FORGIVENESS OF SINS
[p. 332] FORGIVENESS OF SINS
Hebrews 10:14 - 17; 1 Kings 17:17 - 24
It will be observed that there is a calling of sins to mind with the woman of which I read in 1 Kings and in the first scripture I read it is said that God is not remembering sins. “Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work”, (2 Timothy 3:16,17). They are not always clear in our minds, but as we enquire into the Scriptures, the Lord helping us, we find clarity, for there is complete agreement in all Scripture. All Scripture, as I have said, is given by inspiration of God, and it is profitable for teaching, conviction, correction and instruction in righteousness. So the wise course for persons not acquainted with these matters is to look into them. There are those that are ever learning, and yet never come to a knowledge of the truth. This is deplorable! For if we never come to a knowledge of the truth, we shall never be free, for the truth sets us free. So one would encourage hearers to recognise that every scripture is inspired of God and profitable, and not intended to baffle anybody or darken anybody, but to enlighten us. God has given us minds, and Christians, those who believe, are said to have the mind of Christ. I am not sure if we are all Christians here, but most are. Christians have the mind of Christ. We are able to think as Christ does. And, of course, Christ is God. These are cardinal truths that I am setting out. There are consequential things in us and one of these is a mind, as it is said. We have the mind of Christ; that is, Christians. And having such a mind, we may be encouraged to open our Bibles at any time and compare spiritual things with spiritual, scripture with scripture, and we shall find that all Scripture [p. 333] agrees with Scripture. This scripture in Hebrews 10 agrees with the scripture in 1 Kings 17.
Hebrews 10 tells us that the Holy Spirit is witness to us. He is a witness of many things, but a witness to us that our sins and our iniquities are never remembered any more for ever. I hope that all here can join us in this great and blessed knowledge that belongs to Christians, that God does not remember our sins any more. It is not that He has not remembered them, but that He is not speaking of them any more. Again I say that I hope that all of you can join us in this matter, in this wonderful knowledge that we have forgiveness. God has so committed Himself to the idea of forgiveness that He is preaching it, not simply speaking about it, but preaching it: “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all the nations beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). God not only tells us about forgiveness, that some of the passages in the Bible set forth forgiveness, but He is preaching it. I am here tonight to do my little part in this — the preaching of forgiveness, and I ask any here, whoever they are, who are not forgiven, to think over what I have said, and see if you cannot be one of us. Why should you not be? It is a public matter. God is not only telling us of forgiveness, writing it down in the Scriptures, but He is preaching it, having it preached: “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem”, (Luke 24: 47). He did it at the beginning with twelve men who were commanded to go and preach among the nations and proclaim to them that their sins could be forgiven, that God is ready to forgive. The time for it has come. These men were in power, and at the beginning their preaching was accompanied by works of power from God, and thus these men preached remission of sins. Well now, that is the general fact that I have in mind at this time.
[p. 334] Now I proceed to speak of 1 Kings 17, in order to make clear that the woman there, who is a widow, we are told she was a widow of Zarephath, had been entertaining or providing for the prophet Elijah for some time. God had arranged that she should do this for His servant, that this woman should provide for him. Previously He had ordered the ravens to feed Elijah. He had ordered the brook to run down where Elijah was, so that he could drink of the brook. The ravens brought meat and bread and the water came down in the torrent. There was plenty of water for the time being, but it dried up. It lasted a considerable time, and when it dried up God arranged that this woman, called the widow of Zarephath, should provide for Elijah, His servant, and now she is doing it. He had been in the east near the Jordan, but the brook dried up so he had to go across the country to the place of the widow’s residence. She was near the Mediterranean, and God had commanded this widow to provide for His servant, which the widow did. Elijah finds the widow near her house and she was the first person he met as he reached the place. She had an only son. It was a time of famine and they were suffering from the famine and so was Elijah.
Now these are things that I am seeking to bring before you, and again I ask if there are any here not forgiven; if so they should look into the matter as I proceed. At this particular time, there was this widow woman, who had herself no means of livelihood except a little meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruse, coming out of the town to gather a few sticks to make a fire so that she could cook the little meal and the little oil, that she and her son might eat the little and die. That is the picture. You may say, I am not likely to be in those circumstances; but the question is, Are you not in those circumstances now? If you are still in your sins, unforgiven, you [p. 335] are. This woman does not seem to be occupied with sins; she is occupied with the little meal and the little oil and occupied with the thought of her son, both in their sins, ready to die. A sorrowful picture! You say, I am not in that case. Certainly you are if your sins are not forgiven. You are in a worse case. She was not concerned about her sins at this time, but the conversation went on between the widow and Elijah, the conversation about the little she had, and Elijah says to her, Fear not. He had the mind of God. And so I would say to anyone not forgiven, Fear not, but fear God, for He is to be feared. “For also our God is a consuming fire”, (Hebrews 12:29). Our God — that is the Christian’s God. It is a question of God as such. He is a consuming fire, and we have to do with God. There is a good reason for unforgiven sinners to be afraid, good reason to fear.
Now Elijah said. Fear not. I am not going into further details except to say that the widow and her son and Elijah lived for a whole year on the little oil she had in the cruse and the little meal in the barrel. They lived for a whole year on that. Well, you say, that is something beyond my experience. It is not beyond the experience of persons that know God. Elijah knew God, and had confidence in saying to the widow, Fear not. So the year is spent; there was no food, there was no rain, but the meal in the barrel and the oil in the cruse did not fail. It does not say how big the barrel was, but the point is, that they came through with very small supplies, but they did not starve for a whole year. Our God is a God of miracles, a God of wonders, a Saviour God. Our God is a forgiving God; there is forgiveness with Him. He does not ration out forgiveness. Indeed it is not a commodity to be rationed, it is with God and like other things that are with God, there is plenty of it. God is reaching toward you that you may draw near to Him. He is ready to [p. 336] receive you. If you have not got your sins forgiven, then I would say, God has forgiveness with Him that He might be feared. Pardon me for repeating my enquiry, as to whether there are persons here whose sins are not forgiven, because it is a serious matter. May you not go out of the door of this room unforgiven! It is a hazardous thing for you to do. Get your sins forgiven and go out of the door with forgiveness. There is forgiveness with God. That is what we are reading in this scripture.
The scripture shows that Elijah is kept alive, and the woman, and the boy; these three persons are kept alive for a year. God is a God of wonders. His name is Wonderful. Among the wonders of God is the fact that He can forgive sins and many sins. However many you may have, they can all be forgiven. The Lord Jesus has been the sin-bearer. Peter, speaking about believers, says of the Lord Jesus, “Who himself bore our sins in his body”(1 Peter 2:24). Paul says, “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified”, (Hebrews 10:14). Perfected for ever. Well, now, the widow, and the boy and Elijah lived for a whole year on the little meal and the little oil, but in course of time the son dies. I am endeavouring to bring before you, who are unforgiven persons in your own experience, how this widow illustrates you. She had not yet any trouble in her conscience about her sins, but when the boy dies she begins to be troubled about her sins. It is solemnly true that while God is a forgiving God, and has forgiveness with Him, and the Holy Spirit is witness that sins are forgiven and never remembered any more; yet a great many people are not forgiven, or are not consciously forgiven.
Now God is reaching out to you, that you might be afraid, afraid of your unforgiven state, and that you may have to do with God about it; that an element of fear may come into your heart when you [p. 337] know you have to do with God. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God”, (Romans 14:11). The circumstances surrounding us are put in our way in grace so that we might stop and look around, and see if there is not something wrong in our histories. How it is we are not like others who have their sins forgiven all these years, and who have a witness to it, and no less a witness than the Holy Spirit? Why should anybody be so burdened with a load of sins on his back, on his shoulders, when we have the means right by us, and the witness of the Holy Spirit, that the Lord Jesus became the sin-bearer, has borne our sins in His body on the tree? At that time God forsook Him. Think of that! God forsook His beloved Son. The Lord Jesus Himself said to God: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”(Matthew 27:46). What a question it was! Think of what it must have been to God to hear that, from One of whom it is said: “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand”, (John 3:35). And yet He has to say this to God, “Why hast thou forsaken me?”(Matthew 27:46). Well, that belongs to the doctrine of what I am speaking of, not that I am going to preach doctrine, but doctrine has value. It is for us to know that there is such a thing as doctrine, what is called the apostles’ doctrine. It is most important to understand that, if we are at all exercised about this matter of our sins and how the matter has been dealt with. There is no time for that now, but the Bible is for that, so that we look into the doctrine to get God’s mind about the forgiveness of our sins. We are to be perfectly assured, and the doctrine assures us.
Well now, this boy dies. This is one of the many circumstances to arrest persons that are not forgiven. You are going about this world as an unforgiven person. You are no pleasure to God as moving [p. 338] about in this town or in another town unforgiven, and yet there are millions of persons moving about unforgiven. The matter of sins has been settled fully to God’s glory and satisfaction, and to the satisfaction of the conscience of every believer, and we want you, we believers, we want you to join us in this matter of forgiveness. We want you to become a forgiven person and we are telling you now that things may happen to you. A child may die, a wife may die, a husband may die. You say. Sorrowful thing, we must provide for the funeral. About this young person, it is a very terrible thing, he or she is dead, and the parents, the brothers and sisters, the neighbours, are careless about this matter of forgiveness. God is not careless, so He causes this widow to remember her sins. Many are like her, carrying their sins about and never settling them. God says, It does not suit Me to have you moving about on My earth with a load of sins. God says, I am not satisfied. Most of those in this hall have settled the matter of their sins, and God is pleased about it. It is a great thought, having the sense that God is pleased with you. He is pleased with all believers. Believers have their sins forgiven. Why are you not among them? God is saying to you, that sometime something will happen, but He wants you to be forgiven, if you are not forgiven yet. He is endeavouring to awaken you. “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light”, (Ephesians 5:14). You who have not done that yet, God is endeavouring to awaken you. Like Jonah, who went to sleep and was aroused from his slumbers: “What meanest thou, sleeper?”(Jonah 1:6). Your sins are not dealt with; you are still carrying them about; your sins are unforgiven.
God is persistently saying things to you, and He will continue. God has spoken to me and many more of us. God says things to us loudly so as to [p. 339] awaken us to our danger as unforgiven sinners, because God is a God of light and He sees your sins and your danger. He is warning you that every knee must bow to Him and every one must confess to Him. At this time, if you confess to God, you will be saved. “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else”, (Isaiah 45:22). There is forgiveness with God. He is preaching it. “Through this man [the Lord Jesus Christ] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins”, (Acts 13:38). All believers are justified from all things; that is the gospel, not simply the doctrine but the fact of the gospel. “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else”(Isaiah 45:22). Why are you moving about this great city with the load of your sins upon you, when God speaks to you and proposes forgiveness? As I said, things happen in our lives so that we might look and see why we are moving about carrying our sins upon our backs, whereas God proposes to forget them; the work that enables God to do that, was done in the death of Christ, but in order that you might get the benefit of that fact you must get forgiveness. Well, you say, I need nothing to be saved. Well, that is where you make a mistake. There is something you must have to be saved, and this is faith. It is for you, if you want to be saved, and to enjoy what we are enjoying — the forgiveness of our sins. You must have faith.
I want to show now how this widow of Zarephath lost her boy. It is a very real matter. The boy was dead. As soon as it happens she says to the prophet, “What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance?”. Well now, I have been saying that the doctrine is: “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). That is a great relief. If your conscience is awakened, this word will bring relief.
[p. 340] Come, believe it now, and say I am a forgiven man. “All that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:39). That is the gospel. Well, now, as to this woman; “And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?”. She thought Elijah had slain her son, whereas he had not. It was God that did it. God did it to help the woman that the woman might get to know her need of forgiveness. God did it. God has a right to do what He will, and a right to take life. I would say to all here, God can claim the life of your boy, your girl, your husband. God has a perfect right to do it if He wishes. God is saving people today, but He may bring death in in order to save one or another. This boy dies in order that the mother might be saved, but she blames the prophet. Generally when these things happen we blame someone else. “What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?”. You can understand how Elijah would be distressed, how any servant of the Lord would be distressed. A poor widow who had entertained him for a year, and now her boy dies, and she blames him. It is a real plight. I want to show how God uses His servants to settle such matters. Elijah says to the poor widow: “Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?”. You can understand the circumstances; Elijah felt them, but God is looking on. If there is anyone here unforgiven, God is looking on.
[p. 341] He is listening to what I am saying, and to what you are hearing. He would have you come to know that what has happened to cause you trouble, to cause you to suffer, is to awaken you.
And so it goes on: “And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again”. Now listen, dear friends: “And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said. See, thy son liveth”. Is not light streaming into your soul as that passage is read? Does it fit your case, that boy, that girl, that husband has died and you are still living, as an unforgiven person, not pleasurable to God at all? God gave His Son for you, that you might be relieved, that your sins might be remembered no more, that your conscience might be free. As we said before, “All that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:39). It is worth while to have this sorrow that one might be relieved from the burden of unforgiven sins. God is preaching forgiveness of sins to you now. He is forgiving sins. It is part of His work. The blessed God is labouring in this sphere of things. He is preaching it, to bring people to the knowledge of this fact that each should judge himself, for as he comes in contact with God there must be repentance. That is being preached too. The two things go together. Forgiveness is preached and repentance is preached. God says. You can repent too. I am opening the door wide so that you can repent. Tell Me all about your sins; what your life has been. Others do not know, but you know and I know. Why should you go about this earth with a load of sins on your back? God is saying, I am preaching to you to repent. Repentance and [p. 342] remission of sins are preached among all nations. There must be this element of repentance and what goes with it is faith. I would call attention to what is said in the gospel of Luke about the woman who was a sinner; she was a bad person. She came into the house where the Lord Jesus had been invited by a man called Simon. This woman came in and she stood behind the Lord Jesus, weeping. It does not say any more about her than that, only that she had many sins. But the great fact is that the Lord says, “Her many sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:47). That is the point — her many sins — the Lord said that. The Lord is ready to meet you, there is nothing in His heart for you but relief for you, to relieve you of those sins. He knows how many they are. We who believe can say. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. He knows them well. This woman, who was a sinner, had many sins. The Lord Jesus, the blessed Holy Saviour, said to Simon: “Her many sins are forgiven”(Luke 7:47). There is hardly anything I can say to you that would be a finer example of the Saviour that saves, than the incident of this woman who had many sins, but whose many sins were forgiven.
Well, I now come back to this widow of Zarephath. It says of Elijah, “He stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again”. These matters are very important and it requires more than we think. We may think very lightly of the matter of the gospel and the matter of forgiveness. But much had to be done and much is being done. Elijah “stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again”. Now Elijah is a type of Christ. He can take up the cause of this woman and this boy, and cry to God about the whole [p. 343] matter and God hears him. He is a type of Jesus. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”,(1 Timothy 2:5). Elijah is a type of this Man. If there is here a person who is not forgiven, the Lord is concerned about you. Elijah is concerned about this boy, because of the boy’s mother. God is concerned about each one of you, because God has rights over you; God is concerned over you, because your parents know that their child needs to be saved. The Lord is concerned about you as Elijah is concerned about this woman and this boy, and is crying to God for them. “And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived”.
Well now, that is a great matter. Oh, that that might happen before us in this hall, to that boy for whom we are crying to God, while the poor mother is mourning and sorrowing. Well, will that happen? God is a God of wonders. He has given His Son to die that we might live. He will forgive you; do you believe it? “And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah”. Wonderful picture! The poor widow receiving her boy back again. “And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth”.
We may apply that to any one that is not a Christian, that is unforgiven, that faith is coming into your soul, because the element of faith must be with you or nothing will happen. Without faith it is impossible to please God. So with this poor widow clearly faith was there. “And Elijah said, See, thy son liveth”. You are converted, God has caused the circumstances, so that you have come into blessing your sister, your brother, your husband, your neighbour, God has worked with them all. That is the idea, and God is going on with this work of forgiveness. Elijah has had the boy up in the upper chamber, it is called a loft, and he comes down now into the living room and the poor widow is there in her sorrow, but the boy has come down now alive. He is really alive, he can talk. Elijah says. There he is. I am not seeking to put anything into this which is not there, but I am speaking of God’s thoughts that might come into your heart even now. The thing you are worrying about, your boy, God is going to turn your sorrow into blessing for you, as He did in the recovery of this boy.
Well, to come back to the passage. The boy is taken down and given to his mother. Well now, what happens? “And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth”. That is the idea — speaking the truth; that is what is needed. The idea of the gospel is to spread the truth. The truth is to be spread into human hearts, and the truth spreads into the soul of this woman. She is no longer worrying about her sins. That is why I read the passage in Hebrews, because the Holy Spirit is seen there as the power for any sinner that will draw near to God who will tell him, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). How can you go along with sins on your conscience? In faith take advantage of what God has provided, when there is such a witness as the Holy Spirit here who will assure you that your sins and your iniquities are remembered no more.
That is all I have to say in seeking to bring out the truth of the passage in Hebrews. The great cardinal truth of the gospel that God is not remembering [p. 345] sins and that the believer has the witness of the Holy Spirit that his sins and iniquities will not be remembered any more for ever. I want everyone here to leave this room with the knowledge in his soul that his sins and iniquities are remembered no more.
May God grant it.