Bless God for Pardoning All Thy Sins

dove Thu 17 Sep 2009, 2:06 pm

Bless God for Pardoning All Thy Sins
By Ray Zink

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; (Psa 103:3 KJV)

By the pardon of sin, that is taken away which kept good things from us, and we are restored to the favor of God, who bestows good things on us. Think of the provocation; it was sin, and yet pardoned: how many the provocations, yet all pardoned! God is still forgiving, as we are still sinning and repenting. The body finds the melancholy consequences of Adam's offence, it is subject to many infirmities, and the soul also. Christ alone forgives all our sins; it is he alone who heals all our infirmities. And the person who finds his sin cured, has a well-grounded assurance that it is forgiven. When God, by the graces and comforts of his Spirit, recovers his people from their decays, and fills them with new life and joy, which is to them an earnest of eternal life and joy, they may then be said to return to the days of their youth,

His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth: (Job 33:25 KJV)

How he furnishes himself with abundant matter for praise, and that which is very affecting: "Come, my soul, consider what God has done for thee." "He has pardoned thy sins; he has forgiven, and does forgive, all thy iniquities."

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities,.... (Psa 103:3 KJV)

The psalmist explains here what he means by benefits, and gives a particular enumeration of them; and begins with the blessing of pardon, which is a special and peculiar benefit; it is according to the riches of divine grace, and the multitude of tender mercies; without which all outward blessings signify nothing; and, without a sense of this, a man is not in a suitable and proper frame to bless the Lord; and this being the first benefit a soul sensible of sin, its guilt and is concerned for, and seeks after; so enjoying it, it is the first he is thankful for: this is rightly ascribed to God; for none can forgive sins but he; and what he forgives are not mere infirmities, peccadillos, the lesser sins of life; but "iniquities", grosser sins, unrighteousnesses, impieties, the most enormous crimes, sins of a crimson and scarlet die; yea, "all" of them, though they are many, more than the hairs of a man's head; he abundantly pardons, multiplies pardons, as sins are multiplied, and leaves none unforgiven; original sin, actual sins, sins of heart, lip, and life, of omission and commission, all are forgiven for Christ's sake: and the special mercy is when a man has an application of this to himself, and can say to his soul, as David to his, God has forgiven "thine" iniquities; for though it may be observed with pleasure, and it is an encouragement to hope in the Lord, that he is a forgiving God, and has forgiven others, yet what would this avail a man, if his sins should not be forgiven? the sweetness of the blessing lies in its being brought home to a man's own soul: and it may be further observed, that this is a continued act; it is not said who has forgiven, and will forgive, though both are true; but "forgiveth", continues to forgive; for as there is a continual virtue in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, and in his blood to cleanse from all sin, so there is a continual flow of pardoning grace in the heart of God, which is afresh applied to the consciences of his people by his Spirit; and this is a blessing to be thankful for.

This is mentioned first because by the pardon of sin that is taken away which kept good things from us, and we are restored to the favor of God, which bestows good things on us. Think what the provocation was; it was iniquity, and yet pardoned; how many the provocations were, and yet all pardoned. He has forgiven all our trespasses. It is a continued act; he is still forgiving, as we are still sinning and repenting.

who healeth all thy diseases; (Psa 103:3 KJV)

Not bodily ones, though the Lord is the physician of the bodies as well as of the souls of men, and sometimes heals the diseases of soul and body at once, as in the case of the paralytic man in the Gospel; but spiritual diseases, or soul maladies, are here meant; the same with "iniquities" in the preceding clause: sin is a natural, hereditary, epidemical, nauseous, and mortal disease; and there are many of them, a complication of them, in men, which God only can cure; and he heals them by his word, by means of his Gospel, preaching peace, pardon, and righteousness by Christ; by the blood, wounds, and stripes of his Son; by the application of pardoning grace and mercy; for healing diseases, and forgiving iniquities, are one and the same thing;

And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. (Isa 33:24 KJV)

and this the Lord does freely, fully, and infallibly, and for which thanks are due unto him; and it would be very ungrateful, and justly resented, should they not be returned to him;

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, (Luk 17:15 KJV)

"He has cured thy sickness." The corruption of nature is the sickness of the soul; it is its disorder, and threatens its death. This is cured in sanctification; when sin is mortified, the disease is healed; though complicated, it is all healed. Our crimes were capital, but God saves our lives by pardoning them; our diseases were mortal, but God saves our lives by healing them. These two go together; for, as for God, his work is perfect and not done by halves; if God take away the guilt of sin by pardoning mercy, he will break the power of it by renewing grace. Where Christ is made righteousness to any soul he is made sanctification,

But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1Co 1:30 KJV)

Ray Zink has been intensely researching the Holy Word of God for the past 28 years. As a published author through article writings and blog posts, he now shares with others the deeper wisdom of the scriptures that he has had the blessings to discover. More of his work can be seen at http://bible-mysteries.com/
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

dove Thu 17 Sep 2009, 2:13 pm

Five Fold Ministry and Isaiah 28:23-29 By Cindie York

In Isaiah, the farmer is able through the wisdom of God and His direction to cultivate, plant, reap, etc. The farmers don't just plow and break up the ground, when the field is ready, they scatter the seeds, they plant in the proper places and they learn this from God. After the harvest, that which they have reaped are prepared (pounded, shaped, formed), which is through the wisdom given by the Lord God.

Separated, each of the five fold ministries has a primary purpose, but I believe God can use them to do any of the above mentioned: plant, cultivate, reap, and mold/pound/direct. The techniques for implementation and their methods being used may and probably will be different. There are significant differences in how the seeds are planted. One must look at what type of seed does better in what type of soil, the amount of sun or shade necessary for the crop to thrive. When is the proper time to sow? There is a lot of thought and preparation that is vital prior to sowing the first seed.

It is clear that every farmer will have a special ability to plant certain seeds well and certainly will have a specific area of better achievement. For example, a potato farmer specializes in potatoes. Not that the farmer is incapable of planting corn but he is more likely to harvest more potatoes if that is his or her area of expertise. Does that mean that he can't grow corn? No, but he may not be as effective with the corn crops. On the other hand, the corn farmer may not be able to raise many potatoes either. Neither one is more important than the other. Both are still farmers. Both reap the harvest.

God loves diversity. Every seed and plant is different, just as people are different. Every single seed, plant, vegetable, fruit, tree, vine, and person has a unique quality. I truly believe that is why there are so many differences in preaching and teaching techniques. What reaches one heart and mind may not penetrate another. It doesn't necessarily make one right and one wrong, just different. Now when it comes to preaching or teaching God's Word, it must align with the Bible or it is false doctrine. False doctrine, deceit, lies, and manipulation is absolutely intolerable and abominable.

Now, the Teacher does plant seeds, but the Evangelist and Apostle must also plant seed. The Pastor must also plant seed in some form for the growth of the crop of which he or she has been given leadership. The Prophet also will plant some seed such as the seed of repentance, wisdom, correction.

The Teacher definitely plants the seed as their primary purpose. Mostly a Teacher is in a structured environment with the main goal to enlighten and educate, to bring something new. But, in some instances the Teacher has to be the one to break the ground and make preparation for the seed to be planted or they are just tossing the seeds on the ground, or in the wind and they won't take root and will be blown away, just like the wheat and tares. Without the seed, there is no harvest. The Teacher can be used in the church or out of the church.

The Evangelist will go out, they may need to plow some ground initially, but then will plant some seed. The Evangelist will bring in the harvest because their primary purpose is to go out and compel the lost to come in. Or to travel to churches, areas, peoples in need of something fresh, new, to bring a spark, to rekindle a fire. The Evangelist may even reap some of the harvest that the Teacher or Prophet or Pastor had cultivated and planted depending on the circumstance. I would say also that in some of these villages or "unchurched" areas the people will have to be taught and prepared before the message can be received. The Evangelist will preach the gospel with fire and anointing being bold and truthful not worrying about what the crop/flock thinks, actually not knowing any particulars about the group just being led by God. Does any of this make sense?

The Pastor will be used primarily to prepare, direct, instruct (pound, beat, mold), if you will, his particular flock (crop). Yes, he will teach, he will break and beat (if he loves his crop and wants them to be used according to the purpose God intended). The Pastor knows the needs, desires, lives, personalities, etc. of those who he is entrusted to take care of. He will care, love, protect, and discipline like a parent or father figure would. His ministry will be 24/7, 365 days a year. Just like a mother's job is 24/7. I also believe he will reap as well because of his dedication to the crop, nurturing, feeding, knowing the when, how, and what given by the direction of the Almighty, All-knowing God.

I do believe the Prophet will be used to shake things up, to get the attention, to give insight and direction. The Prophet is given a direct word from God without a doubt. The Prophet will primarily sound the alarm. But I believe they too will reap according to their obedience and submission. A true Prophet will see the fruits of their labor as well. They will see a new creation after maybe breaking, enlightening, crushing or whatever it takes to bring forth a workable, usable finished product. I don't believe the Prophet will exactly teach or plant much but mostly pave the way for others to teach and nurture.

The Apostles are followers of Christ and are sent by Christ to take the message of the gospel to others. The Apostle is a witness. The Apostle tends to steer those on the wrong paths back to the right direction through teaching the ways of God and leading by example, like a mentor or leader would.

I have always considered the "true" Christian a disciple of Christ and in many ways I still believe that to be true but the term Apostle truly is more than that. Now that I think about it, I think Disciple is a term used too loosely. It is a generalized term to cover the modern day Christian but in reality an Apostle is one who would really have to make sacrifices, be truly active in the furthering of the Gospel, literally not caring about the comforts or possessions of modern day.

Of course, the Apostle is to me, the hardest to define. Because my perception of an apostle is John, Peter, Andrew, etc. Those who knew Christ and actually witnessed the miracles performed, heard His teachings with their own ears. They had personal relationships with Him. Christ literally and physically chose them to follow Him and walk along side of Him to learn from His example. They gained wisdom and direction from the ultimate mentor. The Apostles were not just followers but students, trying to gain as much insight in to this man called Jesus, the Messiah! They literally left all their possessions, jobs, etc. behind them, wandering about from place to place, constantly facing persecution, beating, brutality in many forms, and martyrdom. They had forsaken all else to further the Gospel of Christ. I mean can you actually call a particular person today an APOSTLE in that form?

I know there are missionaries throughout the world who are literally leaving the comforts and security of home and traveling abroad to teach, preach, extend the hand of compassion, giving themselves and sometimes forsaking all or almost all and pursuing the actual fulfillment of Christ's command to go unto all the world and preach the gospel, the good news. These people literally are in harm's way constantly and many are tortured and/or martyred. So I was trying to categorize it for modern day so... To me these Christian Missionaries are like the Apostles of old in that sense. I had never really thought about it before but...these Christians do have a personal relationship with Christ and they try to follow His example and live by His Word. Though no one is perfect, they must stay in fellowship and be led by His Spirit, they have to place their full trust in God to make provision and give guidance. They try to live by the standards given to us in God's Word. Christian missionaries teach and preach, guide, live as examples of Christ-like behavior, literal followers of Christ, trying to be lights, and witnesses. The streets (workplaces, homes, neighborhoods, even the church, mission fields, etc) are their classroom because this true Christian walks among the people, trying to be the light in the darkness, the living testimony, bearing the good fruit, showing love and compassion.

Now when I say Christian missionary, I am not referring to the ones who are very temporarily inconvenienced, who after a week or month return to the luxury of home and continue with their every day agendas. I do appreciate the Christian or even the non-believer who gives their time to help another in need in any form but there is a definite difference between the work of benevolence and aide and the life of those who are out in the middle of nowhere, dodging bullets to tell some lonely stranger about our Lord and Savior because they have a deep burden to see the lost saved and those in need to be provided for.

Also, the Apostle can operate in the gifts of the spirit, lay hands on the sick, who allow God to use them for service, and to be the conduits for working of miracles. Of course this is not unlike a Pastor, Evangelist, Teacher, Prophet, and/or the Christian.

Anyway, I had never really seen the correlation of the missionary and the Apostle until now. I now have a new appreciation for the missionary.

I have been a Christian for 19 years. I am one of the Sunday School teachers at our local church. I enjoy Bible study and growing in the knowledge of God's word. I literally want to soak up God's Word like a sponge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com CHRISTIAN WRITERS