Joseph Prince - Rest in the Fullness of God's Forgiveness

You and I today, we are born again. «If any man be in Christ, he’s a new creation. Old things have passed away. All things have become new». And the Holy Spirit indwells you. Do you know the Holy Spirit is in you? Do you know how clean you are for God’s Holy Spirit to indwell you? You are the temple of God, amen. And the temple of God is always clean, is always glorious, is always healthy, amen, always. Many of you have heard me share all this before, but the problem is that we believe it, we know it. Well, when push comes to shove, in our heart of hearts, we don’t really believe it. Plus, there are also voices from outside that don’t believe the gospel of grace in its purity, right? That are saying things that no way God is that good. No way are you forgiven of all your sins.

Let me tell you this. Your sins are all forgiven past, present, and future. Until the day you see Jesus face to face or you passed on, whichever comes first, amen. All your lifetime of sins has been forgiven. When the Bible says, in home, we have, say, «We have,» not trying to get it, not hoping for it in the future that we’ll possess it. No, we have it. And the word there is a present tense in the Greek. We have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of sins, plural, according to the riches of his grace, we have it. But we don’t believe it.

My son, a few weeks ago, he came down with a viral fever that lasted for eight days. And in the initial part of the first part, when he was having that problem, I prayed with him, I did all kinds of things. But he turned to me, I think it was the second day or first day, he said to me, «Abba, did this happen to me because I broke the lamp»? So earlier that week, before he fell sick, he was kicking the ball in his room. And he hit the ball too high and it hit the lamp. The lamp broke into smithereens, okay. So he was referring to that. Did this happen now? He is brought up in a house full of grace. We don’t anyhow just go around saying, «God will get you for that or your sin will find you out». But yet, there’s something in him.

What is it? The flesh. It’s either the flesh or the enemy. The flesh is from within, right? From your flesh. Deep down is the Holy Spirit always, okay? The flesh is still you. They’re part of you. Let me explain about the flesh, okay? When I say the flesh, I don’t mean the body. The flesh in the book of Romans and also in Paul’s writings usually refer to the part of you that wants to sin. Do you realize that after you’re born again, you are a new creation in Christ. You are the righteousness of God in Christ created in righteousness and true holiness, but your flesh is still there. You still wanna do wrong? You wanna think wrong? You wanna feel wrong? I know I don’t like to, I should not be angry with this person, but I just wanna hold on to it. Can or not? All right, never? Yeah, yeah, never, okay.

So, but you are not the flesh. Please understand. You have the flesh. For example, if I have a piece of splinter in my finger, all right, it’s in my finger. It’s literally in my flesh. But I’m not Mr. Wooden. I’m not a block of wood. Amen, all right, but I do have a piece of wood in my flesh. So when Adam sinned, that sin has stained our flesh. But do you know Jesus made provision for that as well? At the cross, not only he bore our sins, that means what we do, the sinful actions and deeds, plural, he bore our sins.

The Bible says, he also died through our sin in the flesh. And that’s found in Romans chapter 8, verse 4 and 5. If you read that, it says that God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. He never had sinful flesh, but he came in the likeness of you and I. In the likeness of sinful flesh. And for sin, that sin in the flesh, that splinter, that sin in the flesh for sin, God condemned sin in the flesh at the cross in his body. He dealt not just with sins, what are the products of our sinful nature, but he also dealt with the factory, the source, sin itself.

Now when God condemns something, listen, when God condemns something, it doesn’t exist anymore in his eyes. But the problem is that to our sense experience, our senses, to our experience, it’s so real. But in God’s eyes, it has been condemned. It is no more in existence. Are you listening to what I’m saying or not? We are to walk by faith, amen. In agreement with God. So whenever sinful natures arise in us, we just have to agree with God, it’s not me. I’m actually dead to it. Are you with me so far? And that can only come when you have an understanding of your sins are all completely forgiven. Because Christians still deal with this, you know. They are so sin conscious, they end up sinning, amen. And you don’t have to teach a child to be sin conscious. They are naturally sin conscious. No one is naturally righteousness conscious, amen.

Look at Jesus, how he lived his life. He never had sin consciousness. Of course, you can say he never sinned. Yeah, correct. But look at the way he walked. There’s a sureness in everything that he does. There is a definiteness in all his steps. He never had to recall a word. He never had to apologize. Never have to. There’s no sin. There’s no fault. He never has to retrace a step. Jesus moved in the rhythm of grace, all right? It takes someone that God is working with in the area of fear, worry, and care to teach you something like this. Right, amen. I don’t have it all together. I’m telling you, I had to learn this from the Lord and I’m still learning this from the Lord.

One of the worst things about writing a book called «Leave the Let Go Life» is that your family members remind you. My son tells me, «Leave the Let Go Life, man». My wife tells me, «Time to read your book again». And we are not Superman. None of the pastors are. We have to learn and sometimes we also lose the revelation. That’s why I’m teaching you all this. I’m not asking you all whether you heard me preach on this, whether you know this, but whether you still believe it today. Perhaps you have heard other voices. And this is crucial because if you tell me things like, «Pastor, I don’t really know God, you know». Then I can just tell you straight away that you don’t really believe your sins are all forgiven past, present, and future.

If you tell me that «Pastor, when God speaks to people, like I see them, you know, being led by the Lord, but God never speaks to me. I don’t feel the intuition in me». Well, it’s not because you don’t have the capacity here, but because you don’t believe your sins are forgiven. That’s where your problems start. That’s the root problem. You say that, «I don’t see God doing miracles in my life». God said, «I’ll be your God and you shall be my people». It’s because you don’t believe your sins are forgiven. So we come back again to the New Covenant. You find this New Covenant mentioned first in Jeremiah 31 by Prophet Jeremiah. «Behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah».

God says, a new covenant, amen. So in the new covenant, watch this. God gives three clauses before he tells you the final cause that produces the effects. So the three clauses are this. First of all, I’ll put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds. Am I right? Correct? «After not according to the covenant of the law because they did not continue with my covenant and I disregarded them». Notice, they are contingent on God’s response. And in the old covenant of law, because they did not continue, I did not regard. Notice that? They were the determinant upon God’s response, okay? Now watch, this is not according, the New Covenant is not according to the Covenant. It’s like this.

God says, «I will». Say, «I will». «This is the covenant I’ll make with them». God says, «I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts». Can you see that? «I’ll put my laws in their minds and write them in their hearts». So who will write? Who will put? God. Right? Am I right? So where is he gonna put it? Your most intimate part. Where? Your heart and mind. Your heart is the core of you. Your heart and mind. You know what God wants. You know how God leads you. So if you don’t find that happening to you, that God doesn’t lead you and he does it every day, you find that’s not strong, don’t worry, hold your horses, there’s a reason for it. So the next thing, next clause is this. After it says, «I’ll put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds». God says, the next one is that, «I’ll be their God and they shall be my people».

Notice again, the people, God didn’t say, «They will be my people». That means they must behave and act like my people, then I’ll be their God. It is not like the Old Covenant. Come on people. «I’ll be their God and they shall be my people. If they are sick, I’ll be the God». That means I’ll be the healing God. And they shall be a healed people, a healthy people, a strong people, young people, amen. Vigorous people. See that? This term is used frequently in the Old Testament and the context is always something miraculous.

«I’ll be their God and they shall be my people». God said, «I’ll do this, I’ll do this, I’ll do this for them. Not they do it. And then, I’ll be their God and they shall be my people. If they are poor and they are lacking, amen, and they are dispossessed of their inheritance, I’ll be their God. I’ll be their Goel redeemer. I’ll be their God and they shall be my people. I’ll be their supply and they shall be truly enriched. I’ll be their God and they shall be a peaceful people». That means, I’m the Jehovah Shalom. I’m the God of peace, amen. Do you see that? So the second clause, right?

So the first one is that he will put his guidance, his teaching, his instruction, his laws in your heart and mind. Number two, he will be your God. That’s a supernatural element. Number three, «None shall teach his neighbor and none his brother saying, 'Know the Lord, ' for all shall know me from the least of them to the greatest of them». You know, when I was young, I remember that there were seminars and teachings on knowing God. You know, so I wanted to know God, right? When I went down there, I realized that the person teaching doesn’t really know God. So this knowing God is by books and by hearing other people share about God. And no, no, no, this one is telling you there are two words, know the Lord, for all shall know me.

So the first one is that you don’t have to teach people to know the Lord. The Greek word here because from Hebrews in Greek in the New Testament, it says, «Ginosko». Say, «Ginosko». Now, «Ginosko» is knowing someone by effort, by taking time to go for coffee with them, getting to know them by effort and by experience. So in other words, none shall teach his neighbor, none will teach his brother, no God by experience, no God by reading books, no God by your own experiments even, all right, your own experience. No, no, no, no, no. None will teach his neighbor that. You know why? All will know me from the least to the greatest. All will «Oida». There now, we come to the word. Some pronounce it «Oida» right? But «Oida» is another word for knowledge. The Greek has different words for knowledge. This «Oida» is a knowledge of just knowing on the inside.

The Bible says, from the least, if you think I’m just the least in the church, well, God says, «I’ll start with you, you’re the first one that will know me». From the least to the greatest. Isn’t it like you got to start from the lost, last, and least? All will know me intuitively. All will know me intuitively on the inside. See, many of you, you may come to this church, listen, and you hear me preach and share about grace that’s not the first time you heard grace, No. You heard it inside you already. What I did was put into words what you already knew in your spirit and then you say that this resonates with me. I knew God was like that. And now I find someone who is able to put words that I cannot put words to. But I know this is the God I see on the inside of me. All these three clauses happen. Even the miraculous, I’ll be their God. All this happens because for. For, means because. I’m gonna do this. I will do this. I will do this. I will do this.

Notice, I will, I will, I will, it’s all God. In the old covenant of law, you shall, you shall. God commands man. If man is contingent, man is the main player in the covenant. You will not do this, you will not do that, you will not. Then I will bless you, then I will. You will, you will, you will. But the new covenant is not like the old covenant. God himself is the active one. I will do this. I will put my law. I’ll do this. I’ll do that. I’ll be their God. And then finally what’s your part? You’ll be hard-pressed to find your part here. Your part is to believe all his I wills.

So if you find that the leading is not strong, I don’t care how many times you hear Pastor Prince’s sermon, I don’t care how much or even you may have thought on it. God is saying your problem is that you don’t believe the last clause because the last clause is because all this will happen I will do this, I will do that, I will do this all will know me «Because I’ll be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds, I remember no more». And the no more there, it’s a double negative. Not always used in the New Testament. O, me, in the Greek. O itself is powerful enough. Me is also very powerful. Negative. Put them together, it’s a strong negative. No me, never ever ever be. God is saying, I will never ever, ever remember your sins, hallelujah. And it’s not just remember.

You know what he’s saying in the New Covenant? God is saying that, listen carefully, in the Hebrew, Jeremiah’s prophecy where this first appears, is the word «Zechar». Zechar means like your name is Zechariah. It means Yah is God’s name. Yah remembers. That’s what your name means. Zachary is from Zechariah. So Zechar means not just remember, also to be mindful of. God is saying, «I’ll no longer ever be mindful of your sins».

And this is what God is saying. I’ll never remember your sins means I’ll never be mindful of your sins. So in other words, I’m no more dealing with you based on sins. I’m now dealing with you based on the Son and what he has done for you. Because Jesus took all your sins at the cross. And God who is righteous and holy to punish his Son because he was carrying your sins cannot punish you today for the same sins twice because it will be a miscarriage of his righteousness, his justice. It’s a travesty of justice. And the course of law is called the law of double jeopardy. That’s the reason why we have this promise. It’s not because God has gone soft.

«Oh Pastor, you mean today God is not mindful of sins because he don’t care about sins anymore». No, no, no, no. Oh no. He is righteous to what his Son did. That if he’s mindful of your sins, he’s saying his Son didn’t carry it. God cannot see two places righteously at one time. If he sees your sins on Jesus, God cannot see the sins on you. The problem is that you see your sins on you. The devil tells you your sins are on you. You cast the final toss of the dice. You decide. So, I tell you this, I submit to you and this is what God said to me to tell you. If you’re the effect, what makes it happen is because I’ll be merciful to the unrighteous and your sins I’ll remember no more. If you are conscious of that every day of your life, you don’t have to try to make the rest happen. You will know God, amen.

So, you want to see the miraculous? You got to believe your sins are forgiven. Somehow when you, you know, when you come to God in prayer, wow, it’s just like, whether it’s from your flesh that’s always accusing and condemning, or from the voice of the accuser, the brethren, the devil himself. When it comes to God, all of a sudden, you are flooded with, this morning, was that sin? Maybe I looked at that man for too long. Maybe I looked at the lady for too long. Was that sin that I crossed my line? I think I jumped on his car like Pastor Lawrence was. But I was thinking, have I really got angry? So something you can’t even tell. But if you have the right believing, whether it’s sin or not, your sins are forgiven.

Can you come boldly to God? You can. But the thing is this, a lot of people will try to stop you. «No, no, no, no. You cannot believe your sins are forgiven. No, no, no». From the day you are born again until the day you accept Jesus, from the day you accept Jesus, you are forgiven of all your past sins. From now on, you are forgiven piecemeal. The New Covenant is not about right doing. It’s about right believing. Right believing will always produce right living.

Now, the Old Covenant of the law is right doing, producing right living. But new covenant is right believing. The righteous by faith shall live. That produces right living. And in all these clauses will happen. You need healing? I’ll be their God and they shall be my people. You need strength? You need peace? I’ll be their God. And all the names of God now come into play. Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Shalom, amen. «I’ll be their God». They have peace. «I’ll be their God». They are strong. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They shall be full of fat and green. Always green, amen.

Now you tell the Lord, «God, what do I really believe on the inside, Lord? Please Lord, let me not fool myself. Do I really enjoy your love? Am I conscious of your closeness without fear? Can I see you so close loving me, embracing me and yet all my sins are forgiven? Or do I see you far away»? Today’s «Rhema» word to you is deep down. I didn’t ask you whether you know this teaching, but do you believe it still? Are you right now, present tense, believing this truth that your sins are forgiven? What are you conscious of? Your failures thus far today? Or Jesus? God’s love for you? And the wonder of his person?