GOD'S CHARACTER IS SEEN IN RESTORATIVE FORGIVENESS--PART 2

Now, I want you, to get this truth; At the root of almost every church problem
is UNCONFESSED, SECRET SIN.

Confession at the private altar is sufficient to receive forgiveness and
cleansing for sin,known only to God, and an individual soul; but Forgiveness of
Plubic Sin necessitates confession One to Another.
You see, TRUE WORSHIP IS IMPOSSIBLE, FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SINNED AGAINST ONE ANOTHER,
UNTIL THEY HAVE RIGHTED THE WRONG. .. MATTHEW 5;23-24-[TURN].

Forgiveness is costly. GOD FORGIVES A REPENTANT SINNER BECAUSE OF THE SAVIOUR'S
SACRIFICE.
In the same way, it costs the forgiving heart to forgive Another's Transgression.
But, It is worth the price, for Forgiven Ones have forgiving spirits.

Flesh does not easily yield, but Christians ARE NOT DEBTORS TO THE FLESH-They crucify
the flesh--I CORINTHIANS 9;27-[TURN].
With one exception,, sins committed before salvation, should never be related,
because they were washed away, in Christ's blood.

I CORINTHIANS 9;27-''But I buffet my body''--Paul did not, like The Gnostics,
consider his flesh and soul, to be sinful, or evil.
''BUFFET'' is a word, used in Boxing, The boxers used boxing gloves, gave telling
blows. Paul did not want his body, to be his Master,he found good, as the outcome of
self-discipline.

''AND BRING IT UNTO SUBJECTION,'' or bondage. We have, Here, The Metaphor of The
Victor, leading the vanquished, as captives and slaves.

''LEST BY ANY MEANS, AFTER THAT I PREACHED TO OTHERS.'' ''PREACHED''= TO HERALD.'' A
Herald, at the games, announced the rules of the game, and called out the
competitors. So PAUL, IS BOTH A HERALD, AND A COMPETITOR.

''I SHOULD BE DISAPPROVED,'' or rejected. ''Adokimos'' word used by a Potter, who
puts a vessel on the shhelf, that has failed to pass the water test. Here, it is used
in a moral sense, by Paul--It means, not standing the test. Paul means rejected for
the prize [reward], not from entrance into the race.He will fail to win, if he breaks
the rules of the game.
What is the prize before Paul/ It is the reward of which he spoke in verse 18-hois
glorying of preaching A FREE GOSPEL.

Now, LISTEN, to continue publically confessing sins, committed BEFORE
JUSTIFICATION, is very insulting and injurious, to the Finished Work of Christ. He
everlastingly forgave the elect sinner of them. To reiterate those sins, calls
attention to One's Self.
PRESENT-DAY EVANGELISM capitalizes on repeated confessions, from former Dope
Addicts, Prise Fighters, Convicts, and so on.

Now, Get this truth; Dragging hearers through the mire, IS NOT NECESSARY, to
regenerate and convert sinners. The experience of others, convert no one. God alone,
converts.

LUKE 19;1-10
VERSE 1-''And Jesus entered, and passed through Jericho-''was passing through
Jericho''--Jesus was inside The Roman Jericho, with the procession.

VERSE 2-''And, behold, there was a man named Zaachaeus, which was the cheif among the
publicans, and he was rich.'' ''Cheif Publican.'' Jericho was an important trading
center for balsam, and Zaachaeus was the head of tax collections, in this region, a
sort of commissioner of taxes, with other publicans, serving under him.

3. He was seeking to see WHO Jesus was--
VERSE 3-''And he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and could not for the press,
because he was of little stature.'' He had heard MUCH about Jesus, and wanted to see
which one of the crowd was Jesus.
''for the press''-he was short, and the crowd was thick, and close.

VERSE 4-''And he ran before, ans cloimbed up into a sycomore tree to see him, for he
was to pass that way.'''--The tree was an wide-open one, with low branches, so he
could easily climb up it.

VERSE 5-''And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and said unto him,
Zachaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.'' In the
Effectual Call, God always calls the elect sinner by name. Has He called Yours/
''make haste, and come down,''=''come down in a hurry.''

VERSE 6-''And he made haste, and came down and received him joyfully,'' Luke uses the
same idiom. ''JOYFULLY''=Rejoicing. When God calls the elect sinner to Himself, it
causes him to REJOICE. . .

VERSE 7-[TURN]. Jesus was the hero of this crowd from Galilee, on their way to The
Passover. He shocked their sensibilities, and those of the JERICHO citizens, by
inviting Himself to be the guest of this Chief Publican, and notorious sinner, who
had robbed nearly all, in the city, by exorbitant taxes.

VERSE 8-[READ]. ''STOOD''-Jesus and Zacchaeus came to the house of Zacchaeus, and
were about to enter, when the crowd's murmur, became such a roar, that Zacchaeus
turned around and faced the crowd.

IF I have wrongfully exacted of any man''-A most significant admission and
confession. His own conscience was at work.
He may have heard audible murmurs from the crowd. HE HAD EXACTED MONEY WRONGFULLY,
AS THEY ALL KNEW.

''I RETURN FOUR-FOLD''=''I offer to do it, here and now, on this very spot.'' This
was The Mosaic Law-EXODUS 22;1-[TURN]; NUMBERS 5;6-8-[TURN].

Restitution is a good proof of a change of heart and conduct--Zacchaeus made
reparation to those,he had wronged, in his lost condition.

Paul related sins he committed BEFORE HIS CONVERSION, for the same reason. The
historical account was given by Luke in Acts 9. Paul repeated it to The HEBREWS in
Acts 22, in relation to GOD'S SOVEREIGNITY [GALATIANS 1;13-17], to show its
separateness from all human merit [PHILIPPIANS 3], and as a pattern for Timothy
[I TIMOTHY 1;12-17].

If A Christian says he has not sinned, he makes God a liar; and God's Word is
not in him [I JOHN 1;10].
SIN IS PRESENT IN EVERY SAINT, AND IN ORDER TO RETAIN FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD, IT MUST
BE CONFESSED.

Correction for sinning is part of Christ's Advocacy--I JOHN 2;1-2-[TURN].

Christians are children of light--EPHESIANS 5;8-9--''For ye were sometimes darkness,
but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light. For the fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.''

VERSE 8--''BUT NOW LIGHT''--Jesus called His disciples,The lIGHT OF THE WORLD--
MATTHEW 5;14--''Ye are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill cannot be
hid.''

VERSE 9--GALATIANS 5;22-23-[TURN].

As The Light of The WORLD, Christians must reflect God's Light, and separate
Righteousness from Evil--EPHESIANS 5;11--''And have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness, but rather reprove them.''
''HAVE NO FELLOWSHIP'' = ''HAVE NO PARTNERSHIP WITH.''
''REPROVE'' = Convict by turning on the light in darkness.''

The Ministry of Light does not terminate in believers. Light was wrought in them, by
The Holy Spirit, that His mission in the world, should be accomplished through them.
They work out The Salvation, God wrought in them--PHILIPPIANS 2;12-13-''Wherefore,
my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more
in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.''
VERSE 12-''not as in my presence only, but much more.'' They are not to render eye
service only,when Paul is there, but much more, when he is away.
''WORK OUT''--We are to work out that which God has put within us.
''WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING''-not slavish terror, but a serious caution. A serious and
trembling anxiety to do right.

PAUL HAS NO SYMPATHY WITH A COLD AND DEAD ORTHODOXY, OR FORMALISM, THAT KNOWS
NOTHING OF STRUGGLE AND GROWTH. He exhorts as if he were A Armenian, in addressing
men. He denies as if he were a Calvinist, in addressing God, and feels no
inconsistency in the 2 attitudes. He proclaims boldly both Divine Sovereignty and
Human Agency.

VERSE 13-READ ''WHICH WORKETH IN YOU''-God is the energy and energizer of The
Universe.
''BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO''-God does it all. But has put us to work also, and our
part is essential, though secondary, to GOD'S PART.
''FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE''-God's Will is behind it all.

We are Light,and light reflects its source. Every sunbeam calls attention, to
the mighty source of energy, from which it springs. A Believer, who reflects light,
calls attention, not to hiumself. but to God-matthew 5;16--''lET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE
BEFORE MAN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN
HEAVEN.''


Transformers break down electrical voltage, making it safe for human use. The
LIGHT OF GOD could not be looked upon, until it was ''stepped down.'' No One ever
beheld God's essential glory. HE VEILED his glory-''stepped down'' when Christ took
on human flesh.Then men beheld His Moral Glory-John 1;14-[Turn]. That Light is made
to shine through the recipients of GOD'S GRACE.

By its nature, light opposes darkness. They CANNOT make a truce. One, who
constantly pursues darkness, without reproving it, is naturally dark. But Christians
are not in darkness, though they temporarily walk in it, causing a loss of
fellowship which can be restored by walking in the light, confessing sins, and
relying on Christ's ADVOCACY.