God wants a connection with us.
He wants to offer us forgiveness and change our lives.
That’s the purpose of altars in the church. We’re to place our willful desires and cares on that rough wood and walk away.
Yet there are times God doesn’t want us at the altar, no matter how repentant we are.
God needs us to clear our slate before we turn to him.
Key 1:
Colossians 3:13 tells us to “bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
That’s the first key, the beginning of God’s acceptance of our presence at the altar.
Key 2:
Ephesians 4:31-32 says to “let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
The second key encourages forgiveness as a way of life; it must become our everyday attitude toward our fellow travelers.
Key 3:
Mark 11:25 says that “whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
Grudges don’t carry any weight with God. The third key is to clear out the dirt and cobwebs so God can dwell in us.
Now we can come before God. We’ve taken care of his demands. We’ve done the three things God requires before we can stand at his throne.
1. Forgive.
2. Forgive.
3. Forgive.
You’re finally seeing it. Good for you. Now do it.
Jesus offered forgiveness through his blood, and we can do no less.
Copyright © 2019 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.B.10.19b.vp.esv