Surrender and Confession
293
Come as a Repentant Sinner
But shall we wait till we feel that we are cleansed?—No; Christ has
promised that “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (
1 John 1:9
).
You are proved of God through the Word of God. You are not to wait
for wonderful emotions before you believe that God has heard you,
feeling is not to be your criterion, for emotions are as changeable as
the clouds. You must have something solid for the foundation of your
faith. The word of the Lord is a word of infinite power, upon which
you may rely, and He has said, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” Look to
Calvary. Has not Jesus said that He is your advocate? Has He not said
that if you ask anything in His name you shall receive? You are not
to depend on your own goodness or good works. You are to come
depending upon the Sun of Righteousness, believing that Christ has
taken away your sins and imputed to you His righteousness.
You are to come to God as a repenting sinner, through the name of
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Jesus, the divine Advocate, to a merciful, forgiving Father, believing
that He will do just as He has promised. Let those who desire the
blessing of God knock, and wait at the throne of mercy, with firm
assurance, saying, “For thou, O Lord, hast said, ‘For everyone that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh
it shall be opened.’” The Lord longs to have those who seek after God
believe in Him who is able to do all things.
The Lord has sought to show us how ready is God to hear and
answer our request by the use of a most familiar and commonplace
occurrence. He said: “What man is there of you, whom if his son ask
bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a
serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give
good things to them that ask him?” (
Matthew 7:9-11
). Christ made
an appeal to us concerning the willingness of God to help, arguing
from the natural love of the parent to his offspring. What father could
turn from his son who asks bread? Should anyone dishonor God by
imagining that He will not respond to the call of His children? Would
we think a parent capable of trifling with his child, and tantalizing
him by raising his expectation only to disappoint him? Will a father
promise to give good and nourishing food to his child and then give