May the Lord bless you, church. How good is the Lord, amen? He is good, and allows us to enjoy His presence. How much can we enjoy the presence of God, and how much can we believe in our heart that there is no better place where we can be today? There is no other place where we can enjoy ourselves more than in the presence of the Lord. That's why David said in Psalm 84:10, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” He understood that there was no greater place, that there was no better place for him, even though he was a king. He didn't care about the place, but he enjoyed the presence of God. Amen.

I want us to go to the Word, and we're going to Isaiah 59—a word that the Lord has been speaking to my heart. Verse one says, “The hand of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear is too dull to hear.” We see here in this first passage that the Lord has no limits, that for the Lord there is nothing impossible. The hand of the Lord is not too short to save and the hand of the Lord is not too short to do the work in our life! How much do we believe this? He is speaking, and the psalmist is saying that the hand of the Lord is not too short to do His work. Many times there are people who blame the Lord for the things that are happening around the world, right? Many people say, “Why are there orphaned children on the street? Why so much poverty in this world? Why does this happen if God exists?” And many people blame the Lord, but the psalmist clarifies that in this passage; and this helps us to be able to show others and tell them that God is not the problem. Amen.

The problem is not God. The poverty of the world is not because of God. And we're going to see where the problem truly lies. Because here, the psalmist is telling the people, “God's hand is not too short to save, nor His ear too deaf to hear.” It's not that the Lord doesn't listen to prayers. It's not that the Lord is not attentive to the prayers that rise to Him. But it says here in the second verse, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” So, we see here that Isaiah is saying, “What's the problem?” He clarifies first and says, “It's not that God's hand is too short to save.” How much do we believe? How many of us believe that the Lord has the power to change all things? Because for Him, there is nothing impossible. But we see here that the writer specifies that the problem is not in God.

I want you to look at your neighbor and say, “It's not God that’s the problem!” It's not God that’s the problem, right? And here he specifies what the problem is. Look, he says, “It is your iniquities that separate you from God.” What separates us from God is sin! The Word also says in Romans that we “fall short of the glory of God” because of sin. That happened from the beginning when Adam and Eve sinned—sin came in and then came the separation between God and man. And is that still happening today, church? Yes. If we have a life of sin, that separates us from God. Amen. Sin separates us from God. And although we can be in the church, if we have a life of sin, it separates us from God. And it is a barrier to our communication with God–sin makes a barrier between God and our prayers. Because it says here, Isaiah clarifies, “It’s their sins.” But he's not talking about just any sins. He's talking about iniquity. And I didn't understand what iniquity was. And I said to the Lord, "What do You mean when You say sins of iniquity?" And when I was reading the Word, the Lord said to me, “The pastor already explained to us what iniquity is.” It refers to a deep evil, to a moral perversity that goes beyond a simple mistake or action. That is iniquity; it is a sin that is in the heart. Iniquity is something that is rooted within man. Iniquity is when our actions are often outside of God's standards.

"Iniquity is a violation of God's standards, righteousness, and justice that He established."

So here, the people have not stopped offering sacrifices to the Lord. They raise their hands and go to the temple, but their heart has moved away from Him. And that's why He has to raise a prophet who takes His Word and tells them, “It's not God that’s the problem, it's your sins of iniquity.” And today, I want us to repeat out loud what the sin was that separated the people from God—sins of iniquity. Iniquity is something that is not superficial; it is something that is inside the heart. It is something that is brewing within; so many times, that iniquity is in the heart. It is a deliberate departure from the will of God. This is described as an act of injustice. Iniquity is a violation of God's standards, righteousness, and justice that He established. This can lead us to rebellion against God. This is a rejection of God's authority and His rules. So, iniquity is not simply “sin.” Iniquity is something that takes us away from God's purpose. Many times, we can have knowledge of the Word of God, but if iniquity is in our hearts, it makes us insensitive and it hardens the heart, so that we do not obey the Word of God. We may hear it, but many times we ignore the Word.

The problem is in the heart because something has entered the heart. Something has come to corrupt what God once created, and it's sin. Sin deformed God's creation, because when God created man, He did it in His image and in His likeness. Imagine yourself with the features of God. And I was saying, “How difficult, right?” I was reading Daniel the other day and he said that, “The eyes of the Ancient of Days are like flames of fire.” And I said, “Wow, I don't have those fiery eyes.” But the Lord was teaching me that He is not talking about physical appearance, but about the characteristics of God within man. Just as the pastor explained to us last time, love is a characteristic that comes from God. Love is from God, because God is love. And if we are children of God, one of the characteristics that has to be in us is love. Amen. It's love. It's justice. It is the holiness of God in us. But when sin came in, that was lost. And so here we see that thousands of generations have passed, and sin is still the problem in humanity. Within the people of God, sin continues to separate man from God. Amen.

And many times, the enemy makes us believe that we can live the way we want and that God is obligated to respond on a whim. But the Word says that it is our sins that separate us from God. When we live a life of sin, God hides his face from us, but He doesn’t want that. We see from the beginning that God made man to be with Him, to live with Him, to talk to Him. That was God’s intention when He made man, but sin corrupted that. But we see here that He sends Isaiah to tell them what the problem is. And that problem of iniquity, that sin of iniquity, many times, it is something that we have been carrying for many generations. Iniquity leads us to live a life of injustice, of evil towards others, of indifference to the suffering of others, and makes us hurt other people. When there is iniquity in our heart, there is indifference towards the suffering of others. There is indifference towards the needs of others. Wickedness hardens the heart of man; iniquity makes us hardened to the suffering of others.

And then I said to the Lord, “It’s so important that You can enter our hearts and that You examine them, so that those remnants of iniquity can be removed from our hearts.” Because iniquity, as I told you, is not a simple mistake. It's not a simple sin that sometimes one commits, right? Not by accident or by ignorance—the sin of iniquity is something that is planned; it's something that is manipulated. It is something we intervened in and changed at our convenience. in which we have intervened. We’re going to look at some examples of the sin, of the iniquity, in the Word of God.

The people here had stopped practicing God’s justice, and the Lord rebuked them for their lack of love for others. Let's look right there in Isaiah 59:4. He says, “No one calls for justice; no one pleads a case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.” And this caught my attention, because that's how the pastor taught us, right? And that’s what the Word says—that by our fruit we will be known. So, you find an egg lying on the street, and you pick it up and say, “What kind of egg is this? Maybe it will be a pigeon. Maybe it will be a sparrow. Maybe it will be a chicken. Maybe it will be a hen.” And you’re curious, right? You don’t know which one it is or what kind of animal it came from. But what happens when that egg breaks? It comes out and you say, “Wow! It's a snake! It's a crocodile!” Crocodiles are eggs, right? It can't come out, so they start to peel it.

So, imagine what the Lord is telling the people. They're like that egg that is being carefully guarded, but when they come to the door where God is and open it, the egg hatches and is seen for what it truly is. How many of you are afraid of snakes? Some are afraid of spiders. Some are afraid of lizards, and scorpions, right? Any animal can come out of there. So, the Lord is telling the people what the problem is—and He's telling them that they have stopped practicing justice. They weren't looking out for each other's needs, because it wasn’t just about physical needs, but also spiritual ones. The people had diverted from the Lord; they moved away from God. The people were separated from God, and no one intervened; no one did anything to help God's people. Everyone was quiet—everyone. The leaders at that time had become so corrupted that they saw what the people were doing and didn't care. They saw that the people were living a life of sin. They went to the temple, raised their hands, and were worshiping God; but they went out of the temple, and they went on to live a life of iniquity—a life of sin.

So, the Lord wants to help the people and He wants to save His people. He wants to restore families; He wants to raise marriages, amen? He wants to do it and He has the power to do it. How much do we believe it? He can do it, but the Lord comes and shows the things that may be affecting us so that we can see the power of God manifested in our lives and in our families. Iniquity leads us to that hardness of heart towards others. Many times, we can be here and we can say that we love God, but be far from God's will and His justice. And that's what the Lord rebukes them for when He says, “No one, no one cries out for justice. No one speaks the truth. No one cares.” And it’s the same today. Many times, we see what is happening, and we are not concerned if that person leaves or turns away from the path of the Lord. And we don't have enough love to go and tell them that what they’re doing is wrong. The same thing happened with the people. The Lord sends His Word through the prophet. Why? So that there is a change! So that there is a transformation in the people and so they can be restored and renewed as those worshipers who worship God in Spirit and in truth, amen? Didn’t the Word say in the beginning, “The time has come”? How many believe it? This is the time! This is the hour when God is raising His church to be the worshippers who worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.

So, let's look at some examples of iniquity. These examples of iniquity can be inherited for generations. For example, idolatry is something we can pass down to our children and to our grandchildren. We have already shared a bit about idolatry. We come from various cultures—like the Mayans, and from so many things that we don't even understand because the Mayans are no longer around. However, there are other things that are being worshiped over God, and they are inherited from our parents. When we were little, they told my siblings and me that we were Catholics, but we didn't go to church. I remember that I went to church when I was 11 years old because my mom decided to baptize us at the age of 11. Because we weren’t legally acknowledged by our dad, nor by her, in our country's birth registry, our mom decided to get the paperwork when we were 11 years old. Imagine, we were children without a last name because our dad didn't even recognize us. Only my older brother was recognized by my dad—all the other kids weren’t recognized. So, my mom had to pay a lawyer to have us legally recognized at 11 years old. So on my ID, I appear 11 years younger than I really am! So, you see, I'm still young—but it’s just one of those things that happens!

So when I looked at this, I thought, "How do we come out of the patterns and idolatry of our ancestors? Something that none of us asked for—but we were born that way. We were born with these values.” And when I saw that, I said to Him, “Lord, how can I not thank You today, Father? That girl who grew up without a father, that little girl who grew up without someone to take care of her, that girl that no one was watching over because there was no father to take care of her—now, You came into my life and gave me Your Name.” Amen!

We were singing in worship, “He anointed my head with perfume.” That's what they do with the kids there in Jerusalem. When children are born, they anoint them and give them a name. And they say, "This girl will be called so-and-so, because God's blessing will be upon her." None of that happened to this little girl. So, where is the evil then? For many years, I blamed God for what had happened to me. Where was God when I was little? But that wasn't the question I should have been asking. Where was my dad? Where was that father who was supposed to take care of me? Where was that father who was supposed to watch over my well-being? Where was that father who decided to join my mom and to have children? They had five children and I asked my mom, “Mommy, why did you have so many children with my dad, if from the first one he wasn't responsible? Mommy, you’re silly.” How many of us have said that? “How foolish am I?” And my mom didn't only have five. Later, she wanted to try something else and she had another three. The lives of those three were much different because they had a dad and he looked after them. Their father looked to see if they had food. But for us, if there wasn’t any, we didn’t get any. There was no one to watch over us.

Then imagine—that was a pattern, and it's a pattern we are bringing from generation to generation: abandoned children. Children raised however their parents could raise them. But what's the problem? It's the sin of iniquity that is often passed down from generation to generation. And what happens? Imagine, we and many people out there always blame God. But the Lord taught me this: It's not His fault. It's not His fault. It's the sin's fault. Sin entered my family. My mom was abandoned when she was little, along with her three brothers. I don't know my uncles. I don't know my grandparents. That's why I call the grandmothers here “grandmother”—because they are my grandmothers. I could never call anyone grandma, “Grandma this, Uncle that.” I didn't have the opportunity. But imagine what was happening then and what is happening now. Sin has corrupted God’s creation and has made the heart of man insensitive. Where were those fathers that could not feel compassion for their children? They didn’t feel pain in their hearts when they abandoned their children and let them grow up on their own.

So, the problem is not God. It is the sin that has reigned in the heart of man. That evil is in the heart of the man without God. That's why there are so many orphaned children on the street. That's why there are so many children begging on the street. I look at so many children on the street, begging, and I say, “Lord, where are the fathers of these children? Where are the mothers of these children, Lord?” Because it is not God's responsibility for those children—it's the parent's. Amen. It belongs to the mothers and fathers—it belongs to us as parents—to teach the children and instill in them the fear of the Lord. Amen.

"We are no longer going to live a life of insensitivity, but we are going to be sensitive to the needs of those around us."

Many of us come from backgrounds where no one taught us this. No one instilled this in us. But the Lord has redeemed our lives to rescue us from that pattern of the world so that we no longer live a life being insensitive to the needs of those around us. Many times we feel sorry for those who are on the street, but we do not feel sorry for those who are in our house. Many times we don't think about our children—that the actions and decisions we make can affect them. Amen. And I said, “Lord, where? Where are those things?” And the Lord told me, “That's in the heart.” That's why the Lord says, “I'm going to remove your heart of stone and put a new heart in you.” The heart of stone is insensitive, but the heart of flesh is sensitive to the needs of those around us. We are no longer going to live a life of insensitivity, but we are going to be sensitive to the needs of those around us.

Let's look at another example of iniquity. Lying, deception, and manipulation are also sins of iniquity. Manipulating situations for personal gain is an action that is considered iniquity in the Bible. There is an example of a family that lived in lies for generations found in Genesis chapters 25—31. Let's look at Jacob's example. His name means "the deceiver," and this man lived in deception for many years. So here is Jacob, and many things have happened in His life. How many know Jacob's story? How many of us know the story of what he saw—the ladder to heaven, right? This is where angels descended and ascended. This great man of God had to throw away the iniquity of his life. He had to take the iniquity out of his heart so that God would be glorified in him, and in his family. But look—as I was saying—it's something that takes root. And if we don’t take those things out of our hearts, they can go from generation to generation. That's why when the Lord comes, He brings His truth to take the lie out of our hearts. Amen. So Jacob—and I'm not going to read much because it's quite a long story—but how many of us know the history of this family? Jacob had a brother, a twin.

In this time in Israel, the inheritance was given to the older brother. Since there were two sons—and the mother had a preference for Jacob and not for her other son—there was a rivalry between them. Then, their mother decided to trick her husband and make their son, Jacob, pass as the eldest son. The inheritance fell on the youngest son. So in this story, the mom tricked the dad, and the brother tricked his brother. And from there, we see the story unfold. If you can read it at home, look at it and read it so you can see what this man's life was like. After Jacob deceived his brother, he ran away because his brother wanted to kill him. So the lie caused him problems, right? And this man runs away and finds himself in the house of Laban, who becomes his father-in-law. Jacob falls in love with a young woman, and since Laban likes him, he says, “He’s a good young man, and I think he's suitable for my daughters.” So he tells Jacob, “Well, if you want one of my daughters, you will have to work seven years for her!” And Jacob came and began to work, and work, and work, and work. And he toiled in the sun every day to take care of the sheep. What was Jacob's motivation? That one day he was going to marry that girl—and he fulfilled it—that young man worked seven years for that girl. But when it comes time to consummate his relationship with his wife, Jacob gets deceived. At that time, when a girl went to the altar, she was covered by a thick veil. She was covered, and Jacob couldn't unveil her before the wedding feast was completed. Late into the night, Jacob's father-in-law tricked him—Laban gave him Leah, the less attractive daughter that Jacob didn't love; he loved Rachel. When Jacob takes her veil off, he's surprised—what had his father-in-law done to him?! He had deceived him; he had lied to him. Imagine Jacob's anger! "But I didn't work for this one, I worked for Rachel!" So, this man was angry because someone had lied to him.

How many of us hate lies? But, how many of us have lied? How many of us hate rebellion? And how many of us have been rebels? Many times—and so many times we forget, right? But we should go back a little. Jacob had forgotten what he had sown earlier—and the lie followed him from generation to generation. It says that Jacob had two wives now. He ended up working another seven years to have Rachel because he wanted her and said, "I will work for this one." And he had children with Leah, and he had children with Rachel—but the story doesn't stop there. From there, Jacob begins to see that his father-in-law no longer treats him the way he used to, and he says, “It's time to leave.” And then his wives tell him, “Well, we're going with you.” I'm not telling you the whole story because it’s quite long; I'm just giving you a little bit. So, he decides to leave with his two wives, his children, his livestock, and everything else because he had prospered there. So he leaves, and as they are leaving, Rachel decides to take her father’s idols. She leaves, and everyone is on their way. When Laban goes to look for them, he realizes that Jacob has left with his family. He left with his two daughters and grandchildren. So, Laban runs after them, and Jacob knows that he made his father-in-law angry.

And then it says Laban arrives and tells Jacob, “Why have you done this to me? Why did you take my daughters? Why did you do this? And not only that, you took them away and I couldn't even kiss them. And why did you steal my idols?” Jacob came and told him, “I haven't done that.” Jacob wasn't to blame, but his wife had stolen her father’s idols. When her father arrived to search for his property, Rachel realized he was looking for what she had stolen; so she ran and hid the idols under her camel's saddle. And you know what she did? She sat there and her father looked everywhere. And she said to her father, “Forgive me for not being able to get up from here, but I'm having my period.” And was this the truth? It was another lie, and one lie leads to another lie.

"The Lord gives us the opportunity to escape from a life of destruction."

If we don't cut out the lies from our lives and our families, they will continue from generation to generation. Deception will continue in our families; deception will continue to wreak havoc on our families. That's why the Lord says to take out the sin of iniquity. And do you know why those are sins of iniquity? Because it was something they manipulated—they planned it. Jacob and his mother devised the strategy of how they were going to deceive his father. Rachel ran and hid the idols saying, “So that my father doesn't find them.” The Lord gives us the opportunity to get out of lies. The Lord gives us the opportunity to escape from a life of destruction. God gives us the opportunity to turn away from a life in rebellion against the Word of God. But we must be willing to bring it to the light. Why? So that this breaks in our generations, amen? How many of us want a blessed generation for the Lord? We must be willing to break free from those sins in our lives—then we will see the results.

And we see in Ephesians 4:25—the Lord Jesus is already speaking about this—Paul says that we are a being made new, amen? We are a new generation created in Christ Jesus for every good work, amen? Therefore, we must stop lying and speak the truth, each one with his neighbor. We have the opportunity to be free from lies—God gives us the opportunity to break the patterns we pass down from generation to generation. And look, it's a custom in our country to lie. It's a custom. If money is a little tight and the debt collector arrives, what is the first thing you say to a child? “Come, come. Here comes the debt collector, tell him that I'm not here.” And the child goes and tells him, “My mom says she's not here.” But already in that child something was sown, and lying is now a part of their life. And that child sees their father doing it, and now that child does it now too. So it takes root, and they think, “Since my parents did it, I’ll do it, too”—and it goes on from generation to generation.

So, we see that the sin of iniquity is not a simple mistake. It is something that is manipulated, and it is used for our own benefit. So many times the lie is used to justify what we did wrong. I’ve had people tell me, “Let’s not tell anyone; it’s better not to tell anyone.” I tell them, “No, we'd better fix it. We'd better go and talk.” But they say, “Look, it’s not bad—we've already talked about it among ourselves.” And I say, “No, let's tell the truth, and do the right thing.” Many times, the Lord gives us the opportunity to get out of that lying pattern—and it's better to speak the truth, even if it does not go well. Because if we’ve done something wrong, we'll be rebuked and told, “What you did was wrong.” But then, we have the opportunity to ask the Lord for forgiveness—and so it will be restored, amen?

Then there’s another example of iniquity, and that’s adultery. Adultery is something that can also be sown from generation to generation. David's of adultery is an example of iniquity. And why is it an example of the sin of iniquity? Because David was not only the one who sinned, but he also manipulated the situation. Why? For his own convenience—David not only had the desire to sleep with Bathsheba, but he also manipulated the whole situation. He already sinned. Not only did he sin, but the girl became pregnant. And they said to him, “David, that girl is pregnant. So, now what are you going to do?” David said, “Oh, what can I do? If I go to talk to her parents, they will kill me. No, what do I do? Go and bring Uriah her husband.” And he began to plan so many things to cover up what he had done. So not only did David commit adultery, but he also lied and he committed murder. So, many times, our sins of iniquity cause those around us to suffer. And the insensitivity in our heart is so great, that we don't care about someone else's suffering. David didn't care if that husband realized that his wife had betrayed him—he was going to suffer. David didn't care. If Bathsheba did have children with Uriah, David wasn't even thinking about the suffering his plan would cause those children.

From that story, we can look at what iniquity does in our hearts. It makes us insensitive, even to those in our own homes. And if we don't feel compassion for those in our homes, how can we say that we have compassion for the Lord’s people? When the Lord says, “If you say you love me, but hate your neighbor, you are a liar because the one who loves me loves their neighbor.” So, we don’t have to look far. Sometimes we say we love people outside of our family, but we need to look a little closer. It’s about looking out for the well-being of our sons and our daughters. It’s thinking more about them than what we want—because many times, we think more about ourselves and our own satisfaction than that of our children. And we think, “Since I want this, I don’t care who I hurt along the way.”

So I asked the Lord, “Where is the justice then?” Well, I experienced this, church. Since I was little, we were abandoned because of the vice of alcohol—because my dad wanted to satisfy his vice more than our needs. He stole the things that my mom bought for us. Imagine a father in that condition. My mom brought us food, and he ate the food. We slept on the floor because when he was drunk, he would pull us out of bed and throw us to the ground. That's where I come from, church—from that insensitivity, from that evil. The Lord has rescued me from that, and that's why I thank the Lord. Because now I say, “Lord, thank You that no one gave me justice. Lord, You had to come and provide justice for my family. You had to pay the price to rescue me. Now, I don't depend on what my dad did; I depend on You, amen.” And I thank the Lord because He had to heal me; He had to get all those things out of my heart. And I still tell Him, “Lord, keep taking out the iniquity from my heart. Keep bringing out the evil, Lord, that is in my life.”

I also dragged my son into the same thing—and he had to suffer many things. We even had to run away, because his father drank and cheated on me. When we lost my daughter, I told him, “If you keep drinking, this is the end.” Do you know what he did? A week later, he went downtown to dance with other women. Can you imagine the pain I was going through? I had lost my daughter and he didn't even care. She was his daughter, too. But he didn't feel the same pain—and I don't blame him. Now, thank God I understand that this man also comes from that same iniquity, from that same evil, because his life is similar to mine. He grew up in a distorted home where the father left his mother, and that became the lifestyle for him. That was 'normal'— and it is normal in the world, church. That's why the Lord wants to rescue us and wants to save us, amen? That's why He says, “The hand of the Lord is not too short to save nor His ears too deaf to hear, but it is the sin of iniquity that separates Me from you.” But the Lord doesn't stop there—He has sent His Son to give justice to those who have no one to give them justice, to those who have no one to watch over them. I know that here many of us come from that pattern, and thank God that someone believed in God and came to this place where there was no hope. He came to give us hope, amen? Because many families here have received hope. We were once those who had no one to watch over us. But now, have such a good Father—One who takes care of us, and who takes care of our family, even when we don’t do what is right for our children.

"The new has come—and the new begins when we start rejecting that old pattern of the world."

God does not fail to give justice to those who fear Him, amen. And God sends His Son to give justice to the orphans, to give justice to the widows. That is why the Lord Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and has sent me to declare good news to the poor and freedom for the captives.” Amen! That is God's purpose in our lives. Many times, we are captives of iniquity—and we have lived in that pattern from generation to generation. But Christ was sent to save us, amen? How many can give Him a round of applause? He came to save humanity! He came to save what was lost! And now—now, through Christ, through Christ Jesus; you and I, we are a new generation! Amen. The old has passed, and the new has come. How many of you believe it? The new has come; and the new begins when we start rejecting that old pattern of the world. That pattern is normal for the world, but not for us who are now in Christ Jesus.

When the Lord created man, He said, “Let us make man in our image.” And then, He gave man a responsibility. And what was the responsibility? Take care of everything He had created, amen. The responsibility of us, as God's people, is to take care of what God has entrusted to us. Amen! And what has He entrusted to us? Our children, our families, because they are also part of that promise now. How many believe it? So, it's time! And I love it, because the Lord doesn't hold anything back; He gives people the opportunity to repent. They begin to see what they have done wrong, and they to say, “Oh Lord, great is our sin!” Look at verses 12-15. Right here in Isaiah 59 it says, “For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, inciting revolt and oppression, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found...” Here, the people are confessing their sin and they are recognizing what is wrong.

David, after he had sinned, said, “Lord, forgive me because I have been conceived in sin!” David had to recognize where that evil came from. It came from his mother, who conceived him in iniquity—and so, he asked the Lord for forgiveness. How many of us were born in iniquity? When we stand in the light of the Word, we can see that our lives have not been examples of what God desires. But today, the Lord gives us the opportunity to tell Him, “Lord, my sin is great; my weakness is great, Lord. But Your Word says that if I repent, You are faithful and just to forgive me.” Amen! So we see that the Lord can do the work, but He is waiting for repentance—and that’s why He sends His Word. When can we be free from lies? When the Truth visits us and we treasure it in our hearts, saying, “This truth is mine. The Lord has spoken to me—the Lord has spoken to my heart, and I no longer want to continue in that lie. I don't want to live in idolatry; I don't want to live in the sexual immorality that is commonplace in this world.” But he who believes in the Lord and makes the decision to obey Him, his life is changed—his life is transformed.

Finally, let’s read from Isaiah 1, verse 15-20. He says, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. ‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword...’” How much do we want that!?

This Word filled me with hope because the Lord tells us, “Justice is far from you, and the truth has not found a place in you." But He also says, “Come, let us settle the matter. If you repent of this sin, even if your sins are as red as scarlet, they will become white like wool.” How many can receive that in their heart? No matter what our condition is, when we approach the Lord and recognize that condition in front of Him, He has the power to bring about renewal and transformation in us. Amen? He sets an example: “Though your sins are as red as scarlet, I will make them white like wool.” How many of us want the Lord to enter and work on us and keep doing a glorious work in our lives? This is the God to which we have been called to serve to worship; a God whose hand is not short to save, and whose ear is not deaf to hear. He’s just waiting for us to turn our gaze to Him, and as it says here, “Wash yourself.” Let us wash ourselves; let us cleanse ourselves—and the Lord will do His work inside of us. “Take evil away from my sight,” He says. “Stop doing evil; learn to do good. Seek justice and rebuke oppression.”

Our pastor told us the church is called to do this work; we are called to watch over the well-being of our children. We are called to watch over the well-being of our brothers and sisters. And if we see that something is wrong, we are called to reprimand. With what objective? To help—to help so that the brother or sister doesn't get lost and lose their way. But we have to be ready to listen and slow to get angry. We were sharing this yesterday with the church because, many times, pride stops the Word from entering the. heart. But when there is humility, we receive the Word and say, “Lord, that's my life, but You can change it.” How many of us believe that the Lord can do the work? And He is doing it—He's doing it through His Word—His Word is coming to clean us; His Word is coming to renew our thoughts. How many of us are willing to obey? Very few—and I’m not saying this, the Lord says, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” The Lord Himself has said it. How many of us believe in the first part? But how many of us will commit to obeying His Word and say, “Lord, I want to eat the best of the land. I want to eat in Your presence, Father.”

As the song we sang today said, “He has set a place at His table so we can eat." But are we willing to leave that which does not help us? Today is a good day. I don't know how many of you today can see your life reflected in this Word and can say, “It's true. Because my dad lived that way, that's why I'm also living that same way. I’m living like my mom and my dad; I'm following that pattern.” But today, the Lord gives us the opportunity to get out of that mold. That's why the Word says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world.” Because if we let the Lord do His work in us, we will know the will of God, which is good, pleasing, and perfect for our lives. Thank You for Your Word, Lord! Thank You, Beloved Father! You are so good, Father!