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Tag: mercy (Page 6 of 6)

Worthy. John 14:1

March 18, 2018 /

 “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.” 

Worthy. None of us are. We each deserve death for our sins against God alone. Yet, because of the Precious Lamb of God, because of the One, the only One, who is and was and will forever be worthy, we who have been chosen by Him, washed in His shed Blood, are made worthy through Him…

We are witnesses to the shift in a conversation. A shift in the way we witness love—our understanding of it, our part in it, our own worth as a result of it…

Jesus has talked to His disciples about His impending death. But, during this conversation, one of these, Peter, proclaims that so great is his love, his belief in Jesus—that he’s ready to die for him! And that’s where Jesus tells Peter—bold Peter, certain Peter, that not only won’t he die for Him anywhere soon—he’s about to betray Him by denying he ever knew Him! In fact, Jesus gets so specific, He tells Peter that he’ll deny Him not once, or twice, but three times before the morning fully comes…

And then it happens. The pivot—the shift in the conversation…

As if Jesus had not just dropped these back to back “bombs”—these, game changing, life altering declarations, He tells everyone present to be calm—not to get all worked up about what He had just said. “Do not let your heart be troubled.” Are you kidding me right now! Don’t let your hearts be troubled after Jesus, tells them that He’s about to die after only three years of friendship? Really? They were just getting to know and deeply trust Him…

And what of Him being the Messiah?

Who would free them from Roman tyranny if He died?

And Why? Why was this happening? How could Jesus say something so contrary to the state of each of their “already fearful” hearts?

“Believe in God, believe also in Me.”  Jesus is trying to shift their focus from fear and fright—to a deeper faith in Him. Towards the work He knew He was about to do, and had already done, in them. He knew also that in just a moment the Holy Spirit would come to them turning their mourning, their fear and sadness, in to joy unspeakable! He’d turn their every question mark into a period. He’d expose them to Pure Truth.

Jesus knew His friends believed in Him, but He also knew that even believers have heart trouble at times. And this was one of those times. Yet, if they would only trust in Him just a little longer…

Our friends had each missed the shift—the opportunity to change the basic assumptions they had lived out as fact. They missed the peek into Truth—into what was truly real. Into the who, what and why of Jesus, the purpose for His coming—and going. They missed entirely how their worth was really His. How when God saw them—He saw Jesus and His finished redemptive work in their lives—and ours.They had each been called to follow Him. To leave all that they had known, were, for this new life He had for them, in Him…

They missed the clue Jesus had just given them into what was about to happen—to them all…

Jesus knew long before any of these had even thought to follow Him He had chosen them as the very vessels He would use to usher in His Church—the Way. Use them to bring about, to cause, an upheaval in the fixed, rigid, legalistic, idolatrous world system. The way in which some Jews, and the rest of the world, had come to view God, His Temple, and their relationship with Him.

And, Peter was about to become the leader of this new revolution!

It’s why he was, in part, created—chosen. Made worthy. Redeemed, again and again. Yes, this same Peter whom Jesus had just stated would thrice betray Him will end up being the great apostle God will use to build His Church.  If you’ve ever betrayed Jesus, you should be shouting for joy now! Not for your betrayal, but because If God forgave Peter and saw worth in him—He’ll  do the same for you too!

It is, was, and will forever be—all about Jesus. His work. His will. His choosing and love of us, first, that makes us worthy to boldly come before Him.

Where we see failure, frailty, ambiguity, God sees our worth…

Jesus alone modeled an untroubled heart amid what certainly appeared—to those gathered, to be a time of trouble. He alone knew Gods will not only for Himself—for why He had come at all, but also for each one gathered with Him and more—for you and me and for the whole of humanity. We are their harvest, the apostles. But we are Gods seed.

Jesus saw Peter as worthy—as a son, not as a betrayer. Perhaps that’s why He didn’t belabor the point with Peter concerning his betrayal after He had spoken of it? Jesus saw Peter as a finished product—complete and sinless in Himself; high and lifted-up—already seated with Him in Heaven, victorious. Through the very work He had talked to them about and would soon accomplish on His Cross—by His resurrection, the defeat of sin, death, and the grave, it was through this reality—by this Truth, that Peter, and each of these disciples was made worthy.

As are each of us called by His name and into the family of God…

Jesus continues telling His friends that shortly, it may seem that He’s left them—He never will. But, He must go before them to prepare all that He has predestined for them all from the moment it entered Him to bring them forth, give them life and a purpose, a calling. He reminds them—instills in them, that He is the only way in which anyone can be re-united with God. He tells them plainly that in seeing Him, they have in fact—seen God. And, if they can’t yet get their heads around that fact for its own sake, believe it because of all His works—the signs, wonders, and miracles He had done.

This is the second time our friends have heard Jesus claiming this same Truth.

It was wintertime in Jerusalem, the time of Hanukkah. Jesus and these same friends were walking around the Temple near Solomon’s colonnade when a high-spirited crowd broaches Him with a very pointed question. Read John 10:22-42 to hear their whole conversation…

But to get back to the conversation Jesus is having with His friends—lets once again listen in…

Jesus affirms each of them as worthy in Him—by Him, through Him, as He tells them that these very same miracles He has done they too will do—and even greater things than these! He reiterates that He’s going back to the Father and, in that moment a mystery is exposed to them—yet another shift occurs. Jesus makes plain that because He’s going back to God they will now be able to have access to the same power of God Jesus Himself had. All they must do is ask the Father anything in His name and, so long as it’s the Fathers will, it will be done for them as it was for Jesus. Because of His choice of them—they have been made worthy of heaven—of relationship with God. Of sonship.

And, Jesus will use them each to change the world for heaven’s sake!

One cannot meet God and remain unchanged. Christ in them caused such a love for Himself to swell up on the inside, they joyfully, willingly, obeyed His commands. Just as He lovingly, willingly obeyed the Father’s. Christ in us—a true encounter with Christ, will always cause disruption to our norm.  Will always bring about both a letting go—and a letting in. Love makes us want to be—stretch to become, the very best version of ourselves. Love causes us to surrender to itself. And, it is in that surrender that our worth is found. We are worthy because He chose us as His own.

The question is—do you believe it?

Have you found your worth in the Living God—Jesus Christ? If you don’t know Him, haven’t yet met Him, invited Him, and all He offers you, into your life, do it today. While there’s still time. Why continue living feeling like your unworthy when God has so much more planned for your life? Christ died to show you just how worthy He thought you were. Don’t pass that by. Call out to the One who holds your worth, my worth, in the palm of His nail pierced hand…

“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.” 

It Was, And Is, A “We” Thing…Luke 23:34

January 21, 2018 /

 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

So, here’s the question: Which them was Jesus referring to when He asked the Father to forgive them?

I wasn’t standing among the crowd that day, but that fact didn’t limit Jesus’s knowing that on a particular day and time, some two thousand plus years later, I would need His prayer—His forgiveness. And so, would you. It wasn’t necessary for us to be standing there as witnesses.

Love knows no limits…

There is no such thing as time and distance where love is concerned. Ask any parent—they’ll tell you the same. When it comes to reaching the child they love, nothing can stop them.

How much more God?

How much further reaching is the one that fashioned us in our mother’s womb—knows our every thought, and the number of each hair on our heads? The One who knows not only the moment He predestined us to be born—to live, but knows also, the exact millisecond He will ask for our breath to be returned to Him…

So, as Jesus hung dying on His Cross, just who was He asking the Father to forgive?

Was it for Pilot’s succumbing to the blood-lust of Caiaphas the high priest and his followers? —John 18:12-28. Maybe it was for the thief hanging beside him—the one chiding Him to, “Come down off your cross?”— Luke 23:39. Or, maybe He was asking the Father to forgive those underhanded religious leaders who had Jesus dragged, in the middle of the night, in front of some of the scheming and self-serving Sanhedrin. As if the cover of darkness could hide the darkness within them! —Mark 14:53-65. Or, is it possible that Jesus asked this forgiveness for the amped-up many who stood crying out to Pilot for His Blood? “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”, can you hear their malevolent cries…? —Luke 23:21. Was He asking forgiveness for the soldiers whose hands were still wet with His Blood? —John 19:18. Or, perhaps it was for those who’d been hunched over at the foot of His Cross, throwing dice for His clothes? —John 19:23-24.

More, Scripture tells us that this same Jesus that prayed this prayer as He hung dying, is the same yesterday, today, and forever. —Hebrews 13:8.

Thus, inferring that His desires, His intentions, remain the same also. Those being, in this instance, intercession and forgiveness. So, with that in mind, I would posit, and Scripture points towards, Jesus—in addition to each of those souls listed above, was praying in fulfillment of Scripture for you and me too. “…Because He [willingly] poured out His life to death, And was counted among the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore and took away the sin of many, And interceded [with the Father] for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53:11-12; emphasis my own. He was praying for the whole of humanity who—as with those above, had no clue—didn’t fully understand, the import, the weight of their sin. Nor did they understand what was being accomplished on that Cross…

Neither do any today who deny Jesus…

They’ve no understanding the far-reaching implications of their choice. If anyone in that blood-thirsty crowd, on that fateful day, had any idea that their words, spoken in frenzied mob speak, would bring about the death of the very Messiah they had prayed for—one must wonder if they wouldn’t have run around just as feverishly; physically covering up the mouths of any one shouting, “Crucify Him!” Who in their right mind would want to put to death the very person they had prayed would come and save them? That would be the equivalent of a drowning man refusing the life-saving buoy thrown to him…

“Mercy here!” but the drowning man gulping, says “Thanks, I’m good, I can swim!”

Yet, many that day did exactly that. Why? Because their help didn’t come the way they anticipated it would. Didn’t say, speak, look like, what they thought it would. So, they reject it. No, they made sure this “impostor”, this false Messiah, this blasphemer,  would never come back to tell His imprecate tales. And, for those in authority who were threatened by Him, afraid that if He succeeded they would fail—lose out. His being sent away wasn’t an option. They needed an end to Him and all He stood for. “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

All the while Mercy was praying—extending to “all who would”, the opportunity to be forgiven…

“Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”—Hebrews 10:17 (Also see: Hebrews 8:12; Isaiah 43:25; 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Psalm 103:11-12).

The good news is some, that fateful day, heard Jesus’s prayer—and said yes to His unfathomable offer of mercy and forgiveness of their sins. And, as I said at the start, I believe though you and I weren’t standing among those in the crowd that day—Jesus saw us.

We were included in His offer of forgiveness…

Cornelius, the Roman centurion at the foot of His Cross heard it—more, he received it. Listen: “Surely this man was the Son of God!”—Matthew 27:54. And the thief, the other one, not the one who chided Jesus, he too accepted Mercys offer of forgiveness, listen to his dying words: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”—Luke 23:42. So long as there is breath, there is hope. And, there was Nicodemus too, a member of the Sanhedrin. He said yes to mercy—along with his friend, Joseph of Arimathea—a secret disciple of Jesus. —John 19:38-40. Lastly, there were some three thousand who were gathered in Jerusalem. Whether any of them heard Jesus’s offer of forgiveness at His Cross is unknown—but they heard it nonetheless!Mercy reach is limitless. “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”—Acts 2:41.

And don’t forget me! I was sitting in a church pew in 2008 when suddenly Mercy said, You are mine. You’re forgiven, Now, come, follow me… And, by His grace, I’ve never looked back!

Friend, Jesus’s prayer to the Father for forgiveness is for you too…

There was a  piece of ground at the foot of His Cross with your name written on it. It’s purpose? To traverse across time and space that it might reach you today. If you’d just stand still and look up, right where you are, you’d be looking into the eyes of the One who is offering you forgiveness. More, an opportunity to go where He is and spend eternity with Him.

But, first, you must say yes to Mercy’s invitation…

Won’t you please say yes, now? Mercy has been praying for you. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”—Ephesians 1:7

The Conclusion of; The Foreshadowing. Galatians 6:7-8

December 31, 2017 /

 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.…” —Galatians 6:7-8

 

The covering of our sins started in a garden. It is here we get our first glimpse of The Lamb of God…

God went to great lengths—to extreme measures, to ensure His sin-stained children were afforded a way to be returned to right relationship with Him. Last week we read that it was God Himself who enacted the first blood sacrifice for His own. He killed innocent animals that both Adam and Eve might be covered by their bloody skins—a foreshadowing of the work of Jesus. A murky glimpse at how His Innocent Blood would come to be willingly—lovingly, purposefully shed, once, for all…

So, if God went to such extreme measures—the sacrificing of His Only Begotten Son, that His children might be given a way to return to Him, why were Adam and Eve punished? Their sins were forgiven. Why were they made to endure God’s wrath? His Judgement?

Why are we?

Love. Judgement mingled with mercy forms the Cross…

As with all Truth, we find our answers squarely in the Word of God. Listen: “…And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? … (Hebrews 12:5-7; also see Deut. 8:5; Psalm 94:12; Psalm 119:75; Proverbs 3:11-12; and Revelation 3:19).

Clearly, the Word of God has much to say about God’s just judgement—the chastening of His children…

Don’t allow God’s great mercy and forgiveness to be confused with His justice—His Righteous Judgement’s. His Word assures us that once we have accepted Him as Lord and Savior of our lives we are—in that very instant, washed clean, and are reconciled to Him, through The Blood of Jesus. That’s the mercy part… “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.” —Colossians 1:20 Yet, though forgiven of our sins—and though they are remembered no more—no longer counted against us, sin always has and always will have consequences. That’s the just judgement part…

Last week I referred to King David being familiar with God’s punishment, His Righteous Judgement. David suffered great loss as the result of his sins with Bathsheba, another man’s wife; and the subsequent murder of her husband in a desperate attempt to cover up his sins. His treachery—his slippery slope into sinning started in rebellion—as most sin does. As King, it was a custom that each Spring all Kings and their armies would march against their enemies into war. Though Scripture doesn’t tell us why, David, rather than marching to war with his men, sent his Commander Joab and his officers, as well as all the fighting men of Israel, out to war without him. And, as result, one sleepless night David would get up and walk to his rooftop terrace to get fresh air. And It would be there that the enemy of his soul would be waiting to take him captive—if only a for a time…

Bathsheba was on an adjacent rooftop just finishing her ritual bath. It is thought she was a great beauty—fair in face and form. David saw her and desired her. He sent a messenger to go and get her. Yet not before he had inquired into who she was and learned that she was the wife of Uriah, one of his own fighting men. Had David been where he was supposed to have been—doing what he should have done, perhaps none of this would have happened. Isn’t that the way sin typically gets its hooks in us? When we have strayed from the straight path? And so it did with David. Yet, rather than turning from his sin and repenting, David delves deeper in. Bathsheba informs him that she’s now pregnant as a result of their adulterous affair.

And that’s where events worsened. “But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.” —James 1:15-16

Scripture tells us the rest of the story…

David summons Uriah, tries to get him to sleep with his own wife, Bathsheba, so it could be said that the child that had been conceived in secret was, in fact, Uriah’s own. When Uriah, a man of honor, didn’t sleep with his wife, David had him sent to the front lines—into the thick of battle, thus ensuring he’d die there. And he does. And David takes Bathsheba as his wife. And the Lord, the same God Hagar called, El Roi. The God who sees me—saw, was witness to, what King David had done. And so, God sends the Prophet Nathan to convict David of his sin and to pronounce His Righteous Judgement. And, after hearing Nathan’s account, David is convicted saying of his actions, “I have sinned against the Lord.” —2 Samuel 12:13. Now, listen to what Nathan says to David in response to his confession of sin. “…And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. However, because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.” (You can read the full account of this story in 2 Samuel, Chapters 11 &12).

David, like Adam and Eve, was forgiven his sins because this first blood covenant covered their sins, the shedding of innocent blood instituted in the Garden of Eden by God— a foreshadowing of Jesus’s coming. We will see further evidence of this and its lasting effects on the lives of the Israelites. God instructs His servant Moses in the building of the First Temple and in the shedding of blood for the forgiveness of sin…

Though God forgave David his sin—a sign of His unfathomable mercy, Yet, David suffered the consequences of his sins—a demonstration of the law of seed-time and harvest told in His Word. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.…” —Galatians 6:7-8

Listen to the words Nathan spoke to David concerning God’s judgement resulting from David’s sin: “This is what the Lord says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another[d] before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight. You acted in secret, but I will do this before all Israel and in broad daylight.’”—2 Samuel 12:11-12

Yes, God first covered His children—His chosen, with animal blood. The law—His law, commanded it. “According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”—Hebrews 9:22

But God—our all-loving, merciful Father—is also our Righteous and Just Lord. Blood was shed so that sin—whose penalty is death, might be forgiven. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 6:23

David did not receive what he deserved—death. Neither did Adam and Eve. And, neither do we if, we are God’s child…

Yet, sin is so egregious to God that man had to be cut off from a Holy God as its result. Every man who does not have a relationship with God is actually, ‘a walking dead-man’—spiritually speaking. They are likened to the white washed tombs Jesus spoke of when He chastised the Pharisees. On the outside all appears well enough—they do good deeds, help when they can, they try not to hurt anyone. But on the inside—nothing more than a dead man’s bones. The Word of God is clear; As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; There is no one who understands; no one who seeks God. All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.… (Romans 3:10-12)

We’ve just celebrated Christmas. The little baby we saw laying in a manger, wrapped in milk rags, was placed there to die. His entire purpose for coming into the world was to die for it. To shed His Innocent Blood that you and I and he and she, and all of them, might have Life in Him and restoration with the Father. The spilling of animal blood was never intended as a permanent solution for reconciling God and man. A lasting and True—a complete sacrifice, had to be offered. So, God sent His Only Son to do what only One who is Pure and Holy can do.

Cleanse us of our sins. Once, and for all…

Yet, it is in this most loving act that we witness how both God’s great mercy and His just judgement are intrinsically linked—how they live as one. At the Cross, an Innocent suffered that the guilty might live. “For indeed Christ died for sins once for all, the Just and Righteous for the unjust and unrighteous [the Innocent for the guilty] so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit;” —1 Peter 3:18

Nowhere in Scripture does God tell us we get a pass on the consequences of our sins. They cost Him too much to simply look the other way. That we are not dead as their result is yet another astounding display of God’s unfathomably great mercy and love on display for all who will—to witness.

Rest assured, sinful decisions have consequences, if not in this life, then in the next. We are blessed, though, because the principle of reaping and sowing works in a positive way as well: “The one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:8). We can sow good seeds that will turn negative situations into positive ones. –Charles Stanley

Have you asked Jesus into your life? Won’t you do that now? He’s waiting for you…

The Foreshadowing Part 1; Genesis 3:21

December 24, 2017 /

 “The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.”

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.” —Leviticus 17:11

 

Before we get into this Word, let’s pray:

Spirit of the Living God, illuminate your Word, breath your Ruach Breath on it, that it may come alive in us, and through us, feed may. In Jesus’ matchless name we pray, amen.

The law was clear. In order that God’s righteous anger regarding sin be satisfied, blood must be shed. Now before you lose your mind over that Truth, try to understand the Righteous anger of God in this context: J.I. Packer summarizes: “God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil” (Knowing God, 151).

So  then, how can a sinful man offer a pure blood sacrifice in an attempt to satisfy God’s Righteous anger?

The answer is—he cannot. Only one who is sinless—a pure substitute, can stand in the place of a sinner to make atonement. And so, we see God’s plan of redemption from the beginning of man’s existence unfolding through His merciful covering of the sin of Adam and Eve with bloodied animal skins.  Substitution. It’s a murky shadow of what was yet to come; not only for Adam and His wife, but for all mankind.

The covering of our sins started in a garden. It is here we get our first glimpse of The Babe in the manger. The Most Precious Lamb of God…

Come with me into that garden. It’s okay, we’ve been invited. Quietly though, so not to interrupt—let’s watch what’s unfolding between God, Adam, Eve, and a serpent…

Adam and Eve have sinned. They have each knowingly done what God commanded them not to do! Adam explicitly heard God say not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—and, that if he did, he would surely die! “But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”—Genesis 2:16-17 But Adam was not alone! Scripture clearly shows that Eve knew not to eat the fruit also. Scripture points out that God had instructed her, as He had Adam. “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die”—Genesis 3:2-3.

So, now their hiding—as people do, or try to, when they know that they’ve sinned by disobeying God. It’s a carnal proclivity all have inherited from our original parents—a knee-jerk reaction. Don’t believe that? Catch any three-year-old doing something they know they have no business doing and watch how quickly and how easily they’ll lie when confronted! We are each born with a sin nature. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard”—Romans 3:23. And, simply because some refuse to accept this Truth—In no way voids it reality…

Just ask King David. He will tell you all about what happens when we to hide our sins (2 Samuel 12).

But more on that next week…

Thankfully, God wasn’t then, nor is He now—caught off guard by our propensity to lie and cover up our sins. In fact, He had, unbeknownst to Adam and Eve, implemented a permanent solution for their, and our, sinful condition…

But first—a foreshadowing of God’s all-inclusive plan…

From the time God’s first image bearers—Adam and Eve sinned, God grieved the loss of communion with His people. He went to extreme lengths to restore our relationship by sending His one and only Son “to seek and to save the lost” —Luke 19:10. Without the birth of Jesus, and without His unconditional willingness to die on His Cross, to shed His Innocent Blood as payment for our sins, thus offering us the hope of restoration back to God, we each would be eternally lost. Dead in our sins…

God called. Adam and Eve hid. Let me ask you, are you hiding also? Has the Holy Spirit been convicting you—calling you? And has your response, like Adam’s, has been; “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.” (3:10) Has that sin you committed left you feeling exposed—guilty, shameful? You’re not alone. But might I urge you to come out of hiding—confess to God what He knows that you’ve done! Don’t follow Adam and Eve’s lead by playing the blame game with God. We, each, are responsible for our actions and responses (Genesis 3:12-13). Rather, go to God and confess your sins and ask His forgiveness. You may not escape the consequences of your sin—that is something only God will decide, but, you will be forgiven…

However, to do this, to be forgiven, you first must have a relationship with God…

So, if you are feeling something inside of you that’s telling you to ask Jesus for forgiveness—it’s the Holy Spirit doing what He does—the will of God! God wants you for Himself! Won’t you stop here, now, and simply say yes to Jesus? Ask Him to come into your life and be your Lord and Savior. He wants you, loves you, He died for you—

but, He won’t force you…

Little did Adam and Eve know, that God knew they would fall—would sin. And, little did they know that He had predestined a way—the only way—for all who sin to be forgiven. And yes, that means you too! He’s made a way just for you. As surely as He did for Adam and Eve, for Abraham and Moses, for Rahab the prostitute, and, for all those who will…

How? Through the Blood of Jesus. His Only Son…

He would be born to a virgin (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38). Wrapped in milk rags and laid in a manger (Luke 2:7). A king would try to kill Him (Matthew 2:16). He would be despised by those He was sent to save. And in the end, His own would betray Him and demand He was handed over to those who would crucify Him (Luke 23:21). He’d be nailed to a cross (Luke 23:26-43). But not before they beat Him so severely His insides were literally hanging out (Isaiah 52:14). His innocent Blood shed. He would be hung high and naked on that cross—innocence between two thieves (Matthew: 38; Luke 23:32).  And, He’d be buried in a tomb not His own (Isaiah 53:9). He’d be left alone—abandoned by those whom He loved, who’d promised to follow Him always (Mark 14:50). But, early on a Sunday morning the stone they’d used to seal Him off—shut Him up, be done with Him, was rolled away!He was not there (Luke 24:1-12). Had anyone been listening the prophets of old, as well as to Jesus Himself, each had foretold of these events. How they must happen and why (Isaiah 53; Psalm 22; Psalm 16; Luke 9:22; Matthew 17:23). An animals blood was never meant to be a lasting substitute. It was only a foreshadowing— for The One yet to come.

Jesus—the One who would come in the fullness of time (Hebrews 10).

Animal blood could never fully quell God’s righteous anger caused by man’s sin and rebellion. Sin is so grievous to God that only death would be its just payment…

But, now, standing here in the garden, we witness God’s first hint of a love that is far too big for any of us to take in this side of eternity. We watch as God’s great love and mercy for His own, His children, gives birth to His killing innocent animals in place of Adam and Eve—that His justice be served. Even though their sin warranted their death. And, then, God lovingly covers their bodies with those bloody sacrificial skins—signifying their sin was forgiven.

Blood must be shed for atonement—for the forgiveness of sin. It’s the law…

Yet, though they were forgiven—the consequences of their choices followed them (Genesis 3:13-23). God is loving, yes. But He is also Just. We forget that, or try to…

Again, we need only look to King David as an example, both of God’s forgiveness and His justice ((2 Samuel 12:16-18).

And, while all this was happening  in the garden, Jesus was there, watching. Knowing He’d be next. He was—willingly, patiently, waiting. So, in God’s perfect timing, His sacrificial death would atone for our sins—once, for all.

Love came in the form of a babe wrapped in milk rags and laid in a manger—

His Atoning Blood would come later…

“I See You” Isaiah 65:1

August 6, 2017 /

 “I let Myself be sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I let Myself be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’ To the nation [Israel] which did not call on My Name.”

Though referring to the Israelite’s, some scholars believe this passage was directed—intended, foretold the engrafting of the gentile believers into a relationship with God. Certainly, the Apostle Paul alludes to this in Romans 9:25 when referring to God in the writings of Prophet Hosea. ““As He says also in Hosea, “I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE, AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’” To say nothing of the fact that Paul spent his life bringing the message that he as a Jew received—to the gentile world.

But rather than focus on Paul’s teachings or a scholar’s interpretation, though both very valuable and certainly insightful in pointing us towards the Truth, let us instead listen to Jesus…

He sums up what we find in the writings of the Prophet Hosea concerning gentile believers and within the many teachings of Paul’s concerning the inclusion of the gentiles within His Words—within one definitive declaration, one all-inclusive statement He made to His disciples—about themselves, about us, about all believers, Jew and Gentile alike, listen: “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed you [I have planted you], that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting [that it may remain, abide], so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name [as presenting all that I Am], He may give it to you” (John 15:16).

And there you have it from the God that created you and wants you all for Himself. This from the God who made room for you at His Cross. Who said, “I love you—regardless, of race or color, contrary to your ethnic background or the denomination you’re affiliated with, I don’t care if you’re a Jew or a gentile—you are mine. You are why I stepped down across time and eternity and donned a suit of flesh and blood.  I loved you—love you, enough to come that you might have my life in exchange for yours. It’s why I died for you.”

It is this God—Jesus, that I want us to see today. See as clearly as you’re able—see with your heart.

This God who stood over the great void and called all things into being leaving man no wiggle room to say, I didn’t know about you—wasn’t sure about your creating this world—creating me, “For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense” (Romans 1:20).

Whether you believe in Jesus or not, that doesn’t change the reality of who He is or what He has created. He is evidenced literally everywhere you look, nor the fact, again, believe it or not, that He’ll one day return to judge this world. A tough pill to swallow for some I’m sure, yet the Truth remains Truth even if we choose not to believe it. Understand however, that the heart of God is that not one person perishes but that everyone believes in Jesus and receive eternal life. In His great patients with us, and in His  love for us, He gives us time to say yes to Him but He will not force Himself on anyone who doesn’t want Him. “The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

When Jesus went to the Cross He went to willingly pay the debt owed God for the sins of the whole world. So, if you are reading this now, that means your sins too. God saw you then as He stood over the void at the time of creation and He sees you still. You were counted among those Jesus chose to die for. However, God in His omniscience, knew not everyone would be won to Him—would come to Him, in the same way. After all, we’re each a unique creation. Each of us has been given—is endowed with, unique gifts, talents, personalities, and character traits. And it is with these unique gifts that we’re equip with that help us to reach those others may  never be able to reach. It is our unique experiences that enable us to reach those God will put us near, those He is calling to Himself.

They are the fruit we are called to bear…

Yet this essential point remains consistent for all; we were each made in His image—His likeness, and we were created to worship Him (Genesis 1:27; Ephesians 2:10; Revelation 4:11; Isaiah 43:21). God has surrounded mankind with an inexhaustible display of Himself—conformation of His handiwork, His creations, that we might see Him in all things—at all times. Look up to the sky—there you’ll find evidence of God’s creation, look down to the ground, again, evidence. Look at your child, wife, husband, boyfriend, or girlfriend—each evidence! There is not one thing that was not created by God. From the atom to Adam, from a blade of grass , a ray of light, to Orion’s belt.

Everything was brought into existence by God. Including us…

You—me, Jew, Gentile, all of us, who did not seek after Him, this loving God, He made, makes—Himself known to us daily in countless ways. In sunlight and moonbeams, in smiles and tears and music and leaves rustling on the trees. Through that feeling in your gut that tells you that you were made for so much more—you were, and you are. That Beloved, is evidence of the One you did not—are not looking, seeking after—who was, is, seeking after you.  It’s a sure confirmation that whether you see Him yet or not—He sees you, and He loves you with an eternal, inescapable, all-consuming love.

Listen to how the Apostle Paul speaks about this while addressing believers in Colossae, “For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

We started together with God speaking to those of us who weren’t looking for Him through a Scripture found in the Old Testament, what better place to end our time together than back with God, back in the Old Testament as well. Listen Beloved, and take heart, to what God is saying to those who were also once far away from Him: “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

He sees you Beloved, you matter to Him…

While it is still today, if you don’t yet know Jesus, won’t you welcome Him in to your heart? He’s waiting just for you…

 

 

 

 

“The Voice” Isaiah 30:21

June 11, 2017 /

 “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21

We each must decide—make the choice to listen to something—someone. Some compass we’ve come to rely on for direction, for guidance. We all have one—that go to person, that voice of reason we’ve grown to trust. There comes a moment—or many moments, in our lives, when the path we’re on will have an off-shoot—and a choice must be made. Either stay the course, or explore this new or, ‘other’ way. It’s in that moment, consciously or otherwise—that we respond to the voice of our dominate guide. Some call that internal voice instinct, some knowledge. For others, it’s an actual person they’ve come to rely on—trust in.

The Jews knew that voice as; Bath Kol, the daughter of the voice. It was believed to be a divine admonition that pointed one toward the ‘right’ way—the straight path…

Teachers often stand behind their students. Their eyes alert—they’re watching to ensure that their charges remain attentive to their tasks. That their minds don’t wander, foolishly distracted—wasting valuable time, allowing for correction. Should a head pop up, looking left to a neighbor, or right to the other neighbor, the teacher’s voice would be heard from behind, perhaps a simple clearing of the throat, some small sound that would indicate a refocusing needing to occur—redirecting the student to keep their eyes front. And in that moment a choice would be made. Obey or accept the consequences of their rebellion—their choice.

Remember, we all must decide what it is we will listen to.

Isaiah 30—for the most part, speaks to, about—Israel’s obstinate nature. The Prophet Isaiah expounds throughout this chapter on their wayward, rebellious, behaviors. He tells of their running to others, instead of God, as their source—for comfort. Of them relying on themselves, doing as they please. Deliberately closing themselves off to what they knew was right and who it was they should be listening to—following (vs’s 10-11). We are given guides—teachers, instructors, for a reason. We do not—contrary to our lofty, over-inflated, opinions of ourselves—have all the answers. Nor do we know what is ahead of us. What will the consequences be for the choices we make today? And how those choices will affect our tomorrow?

Much like the Shepard’s that stand behind their flocks ensuring—providing safety, safe passage, for their sheep, God The Holy Spirit provides safety, and guidance, for His children—those called by His Name.

As often as Israel went astray—was taken captive by their enemies, the lusts of their flesh, contrary to how often they wandered away from God in willful rebellion verse 18 speaks to us of God longing to be gracious to them—to show them compassion. In His just nature God must allow them—us, to feel the consequences of rebellion against His Sovereign Will. Yet in His infinite mercy—and abounding in great grace, He longs, it is His nature to, protect, forgive, and love His children—those people called by His name.

And so, we, His children, have His—God’s, Spirit within us—given to us as a deposit. He is our Teacher, our Guide, That Still Small Voice within us that says; go this way—not that way, be still, don’t touch that!  He is our loving parent, our Daddy, The Lover of our souls, The Just Judge, The All-Knowing One, He is God all by Himself. He sees our beginning from our end. He not only stands behind us—He has gone before us—knowing all that will happen to us. And so, He whispers—guides, instructs, calls to, offers us His Wisdom—to share in His Knowledge. So that we will we be ever vigilant—straining to hear His voice behind us saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

God will allow us to feel the weight of our sin, our rebellion against Him, not to kill us or crush our Spirits, but rather to correct us, like those teachers spoken of earlier, or the Shepherd’s—He wants to save us from a world of hurt, pain, guilt, and disappointment. Save us from separation from Him…

Guilt can eat away at the spiritual vitality of a Christian like a raging cancer. It causes a person to lose control of life; it leads to a desire to quit or retire from spiritual activity; and, finally, it brings on physical pain and disease. Like cancer, guilt feeds upon itself until all spiritual life is gone, and the result is weakness and a sense of shame and failure.” Davidson Wilkerson, World Challenge Ministries.

It is the voice of the one who calls you away—to stray from the straight path that is trying to kill you. That’s his mission—he is the father of lies, the original deceiver. He met Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and convinced each of them to turn away from God—to rebel, to listen to his voice, not God’s Truth. And they did, and rebellion and shame entered the world. “At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. Toward evening they heard the LORD God walking about in the garden, so they hid themselves among the trees.” Genesis 3:7-8

As believers in Jesus, those who have accepted Him as The Lord and Savior of their lives—we have been given His Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). His voice lives—is alive and well within us. Somethings bear repeating. We each must decide—make the choice to listen to something—someone. Some compass we’ve come to rely on for direction, for guidance. We all have one—that go to person, that voice of reason we’ve grown to trust. There comes a moment—or many moments, in our lives, when the path we’re on will have an off-shoot—and a choice must be made. Either stay the course, or explore this new or, other way. It’s in that moment, consciously or otherwise—that we respond to the voice of our dominate guide. Some call that voice instinct, some knowledge. For others, it’s a person they’ve come to rely on—trust in.

Choices. We each have them. You must decide who it is you will listen to—and then set a course in their direction– following them with all your might…

As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” (Hebrews 3:15)

 

“Does God Play Favorites?” Rom.9:21-22

August 13, 2016 /

smiley-1041796_960_720 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction” (Rom.9:21:22).

So are we to understand that we serve a God who plays favorites? Some school-yard bully randomly choosing up sides for a game of you-go-to-heaven-you-go-to-hell?

“You—yeah, you, the fast one, I’ll take you.”

“And you, yeah, you next to him, you can come too.”

“But not you—are you kidding me…not on my team!”

For many this example brings up memories of being the last man standing. Cheeks-red, ashamed. And even now, after all these many years and accomplishments later, you’re feeling the pain, still— are angry, still—to say nothing of feeling like it was completely unfair!

After all, what’s wrong with me you’ve asked? I’ve got two legs and two feet. I could run fast—heck, I could run faster than him! So why didn’t I get chosen—I am too good enough!

And there it is… Paul’s argument.

Our answer—Election.

God’s Sovereignty.

The topic some pastors dodge, and unseasoned ministers shrink under the weight of. But not Paul. Why do they run and shrink? It’s unforgiving—this topic of election. It doesn’t play well with collection plates and full pews—true statement.

So what do we do with unpopular Truth? Truth too great for finite man to wrap his finite mind around? Do we who have been called to bring His Word, this Truth, into a lost and dying world, water-down the gospel—dilute God, so as not to offend?

I will say as my brother Paul said before me, “God Forbid!”

No, we are called to boldly proclaim the Gospel, boldly speak the Truth. We serve a Sovereign God. He does not serve us…Potter, clay. Divine order.

I’m reminded of a quote I recently came across. “A watered down gospel may fill pews, but it will never lead a sinner to the Cross of Christ.” And we are sinners, of that be sure. All of us. There’s not one of us “deserves” to be on team Jesus.

Not one of us is good enough to have gotten picked for His team…

Who of you reading this, in the light of God knowing your heart can say, “but I am”—good enough that is.

The Word of God itself condemns you. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1Jn.1:8).  “All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.…(Rom.3:12).

God is the Righteous Sovereign over the whole world. As such, He, God, has the right to do with anyone or anything He created exactly as He wishes, sees fit —no questions asked..

.And that’s where our backs get up—our necks stiffen…

That’s where we cry, “foul!” That’s where the screaming starts, “but it’s not fair!”

We forget that we serve at His pleasure and His calling. Grateful beyond words to have been called, chosen at all. We are not owed our salvation—quite the opposite in fact. What we deserved is hell… Why do we all try to convince ourselves that we are good? Haven’t we all told a lie before? Haven’t we all stolen something that did not belong to us? Haven’t we all looked with lustful eyes or had sexually perverted thoughts?

Jesus defined looking with lust-filled eyes to be the same as adultery (Matthew 5:28).

You are a liar, a thief and an adulterer and so am I. And there is not one person on this planet that likes liars, thieves, adulterers or murderers…

The reality is you agree with God and you cannot fight something you agree with…

How would you defend yourself when you agree with the very laws you’ve broken?

Romans 9 is God speaking to us in and with His authority. It’s not Paul speaking to us—sharing his opinions. How can we know that God’s promise of salvation will not fail? Paul’s answer is that our salvation is secure because it doesn’t depend on us, rather on God’s purpose according to election.

As the sovereign of the universe, God always accomplishes what He purposes to do. He chooses some for salvation apart from anything that they do, and He rejects others apart from anything they do… “So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Rom. 9:13).

Think the man at the pool of Bethesda in John 5:15. Was He the only one there that day in need of a healing? Why not heal all those gathered? And Why Israel? Why wasn’t Africa or Asia made the Apple of God’s eye—His chosen people?

We need to submit, joyfully, to this truth of Gods Sovereignty. Not question it. It’s God’s authoritative revelation of Himself. And this revelation should put an immediate end to our, “I’m good enough for His team argument.”

Paul knew then, as ministers of the gospel know now, today, that there will always be those who will cry out loudly, “but that’s just not fair!” Why them and not me? I’m a good person, don’t I deserve…

Their failure to see—their shortsightedness, comes from their inability to realize, accept, that God is not bound further than He has been pleased to bind Himself by his own covenant and promises…

In other words, God is bound by His will and Word only. Not be our wills and wants. Not by what we think we should have and deserve. Our screaming, “It’s not fair”, changes nothing…

It serves only to show how little we fear God and how prideful arrogant we actually are—how little we know of submission or humility…

How little we understand—know—about God. About the unconditionality of being chosen by God as a child of promise. “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (vs.16)

He owes His creation nothing. Hard pill to swallow I know. Doesn’t sound like the squeezably-soft God of love, and plenty and forgiveness for all being preached about today. Apostasy! A feel good gospel designed to tickle the ears of those who cannot—will not—hear the saving Truth of the Gospel.

So to answer my opening question, no, God is not some school-yard bully. He is rather an Awesome God, Righteous in everything He does. Sovereign, sinless and pure—perfect in all of His ways—above reproach.

But, as this Righteous Sovereign God He is also free to harden whom He wishes, in order to display His glory…

God could have chosen to be merciful to Pharaoh and the Egyptians by softening their hearts—telling them about the need to put the blood on their doorposts to escape the wrath of the destroying angel. Rather, God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart for the greater purpose of displaying His glory in power and judgment, so that His fame would spread throughout the earth.

As the Righteous Sovereign over all, God has the freedom to harden sinners for His greater purpose of displaying His glory and power in righteous judgment. “You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? (Rom.9:19-21).

Remember today that you are the clay, not the Potter. “For the sake of Jacob My servant, And Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor Though you have not known Me. “I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:4-6).

 
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