Seventh Sunday of Easter: Psalm 51:1⁠–⁠12

Matthew 21:1-11 (KJV) And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, [2] Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. [3] And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. [4] All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, [5] Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. [6] And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, [7] And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. [8] And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. [9] And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. [10] And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? [11] And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

We're in this Lenten season, and we know in part. We grow in our workable doctrine and are, by the grace of God, open to God giving us more and more until that day. It's easy to say part of the day, "Hosanna to God in the Highest," and then something happens. We don't like him turning over the tables. He's messing with us.

Success today is the culture. The church is not to be imitating, ape-ing the culture. We are out of the religion business. Christianity is the end of religion, that kind of religion that is based on what you do and not on what he has done.

Jesus, further on, cursed a fig tree that had not fruit on it. He was speaking of unbelief that can happen to a church, any church. God is interested in fruit, but that fruit is of the HG.

We receive the elements, but not the elements only. We receive the word spoken - Christ.

Once again, let a man examine his neighbor's heart? No, let a men examine himself to see if he is in the faith. On the night he was betrayed, knowing full well that everyone would deny him, he said, "Take. Eat. This is my body." "Drink. This is my blood." It wasn't long after they partook that they denied him. But he was not taken by surprise.

Luke 1:46 (KJV) And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

What was your life about this last week? What was your talk about? Who was your life about? What did you spend your life on, this last week?

The hungry and thirsty will come. They will live off of the word, not by bread alone. They will live by every word that proceeds from God's mouth.

How many of you magnified your problems and other people's sins last week? You don't think I'd judge you, do you? You don't think you'd judge me, do you? It is very important to identify with who you are. That is one of the big issues in all of Scripture. How privileged we are to begin to glimpse the scripture through the eyes of the old creation, law, which is needful, but also Gospel. We see these things both ways. The law: Who or what did you magnify last week? Some people like to magnify their sins - think about them. They certainly don't want delivered from them.

A lot of people, Like Jesus said, hear but hear not, see but see not. Their ears are waxed gross. They hear what they want to hear.

Luke 1:46-49 (KJV) And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, [47] And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. [48] For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. [49] For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

What is a low estate? Total depravity in ourselves, in our flesh. Agreement with God that in me, that is in my flesh dwells nothing good.

Luke 1:49 (KJV) For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

What great things have you been boasting about that God has done for you? What great things has God done that you are magnifying? Can you see your poverty when you ear the law, the law of God? I hope so. That is supposed to bring you to a Savior, not to a teacher, to the one who has done the great thing of saving you from your sins, this day. The Pharisee in us has no sins, for it is everyone else's fault.

Your parents had parents. How many of you know your grandparents had grandparents, etc. How many can trace your lineage back to Adam and Eve and that you were there in them? Who is left to blame?

The enemy comes in subtle ways. There's not a man on earth his equal. Were not the right man on our side, our striving would be losing.

Luke 1:49-50 (KJV) For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. [50] And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

Were you fearing God this last week? To fear God is to hate evil, the evil that lurks within the heart of every man, the one that Jesus said was filled with adulteries, fornications, murders, blasphemies, etc. He wasn't saying anything new. He knew what was in man. What man? All doesn't include you, does it?

Unless your pastor is making you a murderer, adulterer, and thief every Sunday, he's not doing his job, Todd Wilkin said.

Let me tell you why, this woman, our mother, the church magnifies the Lord? Because she has been brought to humility. She has had some things in her heart to be forgiven for. If you have nothing to be forgiven for, or just a little, what have you received from God? Are you going to hold onto it and harden your heart? Go for it! Go ahead and keep your case, even your case against God.

Isaiah 58:3 (KJV) Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

All your works are an outward show, and a way to keep me out. But I refuse to relate to anyone in this world except as the giver of the gift. If you don't need a gift every day, every hour, every minute, you're not correctly related to God. You can resist the grace of God (1 Peter), simply by trying to justify yourself. Usually one of the great ways of justifying yourself is to find wrong in others.

God moves in paradoxes. He does not have to fit into my reasoning. No one can understand the Bible save the HG. He is the interpreter of Scripture, and he does not use my logic to interpret it. He uses scripture to interpret scripture.

We did this and all I see in my life is.....

Psalm 51 - where you could live every day. How did David come to this conclusion?

Psalm 51:1 (KJV) To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

This is immediately following Bathsheba, the adultery, and the murder of her husband. The anger you have against your brother is murder. If you want to write Jesus' words off, then write them off.

Psalm 51:2-4 (KJV) Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. [3] For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. [4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

You can't do any evil that is outside of his sight. The irony is that he forgives you in the midst of your evil. In the midst of your transgression the blood of Christ is there. "Well, then, I'll just persist in my sin." Go ahead.

Psalm 51:4 (KJV) Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

When God judges us, is his Word, his law clear? Or, does he have some gray areas and is really not just in his judgment?

Psalm 51:5-6 (KJV) Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. [6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Outward shows, he's not interested in, though we should produce outward works and fruit, but not for righteousness. Luther says that if you do not produce fruit or works, you're not even a Christian.

People have a big misunderstanding about Luther. He is into works. But they are the works of the HS through a man, and he certainly says fruit is a necessity and it shows that you are a Christians. The fruit of the HS is love of God first, peace and joy to start, kindness, mercy, and longsuffering. How long are you suffering with the people you love? If you love people you will suffer. It is God's instrument.

Psalm 51:7-10 (KJV) Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. [8] Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. [9] Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. [10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

David realized he couldn't do it. I would encourage you to include that line of scripture in your daily Lord's Prayer.

Psalm 51:11-12 (KJV) Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. [12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Restore unto me, what Hannah had, the joy of my salvation.

The book of Revelation is for the church today, all 7 churches. Each of these churches is a type of churches. There were thousands of churches, just as there are today.

Ephesus was a powerful city. It is where Paul and Barnabus preached. They had a temple there to the Goddess Diana. Alexander the silversmith stirred up the people. They were making money on the little idols they were producing. They went out of business, and Christianity triumphed in that city. They overcame the temple to Caesar, etc. What's happening in the world today isn't new.

We're not to be entangled in the affairs of this world. You're supposed to pray for your leaders, all of them. Even President Obama. We teach our children not to call our president Obama, or President Bush, Bush. They are to honor all men.

Rev. 2:1-4 (KJV) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; [2] I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: [3] And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. [4] Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Have you left your first love? Remember the day of your espousal, when God called you out of darkness? The Scripture says you were darkness

DARKNESS [2822 Strongs] misery, destruction, death, (ignorance), sorrow wickedness

What's being magnified in your home? Ask the teachers? Don't hold a gun to their head when you ask them. I don't think anyone will ask them.

David, himself, how did he get so humble? How did he get into the low estate of crying out to God? He had a prophet come to him and say, "Guess what, David. You are the man." If you don't have that prophetic word coming to you daily, you will not be the man, or of a humble spirit. Your high estate will be pride. You will think, "No one saw me, including myself." You're an honest man in front of people, but integrity is what you do when no one is watching, no one can see, except the Lord. As you preach this world, the Word of Christ, you will be hated - it is a promise - of all men. What they hate is what you think you believe. They have no concept of what you believe, because we subscribe to a language game every Sunday, and for some of you every morning. God, by his Spirit, can draw you into that language, and you will hear, and your heart will be drawn to God.

He has always been Lord of your life; before you were born he was Lord of your life. He will always be Lord of all. But can he be your savior today? No, not if you don't have anything to be saved from. David was brought low, brought down. He said, "Restore to me the thing I fell from, the joy of my salvation, my first love." Some of you children haven't had that experience, you've been so good. Ask your parents what these stones mean. We were slaves of Pharaoh, or, salves of sin. Which would you prefer?

Is the scripture or the church just something you use to keep your children in line? That's all over. Its religion and it won't take.

How about you? Do you remember the joy of your salvation? What made you that bad? What brought you God's love? His mercy.

Dr. Hein brought Capon's book with him. I don't agree with all Capon's doctrine. He's had some experiences in his life. But, he does not understand the value, yet, of what law and gospel is. You can judge it. It is just my opinion. People will co-opt what they want and use it. That is the nature of the Beast, our flesh.

(From Capon’s Book, Pages 253-257)

If all we have to do to be saved is to drop dead, why bother trying to live...why not just go out and sin all we like. What role....free of nothing. You're beginning...legitimate subject of living.

He majors in the goodness of death. He's talking about death here. He's talking about the continuously existing subject that is always striving. Who were you thinking about last week? Who was turned inward again last week, and already again this morning? That has to be drowned in baptism, or baptismal speech, which is the language we subscribe to.

Have I left none because the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ...Christianity is the announcement of the end of religion?

Church is an announcement, a proclamation, to tell everybody the good news is our purpose. Why not become antinomians? There is no good news if you haven't been forgiven something. When you pray daily, "Forgive me my trespasses as I forgive the trespasses of others," how do you forgive others? Do you want to be forgiven with a teaspoon? David was over a year in an affair with Bathsheba. When you look to Jesus and His Word, he makes us all sinners. No one will stand in their own righteousness. If you're still fighting that, you're resisting the grace of God, seeking to establish a righteousness of your own, seeking to justify yourself by comparing yourself to someone else. You'll be a looker, or watcher for evil the rest of your life and you will be cut off.

religion...the human race has ever thought it had to do to get right with God.

What do you have to do to get right with God? The only way he wants to relate to us is as the giver of the gift. The gift is Salvation, which includes forgiveness and many other great things. We're here to announce, to herald this gospel. The blood of bulls and goats, the things you do for righteousness, could never take away sins. He has married us to the fulfillment of the law, he has married us. Jesus Christ is our husband who takes all of our sins, even though we want to hold them so tight. What would you do if he took all of your sins today, every one of them, and wouldn't give them back? You'd magnify the Lord, with me. Let us exalt his name together. Let us exalt his name. It takes me about 12 seconds to find out what somebody wants to talk about. There are only two subjects: You and Jesus. Who is the continuously existing subject? The one who must end in order to begin. Aren't you glad he's the end?

Every religion has tried and failed to do...perfectly don. Jesus, in his death and resurrection has done it all. The entire religious shop has been boarded up, forgotten.....in spite of the ecclesiastical....still a business. The church, instead, is in the gospel proclaiming business... while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. My favorite scripture.

Christ died for sinners. Did you qualify today?

It is here, in short...only to announce the gospel of free grace. There is a problem. The righteous can't hear.

The Pharisee in us cannot hear. Thank you God that I am not like other men. I pray, I go to the temple, -pray, love old ladies, feed my dog Purina Dog food and I don't beat my wife. Thank you, Lord, I'm not as other men. I fast. But you don't notice it, though.

Suffering brings us to humility. To tell someone that suffering is the only way you can come to know god, they'd think you're crazy. "What do I need with God? I am God. I don't suffer. Who me, suffer?" We live in a cursed world. The ground is cursed for your good. God knows what you need. Adam, are you here today?

In short, for no religious purposes of all, we announce the gospel of free grace. Now your other ghosts can be laid to rest just as quickly....if that is the case, why not go out and sinning all you like is the same as the reason for not going out and putting your nose in a slicing machine.

Well, I’ll sin if I want. I'll jump off a building. I don't believe in the law of gravity.

If you so to the flesh, particularly religious flesh, you will reap what you sow.

If that is the case, why not go out and sinning all you like is the same as the reason for not going out and putting your nose in a slicing machine. It's dumb. It’s stupid. And most of all, it's no fun. Goodness and realities, can be pleasant...betrayal, jealousy....you can do a thing at night, in the darkness of your night, but you can betray.....jealous, but in the gray dawn of the morning after, this is nobody's idea of a good time.

Thoughts have consequences. Your thoughts have consequences. That may not help you. Even if you agree and say, "Amen," and you keep on keeping your thoughts.

Psalm 51 - create in me something Lord, that I cannot create, added to the Lord’s Prayer.

Romans 7:15-16 (KJV) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. [16] If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

The fear of God is to hate evil. This is a man who loves God because he hates evil. I shouldn't think evil of my brothers and sisters, I shouldn't act sneaky, I shouldn't lie, etc.

Put away - the great indicative.

But I find in myself another law.

Romans 7:15-16 (KJV) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. [16] If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

Before the law came, you didn't know what was killing you, destroying your relationships, and causing problems with the people you love.

Sin can be fun for a time...it's nobody's idea of a good time. On the other hand, there is no use belaboring the point...religion.

If you break one point of the law, you break it all. What do you do with that? Like I said, some people are going to judge you and me, in our church, for what we think we believe, having no understanding whatever of what we believe. Praise the Lord, though.

The notion that people won't sin...guilt and holy terror....religious reasons for not sinning....rut. We have always in the pinches done what we damned please, and God has let us do it...shut up once and for all.....permission slip...we may as well just go full steam on our own. Could I just do this if I fast? If I'm good over here, can I be bad over there. Agony and death of Jesus on the cross is ludicrous. Christ is all the encouragement we need....but enough on religion and morality...substitutes for living. What about your objections....exalting death as a means of grace. I play guilty. I've neglected that subject...still I'll meet you half way....kind of living I have in mind when I say that we are dead even before our final death.

Col - ye are dead. You've been baptized into his death.

Galatians 2:19-21 (KJV) For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. [20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and 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. [21] I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

If there was anything good that you or I could do for righteousness, then Christ wouldn't have had to die. There is none good but God.

You're buried in baptism. Now, out of the waters of daily baptism, comes a new creation. Adam is resilient. He pops up even before you're out of bed in the morning.

All the toys you have are just another excuse for not letting Jesus be the fullness of you life. When you have Christ, you don't need no Cadillac. In the civil realm you should be the best you can be. You do what is before you and you have probably less problems than an Astronaut or Bill Gate's assistant. Beacon plumbing is prospering. They have a sign in the Seahawks' stadium.

What I think will be most amazing of all is when the women in this church begin to realize the call on their lives as a woman, a mother, and a sister. In this world, women's lives have been stolen.

You’re dead before your final death. Life is good. God invented it...terrific. The designs of God, when we live according to them...are nothing less than his specifications for the beauties of his creatures...the moral law. Physical law...beauty. Insofar as we exceed in living....gorgeousness, just as God enjoys it.

You have to understand that this life is but a puff of smoke.

You might think your pure thoughts and eat ...not noticeably better. Once again, the world cannot be saved by living. There are two devastatingly simple reasons: We don't live well enough to do the job....I love my children, you love yours, but we've both messed them up...by loving them.

I've never met a child that didn't have a sinner for a parent.

Then will your thoughts...mean in order to seem tough, and so on. The point is...wait a long time. We can see goodness and we can love it, on a nice day...but we simply cannot crank it up enough...the second reason - living won't help.

It is the death of the continuously existing subject is the only thing that can proclaim to the world, which cannot be understood except by the

The deepest problem of the world...sin - put self first, trust 1 and no one else. This means....noble, lofty,...that cannot be done for the wrong reason.

You do many wonderful things lately, for the wrong reason? A man who trusts in his own heart, the Bible calls a fool.

The churches in Rev 2 & 3 represent all churches today. Grievous wolves will come in.

They left their first love. Remember the joy of your salvation, and what God saved you from. Is it so far removed? Are you so good now? Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. Repent, or...

Rev. 2:5 (KJV) Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Remember when pouring out on his feet, his church, was more important than anything. God had done great things for you. I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. He has done great things.

The candlestick is the light that cometh into this world. It is not the light of reasoning. It is not the light of the holy place. It is the light that Jesus brings when he comes and pours his Spirit on you.

The reward:

Rev. 2:7 (KJV) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

To begin with today, you get your appetizer in this life. Repent, if you would eat of the tree of life. Without that light, you're in darkness and blind.

Remember your first love. Did you forget? What are you magnifying?

Magnify - promote, make powerful, praise, make great or important

Make great - (how?) by boasting in His work, deeds, such as his mercy

Make great - the arm of God, the mercy of God and of God himself

His power [3808-13] = Greatness of God = especially an attribute of God - anything too hard for God?

God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud.

For no one can rightly understand

.”

Are you still feeing sorry for yourself, judging people, being condemned thinking you're a failure in the wrong way? If you sit and think of yourself all day, you're going to have a problem.

What do you want to hear today? Should I kiss you, smile at you, or pull your hair? I'll jump down off of the altar - watch out!

The law is what brings me to a low estate - God's full-strength law, not morality preaching. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness. God pulled the hair of the prodigal, and smacked him. Here's your inheritance. You don't have to leave the house to think evil. You don't have to leave anywhere. You trust your children? You'd better read your Bible then to find out what is bound up in their hearts. If you've brought them up in the admonition of the Lord, there's hope. If God could mark iniquity, could you stand? You could put the word in them continually - your life being a praise to his glory - your life magnifying the Lord, and that will take care of it. The prodigal knew good things were happening in his father's house. The older brother is a bookkeeper and he can never come into the party. He’s really offended that his younger brother is at the party. That is a parable that is daily, for all of us. The older brother resists the grace of God because he's so good. "Listen, you. You little creep! Your brother was dead and is now alive. Your brother was dead and now is alive, and we have reason to celebrate, have a party, a banquet." You won't come in until you realize that you also are dead. The older brother didn't realize that all his works were filthy rags - he had a righteousness of his own. Where is he? He's outside. What's he doing out there? Judging the hypocrites.

What does it mean then to magnify the Lord? Over where you live - only two things will be in your mouth - either you will praise, magnify, lift up Jesus Christ, the HS and the Father, or there will be complaining, grumbling, murmuring, etc. You won't even be aware of it. You will become a watcher of evil. At one point you will hate the light. You’ll have to find reason to hate and speak evil against the light. You won't have any fellowship. What you do will only strengthen the light - Christ be more lifted up. If you want to despise Christ and others today, that is your business. You might as well put your nose in a meat slicer. I can only tell you that the wages of sin is death, and you'll reap death and corruption.

Our bridegroom washes us today. There's not a person here who he hasn't forgiven, not one. The older brother likes to hold onto his offence. All I’ve done for you all these years and you give him a calf, a party for his friends?

Unbelieving - miserable dirt dwelling creatures - not believing what God has done for you, and refusing to receive the freedom of the Christian.

Keeping books today? Watching for an offence? Offences kill you, and your children. You could get saved today. The dead don't magnify the Lord. 1 Samuel - the wicked are silent in darkness - they don't magnify the lord.

I don't frustrate the grace of God, and neither do you.

Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

You're called to war - to be strong in Christ.

Col. 2:1 (KJV) For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;

Laodicea is one of the churches God had to rebuke. At least when you're cold you know you're at odds with God. But if you're lukewarm, he will spew you out of his mouth. If you're not thirsting and hungering, you don't need to be saved. You have a righteousness of your own.

Col. 2:2-3 (KJV) That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; [3] In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Anything you need for living is in him. That's where we live - in him.

Col. 2:6-7 (KJV) As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: [7] Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

We need to be built up and established in the faith, even though we're Christians.

Col. 2:12-13 (KJV) 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. [13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

He's forgiven you all your trespasses. There's no one here who hasn't been forgiven.

Col. 2:13-14 (KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; [14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

There is nothing more to say than that.

Col. 2:13-14 (KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; [14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

He has even circumcised your flesh, in death. The body is dead because of sin. You can cut off a branch from an apple tree, with apples on it, and it will look like it is alive for a while, but it is still dead.

The tree we can eat of today is Christ, our life. Christ is my life. If you have any life other than Christ, it is death.

You make known his deeds, because the alternative is murmuring, grumbling, complaining, accusing, etc.

Col. 2:12-13 (KJV) 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. [13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Believe it, receive it and it is finished. If you're struggling with something, confess it, and magnify that the Lord has delivered you and saved you. God has saved every relationship, and you only relation to people through your life now, which is Christ. He has saved us, is saving us, and will yet save us. He has already blotted out the handwriting that was against you, the whole library of congress that was against you, and he marks it PAID IN FULL, by MY SON. PAID IN FULL - ALL SIN - WITHOUT EXCEPTION. That is our message. A lot of people don't need forgiven because they've never heard God's law. Who wants to pull hair?

Those whom I love I rebuke - or, pull their hair, whichever you prefer.

On the Road to Emmaus he started rebuking the disciples. He was not doing anything to those disciples when he called them "Fools! Slow to believe all the prophets have said regarding Christ and how he must suffer and die." He wasn't really mad at them; he was just a little hungry and wanted a free meal. They invited him to dinner, and in the breaking of the bread, in the greatness of his love and mercy, he vanished from their reason - their sight. And they turned around and told the rest of the disciples. Of course it was too late because he had already been there. He's omnipresent, you could say.

If you feel his rebuke, it is only for our good that he chastens us. If you being evil love your children and want to give them good things, you're not always looking for ways to reprove or rebuke them. It's that you want to give them more. If you being that way, how much more your heavenly father wants to give you the invaluable Holy Spirit afresh, now, into you and your children’s' hearts.

When the HS fills your children, then fire fills them, and will burn up the dross. The first thing I want to teach our children is to be happy. Don't even let the word smart be said around your children.

Do you have a message, something to magnify? That is our purpose - to tell whoever you can. On the other hand, if you're acting funny, cheating someone in business, or elbowing someone in basketball, I don't think they'll hear you.

The Church has always been made of sinners- forgiven sinners. You can only think you're retaining a sin. Your husband won't let you retain one of them. Is there anyone that you'd want to hold anything against?

The only thing you can do about sin, according to Forde, is to forgive it. Heaven and hell is filled with forgiven sinners. Have you received forgiveness? Let me announce the absolution now.

AMEN