It is PAID for, so - Get Over It!

Get Over it!

Jesus Christ took care of everything we've ever done wrong in the past, and most folks are okay with that once they realise just how much it cost God and how much it cost Jesus Christ to accomplish it. However, folks often struggle to comprehend that Jesus Christ not only paid for the sins we've done in the past, but he also fully paid for all the sins we've not even committed yet.

Colossians 2:13,14 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Jesus Christ died for us, and we are righteous because of what he did, not because of anything we've ever done or ever will do. We didn't earn the gift of holy spirit, it was something God wanted us to have and it was his good pleasure to give it. The price he paid was his only son.

This was all done by God's mercy and grace, because he loved us and it was his good pleasure to do it for us. Does it follow then that he did it so he could beat us up all the time and make us sick? That garbage is certainly spouted from pulpits all over the world, but it is not the truth. God may not go to church or hang out in any religion, but devil spirits surely do.

We are righteous and we are justified, there is nothing of which we are guilty. God took all my sins, placed them on Jesus Christ, and he took them to the grave with him. He died in my place. If all my sins were put on Jesus Christ and died with him, are they any longer on me? No, they are not, and that's why I have the righteousness of God.

Romans 3:22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

At the moment we are born again, everything stacked against us, all the sins we've ever done are washed away. God didn't just take those old sins of ours and lock them away in a closet, or brush them under the carpet out of view, they just no longer exist. All of our sins literally died with Jesus Christ and they are gone forever. That is why God isn't looking for fault so he can punish us. This is illustrated succinctly in Psalm 103.

Psalm 103:8-10 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Listen to how kind the language is here. The point is, God isn't mad at us. Verse 10 has an amazing figure of speech in it - it contains two sentences that say exactly the same thing in two different ways. God said the same thing twice to emphasise and to establish the point that he does not deal with us after our sins nor reward us according to our iniquities. So he can't be watching us with a critical eye so he can whack us over the head then, can he?

The god who looks for any reason to whack us is better known as the devil, the god of this world, Lucifer, and it is he who controls all world religion. A temple is a place where men go to worship. If God doesn't dwell in temples made with hands, who then are folks worshipping when they go to church if it isn't God? Any religion, church, organisation, or ministry that is controlled by central governing bodies of men is a temple made with hands, it is a broken cistern constructed by men. Psalm 103 continues.

Psalm 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear [respect, reverence] him.

How high is the heaven above the earth? How high is the universe? Have you ever tried to fathom the depth of the universe? The distances involved are so staggering they are beyond human comprehension. That's how great God's mercy is to us. It is staggering, beyond human comprehension. Mercy is the withholding of merited judgement. In other words, we deserved punishment but God withheld it. God does not want to beat us up for our sins. His mercy is staggering, beyond human comprehension.

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Interesting that this verse says east and west and not north and south. If you go far enough north and cross the pole, you will start going south. If you continue south and cross the other pole, you will start going north again. Unlike north and south, east and west never meet. It is a physical impossibility for east and west to meet. You are either going east or you are going west. If you are going east, you are travelling away from west. If you stop and go west, you are now heading away from east. There is infinity between them. That is how far we have been removed from all the sin, all the mistakes and bad things we've ever done. You see, it isn't that God simply hides his eyes from our sins and pretends not to see them, they really do not exist anymore. Jesus Christ was the price it cost to get rid of them for us. We have been freed from sin and the power of death. Yes, that even includes you if you're a jesuit and you read this class and get born again. God's mercy is staggering.

To clarify and illuminate this point, let's examine how God dealt with sin in the old testament. One way of dealing with sin back then was with animal sacrifices. The animals were sacrificed and their blood made atonement for Israel's sin. Before we go any further, however, let's make it clear that animal sacrifice was not God's idea, it was man's idea.

Jeremiah 7:22For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:

See, God commanded nothing regarding killing animals as sacrifices. It wasn't in his heart, it wasn't something he wanted. He spoke nothing about sacrificing animals. The next verse tells us what God wanted.

Jeremiah 7:23But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Rather than animal sacrifices, God wanted his people to simply live in fellowship with him and enjoy a good life.

Jeremiah 7:24But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

You see, rather than obey God, the Israelites wanted animal sacrifices, just like all the devil worshipping heathen around them. They wanted to stick knives in animals and spurt blood everywhere, just like the pagans and druids they lived among. They wanted to be like everyone else. God therefore had no choice but to put up with their garbage, and because they insisted on killing animals he was forced to give them a few guidelines on how best to go about it. Listen to Samuel's words when he confronted Saul.

1 Samuel 15:22And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Solomon put animal sacrifice into its proper context in Proverbs.

Proverbs 21:2,3Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

The point is, sacrificing animals was not God's idea. Sacrificing animals was merely a symbolic gesture as he endured man's stubborn, evil ways. Talk about patience, grace, and mercy?

You can see this same human demand for bullshit when Israel demanded Samuel find them a king. They wanted a king like all the other nations, so they bitched to Samuel about not having one and told him to sort it out. Samuel was not amused, and neither was God. The Jones syndrome goes back a long way.

1 Samuel 8:4-9,22Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

Was it God's idea to give them a king? No, it wasn't. Whose idea was it? It was man's idea. God warned them about the nature of their king, but they refused to listen and demanded God give them a king. So God gave them one.

Was it God's idea to have animal sacrifices in the old testament? No, it wasn't. Whose idea was it? It was man's idea. Man wanted to stick knives in animals to ease his guilt, and demanded God accept these sacrifices. That's why animal sacrifices became a way of life in the old testament. It wasn't because God wanted it, but because people wanted it. God then later used these sacrifices as illustrations to teach us about the Lord Jesus Christ, who was sacrificed to redeem us from death.

Hebrews 9:11,12 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Our redemption wasn't bought by the blood of animals. It was Jesus Christ's own blood that paid the price. He died in our place and it was his death that paid for the sin problem for all mankind. The root problem has now been dealt with. There is no longer a sin problem. It's dealt with. We are righteous now, we have the righteousness of God.

Hebrews 9:13,14 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

In the old testament, animals dealt with Israel's sin problem, but it was only symbolic, a stop gap measure that only temporarily put a lid on the garbage bin. What Hebrews is saying is, that if a few scabby animal sacrifices can symbolically deal with sin, what about the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ? How much greater a sacrifice was he compared to an animal? How much better a job did he do?

Hebrews 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

In the old testament they had to sacrifice animals every year. They sinned, they sacrificed animals, they were clean again, they sinned, they sacrificed animals, they were clean again - it went on and on and on. The point is, sacrificing animals was not a permanent solution to the sin problem. However, Jesus Christ was. See the difference here? Jesus Christ didn't keep offering himself periodically as a sacrifice, over and over and over again, he did it once, and that obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

His sacrifice took care of the sin problem once and for all.

Hebrews 9:27,28 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

His sacrifice took care of the sin problem because he was a perfect sacrifice. That's why we are righteous now. Not because of our own works but because of what was done on our behalf. The blood of animals was just a temporary measure, a symbolic gesture God was forced to endure because man demanded it.

Now that Jesus Christ has dealt with the sin problem permanently, there is no more need for sacrifices, animal or otherwise. The problem has been dealt with.

Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

The law and the sacrifices could not make people perfect. They just couldn't. They simply could not take care of the sin and death problem that Adam and Eve's disobedience introduced.

Hebrews 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

If old testament sacrifices of animals made people perfect, wouldn't they then have stopped sacrificing animals because it was no longer required? See the logic here? But animal sacrifices didn't make people perfect, which is why they kept sacrificing more animals to alleviate their guilt.

Hebrews 10:3,4 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

It just was not possible to deal with the sin problem by sacrificing animals. It was a man who caused the problem in the first place and it would take a man to solve it. Someone had to pay the price for Adam's disobedience, and that someone was Jesus Christ. However, in contrast to the death of animals, Jesus Christ's death did a perfect job.

Hebrews 10:12,14-17 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Whereof the Holy Ghost [pneuma hagion - holy spirit] also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

God will remember our iniquities no more because they no longer exist. That's why when God forgives, he forgets and never brings it up again. There is nothing to remember because there is nothing there. It's as far away as the east is from the west.

Hebrews 10:18 Now where remission [aphesis] of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Remission and forgiveness are from compound words meaning simply to send away. Aphesis is from apōtheomai, apo, away from, and ōtheō or ōthō, to shove. So apōtheomai means to push off, figuratively to reject: to cast away, to put away from, to thrust away from. This is the background of aphesis and another closely related word which is also translated forgiveness at times, aphiēmi. Now that sin has been sent away, dismissed, thrust away, there is no more need for animal or human sacrifices because there is no longer a sin problem. We are righteous because of the sacrifice that was made on our behalf by Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

The holiest refers to the inner sanctuary of the temple, the holy of holies as it was called. That was where God dwelt, where he lived among his people before the day of Pentecost. God no longer dwells, he no longer lives, he no longer resides in temples made with hands, or any place of worship which is constructed, governed and controlled by men. Since the day of Pentecost we now have direct access to God through the gift of holy spirit. We can go directly to God anytime we wish and request an audience. Not only that, but he will grant us that audience every time. Our father has time for his children.

Hebrews 10:20-22 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

And having an high priest over the house of God;

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith [pistis - believing], having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

The sin problem no longer exists. We are sanctified, set apart because we are redeemed, because we are justified, and because we are righteous. God has forgiven us and there is nothing of which we are guilty. We are holy and without blame before him in love.

Okay, so how come my mind doesn't always agree with that? How come my mind continually reminds me of all the terrible things I've done? How come my heart seems to enjoy condemning me and making me feel guilty? This is the guts of the whole thing - it's called the renewed mind. We have to train our minds to think what the word says, and that's damned hard work at times. We have to decide between our feelings or what the word says. It's a choice we make to believe one way or the other.

Accepting forgiveness when we don't deserve it seems to be difficult for earthlings. God understands this and so did Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus Christ once told a story to help us understand forgiveness. It's wrongly known as the parable of the prodigal son. The point of the parable isn't the attitude of the son, but the forgiveness of his father.

Luke 15:1 Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him.

Jesus Christ did not have a problem with people. He was quite happy teaching the word to publicans and sinners, so God must have been quite happy with that too as Jesus Christ always did his Father's will. Unfortunately, the religious church leaders didn't approve of this. Much the same today isn't it? Why aren't the jesuits out lovingly preaching their gospel to publicans and sinners instead of continually coming up with new ways to exterminate them? Well, I guess you know the answer to that by now.

Luke 15:2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

Oh, how awful. Jesus was eating with bad people. Notice these religious pricks didn't take this up with Jesus either, but muttered behind his back.

Luke 15:3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,

Remember, Jesus had been accused of eating with sinners as if it were a crime, so the people he was eating with would have been hurt by these unjust and cruel words from the mouths of the jesuits of that day. Those people were there to hear God's word, and the devil used those religious creatures to try to prevent the word from being taught. Jesus Christ had to deal with this, so this parable although spoken to the scribes and Pharisees was not for their benefit, but for the people with him. He told this story to illustrate that God didn't have a problem forgiving people, regardless of their past. He told this story to counteract the cruel words of the religious leaders who did not want God's people to hear the truth. You will not find God in temples made with hands.

Luke 15:11,12 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

The son asked for his share of the inheritance which was legally and rightfully his. The parable also says that the father divided unto them his living. In other words, he gave both his sons their inheritance.

Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

Most of us know what riotous living is. I wasted quite a few years of my life in riotous living, so this parable computes for me.

Luke 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

His money ran out, as it does when you live riotously. If you've never been hungry, this probably won't hit your heart as poignantly as someone who has been in great need. Unless people come back to God's word again, they're going to find out what great need is pretty soon.

Luke 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

The worst job in the world to an Israelite was feeding pigs. Swineherds were not paid, and they had to eat the swill fed to the pigs to keep themselves alive. This son's situation had changed somewhat.

Luke 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Makes you wonder where all his friends went, doesn't it? Where were all the friends who helped him drink away his inheritance? Where were all his mates now that he was eating swill with the pigs? Probably going to church every week, listening to the scribes and pharisees spout their bullshit about sinners, or going to secret masonic meetings to discuss how best to package pig swill and put it on supermarket shelves to make more money. I'm not cynical, this is how the world works, this is what is going on.

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

The pig swill wasn't even sufficient to keep him alive.

Luke 15:18,19 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

So he made the decision to go home. Not sure what he might have expected, but he had nowhere else to go except to face death.

Luke 15:20-22 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

Signet rings were used to stamp wax seals. The ring meant he could buy stuff and use the signet ring like we use a credit card. Did his father tell him to fuck off? No, God isn't mad at us for what we've done in the past, that's the point of this parable. God's mercy is staggering.

Luke 15:23,24 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

When we are born again and receive the gift of holy spirit, our past life is dealt with. Everything we've done wrong is gone - we have a clean sheet, a fresh start in life because we receive the righteousness of God. Jesus Christ paid the price so we could have the righteousness of God. God does not have a problem with anyone's past, regardless of what they've done.

Okay, we've pretty much established that we are righteous when we receive the gift of holy spirit, but what about all the sins we do after that point? Sure, I've been forgiven for my past, I'm born again, I have the righteousness of God, so I go out and get drunk. What now? Understanding this difference is to understand the difference between our standing and our state.

Our standing in the household of God is one of a son or daughter, as children, and that never fluctuates. We have eternal life. Always remember, you cannot corrupt the gift of holy spirit. You can sure mess up your life in the body and soul category, but you can't corrupt the gift of holy spirit. It is eternal life, and even if you get drunk, that spirit is still incorruptible, you still have the righteousness of God. That's why we must renew our minds. What use is it having the righteousness of God if we're out getting drunk all the time? Unless we renew our minds and live the word, we won't ever be able to enjoy the benefits of the gift of holy spirit because the renewed mind is the key to power. However, regardless of whether or not we renew our minds, we still have the righteousness of God, we still have the gift of holy spirit, we are still God's children.

Our state, however, is dependent on enjoying fellowship with God. Although we are his children, it doesn't necessarily follow that we are going to walk by the spirit and enjoy his company. Jesus Christ redeemed us, yes, and when we confess Jesus as lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, from that moment on we have eternal life. But what if we don't renew our minds? What if we just continue living riotously? What if we ignore the bible and keep our minds in the world's television? Will your life benefit from the promises in God's word? No, your life will not change at all because you will still be grunting in the world's pig swill. Why? It's not God's fault. It's up to you to renew your mind and turn on the power. God made the gift of holy spirit available, and he gave us his word to teach us how to manifest it. Now it's up to us to learn that word, renew our minds and use it to turn on the spiritual power. That's what makes the difference in life. It isn't religious ceremony or ritual, it isn't going to church every week, it isn't about how much money you give to charities, it isn't about how wide your inane smiles are, it's about turning on the power.

Now let's take this a step further. Let's assume we are renewing our minds, that we are learning God's word, and that we are doing our best to live it. Guess what, you're still going to mess up from time to time. You're still going to make mistakes on a regular basis. When our children grow up, are they perfect? No, of course not - every parent knows that - but do parents expect their children to be perfect? Hardly. Well, God is a parent, and just like any parent, he knows his children are going to break his word from time to time. That's just life. Jesus Christ was perfect, that's why he was the perfect sacrifice, that's why he was able to redeem us, but we're not perfect. We're perfect spiritually, yes, but we still have an old man to contend with that we must put off. This is a process, not a one time event. Just as parents love their children despite all their mistakes, so God loves his children, despite all their mistakes.

Psalm 103:8,10,13 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

This word pity as used in the King James is one of those words that means something different today than it did in 1611 when it was written. Fathers today don't pity their children, they care for them and love them, understanding their frailties. That's what the word pity meant when it was written all those centuries ago. A similar fact is relevant with the word fear. In 1611, the word fear in this context meant awe, reverence and respect.

Forgiveness has always been available. Even Adam and Eve were forgiven and went on to live productive lives, albeit without that spirit that had been created within them. Forgiveness has always been available, and the word must be understood in that light. It doesn't matter to God where a person has been, or what they've done in the past, he's only interested in where they are now and where they want to be tomorrow. Religious people, like those pharisees and scribes, are cold and hard, self seeking and self righteous, turning people away from the truth. They are vipers and scorpions, whited sepulchres full of dead men's bones. Do not expect to find God in temples made with hands filled with those creatures.

Eternal life is a free gift, but continuing in fellowship with God after that point is dependant on our walk. That's what determines our state. Our standing is as children, and that will never change, but our state fluctuates. Regardless of our state, we will always still have the righteousness of God.

The key to power is the renewed mind. If I don't know I'm righteous, and I mess up, feel guilty and run out and get drunk, I'm going to suffer consequences because I'm missing the mark. I'm still righteous, but I won't enjoy the benefits of that righteousness, and my fellowship with God will suffer dramatically. However, if instead of running out to get drunk when I mess up, I go to God's word, read about my sonship rights, read about how Jesus Christ paid for that mistake I just made, and decide to renew my mind and get over it and move on in life, now I'm starting to get somewhere spiritually. That's why the renewed mind is the key to power. It isn't about being faultless, it's about keeping God's word in our minds despite our old man nature. It isn't about how few times we fall down, it's about how quickly we get up again after we fall. A faithful man isn't someone who only falls down once a year but stays down for weeks in condemnation, it's someone who falls down many times every week but who jumps right back up again and carries on knowing he has the righteousness of God. We put the old man off by renewing our minds, and put on the new man by turning on the power in the gift of holy spirit.

Psalm 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

Sonship is our standing as children of God, but fellowship is our state, our personal relationship with him. We can be children of God, but not be in fellowship with him. That doesn't mean God doesn't love us, it means we're out swilling it with the pigs. To get back in fellowship, we have to decide to leave the world's troughs and return to God. The devil doesn't want that though, which is why he uses masons to dress up his pig swill in such attractive packaging. The masons get lots of money out of it while the rest of us suffer.

2 Corinthians 4:4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

1 John 2:15-17Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Although we're perfect spiritually, God doesn't expect us to be perfect physically. He knows our human capabilities and shortcomings. What parent doesn't understand that their children are not perfect? We're all human. God knows that and he made provision for it.

1 John 1:3,4That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

What is the context here? What is this section of scripture talking about? Fellowship! What God is revealing here by revelation is how we can enjoy fellowship with him, and with his son Jesus Christ, that our joy may be full. This isn't talking about getting born again, it's talking about fellowship after we're born again. This isn't dealing with our standing as sons of God, it's dealing with our state.

1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

God is light and in him is no darkness at all. None. Not a bit. Not even a little shadow. He's just light. Have you ever seen darkness inside light? Darkness can't exist where there is light.

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

If we're out swilling it with pigs, it's our own fault. That son wasn't forced into a life of riotous living, and nor are we. We have the freedom of will to choose which life we're going to live, the way of life or the way of death. Regardless of which life we choose, we are still righteous if we are born again, but what about our standing, what about our fellowship, what about the quality of our lives?

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

When we walk according to the word, we're in fellowship with God, and that's where the beauty and richness in life resides.

1 John 1:8,9 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.

This section of scripture isn't talking about getting born again, being made whole, receiving eternal life, this is talking about fellowship. The context is fellowship. Confessing sins is not how you get born again, it's how to get back into fellowship after you've been born again. See the difference? You can't have fellowship with God if you're not born again and don't have the gift of holy spirit. You have to have spirit before you can have fellowship. How can a child have fellowship with a parent if they've not yet been born? So, we get born again, we receive the spirit, we become children of God and then we can begin to develop our fellowship with our father.

This verse says we need to confess our sins, but remember this is not talking about getting born again. This is so important to recognise. If you are forty years old when you are born again, how the heck are you going to remember all the sins you've ever done in your life? That's impossible. But I can sure remember the one I did this morning. When we are born again, all our past sins are taken care of, so this confession of sins isn't about being born again, it's about maintaining fellowship. This isn't talking about our sonship, it's talking about our state, our fellowship.

Forgiveness, or remission of sin is what we receive when we are born again, when we receive the gift of holy spirit. That takes care of every single thing we've done in the past. At the time of the new birth, we receive the righteousness of God and that will never change. However, although we are righteous and have eternal life, our fellowship with God may be less than satisfactory. We are sons, but we can sure still live riotously and swill it with the pigs down on animal farm. Every time we come back to God, he is willing and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We return to God by leaving the world's pig swill and renewing our minds.

It's not difficult to figure this out. For example, let's say our mind, or some religious dickhead, or even one of our friends or family brings up something from the past we'd rather forget. Okay, we have some work to do. Either we listen to the world and what it thinks of us, or we listen to the word and believe what God thinks of us. This is all part of the renewed mind.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

The renewed mind is the key to this whole thing. The renewed mind is the key to power. It is the key to unlocking all the spiritual power resident within us. We have to retrain our minds to think a new way.

God says we're his children, while our minds, our friends and our families may tell us otherwise. So we have to train our minds until we think of ourselves as the word says. We are God's children. That's the truth, but sometimes we won't feel like it. Does it matter what we feel like? No, the word is truth, not what we feel like. If we think less of ourselves than what the word says, we replace those thoughts with the word. We memorise scriptures like Ephesians 1:3 and 4, and we replace our old man thoughts with what God thinks. That's renewing the mind.

Ephesians 1:3,4 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:

I am righteous. Jesus Christ redeemed me, and I received remission of sins. I have the righteousness of God and I don't give a damn what anyone thinks of me to the contrary, not my family, not my friends, not anyone. When it comes to the word I don't have any friends unless they are helping me to think and live the word's way. God has declared me not guilty, and that's why I have peace with God.

Romans 5:1Therefore being justified by faith [pistis - believing], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

See, God isn't mad at us. We have peace with God. He's not upset with us, he's not pissed off with all the garbage in our past. Our garbage was paid for and dumped as far away from us as the east is from the west. We have been declared not guilty, and now we have peace with God. He isn't mad at us for anything, and will never be mad at us for anything in the future. When we make mistakes, we simply recognise the error (confess our sins), rectify the problem so it doesn't happen again, and move on in perfect fellowship with our father, God, who is always faithful and just to forgive us.

So, to sum up, get over it!

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