
The Sins and Restoration of the Patriarchs [podcast]
Abraham, Moses, and David – Their Sin and God’s Restoration!
“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Ecclesiastes 7:20
This fact doesn’t justify any sinning and yet, as the Word of God, must be factored in (Isaiah 28:16; Romans 6:1-2; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:15).
“Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” Proverbs 20:9
Sinless perfectionism is a lie (1 John 1:7-2:2).
“If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.” Job 9:20
In light of this, we must stay before the LORD, continue to hasten to His throne of grace, and ask His forgiveness for any sin we might commit (Proverbs 28:13; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:8-10, etc.).
Precedence: God had mercy on the patriarchs and we can take heart in that!
“Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.” Psalms 119:132
Did you catch here how the psalmist cried out to God to have mercy on him as God in the past had mercy upon His saints? He was reflecting upon the past and how God had mercifully forgiven His people. No doubt this was referring to Moses as well as others whose dealings are recorded in Holy Writ. We are to be comforted and receive hope through what is written, on record, recorded in God’s Word of the LORD’s merciful dealings with His people! (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11) We are comforted in reflecting upon the fact that our unchanging God forgave His people long before we were even born!
Constantly receiving this message from saints …. How they are so guilt ridden, believing God has forsaken them…..
Recently, just after the LORD had woken me, flooding my heart with this message…..a dear older brother confessed to me his toil, one he’s struggled with for a long time. As usual, the Great Shepherd of His beloved sheep had this beloved brother’s answer, solution. The LORD, who knows all things, is large and in charge, had just woken me at 4:30 AM with this very message flooding my heart – His-story (history) of how He so graciously dealt with His wayfaring patriarchs. Just a few mins after the LORD had placed this very message on my heart this dear brother shared his struggle, his anguish. This is a real trial, a fight, a battle, a test of our faith, one we all suffer. Please listen to encourage your heart in Christ and share to help other of His beloved saints.
“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” Proverbs 24:16
True disciples who walk with God, like beloved David, know what it means to fall, to sin, to repent, to re-turn to the LORD, and to be restored by the LORD. They therefore help you, they encourage, they admonish, and warn you to hasten to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace!
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
All things are NOT good – things we’ve done, things others have done to us, and things happening all around us. Yet GOD, “who is rich in mercy,” orchestrates “ALL things” to His eternal glory – using them to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus!
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29
“BUT God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,” Ephesians 2:4
To deny that God is merciful is to deny Christ, the cross. The whole reason God sent His only begotten to die for the sins of mankind was to be able to redeem, forgive, and restore them! This is His stated will. A merciless Gospel is no gospel (good news) at all but rather “another gospel,” a false gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).
NO MATTER how hurt or mad you may currently be with someone, remember, Jesus died to save that person and is not willing that such a person perish (Luke 9:56; John 3:17; 2 Peter 3:9).
“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. 8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” Exodus 34:7-8
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Psalms 86:5
“For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.” Psalms 86:13
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Psalms 86:15
Long after David had sinned grossly, repented, and been restored by the LORD, the Bible records these words which should breath divine hope in each of our hearts…
“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” Acts 13:22
When Peter was restored, forgiven, and set forth into Christ’s ministry after the gross sin of openly denying the holy One of Israel, the very Messiah, his ministry was empowered by the Holy Ghost as he preached and led 8,000 souls to Jesus in 1 day! The Day of Pentecost. And that was only the beginning of Peter’s ministry. Did this same God not forgive Moses and use him mightily AFTER he murdered a man? Isn’t this the same Savior who forgave David’s gross sinning, used him, and in the end said David was a “a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” (Acts 13:22) The consequences of our sin linger and yet, God forgives when we come to Him on the basis of Christ’s perfect sacrifice, returning to Him (repenting), and confessing sin (1 John 1:9).
Paul’s past sin, his sinful life, was to be a testimony of how God forgives those who repent and believe on Christ.
“Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” 1 Timothy 1:16
God forgives …
- Because He is merciful
- On the basis of the cross of Jesus Christ
- When man is repentant, honest before Him, confessing, agreeing with Him that something is sin, and turning from it (Proverbs 28:13)….
Do you realize that Rahab THE HARLOT is listed in the lineage of Jesus and among the heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11?
“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;” Matthew 1:5
“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.” Hebrews 11:31
Jesus will save from the gutter most to the uttermost those who come to Him in repentance and faith (Hebrews 7:24-27).
Some wonder “Has God forsaken me? Why do I feel like He’s done with me? Why do I not sense His presence in my life anymore?”
Also, some wonder “Have I gone too far?! Has God rejected me?”
To the righteous, the LORD says ….
“Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” Isaiah 50:10
Confess don’t cover is the clear biblical instruction (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). Beware of the sinless perfectionism mob who plucks 1 John 3:10 out of its proper context… ignoring 1 John 1:8-10. These are some of the vilest of devils. | Sinless Perfectionism Exposed
All self-righteous religious hypocrites are going to hell (Matthew 21:31). May God save, forgive, and cause us, to bless us to be His authentic disciples. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Not only is God not done with you, He’s also not done with anybody around you or who you come in contact with. And He desires to use you to help them (Galatians 6:1-2; Matthew 7:1-4, etc.).
“For whatsoever things were written aforetime (the Holy Scriptures) were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4
If you’ve ever sinned after being saved, this message should bring “comfort” to your heart – but only if you’ve truly repented and confessed that sin, and forsake it (Proverbs 28:13).
TODAY, it should “comfort” each believer to know that if God forgave His repentant people throughout His-story, He will forgive our sins as we return to Him and confess (Romans 15:4; Hosea 14:1-2; 1 John 1:9, etc.). “comfort of the scriptures” refers to how God ordained that His people tangibly have His written Word to search, study, learn, and read and to be comforted by them.
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalms 119:165
The LORD wants to assure His people that He will not leave us. No matter where we may be, we can come to Him. He’s there to restore. Our place is to be honest with Him, authentic, seeking Him …. no matter what.
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
Take note to the church Jesus will soon return for:
“Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 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.” Ephesians 5:25-27
Sister Debbie Lord recently sent this ….
“Thought this was a good quote regarding dying to self and the life of Christ being raised in us:
‘There is none holy as the Lord (1 Sam 2:2).
We have as much of holiness as we have of God.
And according to what we have of God will be our true humility,
because humility is nothing but the disappearance of self
in the vision that God is all.'”
Are you ready to meet Jesus if He returns today?
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The Death before the Death [podcast]

Gethsemane Preceded Calvary
“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:42-44
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30
“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:10-12
“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” Luke 9:23-25

Shall We Freshly Declare the Cross to be Front and Center in our Personal Lives?
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
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“Rend Your Heart, and Not Your Garments” [podcast]

Who Does God Look to? Who Does God Dwell in?
Beware of any man pretending to represent Christ who isn’t praying and preaching for you to be possessed by a humble and contrite heart.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
“‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3). A low condition. ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4). To mourn over our sin and our utter wickedness before a holy and righteous God. Those are the ones who will receive the comfort and ‘joy in the Holy Ghost’ (Romans 14:17).” Karen Cochran
Abandoning Our Own Sin, Our Own Way, for God and His Better Way!
To “rend your heart” is a biblical phrase meaning to tear open your heart in radical sincerity, true humility, and genuine repentance.
The phrase comes from Joel 2:13 in the Bible: “Rend your heart and not your garments and return to the Lord your God.”
One source notes the following:
“Context and Deeper Meaning:
- Cultural Background: In ancient times, the Jewish people would tear (rend) their clothes as a public, highly visible display of grief or repentance.
- The Spiritual Message: God is warning that outward rituals (like ripping clothing) are meaningless if the heart remains unchanged. Rending your heart implies breaking through your pride, letting go of excuses, and being completely vulnerable and authentic before God.
- The Reward: The verse goes on to say that God is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.” Tearing open your heart allows you to experience His forgiveness and restore your relationship with Him.”
To see an example of rending one’s physical garment in representation of rending their heart, see Acts 14:11-18.
Where is the LORD Looking?
“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God” Joel 2:12-14
“What a gracious invitation is contained in these words. How tenderly the Lord reasons with his people. And what an encouraging assurance it folds up with. Reader! do not fail to observe that this call of the Lord, the accompanying grace to incline the heart to the observance of it is implied. It is most blessed ever to remember that when the Lord thus comes forth in his endearing invitations, he is secretly inclining the heart to accept them. Grace must first enter the heart, or there will be no inclination to obey.” Robert Hawker
“Jeremiah’s message was never meant to leave the heart in despair. Every warning from God carried an invitation to return. The Lord does not expose empty religion to shame His people, but to heal them. Repentance is not the loss of hope, it is the beginning of hope. Christ still receives every soul that comes with humility, and He gives living faith where there was only habit, peace where there was only fear, and joy where there was only emptiness. The call remains the same today, to draw near to Him with a sincere heart, trusting that His mercy is always greater than our weakness.” Dan Blincoe
A Fresh Start with God Always Begins with Humility and True Repentance
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19
“Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?” Joel 2:12-14
Concerning rending our hearts before the LORD, one source notes:
The classic Bible passage on this concept is Joel 2:13, where God commands: “Rend your heart and not your garments”. In ancient biblical culture, tearing (or “rending”) one’s physical clothing was a customary, visible display of extreme grief, despair, or repentance. Through the prophet Joel, God is essentially telling His people: Stop doing the empty, outward religious ritual of tearing your clothes to show everyone how sorry you are. Instead, let me see true, inward brokenness over your sins.
Examples of Rending Physical Garments
In the Bible, the physical act of tearing clothes was used as a dramatic expression of deep emotion in several well-known narratives:
- Joseph’s Brothers (Genesis 37:29, 34): When Reuben realized Joseph was not in the pit, and later when the brothers brought Joseph’s blood-stained coat to Jacob, they tore their clothes in grief and despair.
- Job (Job 1:20): After hearing that he had lost all his wealth and his children, Job stood up and tore his robe as an outward sign of his overwhelming sorrow.
- King David (2 Samuel 1:11-12): When David received news of the deaths of King Saul and Jonathan, he and his men tore their clothes to mourn.
- The High Priest (Matthew 26:65): In a dramatic display of hypocritical outrage, the high priest tore his own garments when Jesus declared He was the Son of God, falsely accusing Him of blasphemy.
The Spiritual Meaning of “Rending the Heart”
The concept of “rending the heart” contrasts an outward show with inward reality.
- Genuine Repentance: Tearing your heart means being vulnerable, acknowledging your brokenness, and deeply repenting of sin before God.
- Prioritizing Relationships over Rituals: God desires a sincere heart—true sorrow and a desire to change—more than he desires traditional religious pageantry or dramatic, public displays of grief.
- The Promise of Forgiveness: In Joel 2:13, the command to rend the heart is immediately followed by the promise of grace: “Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love”.
God sees beyond our external habits and religious actions, requiring instead a humble, contrite heart to fully experience His mercy.”
God’s Mercy
“Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?” Joel 2:12-14
In God’s Word, where we see men who tear open their garments…. This holds the illustration of rending our hearts before the LORD.
Don’t render outward tearing, no, rather, tear open your inner man, your heart—be honest, sincere, exposed, and vulnerable to the LORD whom you trust.
Let’s attempt to get at, to ascertain what God is commanding of His beloved people to do in this “rend your heart” passage.
“Joel 2:13: Rend your heart—Let it not be merely a rending of your garments, but let your hearts be truly contrite. Merely external worship and hypocritical pretensions will only increase the evil, and cause God to meet you with heavier judgments.
For he is gracious—Good and benevolent in his own nature.
Merciful—Pitying and forgiving, as the effect of goodness and benevolence.
Slow to anger —He is not easily provoked to punish, because he is gracious and merciful.
Of great kindness—Exuberant goodness to all them that return to him.
And repenteth him of the evil—Is ever ready to change his purpose to destroy, when he finds the culprit willing to be saved. See the notes on Exo_34:6, Exo_34:7.” Adam Clarke
“Joel 2:12-14: III. DIVINE APPEAL TO JUDAH TO REPENT (2:12-14)
Even now, the LORD calls the people to repentance. It is not too late to return to Him. But it must be more than outward ritual. Their turning was to be with all their heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” Believer’s Bible Commentary
To rend our hearts is the consistent message, mandate of God to His people of all ages and eras.
“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalms 34:18
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalms 51:17
In Joel 2 the LORD reminds those who are backslidden that He “is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? …”
They must meet His stated conditions to receive His blessings ….
He promises that He will forgive them as they…..
“Joel 2:12-27: THE AVERTING OF JUDGMENT
To rend the garment is easy, but a broken and contrite heart can be imparted only by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The love of God should bring us to repentance. He takes no pleasure in our miseries and if men repent and turn from their sin they find an immediate and loving welcome to the Father’s heart and home. Joel had called for the trumpet to announce war; he now directs the trumpet blast to summon the people, from the highest to the lowest, to plead for help. Prayer and true repentance and faith bring an immediate answer. As the husband yearns over his erring but repentant wife, and is indignant with those who have maltreated her, so will Jehovah remove from us, when we turn to Him, those who have cruelly oppressed us.
The great things Jehovah did against Egypt and Babylon are an earnest of what He will do again. The earth (and all the creation of God) … have good reason to rejoice in what awaits them. God promises not only to forgive sin, but to make us happy and well provided as if the locust and cankerworm had never settled upon our lives.” FB Meyer
Religious hypocrites, counterfeits, emphasize the outward to cover their inner darkness, rebellion.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Matthew 23:23-25
“He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Mark 7:6
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Have We Misunderstood Why Christians Meet Together? [video]

“We’ve created a whole culture of Christians who are just known for going to church.” Dr Wadsworth!
“It is hard to convince a man (modern pastor) he is wrong when his livelihood ($) depends on not knowing he is wrong.” Unknown

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