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September 2, 2012 – Pastor Tim – “State Your Case” – Click to download
The believer today has covenant rights just as the Old Testament saints did. In fact, the Bible says we have a better covenant established upon better promises. Hebrews 8:6, “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.” Because of this, we ought to be able to do all they did and more.
We find in Isaiah chapter 43 a challenge from a covenant-keeping God to Israel under the Old Covenant to plead their case or state their case with Him. How much more, then, is it His challenge to the Church today!
Isaiah 43:25-26, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins.
26 Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together;
State your case, that you may be acquitted.
Come boldly to the throne! God said “I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;” Thank God for that! As a believer, we can confess our sins and we will be cleansed of all unrighteousness by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:9).
God has no knowledge that we ever did anything wrong. Do we see what confidence that can give us? When you and I understand that fact, (God forgets our sin) we can come to the Lord without a sense of sin-consciousness. We can come with faith and boldness and get our prayer heard and answered.
1John 5:14-15, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
As long as a person comes to the Lord in prayer under condemnation and a sense of spiritual inferiority, he or she will lack confidence, be tongue-tied and fear-filled in his Heavenly Father’s presence. And they will be hindered from answers to their prayers. For instance, many times when people pray, they say, “I don’t know if the Lord will hear me, because I’ve missed it and failed. I’m such a failure!
If we’ve confessed our sin to Him, God doesn’t know we are a failure, He has chosen to forget that we have failed or sinned, so don’t tell Him. He plainly said in Isaiah 43:25, “I will not remember your sins.” Since He doesn’t remember our past sins and failures, don’t you remember them either! Instead, come with confidence and boldness, before the throne of grace, knowing that we have been made the righteousness of God by the precious blood of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. When do we find mercy and grace when we boldly come to God’s throne in time of need.
Next, God said in Isaiah 43:26, “Put Me in remembrance;
Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.” (Acquitted means: to be set free from all charges or accusations, delivered from the accuser.)
So…. What does it mean to put God in remembrance? It means that as a covenant believer, we can stand before the throne of God when we pray and remind Him of His promises. We can lay our case legally before Him and state our case as a lawyer would plead his case before a judge.
A lawyer is continually bringing up law and legal precedent. In the same way, we should bring God’s Word to His attention. That’s what He is inviting us to do in Isaiah 43:26. So put Him in remembrance. Lay your case before Him and plead your covenant rights as His child using the legal precedence of His Word. If you need healing, if your children are unsaved—whatever it is you are praying about—find scriptures that cover your case. Then lay the matter before the Heavenly Father. As we stand on the Word and state our case based on His promises, He will work on our behalf.
The Word will not return void. Isaiah 55:11 is an important scripture we should continually use in prayer as we stand on God’s Word: “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
This verse should be the very backbone of our prayer lives. No Word that has gone forth from God can return unto Him without accomplishing the purpose for which He sent it! “The Word” provides a legal precedent for our healing, our salvation, our financial blessing, our deliverance find it and put God in remembrance!
God said in Jeremiah 1:12, “You have seen well, for I ready to perform My word.” In other words God is saying, “I will watch over My word to perform it.” He knows the legal precedence so remind Him. When the devil lies, object and state “The Truth” (God’s Word)
This concept of legal precedent found in scriptures is in perfect harmony with John 15:7, where Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”
Hallelujah! As a partner, a worker –together with God, we can lay our case before Him. We can call His attention to His part in our life. And because His Word abides in you and me, we can ask according to “The Word” and receive answers to our prayers. God will make His word good if you and I dare to stand by it! Ephesian 6:13-14a, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore…”
Are we willing to put on the uniform, stand on the Word of God and “Fight the good fight of faith” 1Timothy 6:12a? YES!
Scripture verses are quoted in New King James Version unless other wise noted