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HOW TO RECEIVE GOD’S LOVE
“Go to your room!” my mother used to tell me when she could no longer tolerate my behavior. So off to my room I went to “think” determined to do better next time.
But, try as I might, there was never a better next time. Over the years I learned how to control myself to keep out of trouble, but I never really changed.
Despite my repeated behavioral failures, the love of my mother never failed. Being separated from her love made going to my room the real punishment. She never stopped loving me or wanting the best for me, but our separation preventing me from experiencing or enjoying that love.
The same is true about our experiencing and enjoying God’s love.
God’s love never fails but our behavior may cause us to be separated!
Israel was in trouble. She probably prayed expecting God to deliver her and save her as He had done repeatedly throughout her history. Yet He seemed deaf to her cries. Either that or He’d lost His power. Neither was true. God explained:
Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;
Nor is His ear heavy that it cannot hear.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you
So that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2)
Yes, God loves but our experiencing and enjoying the privileges of that love depend on us. God’s holiness prevents Him from looking at sin; just as my mother couldn’t look upon me when I had misbehaved. Rather than sending us away, God hides Himself.
Thank God the story doesn’t end there. God provided a way so that we could come into His presence, so that He could embrace us, and load us with His blessings of love.
Now the LORD called to Moses, and spoke to him from the tabernacle of meeting, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not to be done…let him offer to the LORD for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering. He shall bring the bull to the door of the tabernacle of meeting…lay his hand on the bull’s head, and kill the bull before the Lord. 
For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar
to make atonement for your souls;
for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. (Leviticus 4:1-4; 17:11)
God provided atonement for sin to bring unity from the separation. Some have defined atonement as being one with God or “at-one-ment.” That atonement could only come from the shedding of blood for the result of sin was death.
God’s holiness demanded punishment for sin while His provision of atonement reflected His love, grace and mercy.
God was very specific in the process of seeking forgiveness.
- Acknowledgment of sin
Preparing the sacrifice
- Any animal to be sacrificed had to be thoroughly inspected to verify it’s acceptability. No blemish was permitted.
- Seeking the Lord’s presence through confession of sin
- Confession was not only an act of the mind and heart. The will was also involved. For the trip to Jerusalem was not always easy. It could take days of hard and expensive travel.
- Identifying with the sacrifice
- The sacrificial animal might have come from the sinner’s own flock. It might have been carried on the long journey.
 Regardless it’s destination and destination was to be a guilt offering - death. The innocent for the guilty.
- Looking at the animal ready to be sacrificed, the penitent had to himself lay his hands onto the animal and thereby symbolically transferring his sin onto the sacrifice
- Killing the sacrifice
- The innocent for the guilty.
The innocent was sacrificed in the place of the guilty!
But despite the determination of the sinner to change, his problem wasn’t in his will but in his heart. The heart of every man, woman and child is the tendency to sin. No one wants to, but there is no power on earth can change the heart. The blood of the sacrificial animal could not change the heart but only cover the sin.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever would believe in Him
would not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Jesus was called, “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)
In perhaps the greatest miracle of record history, God became a man – a perfect man, without spot, blemish or sin - to provide atonement.
In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God…
And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1, 14)
He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement for our peace was upon Him
And by His stripes we are healed…
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken,
He bore the sin of many
And made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:5,-6,8,12)
The process of receiving forgiveness has not changed, only the means of atonement. The perfect and only acceptable sacrifice has been provided – the blood of Jesus
- Sin must be acknowledged:
o Murder
o Stealing
o Sexual impurity (fornication, homosexuality, adultery
o Idolatry (anything or anyone who matters more than God )
o Sorcery
o Hatred
o Jealousy
o Greed
o Envy
o Outbursts of wrath
o Heresy
- Anything contrary to the love of God
Forgiveness must be requested from the Lord God through confession of sin. By seeking the Lord you are admitting that ultimately sin is against Him.
Identify with the sacrifice. Admit that Jesus took the punishment that you deserved. He was innocent and you are guilty. Imagine yourself standing at the cross, looking up at Jesus - a face marred beyond recognition Imagine yourself standing at the cross, looking up at Jesus - a face marred beyond recognition. Let the holiness of the Savior increase the horror of your sin which will lead to the humbling of your soul. (Isaiah 6:5)
Symbolically, by faith, transfer your sins onto Jesus. Now by faith, instead of laying your hands upon your sacrifice, lay your heart before Him. Give Jesus your will full and sin full heart. In exchange He will give you a new heart - a circumcised heart - a heart perpetually filled with the love of God.
THE INNOCENT FOR THE YOU...
THE GUILTY
As you stand at the cross, remember that not only did Jesus take your sins, but also your sickness and your sorrows.
He was “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3)
Beloved and cherished of God, because of Jesus, you can be a new creation, restored, whole and healed. Jesus is extending His nail pierced hand to you. Won’t you put your hand in His? He is waiting...
...as many as receive Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,
to those who believe in His name. (John 1:12)
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