and High Handed sin, for which there is no atonement.
4. By confessing you are no longer lying to God but instead agreeing with Him that you have trespassed. Then the sin can be atoned for.
5. The condition of the heart is a priority when it comes to imputing the work of the cross to a believer.
6. An unrepentant man who offers a sacrifice is NOT forgiven.
7. The Cross is not a forgiveness vending machine. It is only efficacious for the one who confesses and repents.

“When you read God’s Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, ‘It is talking to me, and about me.’  – Søren Kierkegaard

You must learn to follow our Savior for yourself, but never follow Him by yourself. – Henri Nouwen

“Who helps me most?” I must answer, “The one who is willing to share his or her life with me.”  -Henri Nouwen

Precautions

Sin committed between you and the Lord alone (transgression) is confessed between you and the Lord alone.

I confess my sin before the Lord, it brings forgiveness

I confess it to another believer, it activates deliverance from that sin

If you have sinned against somebody else, you have to confess it to that person, ask his/her forgiveness and confess it to the Lord as well.

Sin committed against a group should be confessed before the group and also before the Lord.

Confession should be made carefully so that further injustice is not done. For instance, it is foolish to confess bad thoughts about someone to that person. That way you will do more damage than good. The purpose of confession is to bring forth healing and not further separation. If someone knows that you have gossiped about him, confess it. If he does not know about it, do not tell him about it because it only causes harm. If the Lord leads you, pray with another trustworthy believer about the matter.

O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine prising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Psalm 139:1-14)

I confess it to another believer, it brings forth deliverance from that sin.

Caution!!!

Be mindful of who you confess your sin to

 

God will surely forgive and “that’s it”

But

Man can always come back to use it against you

 

Restitution

Sin can cause physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual damage to a believer that is difficult to rectify. Restitution should be made where he/she have done someone harm, for instance by stealing from someone, or hostility between the believer and someone else. In other words the believer must set the record straight, return the stolen goods, confess his/her share in the matter. If the believer cannot fix the problems caused by their actions, he/she should sincerely ask forgiveness of those that have been wronged and try to find another way to show a change of heart.

Definition of restitution

1 : an act of restoring or a condition of being restored: such as

a : a restoration of something to its rightful owner

b : a making good of or giving an equivalent for some injury

2 : a legal action serving to cause restoration of a previous state

3. the restoration of something lost or stolen to its proper owner.

“the ANC had demanded the restitution of land seized from blacks”

4. recompense for injury or loss. “he was ordered to pay £6,000 in restitution”

Restitution Cannot Replace Repentance

The Heart Of The Matter Is Essentially The Matter Of The Heart.

WHEN RESTITUTION SHOULD BE MADE (Leviticus 6:1-7)

IF

All crimes or offences involving oppression, theft, and fraud are direct breaches of faith against God. Not all sins are crimes, nor are all crimes sins as such.

 If anyone sins and commits a trespass against the Lord and deals falsely with his neighbour in a matter of deposit given him to keep, or of bargain or pledge, or of robbery, or has oppressed his neighbour. Or has found what was lost and lied about it, or swears falsely, in any of all the things which men do and sin in so doing, (Leviticus 6:2-3)

A repentant heart alone, of course, is no excuse to withhold repayment; however, neither should financial recompense ever replace what must be a matter of the heart

Then if he has sinned and is guilty, he shall restore what he took by robbery, or what he secured by oppression or extortion, or what was delivered him to keep in trust, or the lost thing which he found (Leviticus 6:4)

While faith is our receiving of the grace “offered us in Christ.”: Repentance is availing ourselves of this grace and utilizing the power of it to turn to God.

 

Prayers:

 AND WE CONTINUALLY PRAY:

1. Holy Spirit, in times of evil guilt from an evil conscience that seeks to block our access to God, imprint in the inner recesses of our being that the Blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ wholly satisfies God.
2. O Lord, that as we are convicted of our own sins; the Holy Spirit of conviction and Holy Spirit inspired repentance will flow through us to others in our surroundings and beyond.
3. Heavenly Father, that You quicken us with Your presence like never before that we may continually be filled with renewed vigour and courage.
4. Heavenly Father, that You quicken us with Your presence like never before that we may continually be empowered to actively seek the purification our motives and conscience.
5. Any power of death operating in through, and against any aspect of our being; collide with the covenant of the Blood of The Eternal Covenant
6. Heavenly Father, that You quicken us with Your presence like never before that we may continually be filled with grace to confess our sins even to other believers if the need arises.
7. Heavenly Father, that You quicken us with Your presence like never before that we may continually be empowered to actively seek the marvellous truth taught in Your Word, that there is a way out of our guilt, a way out of our alienation, that we no longer need to be far off from you.
8. Heavenly Father, that You teach us to accurately, righteously fear You.
9. Heavenly Father, that You will help us to be honest about our guilt, and not try to avoid it but to know that there is no way out unless we acknowledge it.