The prophet begins here in the
19th verse by saying God is not a
man that he should lie The God of the Bible is not a man that
he should lie You know when we speak of the sovereignty of God
as we often do and we believe in an absolute sovereign God
There's some things When we say that God is almighty and He can
do anything He wants to do, anything He purposes to do, He can do.
But do you know there are some things that God cannot do? And
one thing that God cannot do, His nature will not permit Him
to do it. He is God, thrice holy God, and
He cannot lie. He cannot lie. Even though He
be a sovereign, even though He be able to do, and the Bible
says it, there's nothing too hard for the Lord. that yet God
cannot lie, how grateful we are for that. uh... and then it goes
on to say neither year is he the son of man that he should
repent god has no need to change his mind about anything he's
god he knows everything from the beginning there in anything
that god has ever learned in time god knows as much now as
he ever knew and he certainly knew as much in the beginning
as he would ever know and so god needs not change his mind
he does not repent he does not turn about Hath he said and shall
he not do it God Almighty when he opens his mouth and says something
Then that's what he's going to do. God is not going to turn
about and there he cast no shadow by Variation he doesn't vary. There's no variableness with
him James 1 17 tells us and that so God then will not change and
what he says Then he'll do it Or hath he spoken, and shall
he not make it good? If God has given us a promise,
if God has ever spoken a word to you, if God ever spoke a word
to any man, He'll do it. God will do it. God will make
His promises good. God is a God of His word. The
Bible teaches that God is a talking God, and when He speaks, He'll
make His word good. Now, the reason we know that
is because His character is such that he cannot tell a lie, and
the reason we know that is because he has all power and he can do
anything. God runs this world. Now I know
that some people have difficulty in believing that God runs this
world, but we believe that God runs this world. Now if he doesn't
run it, he either doesn't run it because he's not able, or
he doesn't run it because He doesn't want to. In either case,
you and I are in desperate trouble. We believe that God runs the
world, number one, because He made it. It's His. It's His creation. And because He wants to run it.
He wants to run it. And so God rules and governs
and controls this world. So we're talking here, verse
19, about an absolute sovereign, a God who is able to do, and
when He speaks, He'll make it good because He runs this world. Behold, I have received commandment
to bless, Balak says. I have received commandment to
bless. Now Balak has told Balaam, you know, Balaam wanted, or it
was, I'm sorry, I've got it just backwards. The Lord had told
Balaam not to say anything except what he put in his mouth. What
word I put in your mouth, you speak that word, and that word
only. And Balak, of course, he wanted
that Israel would be cursed And Balaam said, what have you done
to me? You blessed these people when
I wanted you to curse them. Now God had blessed these people
and he gave commandment to Balaam to bless these people, to bless
the Israelites, to bless his people, to bless those that belong
to him, his chosen people. And he hath blessed uh... of bailing says he and he had
blessed me dot has indeed bless this people god has blessed this
people and shelly uh... and listening and he says and
i cannot reverse and i cannot reverse i'm a man i'm just a
man and god said i will bless these people and he has blessed
them bailing says i can't reverse it whatever i might say you know
i have anything to do it dot blesses then you cannot reverse
it. I cannot reverse it. And if God
doesn't defy a nation, then no man can defy that nation. If
God says my blessing is upon them, then his blessing is upon
them. Now in verse 21, he hath not
beheld iniquity in Jacob. Here it is. It's spelled out
for us. He hath not beheld iniquity in
Jacob. Neither hath he seen perverseness
in Israel. The Lord his God is with him,
and the shout of a king is among them. I want to speak primarily
there on verse 21 this morning, and then as the other verses
are to be used by the grace of God, we'll try to use them. But
I want to speak a little bit this morning on God seeing no
sin in His people. Now there's a lot of questions
that comes to people's minds as you begin to speak on a subject
like this. Now these words, let me try to
say a few things that might clear up and might help you to understand
the meaning of these words in verse 21. He hath not beheld
iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel.
Now, first of all, let me say that these words do not suggest
that there was no sin or no perverseness in Israel, because there was
an abundance of perverseness among the children of Israel.
But the Lord God did not make or He did not mark, I should
say, the sins of His people against them. He did not impute sin or
accredit sin unto His chosen, those whom He had blessed. He
did not look upon their sins with the eye of His justice,
but hid his face from them and forgave them and that, listen
to me now, and that which God did for his elect among the children
of Israel, he has done for his elect in Christ who are his true
Israel, the Israel of God. Now how important this is to
see this. Beloved, this is so important.
Now John Gill said that the glory of the Bible and the mirror of
the gospel is this truth that God sees no sin in His people. He sees no perverseness in His
people. And I believe this morning that
to understand this truth is to be blessed of God, is to fully
understand the riches of God's grace, is to be helped and blessed,
and is to receive fullness of satisfaction in the soul, and
certainly is the foundation of all of our confidence before
God in time and it's the abiding comfort of the souls of God's
people when they come down to the very hour of death. It is
our triumph in the hour of death that God sees no sin in us, that
His justice is completely blind to all of the perverseness and
the sin and the iniquity that is in us as the people of God. Now, this is, as I said, a very
important doctrine and one that many people are confused about.
Now, it does not mean then, first of all, that there was no iniquity
in Jacob, no perverseness in Israel. There was actually iniquity
in Jacob and perverseness in Jacob as there are in us. Though there is much sin in us
and done by us, every day truly believers, or really true believers,
they admit and confess this truth that there's sin in us, but yet
that God does not see sin in His people. Now in 1 John 1 in
verse 8 through 10, I'd like for you to read there, and I
want to show you that saved sinners are sinners still. If you'll
turn with me to 1 John chapter 1, I want you to get this verse
this morning. We begin with verse 8 and read
through verse 10. If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned,
we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. So every true believer
confesses that they do have sin. And so what this is talking about
is not that we don't have any sin. Those who teach the doctrine
of sinless perfection or even the possibility of sinless perfection
in this life are dishonest men who do not know God and refuse
to acknowledge the truth about themselves. All of us have sin
in us. For me to make such a statement
about men who teach sinless perfection, I do not believe is harsh, nor
is it judgmental. I'm simply telling you the truth.
There is no such thing as people living in this world, born of
women in this world, that are sinless. All of us have sin. And so when God says, as He does
about the children of Israel, that He's not beheld iniquity
in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel, He doesn't
mean that there's not actually, in experience, sin in them, because
that sin did exist. The fact is, God's people in
this world are sinners still, and to say otherwise is to speak
in direct contradiction of the Word of God and the constant
experience of God's elect in this world. No believer has to
be convinced of that fact. It is painfully obvious, it is
painfully obvious to all who know the Lord, there is in every
believer's heart a continual warfare against the flesh and
the spirit, between the flesh and the spirit. Romans 7, 17
through 20. Paul said that sin dwelt in him. Paul said in his
flesh there dwelt no good thing. And in Galatians 5 and 17, he
tells us that the flesh wars against the Spirit, and the Spirit
against the flesh, so that a believer is hindered in doing that which
he would like to do. He's hindered in following the
Lord. Without question, God's saints
do not live habitually in sin, and they're no longer under the
dominion or the rule of sin, but sin still lives in us. Sin dwelleth in us. and sin dwells in the flesh of
every believer. There is in every regenerate
person two natures. Two, might we say, opposing natures. The one flesh and the other spirit. The one is a principle of nature
and the other is a principle grace. How important this is
to understand that in the old man there is the principle of
sin. In the new man there is the principle
of grace and Christ is that new man. Now we are to put off The
Bible says in Ephesians 4 and 22, concerning the former conversation,
the old man. That word conversation is behavior. We're to put off concerning the
former behavior, the old man, which is corrupt according to
the deceitful lust. It is our responsibility living
in this world as God's people to mortify the outward actions
of sin but we cannot ever rid ourselves of sin because we have
that principle of sin in the old man. Now, the old man never
improves. The old nature never gets better. You say, well, I just kind of
figured that we'd get a little better as we lived. If we lived
long enough, we'd get better. Well, you're not going to get
any better than the old man. The old nature does not improve. The old man, listen, The old
man is not removed when a person is regenerated or when he's converted. The old man is still there. And
those old appetites and that old nature of yours, it is still
there even though the seed of God is in you, even though you've
been regenerated, born from above and the Spirit of God dwells
in you, still that old nature is there. The old man does not
die until the body of flesh dies. And when the body of flesh dies,
the old nature is then dead. Now the old man no longer reigns,
but he will never surrender. He will never, never surrender. Now, we trust that the new man,
as we war against the old man, that as we walk in the Spirit,
that we will overcome the old man and experience in this life. But, sin dwells in us and will
continue to dwell in us. We are constantly at war within
ourselves. There's always a war going on
in the believer. The old man attempting to gain
superiority, attempting to rule, attempting to call the shots,
attempting to be the one that gets all the consideration, attempting
to be the one that we pay attention to. And the new man in us, that
principle of grace feeding upon the Word of God is strengthened
and the Spirit of God working mightily in us. enables us to
wage war against sin and the perverseness that is in our life. The Bible says that that which
is born of the flesh is flesh and The old man is born of the
flesh, and it is flesh. And the new man is Christ in
us, who is in us by faith. The old man no longer reigns,
but as we said, he'll never, never surrender. Therefore, we
have this war. Sin does not just crop up in
us now and then. Somebody said I slipped the other
day, and I said something I ought not say. And sin just now and
then, people think, just crops up in us at an unguarded moment. But no, Paul said, sin dwelleth
in us. And Paul said that in him, that
is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. It's not that
I have a slip now and then. It is that my own nature is ruined,
and it was ruined at the fall, and my own nature is corrupt
and sinful. And so at any given time, it
can be said that saved sinners are sinners still. And I want
you to understand that at this point this morning. Sin dwells
in us, not as an idol, not as an idle old resident, Not as
just an old renter that just abides there, lives in a back
room of the house, but is active. It's corrupting and defiling
influence is very evident. And all that we are and all that
we do is affected by this tenant. And he's, as we said, he's not
just an idle renter. He's very active in us. Sin dwells in us like an enemy
who has entered the very heart of the city of man's soul and
seeks to rapidly destroy everything. Sin is dwelling in our hearts
and in our hearts there lives a traitor against God. Your very
nature is traitorous toward God and your very flesh nature is
contrary to the rule of God. That's why those, when our Lord
died on the cross, that's when he was being betrayed, that's
why they cried out and said, we'll not have this man to reign
over us. Those were your ancestors. Those
were the kind of people you came from. We will not have this man
reign over us. Your nature is sinful and is
corrupt. And we got this enemy right in
here. And we'll open the gate. to the
demons and open the gate to all of the enemies of God and allow
them to come in. And if it wasn't for the grace
of God, there wouldn't be a believer here within an hour. There would
not be a believer left in the city of Great Falls within an
hour if it wasn't for the grace of God. Only God preserves us
and keeps us. Now this horrid enemy does not
rule the believer's life, he does at times bring us into captivity,
though he cannot destroy us, he constantly is irritating us
and constantly is disturbing us. Our sins, everything evil
in us, and everything evil done by us are of the works of the
flesh. Everything good in us and everything
good done by us is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. the fruit
of the Spirit, Galatians 5, 17 through 23. So beloved, we have
learned this, that these words in Numbers chapter 23 and verse
21, when it says, He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither
hath He seen perverseness in Israel, does not mean that there
was none there. We have learned that. Number
two, the second thing I'd like to say is this, that there are
those who believe that there are two seeds in the world, that
there are two seeds after the flood that we find in the world. Some say that there are those
who are different, that they're God's children, even when they're
born into this world, and that they're different. from other
people. They are people that are of the
godly line, and that there is no evil about them, there's no
sin about them. And so these are the people that
God sees no perverseness in, or sees no sin in. But if you
turn with me to Ephesians chapter 2, I'll show you that there's
nothing to this two-seed theory. There isn't anything to it. It
is not true. And in Ephesians chapter 2, it
says, And you, in verse 1, hath he made alive who were dead in
trespasses and sins, wherein in times past ye walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children
of disobedience, among whom also, now listen to this, among whom
also we all had our conversation or behavior in times past in
the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, and get this last statement, and were by nature
the children of wrath, even as others. Now, beloved, every child
of God is born into this world a sinner. Every child of God
is born into this world alienated from God. They were alienated
and cut off from the life that was in God. And I've heard people
say, and I heard a man say it last night, and I could not believe
when I heard him say it. There's a famous preacher in
America who somebody asked last night, was there a time when
you were not a believer? Was there a time when you were
not a Christian? And this man said, no, there
was not a time. He claims to be a gospel preacher,
but he said that he always believed, that he always believed. Now,
beloved, let me tell you this. Every one of us were by nature
the children of wrath. We were born into this world
sinners and were all under the wrath of God until God did, by
regenerating grace, deliver us by quickening us, making us alive
through His grace, through His mercy, through His love toward
us. Even when we were dead in sins,
we were quickened together with Christ and by grace we were saved. There was a time when we were
not saved. There was a time when we had
not obtained mercy. There was a time when we were
under the wrath of God. We were children of wrath by
nature. and it was necessary for us to
receive the quickening grace of God. And so there's nothing
to this two-seed theory that there's just two seeds. Here's
an evil seed, and here's a godly seed, and the godly seed don't
have any sin, and the ungodly seed has it all. There's no truth
to that whatsoever. We're all equally sinners in
this world. All have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. There's no one exempt from that.
All are equally sinners before God. I'm not saying that some
are not more sinners, bigger sinners than others, but I'm
saying that all of us are sinners before God, whatever race we
be from. Now the third thing that I want
to say about this is, that the reason that God sees no sin in
His people, and I'll get to explaining to you how that is in a moment,
but the third thing I want to say is that this is not because
God is not able to see. It's not because God is blind
that He cannot see perverseness in Israel, sin in Jacob. It's not because He cannot see. We know that God Almighty is
omniscient. We know that He knows all people
and He knows all things. And nothing is or can be hidden
from God's all-seeing eye. All the actions of all men, whether
bad or good, are seen and known by God. He sees not only what
we do, but He sees why we do it. He sees the secret, the inward,
the hidden things of our hearts. He sees the very fountain of
all evil and corruption in us, which is our hearts. And God
does not look on the outward appearance, He looks on the heart.
And God sees our heart. And He knows all there is to
be known about us. Now His omniscient eye sees all
the sins of His own people as well as all the sins of the reprobate
sinners in the world. and there could be no debate
about the fact that the omniscient God sees everything about everyone
and knows about everything that's going on in this world. There
are several scriptures that I'd like to call to your attention,
but I think what I will do First of all, turn to the book of Job.
I think I'll have you turn to chapter 34 of the book of Job. Let me read here a verse or two. Verse 21 and 22 of the 34th chapter. It says, For his eyes are upon
the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. There is no darkness
nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide
themselves. Listen to those verses. Will
that not convince you that the eyes of the Lord sees the ways
of man, and he sees all of his goings? It's not because God
is blind that he sees no perverseness in Israel, or no sin in Jacob,
or no iniquity in Jacob. And then there's other verses
too, and I'd like for you to turn to Psalm 139. I really like
this. It's a great psalm, and it's often been a real blessing
to me. Psalm 139. Let me read here just
a few verses to you. Oh Lord, Thou hast searched me
and known me, beginning with verse 1. Thou hast searched me
and known me. Thou knowest my down settings
and mine uprisings. Thou understandest my thought
afar off. Thou compass my path, my lying
down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not
a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and
before, and laid Thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me, it is high, I cannot attain unto it, whether shall
I go from Thy Spirit, or whether shall I flee from Thy presence. So you see that by reading just
these select passages that the Lord is not blind and that God
sees. He says, the psalmist did, you
know when I sit down, you know when I get up, you understand
my thoughts are far off. He says that you compass my path
and my lying down, you're acquainted with all my ways and there's
not a word in my tongue but Lord you knew it before I ever spoke
it. You knew it before hand. You know it all together. You
know it. beforehand and so the lord then
is not blind he's a god that sees and then in hebrews chapter
four in verse thirteen it says for neither is there any creature
which is not manifest to him uh... for all things are naked
and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do everything
about us god sees it god's eyes upon you thou god seest me the
lord's eye is upon us the lord sees us And so it's not that
he can't see, because God does see all, and God knows all, and
there isn't anything that is hid from him. Well, when the
scripture says that he hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither
hath he seen perverseness in Israel, the declaration has no
reference at all to his attribute of omniscience. It has no reference
to that, but the reference is rather to the justice of God. The justice of God. Now the meaning
is simply this, and we must hurry. The meaning is simply this. What
does it mean when the Bible says that God sees no sin in His people? And that God has blessed His
people. Now, we read over here in the book of Proverbs, or in
the book of Numbers, in verse 20, it says, and he hath blessed,
God has blessed his people. In Ephesians chapter 1, I would
invite your attention there, Ephesians chapter 1, I believe
that I've got to bring this verse of scripture in at this time,
and I want you to look at this verse with me. Ephesians chapter
1 and look at verse 3 and verse 4. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love that we should be
holy and without blame before him in love now you remember
earlier I said that what God had what the Lord did for Israel
in the elect among the Israelites he has done for those that are
in Christ who are the true Israel of God he has done for us those
that are in the Lord Jesus Christ and in verse 3 we read that where
that God has blessed us We have been blessed. God blessed the
Israelites. God blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in Christ. And then it was to the end that
we should be holy without blame before Him, before Him in love. So you see that God has placed
all of His elect in this position where He sees no sin in them. Listen to me now. In as far as
God's law and justice is concerned, He sees no sin in His people. Debts that are cancelled, debts
that are paid, the law cannot any longer see. Now listen to
me, that which is no longer written against us in the book of God,
cannot be seen by the eye of God's justice. God's eye of justice
sees no sin in His people because His hand of justice has blotted
out our sins out of His book, justice having been fully satisfied
by the blood of Jesus Christ By the blood of his sacrifice
that was made on the behalf of our sins I want you to turn to
a few passages number one. Let's look in Isaiah chapter
43 Isaiah chapter 43 and I want us to look at verse 25 verse
25 I even I and he that blotteth out thy
transgressions for my own sake and will not remember thy sins.
God said I'm gonna blot out your transgressions for my own sake
and I'll not remember them because I've covered them, I've blotted
them out. Now look in the 44th chapter
of Isaiah and look at verse 22. He says, I have blotted out as
a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins returning
to me, for I have redeemed thee. God says, I blotted them out.
And he said, like a thick cloud covering something, covering
the sun. You know, the clouds will cover
and blot out the sun completely. so that we cannot see it. As
we are earthlings living here, earthbound, we cannot see it.
So God is able to blot out, and He has, with a thick cloud, our
transgressions. Turn with me to Psalm chapter
32, and I want you to see. Now, everybody knows that David
was a great sinner. In the Bible, that David was
a great sinner. And yet, I want you to listen
to his words here in Psalm 32. He said, Blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is he
whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is what? Is covered. Is covered. Now if your sin is
covered so that God can't even remember it and won't remember
it and can't see it, then cannot you receive comfort from that,
that your sin is covered up. Now listen to this next verse.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord no longer accredits sin. Our sin has been credited to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Our sin was charged to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Our sin was laid on the Lord
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is our substitute
and God has dealt with Him. God looked upon Him. Now listen
to me now. Jesus is a representative man. The Bible teaches that there
are two representative men that have lived in this world. Adam.
Adam was the first Adam, and the Lord Jesus is the second
Adam. And as we stood in the first
Adam, all of us were under the wrath of God. But when we were
chosen in old eternity by sovereign grace, and put into the Lord
Jesus Christ, and blessed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that we
might stand holy and be without blame before Him in love, hear
me now, the Lord no longer looks upon us in the first Adam, He
now looks upon our representative, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, beloved,
when God looked upon His Son and when God made Him to be sin
for us, when God made, legally constituted Christ to be a sinner
in my room instead in place, God looked upon, at that time,
upon my substitute as being that one who was a sinner suffering
eternal vengeance, paying, canceling the debt, paying, and our sins
being remitted in our substitute. Our sins being blotted out in
Him. And now God looks upon our representative. And He does not look upon us.
He looks upon our representative. And our representative is Christ.
is crying and what does dot c when he sees his own beloved son well
we know the lord jesus was numbered with the transgressors he was
hung on the cross but then he was taken down from the cost
he was put into the brave and god raised him from the dead
and god is taking him up uh... jesus is seated at the right
hand of god and god looks upon price as being totally absolutely
righteous and all of his people are in him. The Bible says that
our life is hid with Christ in God. And so we're hid. We're hid away in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And God no longer looks upon
us. He no longer can see any sin. We stand blameless before
God. Listen, turn with me if you will.
I'll show you how God looks upon the church. Turn to Ephesians
chapter 5. and look at this if you if you
will Ephesians chapter 5 and I think it's verse 27 it says
that he might present it to himself a glorious church that is the
church of the firstborn that is the church that Some people call it the
futuristic church. Some people call it the church in prospect. that we call it
the Lord's body, the Lord's church. We call it the people of God,
the living family of God. And he says that he might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Now, as you stand in the flesh, that's not talking about you.
Of all people, I mean, you have many spots. Can a leopard change
his spots? Certainly we have many spots
and many blemishes upon us. But in Christ, listen, this sounds
to me like it's a picture of Christ. Christ has no spot. Christ has no wrinkle. Christ
has no such thing. He's holy and He's without blemish. And God looks upon His church
as they stand in their head, their representative, the Lord
Jesus Christ. And so He sees no sin in them. I rejoice to declare that every
believer this morning that their sins are put away and that God
looks upon their representative. Now I must hasten to say that
God does see the sins of His people in this regard. that god
does look upon the sins of his people we know that he said about
david's sin that the thing that david did displease the lord
and we know that god while he does not punish sin in his people
he does not punish he punished christ in our place but god like
any true father does correct his children He does indeed correct
his children, and that is where we find chastisement. That's where we find the rod
of God being applied to those who sin in this life. In Psalm 89, I want you to turn
there with me. You must see this. We know that
God brought His rod upon David when he sinned, that God dealt
with him, and so here in Psalm 89, I want to read here beginning
with verse 27. Also I will make him my firstborn
higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for
him forevermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to
endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. Get verse
30. If his children forsake my law
and walk not in my judgments, if they break my statutes and
keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgressions
with a rod and their iniquities with stripes. Look at verse 33.
Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will i not utterly take from
him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail, my covenant will i not
break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." So beloved,
once you become a child of God, you're always a child of God,
you never can be anything less than that, and your father will
correct you when you do wrong and when you sin, But you will
never cease to be His child. And as far as His justice is
concerned, God's justice sees no more perverseness, no more
sin in us. And we stand before God wholly
and complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. We stand perfect in Christ. We stand accepted in Christ. And God looks upon us in His
Son just as if we had never committed a sin. And He deals with us in
grace and mercy. Sure, we want that the loving
Heavenly Father would show His love to us. And look here, if
you would, in the book of Hebrews, I want you to turn with me to
the book of Hebrews chapter 12, and I want to read just a couple
of verses here to you to show you what I'm talking about. The
justice of God sees no sin in us. A loving Heavenly Father,
being the Father that He is, a wise Father, knowing what is
good for us, the Lord does deal with our backslidings and deals
with our indifference toward his goodwill now look here in
the 12th chapter of the book of Hebrews he says
this if you endure chastening in verse 7 God dealeth with you
as with sons for what son is he whom the father chasteneth
not but if you be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then
are you bastards and not sons Furthermore, we have had fathers
of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence.
Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days
chastened us after their own pleasure, but he for our profit,
that we might be partakers of his holiness. No chastening for
the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless afterward
it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which
are exercised thereby. But did you get this verse of
scripture here? It says, Whom the Lord loveth, in verse 6,
he chasteneth and scourgeth every son that he receiveth. The Lord
loves His children, therefore He will not allow them to live
in rebellion and in indifference, and will not allow them to go
on, but in loving kindness, He chastens them for their sins. Not to punish them, there's a
difference. Not to punish them, God has punished
Christ for our sins. He chastens us to correct us. but he sees as far as his justice
is concerned look down on old israel there and there was uh... was uh... you can just read the
testimony of the old test see all of the perverse sin there
was about and their rebellion but you see that god said their
sin is covered for as i'm concerned their sin is covered one more
verse this is a hard subject to leave turn with me to the
book of jeremiah chapter fifty the book of Jeremiah chapter
15, look at verse 20. In those days, and in that time,
saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for,
and there shall be none, and the sins of Judah, and they shall
not be found, for I will pardon them whom I reserve. Isn't that
a great verse? That's a great verse indeed.
In one day, the book of Zechariah says, the Lord is going to make
an end of sin. In one day. And that one day
was at the cross. That one day was when our Lord
Jesus was made to be sin for us that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him. Well, I agree with John Gill
that the fact that God sees no sin in His people is the glory
of the Bible and it's the marrow of the gospel and it displays
fully the riches of God's grace and the efficacy of the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ. May we be comforted, may we be
sustained and helped as we reflect upon this truth that God sees
no sin in us so that we might be punished again, because we
were punished already. God will not punish sin twice.
Once at our bleeding surety's hand, and then again at ours. Our sin has been put away. It's
been remitted. It's been cancelled. God has
blotted it out with a thick cloud. He doesn't see it anymore. So
praise be unto His name. What a wonderful position to
be in as a child of God, to be in this glorious position. to
where that sin no longer can rob us of the blessings of God
and where that when we come down to the end we can triumph in
the hour of death regardless of what the old accuser of the
brethren comes by to remind us of because we can triumph in
Christ knowing that in Him there is no sin. no sin in him, and
blessed is the man whose sin is covered, whose transgressions
are forgiven. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Blessed is that man. So the Lord
blessed them indeed, did he not? He blessed them, and if God blesses
you with all blessings in Christ, then you're already seated at
the right hand of God, in Jesus, in heavenly places. May the Lord
bless you with these glorious truths. Father, in the name of
Jesus, accept our thanks and our praise for this truth. We
rejoice in Christ our Head, in Christ our Representative, in
Christ our Substitute, and how we thank you that you put us
in Him, and that we were in Him when He died, in Him when He
was buried, in Him when He was raised from the dead, in Him
now, seated at the right hand of eternal majesty. Thank you,
blessed Jesus. In the name of Jesus, Amen.