The last verse that we had before us in the previous lesson was in the third chapter of Galatians, verses 13 and 14. Now whether that be the promise of the Spirit to the individual in his own individual experience, or the promise of the Spirit in its outpouring on the whole church, it is all the same. Nobody can have it without having the blessing of Abraham first. Whoever has not the blessing of Abraham cannot have the Holy Spirit. Because we read in Rom. 4, "He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised." What circumcision really is, you will find by turning to the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy and the 6th verse:
"And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest live." Now, put right with that Rom. 5:5. After telling that we are justified by faith and that "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God"; then he says, (verse 5): "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Now, unto us, the Holy Ghost sheds abroad in the heart the love of God; but he said here, I "will circumcise thine heart . . . to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all the soul." The only way that we can love the Lord with all the heart and with all the soul, is by the love of God implanted in the heart and in the soul, converting the person to God. And "love is the fulfilling of the law."
To "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," and "with all thy strength" is the first of all the commandments: "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Circumcision of the heart is that condition of the heart by which we will "love the Lord" our God, "with all the heart and with all the soul." Then you see that that which this circumcision in the flesh was to Abraham, was simply a sign, a token, that they could see in the time when God was teaching them by object lessons--a token which they could see, signifying that which they could not see. And therefore, that circumcision in the flesh being the sign, "a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had," before he was circumcised. It was simply the sign, outwardly, of the work of the Holy Spirit, which circumcised the heart. The Holy Spirit sheds abroad the love of God in the heart, but no man can receive the promise of the Spirit who has not the blessing of Abraham--the righteousness of God, which is by faith.
Then, the man who knows that he believes God can ask with perfect confidence for the Holy Spirit. Not the man who thinks that he believes God; a part of the time he does, a part of the time he does not; a part of the time he thinks he does; a part of the time he does not know whether he does or not. That is not believing God at all, but the Lord wants you and me to know that we believe God. He wants us to know that and to have that thing as firmly settled and fixed as that we live. Then, I say that the man who knows that he believes God can ask with perfect confidence for the Spirit of God, and receive it by faith, for "if ye ask, ye shall receive." He said so. But we must ask according to His will. But it is not according to His will to give the Holy Spirit to anybody who has not the blessing of Abraham, and just as with the individual, so with the church: When the people of God reach that place where they know that they believe God, they can ask with perfect confidence for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and wait in perfect confidence and faith that they shall receive it and they will. That is a fact.
Now let us study a little further tonight, how we may know that the blessing of Abraham is our own and how we may know that with perfect confidence we may ask the Lord to give us His Holy Spirit and then just simply wait His own good time and we receive it according to His own wish--we have not anxiety about whether we are going to receive it or not. We want to learn how all that anxiety as to whether we can receive the Holy Spirit or not--learn how that can be taken away from us and then we can present our petitions to the Lord in faith, expecting to receive it, expecting just that and expecting nothing else and simply waiting for Him to give it in His own good time, while we still ask and still seek Him that it may be so.
I tell you, brethren, when we get into that place it will not be difficult for us all to be "with one accord in one place." Now, at this meeting, when we reach that condition--that place where we know that we believe God and know that we may ask with perfect confidence for the Holy Spirit, it will be an easy thing for every one of us--and it will be so, too--to be with one accord in one place, every time there is a meeting. The fact of the matter is, each one will be afraid to be away, because if he should be away from any one of these meetings and the promise of the Holy Spirit be fulfilled, he would miss it. Every one will be here waiting and watching for the Lord to do what He says, just when He gets ready. Don't you see how that will bring all with accord into one place? It will do it.
Of course, if the work of the Lord should call us away from some meeting in the order of our work and the order of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit should be poured out while we were away, we would get it anyhow, wherever we were. But it will not be so with those who are away from the meeting from their own inclinations. I am afraid to be away from any of our meetings here. I am afraid to be away from these morning meetings. For I can't tell at what meeting the Spirit may be poured upon us. I cannot risk being absent.
Now let us take up the Scriptures and read just how the Lord has led us and will lead every one right through to that place tonight, if you will go. If you will start where I begin to read, the Lord will lead you and me right straight through. Let us not question how that can be. When the Lord speaks, that is the end of the whole story, no difference what He says; that is the end of it, and we say "Lord, that's so." Now, let us go together tonight and we will arrive at that place where every one of us can know that we believe God and that we have the blessing of Abraham and then we can ask God for His Spirit in perfect confidence and wait to receive it, as He gives it in His own good time.
Let us see what the Lord has done and how He works and how He brings us up to that place. Let us begin where He began. We will read first from Eph. 1:3-6. That takes us to the point where God began concerning us, and that will be as far back as we need to go. The third verse:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." What is it He "hath" done? [Congregation: "Blessed us."]. Is it so? [Congregation: "Yes."] Has done it? [Congregation: "Yes."] He has blessed us with how many blessings? [Congregation: "All spiritual blessings."] All the blessings He has? He has given us all? [Congregation: "Yes."] How? [Congregation: "In Christ."] In Christ. Then in giving Christ, what did God give? [Congregation: "All spiritual blessings."] All the spiritual blessings that He had.
Well, then, when you and I believe in Jesus Christ, are we not blessed? Have not we all the blessing that the Lord has? Then what is going to bother us? A person that is blessed like that, is he going to be anything else than happy? [Congregation: "No."] Can he have the blues? [Congregation: "No."] Can he get into the sulks because things don't go just right? [Congregation: "No."] They are going just right any way. However things go they can't take his blessings away. "All things work together for good to them that love God."
But the fourth verse is the one particularly that I want to read: "According as He hath chosen us." Will choose us? [Congregation: "Hath chosen us."] Has He? [Congregation: "Yes."] When did He do it? [Congregation: "'Before the foundation of the world.'"] Thank the Lord! "Before the foundation of the world" He chose you and me. [Congregation: "Praise the Lord!"] Now, will you say "amen" to that every time? [Congregation: "Amen!"] I do not mean just now. Will you say it all the time? [Congregation: "Yes."]
How long is that Scripture going to remain there? [Congregation: "Forever."] Then how long is it going to be true that "he hath chosen you before the foundation of the world?" [Congregation: "Always."] Then how long are you going to be bothered to know whether you are the Lord's or not? Hasn't He chosen you? Hasn't He chosen you? [Congregation: "Yes."] What did He do it for? Because He wanted us? Did He? [Congregation: "Yes."] He chose me because He wanted me and He shall have me. I am not going to rob Him and disappoint His choice. He has chosen us, hasn't He? [Congregation: "Yes."] "Before the foundation of the world." Now the rest of that verse: "That we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." His blessed purpose is, He wants us to "be holy and without blame before him in love." Then we can let Him have His own way, because it is our everlasting salvation to let Him do it.
Next verse: "Having predestinated"--appointed the destiny that He wants us to reach, long before hand. The destiny that God fixes for man is worth having. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." Why did He do it then? Not because we were so good, but because He is so good; not because we were so well pleasing to Him, but because of the good pleasure of His own will. It was just Himself to do it. That's why He did it.
Verse 6: "To the praise of the glory of His grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." Now what do you say to that? [Congregation: "Amen."] When did He do that? [Congregation: "Before the foundation of the world."] Precisely. "Before the foundation of the world." That answers all this idea about whether we can do anything in order to be justified or not. He did it all before we had any chance to do anything--long before we were born--long before the world was made. Don't you see that the Lord is the one that does things, in order that we may be saved and that we may have Him?
Now see what He has done: 1. "He hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings" in Christ. 2. "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world." 3. "He hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ." 4. And "He hath made us accepted in the beloved." Well, I am glad of it. I know that that is so. [Congregation: "Amen."] Don't you? [Congregation: "Yes."] For He says so. He says so. Here then are four things that we can be everlastingly sure of.
A word further about those blessings the Lord hath given us. We have all the blessings that God has, when we believe Jesus Christ. Then they are our own. We don't need to be so very particular about praying for blessings. Would we not do better, think ye, to spend our time in thanking Him for the blessings that we have, than in asking Him for blessings? How does that look? Which do you think looks the better, to thank the Lord for the blessings He has already given, or to ask Him to give us some, when He hasn't any more to give? Now which is the better? [Congregation: "To thank Him."]
He hath given us all the blessings He has in Christ. Christ says, "I am with you." Brethren, let us feed on the blessings. We have them, and they are our own.
Then we can be sure all the time that we have all spiritual blessings.
We can be sure all the time that He has chosen us. He says He has.
We can be sure all the time that He has predestinated us unto the adoption of children.
We can be sure all the time that He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
We can be sure of all these things, for God says so and it is so. Then isn't that a continual feast itself?
Now He has done all that and has done it freely. For how many people did He do this? [Congregation: "All."] Every soul? [Congregation: "Yes, sir."] Gave all the blessings He has to every soul in this world; He chose every soul in the world; He chose Him in Christ before the foundation of the world, predestinated him unto the adoption of children and made him accepted in the Beloved, did He not? [Congregation: "Yes."] Of course He did.
We will read other verses on that presently. The thought I am after just now is that no one can have these things and know they are his without his own consent. The Lord will not force any of these things upon a man, even though He has given them already, will He? [Congregation: "No."] This is a cooperation, you see. God pours out everything in one wondrous gift, but if a man will not have it, the Lord will not compel him to have a bit of it. Every man that will take it, it is all his own. There is where the cooperation comes in. The Lord has to have our cooperation in all things.
Now let us turn to Titus 2:14, speaking of the Lord it says, "who gave himself for us." That is the past tense too is it not? That is done. He did give Himself for how many people? [Congregation: "All."] How many people on the earth can read that text and "say that means me"? Every soul on the earth. Wherever we go, then, on this earth and find a man, we can read to him that "Christ gave himself for you," can we not? [Congregation: "Yes."] He gave himself for you, then. That is the price that Peter refers to in 1 Pet. 1:18-20: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers: but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world."
Now we want each individual to know where he stands. "He gave himself for me." That is stated in Gal. 2:20: "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." How many people in the world can read that and say that means me? [Congregation: "Every one."] "Loved me and gave himself for me. That was the price that was paid. Then He bought me, did He? [Congregation: "Yes."] He bought you? [Congregation: "Yes."]
Whether you or I let Him have us, that is not the question just now. What has He done? What did He do? [Congregation: "Paid the price."] Before the foundation of the world He bought me, did He not? And you? Then whose are we? [Congregation: "The Lord's."]
Well, then, is there any prospect of your getting into doubt as to whether you are the Lord's? How is a man who wants to be the Lord's and has confessed his sins--how is it possible for him to get into doubt as to whether he is the Lord's or not? It is only by going back on the word of God altogether and not believing it at all and saying the Lord has lied. Is not that the only way he can do it? "He that believeth not God has made him a liar." Then the only way a man can doubt as to whether he is the Lord's or not is by going back on the word of God and saying that the Lord lies. That is the only way he can do it. Because for a man to doubt is to do that; he may not do that in so many words, but when he gets into doubt as to whether he is the Lord's that is what he has done. He has allowed unbelief to overthrow him and Satan to get the advantage and sweep everything away. That is so.
But still though the Lord has bought us, He will not take what He has bought without our permission. There is a line which God has set as fixing the freedom of every man and He Himself will never go over that line a hair's breadth without our permission. He respects the freedom and dignity which he has given to intelligent creatures, whether man or angel. He respects it and He Himself will not transgress the limit. He will not go over the limits without the permission of that person. But when the permission is given, then He will come for all that He is. Then that opens the flood gates and the Lord flows in. That is so.
Well, then, He has bought you, has He? [Congregation: "Yes."] Do you want to be the Lord's [Congregation: "Yes."] Now, friends, let us make this a real practical, tangible thing. He has bought us, has He not? He has paid the price for us. We are His by His will. Now then, when our will is there, whose are we then? [Congregation: "The Lord's."] He has shown His will on that subject by paying the price, has He not? And when we make known our will on the subject by saying, "Lord, that is my choice, too; that is the way my will goes, too, then I want to know how in the universe anything is going to keep us from being His. Then can you know that you are the Lord's? [Congregation: "Yes, sir."] Can you, now? [Congregation: "Yes, sir."]
Well, suppose you get up in the morning with a headache and your digestion has not worked very well during the night and you feel rather bad all over and don't feel just right. How do you know you are the Lord's? [Congregation: "Because He says so."] But suppose you get up in the morning and feel bright and hilarious and feel pretty good generally. How do you know you are the Lord's? [Congregation: "Because He says so."] Sometimes people say when we ask them, "Have your sins been forgiven?" "Yes, I was convinced that they were for awhile." "What convinced you?" "I felt as though they were forgiven." They did not know anything about it. They did not, in that, have a particle of evidence that their sins were forgiven. Why, brethren, the only evidence that we can have that these things are so is that God says so. That is the evidence. Don't look to feelings. Feelings are as variable as the wind. You know that is so. Never pay a particle of attention to them. It is none of your business how you feel. When God says so, it is so, whether I feel so or not.
I will give that illustration again. I have given it before but it emphasizes this point, that feeling has nothing to do with facts. Twice two is four, is it not? You know that is so, but there are some people in the world who do not know that twice two is four. But suppose you should tell someone, and he should believe it, how do you think he would feel? Do you suppose he would feel as though he had been picked up and whirled in a sort of half somersault and set down in a new place? No. What in the world has feeling got to do with that? Then what does he care how he feels?
Now that is not saying that there will be no experience as the fruit of this, but it is saying that if you look for feelings as an evidence, you will never find the evidence, but if you look to the word of God for the evidence, then you will get the evidence which God gives in His word; that is, His own divine power in that word effectually working in the man who believes.
Well then, the Lord has bought us, has He not? Now as far as you and I are concerned, we need not have any more doubt as to whether we are the Lord's; that is so? [Congregation: "Yes."] But there are some people in the world who are not, really, in real experience and as a matter of fact so far as the consummation of the bargain is concerned; they have not submitted themselves to the Lord and are not practically His. He has made them His by purchase; now how can they know that they are His practically and indeed? By His word. By choosing for themselves to have it just that way. By choice. Page 44 in Steps to Christ gives the whole philosophy of it; it tells how to make the surrender of ourselves to God. It says that your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand, and the knowledge of your broken promise and forfeited pledges, weakens your confidence in your own sincerity. And finally:
"What you need to understand is the true force of the will. You cannot save yourself; you cannot change your heart, but you can choose to serve Him."
When the man chooses to put his will on the side where God's will is, then the thing is accomplished. Then it is at a man's choice that he practically, in his own experience, becomes the Lord's indeed. Then is it not by the man's own permission in choosing the Lord's way that the man becomes the Lord's in practical experience?
Then having done that, don't you see that so long as your choice is there, so long as your wish is there to be the Lord's don't you see that you are the Lord's indeed? Do you see that? Whenever we deliver ourselves up to Him, that is so. But some of you delivered yourself up long ago, but then, since that, you have been discouraged and wondering whether you were the Lord's or not.
We want people tonight to get that doubt and question forever out of the way so that whatever comes up, you will not be bothering about whether you are the Lord's. Just as certainly as your choice is there to be His, you are His, for He bought you long ago. That is the thing I am after. Is that what you are after? You are to take it if you ever get it. [Congregation: "Amen."] Then we can know that we are the Lord's.
But now we sometimes hear people talk as though that was going to sanction sin. No. It will not do that. No. It will save you from sinning. When a man gets into that place and his choice is there to be the Lord's, then God works in him both to will and to do of his own good pleasure, and he is a Christian. God will make him a Christian. That is the divine power there is in this thing. There is no sanction of sin about it. In fact, it is the only way to keep from sanctioning sin. Any other profession does sanction sin. Any other profession does do just what the Lord complains of--that men have made Him to serve with their sins. What does the Lord say? "You have made me to serve with your sin." Isa. 43:24. Let us stop it. Let our will and our choice be the Lord's every moment of our conscious days, and then it is a fact.
Let us turn and read that verse that says so. 1 Cor. 6:19 and the last words of the verse: "Ye are not your own." That is so, is it not? I don't care who the man is, is he his own? [Congregation: "No, sir."] The Lord has bought him and if he does not let the Lord have him, he is robbing the Lord of that which is the Lord's own. That is the mischief of it. Though he be not consciously and practically the Lord's, yet the Lord has bought every one and any man who refuses to let the Lord have him, he is robbing the Lord of that which he bought and for which he paid the price and he is counting the price which bought him as worth less than himself. Is not that the same satanic spirit that sought to put itself above God in heaven? The Lord gave Himself for us; then when I will not let Him have me, in that very thing I count myself worth more than the price that was paid--that is, worth more than the Lord, and that is the same self that puts itself above God all the time. Oh let this mind be in us that was in Christ, who emptied Himself that God and man might again be united in one.
"Ye are not your own," are you? [Congregation: "No."] Are you not glad of it? Are you not glad you are not your own? He says so, and it is so, is it not? Why is it? "For ye are bought with a price." He bought us, therefore, we are not our own, and before all people in the world who are not their own, is the man who has yielded himself to the Lord who has bought him. "Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's." Whose are they? [Congregation: "God's."] But I need not dwell longer on these verses, brethren. You do that, will you? You dwell on them.
Well now we have read the verses, "He gave himself for us." He bought us. How much of us? [Congregation: "All of us."] When was it that he did it? [Congregation: "Before the foundation of the world."] What kind of folks were we before the foundation of the world? What kind of folks were we when God bought us? We were just ourselves; just as we were in this world. And He bought us, sinners, just as we are? [Congregation: "Yes."] Now did He? Honestly now? We are coming to another thought here. Now did He pay that price and buy us just as we were? Sinners? [Congregation: "Yes."] Evil beings and willing to go into evil ways? Willing to do the evil thing? Making no profession of religion and not particularly wanting to? Did He buy us then? [Congregation: "Yes."] What did He buy just then? He bought us, and all there was of us. And as He bought what there was of us; He bought our sins. Isaiah describes it--wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; no soundness at all. Is that so?
Here is another text--Titus 3:3-7: "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saves us, by the washing to regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour: that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." He did it; He says so. Then do you know that that is so? [Congregation: "Yes."]
Well now let us carry that a little further. He gave Himself for our sins, but the same thought goes through all. He will not take our sins--although He bought them--without our permission. Look at it a little further, carrying the same thought forward. "He gave himself." for whose sins? [Congregation: "Ours."] Whose were they? [Congregation: "Ours."] He gave Himself for them. They being ours, to whom did He give Himself when He bought them? [Congregation: "To us."] He gave Himself to me, for my sins? [Congregation: "Yes."] Then the choice is forever with me as to whether I would rather have my sins than to have Him, isn't it? [Congregation: "Yes."] That is the living choice before me, is it? [Congregation: "Yes."] Is that the choice before you? [Congregation: "Yes."] Which would you rather have, your sins or Christ? [Congregation: "Christ."] Then from this time henceforth can there be any hesitation about letting anything go that God shows is sin? Will you let it go when it is pointed out? When sin is pointed out to you, say, "I would rather have Christ than that." And let it go [Congregation: "Amen."] Just tell the Lord, "Lord, I make the choice now. I make the trade. I make Thee my choice. It is gone, and I have something better." Thank the Lord! Then where in the world is the opportunity for any of us to get discouraged over our sins?
Now some of the brethren here have done that very thing. They came here free, but the Spirit of God brought up something they never saw before. The Spirit of God went deeper than it ever went before and revealed things they never saw before and then instead of thanking the Lord that that was so and letting the whole wicked business go and thanking the Lord they had ever so much more of Him than they ever had before, they began to get discouraged. They said, "Oh what am I going to do? My sins are so great." There they let Satan cast a cloud over them and throw them into discouragement and they get no good out of the meetings day after day.
Isn't that too bad? Isn't it too bad that a person whom the Lord has loved so much as to give Himself for Him at all, should act that way with the Lord when the Lord wants to reveal more of Himself? Brethren, if any of you have got into discouragement, let us quit. If the Lord has brought up sins to us that we never thought of before, that only shows that He is going down to the depths and He will reach the bottom at last and when He finds the last thing that is unclean or impure and that is out of harmony with His will and brings that up and shows that to us and we say, "I would rather have the Lord than that," then the work is complete and the seal of the living God can be fixed upon that character. [Congregation: "Amen."] Which would you rather have, a character--[Someone in the congregation began praising the Lord and others began to look around.] Never mind. If lots more of you would thank the Lord for what you have got, there would be more joy in this house tonight.
Which would you rather have, the completeness, the perfect fulness of Jesus Christ or have less than that with some of your sins covered up that you never know of? [Congregation: "His fulness."] But don't you see, the Testimonies have told us that if there be stains of sin there, we cannot have the seal of God. How in the world can that seal of God, which is the impress of His perfect character revealed in us, be put upon us when there are sins about us? He cannot put the seal, the impress of His perfect character, upon us until He sees it there. And so He has got to dig down to the deep places we never dreamed of, because we cannot understand our hearts. But the Lord knows the heart. He tries the conscience. He will cleanse the heart, and bring up the last vestige of wickedness. Let Him go on, brethren; let Him keep on His searching work. and when He does bring our sins before us, let the heart say, "Lord, thou gavest thyself for my sins. Oh, I take thee instead of them." They are gone, and I rejoice in the Lord. Brethren, let us be honest with the Lord, and treat Him as He wants us to.
Then He gave Himself to us for our sins. Then I say again and you see that it is simply with you and me a living choice, as to whether we will have the Lord or ourselves, the Lord's righteousness or our sins, the Lord's say or our say? Which will we have? [Congregation: "The Lord's way."] There is no difference in making the choice when we know what the Lord has done, and what He is to us. The choice is easy. Let the surrender be complete. And when these sins come up--why, they were surrendered long ago. That is all they are brought up for, that we can make the choice. This is the blessed work of sanctification. And we can know that that work of sanctification is going on in us. If the Lord should take away our sins without our knowing it, what good would it do us? That would simply be making machines of us. He does not propose to do that; consequently, He wants you and me to know when our sins go, that we may know when His righteousness comes. It is when we yield ourselves that we have Him.
It is true that the Scriptures say we are instruments of God, and don't you forget that we are always intelligent instruments--not like the instrument, a pick or a shovel, that a man would use. That is utterly senseless. That is not it, but we are intelligent instruments. We will be used by the Lord at our own living choice. Our own living choice upon His side, choosing that He will do that with us and then it is done, because His almighty power carries on the work.
Then He gave Himself for our sins, and now He comes and says, there is sin. What then? "Lord, it is sin." That is confession. The root idea of confession is to speak the same thing. The root idea of the Greek word translated confession is to speak the same thing. That is confession. The Lord said to David, "You have sinned and done this evil." David said, "I have sinned." That is confession. The Bible says, "If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." What does God show them for anyway? The only thing that He shows men their sins for, is that He may take them away. When He shows me sins, I say, "Lord, they are sins." And what then? They are forgiven. They are gone.
Now you folks have confessed your sins since you have been here, haven't you? All that the Lord has shown you, have you? [Congregation: "Yes, sir."] Everyone who has done that, his sins are forgiven. The Lord has said so. What do you say? [Congregation: "Amen."] But Satan says, "It is not so." He is a liar. But some folks here have been saying that Satan tells the truth upon that point. People in this house have been telling Satan that he told the truth upon that very point. Satan says, "They are not forgiven," and they say, "No, they are not." Let us quit that. We confess our sins that they may be forgiven, and the Lord says they are forgiven, and when they are forgiven why then in the Lord's name, let us say so.
"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had." The Lord says, "Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." What do you say? [Congregation: "It is so."] How do you know? [Congregation: "The Lord says so."] Very good. Then you know that is so, do you?
Micah 7:19: "He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Then where are they? [Congregation: "In the depths of the sea."] How do you know? [Congregation: "He says so."] Then you know that, don't you? Then how in the world is anybody going to bother you about getting your sins back to you?
Ps. 103:12: "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." How far are they away from you now, you who have confessed them? How far are they away? [Voice: "As far as the east is from the west."] Why don't you say so then? Satan comes and says, "They are not forgiven; every sin is right there before your face; don't you see them?" Are they? [Congregation: "No."] Says one, "I have seen them there." It is nothing of the kind. Satan is a magician and can make things appear so that are not so. But you look at them and say, "Yes, that is so." It is not so. The Lord says they are as far from us as the east is from the west. They are in the depths of the sea, and they are as white as snow. Thank the Lord.
Isa. 38:17, and that verse is the last one we need tonight. "Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back." How many? [Congregation: "All."] Behind his back. Where are they, then? [Congregation: "Behind his back."] We are before his face and the sins are behind his back; who is between us and them? [Congregation: "God."] And He is upon His throne, isn't He? Then when I have confessed my sins to the Lord, He and His living eternal throne stand between me and those sins, and Satan and everybody else in this universe cannot bring them back; for he has got to get the Lord and His throne out of the way before they can get those sins back to me again. And I am going to be glad of it.
Can we know these things? Can we know that we know them? How can we know that we know them? The Lord says so. When He says so, and we believe it, that is faith. Satan says, "They are not." We say, "I know they are." Satan says, "No, there they are." We say, they are not there. They are in the depths of the sea. [Voice: "Praise the Lord."]
When the man stands there, there is something that God can put His seal on. When the Lord says, "Thy sins are forgiven," that he has "cast them behind His back" and the man will not believe it, is there anything there that God can put His seal on? No.
[Someone asked that Isaiah 43:25 be read, which Elder Jones did.] "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins."
There are many other texts like that which we might notice. One is found in Heb. 8:15: "Their sins will I remember no more," and another in Ezekiel 33:16: "None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him." Here the Lord says, He will not remember our sins. the Lord will never mention them. It is Satan's work to do that. Brethren, let us believe the Lord.
When we believe that, then God will give you and me the circumcision of the heart, the seal of the righteousness of the faith that we have and He can do it, because there is something there that He can put His seal upon. And when a man does that as an individual, he receives the seal of righteousness. And when we as a whole body, as a church, believe that, we can ask with perfect confidence for the outpouring of His Holy Spirit and wait patiently and confidently, knowing that it will surely come in His own good time.