Forgive Self and Go On 2-18 1996 Sun AM

2-18 1996 Sun AM

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Romans chapter 7. Now I'm always a little bit warm up here with these lights. I don't know if it's warm out there to you or cold. I have no idea. Usually when somebody's hot, somebody else is cold. So we we have some air for those of you who are hot, and we don't have any air for those of you who are cold, all right? So uh it's all up here in your mind. Romans chapter 7, amen. I have eight scripture references I want you to look at with me this morning. Eight of them. Turn it down just a little bit, guys, not too much. Romans chapter 7. Eight scripture references I want you to turn with me in Romans chapter 7, and the first five will lay the groundwork, and you'll kind of think you'll know where we're going this morning, but you'll have to wait till we get the first five scripture references to really understand the whole thing. Look at Romans chapter 7, and Paul's speaking here about himself, and I'm sure glad God put this little section in the Bible for you and I. Verse 15. Verse 15, for that which I do, I allow not. For what I would, that do I not. But what I hate, that do I. Aren't you glad he put that in there? I mean, I don't know about you, but sometimes I look at myself and I said, Man, why did I do that? And then I say, Why did I do that again? Man, I don't like myself doing that. And that's what Paul's saying. He said there was a part of him that he just didn't like what was going on with him. Look at verse 19. Verse 19 of Romans chapter 7. For the good that I would, I what? I do not. But the evil which I would not, that I do. Now, if I do that which or that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Would you agree that Paul understood he had two people inside of him? Now you say, come on, you're saying Paul was a schizo? Well, he had an old man and a new man, is that right? And he said here, he said, there's a part of me that I don't like what he's doing. There's another part of me, and in fact, in fact, that part of me, I know it's not me anymore, but it's sin that dwelleth in me. Look what he says in verse 24. O wretched man, that who? I am. Whose shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Here in the next statement, we see two people, two natures, if you would, in sight of Paul. So then with the mind, I myself serve the what? The law of God. But with the flesh, the what? The law of sin. There's an old nature, there's a new nature that he's talking about here, and you can tell his frustrations here. Let me ask you a question, Christian. Have you ever been frustrated between your old and your new? Look if you would at Ephesians chapter 3. Ephesians 3, second scripture reference, six to go. Ephesians chapter 3. I'm sorry. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 4. That's a better one. Ephesians 3, good too. But Ephesians 4, better for this one. Ephesians chapter 4. You know what? I don't want to use Ephesians 4 yet. I want to use Ephesians 3. I was right in the first place. Man, I hate that old man. You know what? Better yet? I don't want to use Ephesians chapter 3, even with this, and I want to use Ephesians chapter 4. Now I do that purposely. You know why? Did you ever get frustrated with yourself? Did you ever? Did you ever say, why did I do that? Did you ever feel like there was a battle going inside of you between two different people and the one you didn't even want to know, and the other one you wanted to get stronger so it could follow Christ? Look at Ephesians chapter 4, and notice if you would verse 22. You say I was in Ephesians 3. That was my old man talking. Ephesians 4, verse 22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation, the what? Say it, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that ye put on the what? Saying new man, which after God is created, it's not a remake of the old man, it's a new created new man, is created in righteousness and true holiness. So inside of those of us who are Christians, there's an old nature that wants to walk after the world, and there's a new nature created in Christ Jesus that wants to walk after the Holy Spirit of God. Is that right? So there's a dichotomy in us. Now let me show you about Paul. Look at Acts chapter 22, please. Acts chapter 22, third scripture reference. Acts chapter 22. He said, I'm frustrated. There's a part of me that when it does something, I don't like what it does. The things that I would do, those are the things I don't want to do. The things I shouldn't do, those are the things that I do. Acts chapter 22. Notice if you would, Paul had, if you would, a very, very old, old nature. Would you agree with that? Acts chapter 22. Look at his old nature and what he had to deal with. Verse 3. Acts 22, verse 3. Here's his old man. I am verily a man which am a Jew born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia. Yeah, brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of our fathers. And was, what, say it? Zealous towards God as ye are all are this day. Look what he did in his zealousness. And I persecuted this way, speaking about Christianity. Unto the death, binding, delivering into prisons both men and women. Boy, isn't that something? You know what he had to deal with? His old man, before he received Christ as Savior, used to take Christians, both men and women, and cast them in the prison. If you follow, they were tortured in those prisons and put to death, verse 5. And also the high priest thus bear me witness in all the estate of the elders, from whom also I received letters unto the brethren and went to Damascus to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem for to be punished. Boy, how would you like to deal that with you, do deal with that in your past? Taking Christians and binding them up and taking them to prison where they were going to be punished and put to death. I'm telling you today that Paul had an old, old, very wicked, old, but religious, so-called nature. He was religious. In the wrong way. Amen? Now look with you of James chapter 2. James chapter 2 and Ephesians chapter 4 again. Fourth and fifth scripture reference. James chapter 2 and Ephesians chapter 4. Stay right with me. This will make sense in a moment. James chapter 2. I want to ask you a question. How many in here are already? You're born again, blood bought, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. You know your sins are forgiven by God. And you know if you died right now that you'd be absent from the body and present with the Lord. You already got that settled. Alright. That's a good feeling, isn't it? In fact, it's not just a feeling. It's good to know in our heart and in our soul, in our perception, that we're saved and on our way to God. Now, in James chapter 2, we know we have to deal with that old nature from time to time. Did anybody have to deal with their old nature last week? Now let me ask you again. Did anybody have to deal with your old nature last week? Alright, good. I'm not saying that's good, but good. Just so I feel in fellowship with you, amen? I had to deal with mine last week, and I should say the Lord had to deal with it. Look at James chapter 2 with this in mind. Look at verse 8, holding your place in Ephesians chapter 4. James chapter 2, verse 8. If, you ought to underline that if. If ye fulfill the what? The royal law according to the Scriptures, thou shalt love thy neighbor as who? Thyself, ye do well. Now, let me ask you a question. Brother Bill is a good guy to illustrate with. Bill, stand right up here for a moment. I'm supposed to love my neighbor as myself. Is Bill my neighbor? He's my neighbor. If Bill offends me, what am I supposed to do when he comes to me and asks for forgiveness? I'm supposed to forgive him. Is that right? How often? How often? Seventy times seven. All the time. If he comes to me and asks forgiveness, now let me ask you a question. What's a good practice if he does something to me and offends me and doesn't ask for forgiveness? What should I do? I have forgiveness in the readiness for him? Why? For his sake? Well, mainly for my sake. Is that right? Jesus said on the cross, Father, forgive them. They know what not what they do. Is that right? Doesn't mean I was personally forgiven, but in Jesus' heart I was already ready to be forgiven. Is that right? Come on, stay with me. So if Bill does something to me, whether he asks me forgiveness or not, I should always have forgiveness in the readiness. Is that right? Look at Ephesians chapter 4. Stay with me. Ephesians chapter 4. We've been there once. We'll go back one more time. Ephesians chapter 4. And notice, if you would, verse 30. Verse 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all what? Bitterness and be put away from you. With all malice. When we put off that old man, that old nature, what we're also supposed to put off is bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor, evil speaking and malice. Verse 32. Be ye kind one to another. What's the next word, please? Tenderhearted. And what am I supposed to do? Forgiving one another. How? Even as God for Christ's sake, or for Christ, hath forgiven, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. So the way I'm supposed to forgive is the way Christ forgave me. Please look up here. The way Christ forgave me, he put my sins behind him as far as the east is from the west, and he doesn't remember him anymore. Is that right? Now the way I'm supposed to forgive Bill is the same way if he ever offends me. Is that right? I like to say that I do that, but I still remember some things Bill did to me, even though he forget it. I forgave him, I don't forget it. I'm just kidding, okay? I'm just kidding. Now look up here. We're supposed to forgive, is that right? I'm supposed to love him as I love myself, and I'm supposed to forgive him. Is that right? Now I want you to look at a scripture. Now it all makes sense. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15. You're doing well this morning. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We're in the sixth scripture efforts. I told you we'd turn to eight of them. 1 Corinthians 15. I want you to think with me now. 1 Corinthians 15. Paul used to kill Christians. Paul had a dichotomy within him, an old man and a new man. He had remembrances of killing those Christians and persecuting those women, those men. Verse 9. Look what he says. For I am the what? At least of the apostles. And am not me to be called an apostle. Why, Paul? Because I did what? I persecuted the church of God. And you know what? He was right. Verse 10. Look what he says. But by the grace of God, would you say the next five words? I am what I am. That's quite a statement. You say, I don't get it. By the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace, which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain. But I laid in word more abundantly than they all yet. What's the next two words? Not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Please look up here. Paul was commanded and commanded us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and knew about the royal law, if you would, even though we've read about it in the book of James, it's also in a couple other places about loving thy neighbor as thyself. Now, please look up here and listen to me. I'm supposed to love Bill as I love myself. And I already know that if Bill offends me, I'm supposed to do what? Say it. Forgive him. Whether he comes to me or not, I'm supposed to forgive him. Now, wait a minute. The same way I treat him is the way I'm supposed to treat myself. I'm supposed to love him as I love who? Myself. And I already know I'm supposed to forgive him whether he asked for it or not. Is that right? Yes or no? That tells me what I'm supposed to do is have forgiveness even for who? Myself. Specifically who? My old man. My old nature. Let me make a statement to you. If Paul wouldn't have got to the place where he said, by the grace of God, I am what I am. Preceding statement, I'm the least of all the apostles. I persecuted the church. I am what I am. It's already happened. There's nothing I can do about it. I think Paul got to the place where he found through God's grace the ability to forgive his old nature and what it did before he got saved. Now I make a statement to you. If I can't forgive myself, I have a hard time forgiving others. If I can't forgive my old nature, I have a hard time and cling to things other people do, and I can't forgive them as well because I'm supposed to practice on myself to be able to practice on them. Is that right? I've got an old nature, and I don't know about you, but I had to forgive it last week. A few times. I need to make a statement to you. It didn't ask for forgiveness. It never said, Doug the new man, I am Doug the old man, and I want your forgiveness. Now, if you're sitting here this morning going, there is Doug the old man, and there is Doug the new man. Is that right? Oh, I'm sorry, Pastor the Old Man and Pastor the New Man. But God knows me as Doug, amen? Let me see it, Bill. Look up here. So over here, I'll put on my left hand, you're right. Doug the old man and the old nature, which walks after the flesh, and sometimes does the things which is not pleasing to God, and over here is Doug the Who say it, the new man. Now, last week a few times, Doug the old man did some things that Doug the Who say it, new man didn't like. In fact, Doug the new man looked over at that and said, What are you doing? You say, You are a schizo. I'm a biblical dichotomy, amen. And I never heard last week, I never heard Doug the old man say, Please forgive me. I want your forgiveness. No, Doug the old man said, I don't care about you, I'm gonna do what I want to do. In fact, Doug the old man, before he got saved, never did ask Doug the new man for any kind of forgiveness. But I realized something that Doug the new man, by the grace of God, had to forgive the old man and what he's doing, or the old man would hinder the new man. Sooner or later there has to be a place and a point in time where Doug the new man says, Old man, I can't wait until you are eradicated and gone, till we put off the body of flesh, oh wretched man that you are. Amen. Come on, yes or no? You're a wretched old man. I can't wait until I'm freed from you. But in the meantime, I want you to know something. I've already forgiven you. You are what you are, and you're not going to hinder me. I'm going to go on. I submit to you, if Paul didn't get to the place where he said, I am what I am, he could have been got into a corner by the accuser of the brethren and never would have done anything for God. I submit to you, there are people that Christian who used to be something and now they're something else and they're changed that still from time to time look at their old nature and say, I can never be a Sunday school teacher. I can never be something for God. Look what I used to do. Forgive that old nature, forgive that old man, and forget about what that old man did and say, I am what I am, but I'm going on. Now here's the thing that happens too sometimes, even after we get saved. I got two preachers in here, pastors who will back me up on this. I've had to pastor, I've had to preach before. And during the day, I I mean it wasn't something that you would consider maybe gross immorality, but sin is sin. A thought, uh, an action, uh an anger, or something that came up during the day, and I had to preach that night. And I don't know about you preachers you ever felt this way. I just kind of said, Lord, somebody else ought to be preaching tonight. I'm not, I'm not right with you. Did you ever have that right? I'm sorry, Brother Farrell. You ever feel that way? Who am I to get up here and do this after the way I live this week? I missed my Bible study on Tuesday. I was so busy, and I gave God a one of those uh now I lay me down to sleep prayers. I'm supposed to be the man of God. Rather, sooner or later, even as a Christian, you know what I have to do? You and I have to have forgiveness in the readiness for that old man, or that old man will hinder us. Now, maybe you're in here today to say, I'm just, I'm just not getting it. Then you need to get in your Bible and let the Bible show you the difference between your old nature and your new nature and what that old nature is doing, and get to the place where you say, I am not going to let you stop me from doing what God wants me to do in my new nature. I am going to go on. I am what I am. You are what you are, but I know that you are not created after Christ Jesus, and I am, and I'm going to forgive you, and I'm going to try to forgive you to the place where you don't hinder me anymore, because I'll tell you what happens. The accuser of the brethren comes over here and he stirs him all up. Come on now. Revelations where? 12? 10? And the accuser of the brother gets him all stirred up. Please look up here. I need an old man. I need an old nature. Uh Aaron, come up and be my old nature just for a moment, okay? You look like my old nature, just no, I'm just kidding. He can come on, brother. It's okay? Okay, good. He's my old nature for a moment, okay? It's Brother Aaron. Can you be my old man just for a moment? Okay, good. Now look up here. The flesh stirs him up and he does something. Please look over here. Then, I'm in my new nature over here, is that right? Pete, come here for a minute. Peace new to our church. And the devil shows up. Now come on. And you know what the devil does? You know what principalities and powers do? They begin accusing the new nature of who? The old. And he starts, he starts pointing everything out to me and starts wanting me to look at that old nature and say, look, look, look, look over there. And I don't know about you. Somebody says, now wait a minute. What do you think? You hear voices? I don't know. Things pop into my head. How about yours? I don't believe the I don't believe the uh uh principalities and powers live inside of me, but I'll tell you what, I believe they do whisper in my ear once in a while. Now you may be sitting and go, man, this is a weird church, a weird pastor. I got I got I gotta get it out of here. No, you're living reality. TV is not reality, this is reality. This right here is reality. If you believe your Bible, this is reality. And I can't tell you the number of Christians that are not even in church this morning and not serving God this morning because they don't think they're worthy to walk into a church door, and they don't think they're worthy to walk into a Sunday school class, and they don't think they're worthy to do anything for God. Why? Because the accuser of the brethren, you make a good one too, I want you to know that. Has got me so much focused on who? My old man, that he's got me tied down. And all I can think about is what he's doing and how terrible we are.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

You are. Remember that. Don't you? You'll never forget it. I'll never let you forget it.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

That's right. You know what? I am what I am. Amen. And I'm forgiven. Amen. Praise the Lord. Is that right? Stay with me.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

I'll let you sit down. Brother I need to sit right there. We're in Scripture 6. Stay with me, two more. Look at Galatians 1, brother. Galatians 1. Galatians 1. Let me ask you to turn to the last one so we'll be there. Acts 26. Galatians 1. Acts 26. My heart's desire this morning. If you're in here and you've never been saved, you've never received Christ as your Savior, my heart's desire, first of all, is that you would consider this. Too many people think, I'll get myself cleaned up and then God will accept me. May I say this to you? None of us were able to get ourselves cleaned up enough for God to accept us. Now stay with me. None of us were able, even though some of us tried, none of us were able to get ourselves cleaned up enough to where God accepted us. Amen? All have sinned and done what? Come short of the glory of God. It only takes one, sin, to make us unacceptable. But we came to a place and point in time, realizing that we couldn't get ourselves cleaned up enough for God to accept us, we realized that God would take us just as we were. With everything that we had done and all the things, and you say, Well, but I grew up in church. You may have grown up in church but never been saved. That one lie you told was enough. Come on now. But God will take you just as you are if you haven't received Christ as Savior, and He'll forgive you of your sins just. Like you are, and you say, but you don't know what I've done. I could introduce you to men in here who've done much more than you've done. I could introduce you to ladies who've done much more than you've ever thought about doing. But they're saved and on their way to heaven this morning. Amen. So if you've never received Christ, don't wait to get cleaned up. Let him clean you up. You see, Paul went about to establish his own righteousness, but then by faith realized he couldn't do it by himself. The law wasn't good enough, and he received Christ as Savior, and God established his own righteousness in Paul. So it's not our righteousness, it's his righteousness. Amen? Now, once we get saved, if we're not careful, because we have some things, some habits, some things that just God's working on, but they're still there, if we're not careful, that old man begins to drag us down and drag us down and drag us down. If you're in here today and you're a little bit backslidden from God, and you're just looking at the thing and saying, man, I don't know how I could ever be what I'm supposed to be in the new nature. The first step is just like I would forgive Bill, my neighbor, I'm supposed to forgive who? Myself. How do I do that? By the grace of God. Well, who am I forgiving? That old nature. That old man. Look at, if you would, we're in the book of what? Galatians. Look at Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1. Verse 13, please. For ye have heard of my what? Conversation in time past. In the Jews, say it? Religion. Oh, he was religious. How that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted it. And profited in the Jews' religion above many mine equals in mine own nature, being more zeal, exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my followers. Verse 15, but when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, if you don't know what that means, it means he was born where? In Tarsus. And he became, if you would, a religious zealot, a Pharisee. That's what he was born into. But God, if you would, saved him, and he became a new creature. But when it pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb, that culture, and called me by his grace to reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me. He says he goes into Arabia, he goes back to Damascus, and after three years he goes to Jerusalem to see Peter. Look on down if you would, and look at verse 21. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. Verse 22, and was unknown by face. They didn't know what he looked like. And it was unknown by face into the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they had heard only that he which persecuted us in times past now preached the faith which once he what? Destroyed. And look what they did. And they say it. They glorified God in me. Say it again, they what? They glorified God in me. Please look up here. This is my old nature. There's the old man Doug Fisher. The old man Doug Fisher did not glorify God in anything. In fact, the old man Doug Fisher glorified himself. Is that right? But that old man Doug Fisher, I don't know about you, he's supposed to die. He's supposed to die how often? Daily. He's supposed to be on the cross how often? Daily. He's supposed to be crucified how often? Daily. But every once in a while he rises up again. And it seems like the accuser of the brother wants to say, look at yourself. You can't do it. You can't do it. You can't be that. You can't preach. You shouldn't be pastoring. You shouldn't be doing this. What are you doing leading the Bible study? Are you with me? What are you doing? What do you plan on doing? Look at yourself. You're not worthy. You know what I found out? God uses imperfect people. Who are in his mind, in his eyes, positionally, without imputed sin, perfect. But sooner or later we got to believe that. Sooner or later we got to come to the place where, you know what? I am what I am. I did what I did. There's nothing I can do about that. Forgiven, walk on. I'm not going to frustrate the grace of God or what he's done. And if God can use me in any way, shape, or form to get a little glory, I need to forgive that old nature and go on. I may be talking to some people in here today, and listen to me. Here's what happened. You got saved. Blood bought. Got going for the Lord. But you know what? Somehow, even after salvation, that old nature's been real strong. It just doesn't seem to want to let you go. And we would call this backsliding. Is that right? What are we backsliding? Well, we we got over here, we were walking with God, but we backed up and we backslid and everything, and now we're doing some of the things that we know we shouldn't be. Look up here. And if you're not careful, the accuser of the brother, and they they begin, the principalities and powers begin to accuse us of what we are and who we are. If I'm supposed to love my neighbor as myself with the same love that Christ forgave me, I'm supposed to forgive that old nature. Now, I want to make a statement. I want you to be careful. That doesn't mean I say, go ahead and do whatever you want, I'll forgive you anyways. Let me say it again. That doesn't mean I say, go ahead and do whatever you want, and I'll forgive you anyways. Is this making sense to some of you?

SPEAKER_03 27:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:31

I mean, if you haven't forgiven yourself yet, you may have a hard time forgiving others. If you haven't forgiven what you were, and sometimes that old man comes up and he said, Oh, wretched man that I am, the things that I don't want to do, those are the things I do, and the things that I do want to do, those are the things I find a hard time doing. Which we have to do sooner or later is say, I'm going to forgive that one. So I can go on and do something for God, and God can get a little glory out of this life while I'm here. They heard that the same one who persecuted was now preaching the gospel. And they glorified God in him. Look, one more scripture, last scripture, look at Acts chapter 26. Eric, you can be seated, thank you. Acts chapter 26. It's such a simple principle, but brother, we need to practice it. Probably need to practice it for some of us this morning. Maybe before the end of the day we'll need to practice it. Acts chapter 26. Look, if you would, Acts chapter 26, and here's Paul's life again. Last time, look at verse 9. I want you to follow with me now, last scripture. I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things, the next word? Everybody, please, contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, which things I also did in Jerusalem. And many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. That's a terrible, wicked, if you would, against Christianity, punishing them, verse 11. I punished them oft in every synagogue, compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. He chased them around, verse 12. Whereupon, as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priest, it happened at midday, O king. Do you remember your salvation experience? At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun shining round about me, and them which journeyed with me. And when we are fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, It's a good question, verse 15, who art thou? But he didn't stop there, Lord. And he said, I am Jesus, who's thou persecutest. Isn't this amazing? God had a plan. Jesus said to him in verse 16, but rise and stand upon thy feet. For I have appeared unto thee for this. Say it. For this what? Did God have a purpose and a plan for Paul even before he got saved? I submit to you that God had a purpose and a plan for you even before you got saved. And God had a purpose and a plan for me even before I got saved. Are you listening to me? Now it's up to me whether I frustrate his purpose. To make thee a minister and a witness, boast of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things and the which I will appear to them to thee. Isn't that something? He's out getting ready to kill Christians, and Jesus shows up and says, I got a purpose for you. These things that you're doing, I'm gonna send you forth, and you're gonna make known these things, verse 17, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom now I send thee. Look, what are you gonna do, verse 18, Paul? To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance amongst them, which are sanctified by faith which is in me. And then verse 19, look what Paul says. A very important statement. Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. You know what he said? He didn't look at himself and say, I can never do that, I can never be that. I've been killing Christians, I'm a wicked old man. God could never use me. After his salvation experience, he started preparing, he went away for three years. It said, as we read, he went away for three years and prepared, and he came back and he started preaching the gospel. But somewhere along the way, he had to find forgiveness of self. And I tell you, forgiveness of self only comes from God. God is love. And love does forgive. But it forgives in a way that releases us. Preacher, I'm in here this morning, and I haven't been living a life that's been what it should be with Christ. I really, I God drew me in here, I guess, today to hear this, and I've been living a backslidden life. I've been living a life that hasn't been honoring, pleasing to God. Please look up here. First step: forgive yourself. Get it forgiven. Climb back up out of that hole again. Come back. That old man that's supposed to be dead. Reckon him dead again. Crucify him again. Ask God to put him back on the cross again. Lord, crucify him to me so I can be what I'm supposed to be. And by the way, I'm gonna forgive him. And I'm gonna be what you want me to be. And I'm gonna go on. And I'm not gonna allow the grace of God to be frustrated in me. I'm gonna let you use me. If there's one in here this morning, one, that you've been stifled and hindered and stymied by principalities and powers from being what you ought to be for God because you think you're not worthy, may I say to you today, you're looking at a pastor that's not worthy, but forgiven. I can introduce you to two other pastors, and I don't know their background that well. But I'll guarantee you that all of us at times feel like somebody else ought to be up here speaking for God. There have been times when I've looked at myself and said, I ought to resign. Yeah, it seems like the more I read about the Bible and the more I get closer to God, the more wicked I see myself. The more holy I see him, the more unholy I see myself. But once you get to the place where you say I am what I am. And man, I'm glad he's put all those illustrations in there about the Old Testament. Boy, I was thinking the other day, man, Ahab repented, and God even forgave Ahab. Hezekiah repented and God forgave Hezekiah. I mean, some of those men back there, when they turned their hearts back to God, God forgave them right away and used them again. Even David had some problems. More than one. You say, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. What was that woman's name? Yeah, the woman, but you don't see at the end of his life, he went out and numbered the children of Israel. Who provoked him? Satan did. 1 Chronicles 21, 1, don't turn there. Satan accused him. Satan provoked him. Brethren, we all have times of getting a little backslid, or, if you would, getting a little less spiritual. And if we're not careful during those times, we'll say, well, I can't be used of God. And may I say this to you? Better to say, you know what, I need to get back up again through thy Holy Spirit. I need to let that new man have control. And I need to forgive that old man. And I need to go on and walk on and serve in that nursery and serve in that Sunday school and serve on that bus route or serve my wife the way I should, or go back to have that family altar again, or go back to have that prayer again, or whatever it is that we've laid down because I'll guarantee you this. What we used to do when we were controlled by the spirit if we get back in the middle nature, brother. Look up here and I'm almost finished. When we get back in the middle nature, we still I don't really can't do it anymore. I don't feel like protecting it anymore. Like I should like it. I don't feel like anymore. I'm not anyone going to the scarf. I can't even get it. You're gonna forget them, forget it. And you're not hidden with me anymore. I'm sickness about that. At the judgment seat of Christ, somebody else stand up there and God will stand. Why didn't you serve me? Why didn't you serve me? Why didn't you go up and do something? Why didn't you bear some fruit? And we'll look and say we weren't worthy. Nobody's worthy. Nobody's worthy. You'll say, Well, how do I forgive myself? Hey. It's so simple, but it's so profound. You go to God and say, God, give me the kind of love. I'm a partaker of your divine nature, and I need the kind of love that I can genuinely say to my old nature, You are forgiving. But you gotta get to the place where you see that old nature is God. And don't wait for him to ask. In this situation, because I use the old man, I don't take that long for me. I just wish I could forgive people quicker. Practice on yourself. And then watch how quickly it is to forgive someone else. By the way, please look up here. It's so much easier to forgive him, Bill, than to forgive him. Old man died. To forgive Bill? I've got sympathy for him, but consider the source. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I've got sympathy for him. No. I got grace for him. Why? Because I love him as a brother. I'm not going to judge him. You know who I judge? I judge him real hard. You don't usually have to tell me what I've done wrong. I'm already hitting myself pretty hard. You don't have to jump on me and kick me very much. I'm already jumping on me and kicking myself. You'll hear a message, thank you. You'll hear a message and you'll go, well, that was pretty good. I'll go back and say, man, that was terrible. We always see our own faults very well, don't we? Don't we? It's him that I'm having a hard time judging and judging to forgive. But I know this. One of these days, he is gone, gone, gone, gone, gone. And the Bible says that in heaven, he's going to wipe away the former remembrances of this world. And one of these days I won't even remember what old Doug did. I was thinking this morning, and I'll close with this. My mom's here today. My mom, uh, when my dad died at 10, at 11, I started going wild. At 12. And 13. If you ask her, she won't tell you. She'll say he was a good boy. She will. Oh, you know, no, he's a pretty good boy. I remember what I did to my mom. I remember what I said to my mom at 12. I remember. If my boy ever said that to me, he'd only say it once. In front of me. But I said some things to her. And by the way, at the age of 24 when I got saved, one of the first things I did, I drove from Paris Island, South Carolina to Ohio. And I went out and spent three days with mom and confessed and said, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I don't know if she remembers it or not, but that was a priority on my list. I was thinking this morning. This morning, uh Pete and Lisa Menno got remarried in a Sunday school class. And my mom was in the class. I was thinking with her sitting back there. How would she have ever thought a 12 and 13-year-old foul-mouthed boy that was out doing some things she didn't even know anything about? One day she would see a 42 marrying a couple. I did what I did. I am what I am. But God's got a different plan for me and He does for you. Why don't you let Him fulfill His plan for you? And don't let that old nature hinder you. Oh, it'll hinder, but it won't prevent. Ask God to give you the love. Not just to forgive others, but forgive yourself. You may know somebody today, and you say, Man, I know somebody right now. That is it right there for them. And why don't you pray for that? Ask God to reveal what it is. And if you haven't received Christ as your Savior today, God brought you here. It's the first step to being released to doing something for God. And by the way, you say you married up? Yeah, it was official marriage. I'm going to sign the wedding license and everything today. And I thought I was driving, praying, I was thinking about this. My mom wants you to get married. As a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, get married somebody. What a wonderful, wonderful God we have. Let's not let the grace of God be frustrated. Let's do something with it. And let's let God get some glory in us and other people.