The Flow of His Mercy

God’s love is demonstrated in many ways, not the least of which is His forgiveness. When you repent of your sin – whatever the sin – God always forgives you. It’s very important to not set yourself up as a higher judge than He. Receive His promise of forgiveness. Don’t waste time beating yourself up over sin which is now forgiven. The flow of God’s mercy into your life is slowed when you continue to ruminate over things He has forgiven and cast into the deepest sea.

Remember Manasseh

The Bible gives many examples of God’s incomprehensible and superabundant mercy. King Manasseh ranks toward the top of the list. Maybe even at the very top. You’ll find his story in Second Kings and Second Chronicles. Both delineate his monstrous and murderous sins against his nation and against God. Even if you are familiar with his story, please carefully read the following text. Otherwise the point I hope to make at the end of this essay will not have as great an impact as I hope it will. “[Manasseh] erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. He built altars in the house of the Lord . . . He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger. Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God . . . Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.” “The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon. When he was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. When he prayed to Him, [God] was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. . ..” (2 Chronicles 33:1-13) I hope you caught that phrase toward the end of the last paragraph: “When he prayed to [God].” When God restored him to his throne in Jerusalem, Manasseh demonstrated evidence of his conversion. The king did his best to right the terrible wrongs he’d done. I’ve linked here to the entire vignette for your convenience. (2 Chronicles 33:1-18 Manasseh’s prayer is not found in our Bibles, but a bit of internet research quickly locates it. His prayer is only 15 verses, but O! It is hard to miss the soul-wrenching remorse of the man: The Prayer of Manasseh (NRSV Apocrypha) “O Lord Almighty, God of our ancestors, of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and of their righteous offspring; you who made heaven and earth with all their order; who shackled the sea by your word of command, who confined the deep and sealed it with your terrible and glorious name; At whom all things shudder, and tremble before your power, for your glorious splendor cannot be borne, and the wrath of your threat to sinners is unendurable; Yet immeasurable and unsearchable is your promised mercy, for you are the Lord Most High, of great compassion, long-suffering, and very merciful, and you relent at human suffering.” “O Lord, according to your great goodness you have promised repentance and forgiveness to those who have sinned against you, and in the multitude of your mercies you have appointed repentance for sinners, so that they may be saved. Therefore you, O Lord, God of the righteous, have not appointed repentance for the righteous, for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against you, but you have appointed repentance for me, who am a sinner.” “For the sins I have committed are more in number than the sand of the sea; my transgressions are multiplied, O Lord, they are multiplied! I am not worthy to look up and see the height of heaven because of the multitude of my iniquities. I am weighted down with many an iron fetter, so that I am rejected because of my sins, and I have no relief; For I have provoked your wrath and have done what is evil in your sight, setting up abominations and multiplying offences.” “And now I bend the knee of my heart, imploring you for your kindness. I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, and I acknowledge my transgressions. I earnestly implore you, forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!” “Do not destroy me with my transgressions! Do not be angry with me forever or store up evil for me; Do not condemn me to the depths of the earth. For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, and in me you will manifest your goodness; For, unworthy as I am, you will save me according to your great mercy, and I will praise you continually all the days of my life. For all the host of heaven sings your praise, and yours is the glory forever. Amen.” Now my point: What is in your past that has convinced you that you are beyond God’s mercy? What have you done that causes you to believe there is no longer room at the foot of the cross for someone such as you? Remember Manasseh. God forgave him of everything – everything – he had done: The murders of his own children, the heinous idolatries and the sexual immoralities associated with them, the egregious blasphemies, the ruination of his nation, and who-knows-what-else the king committed against God and his people. But when Manasseh fell on his face in humility, remorse, and deep repentance – God wiped away all of his sins. All of them. All of them. So, what is YOUR story? I’ll ask it again: Do you still fear that you are beyond the reach of the blood of Jesus? Do you still listen to the demonic lies that seduce you to think Jesus’ blood cannot cleanse every last stain of your sins, regardless of the depth, breadth, and stench of those sins? Don’t believe everything you think. Remember God’s promise of utter and complete forgiveness to the penitent: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” (Psalm 103:11-14) Remember God's promise: “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:8-9) And – Remember Manasseh.

The Wounds of our High Priest

St. Augustine remarked, “The New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.” 

The following texts from Exodus can be tedious for our 21st century minds to read through. But please read them carefully. The symbolism, as it applies to Jesus our High Priest, will not mean as much if you skim the texts. 

Along with the pattern for the Tabernacle and its furnishings, God also gave Moses the design for the High Priest’s clothing. One of the pieces of clothing was the ephod – a breastpiece worn over his chest. Here is a portion of the description from Exodus 28:16-21. Notice especially the stones: 

"It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width. You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald; and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a seal, each according to his name for the twelve tribes." 

God then told Moses: “Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.” Ex 28:29 

I’m coming to the point. Give me another moment or two.

We know that even in His resurrected body, Jesus bore the wounds of His scourging and His crucifixion. “Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:27) 

The New Testament identifies Jesus as our High Priest. For example:

“Therefore, He [Jesus] had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation [sacrificial atonement] for the sins of the people.”  (Hebrews 2:17) 

And again in chapter nine: “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:11-12) 

Now the application: 

Just as the Old Testament High Priest wore precious stones over his heart when he met with God – the stones representing the names of the tribes of Israel – even so, when Jesus our High Priest intercedes for us to the Father, He always wears those precious wounds – not only on His chest, but over His entire body from the scourging and crucifixion. 

Think of that! Jesus forever wears those wounds -- across His back, His chest, His sides, His hands and feet and forehead -- wounds that represent YOUR name, my name, and the names of every other precious soul for whom He died. 

God asks us a question through Isaiah: “Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands . . . (Isaiah 49:15-16).

As far back as Moses – even to the first chapters of Genesis – God set in place the message of His love and His offer of redemption for all who want to be remembered before God’s throne.

Thanks be to God for His most precious gift!

Redemption, Ransom, Rescue (part one)

Paul writes to the church at Corinth: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) 

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus uses the word ‘ransom.’ We’ve watched enough crime shows to know about ransom notes kidnappers demand for the return of the person kidnapped: Here is what the Lord said: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Paul uses the same root word in 1 Timothy 2:5-6 where he writes: For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all . . .” (Matthew 20:28)

Jesus ransomed us from the family of Satan, whose children we were before we were born again into God’s family. “You are of your father the devil,” Jesus said to the religious leaders harassing Him (John 8:44). And John identifies the children of Satan this way: “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God . . . .” (1 John 3:10) 

Jesus’s blood also ransomed us from captivity to the devil. Paul tells us: “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome . . . with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance . . . and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.  (2 Timothy 2:24-26) 

But the reach of Jesus’ ransom did not stop with changing our family from Satan’s to God’s. Nor did it stop at rescuing us from his captivity. Jesus blood ransom also delivered us from the domain of Satan’s darkness: Colossians 1:13-14  “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” 

Redemption. Ransom. Rescue. 

On Calvary’s cross Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice ransomed us, He redeemed us from sin and the devil, and gave all who want it, eternal life. 

His redemption is the reason we are not our own. His ransom is why we don’t belong to ourselves any longer. We were bought with a most precious and costly price. We were purchased from the thief whose job description is to steal, kill, and destroy. 

And because we belong to God, we are now His bondservants. Yes, we are God’s slaves – slaves of a loving, merciful, and gracious MASTER. 

Now listen: Because we are God’s slaves, because we belong to Him, we therefore have no freedom to believe anything that the godless world tells us to believe. We have no right to follow the philosophies and values and standards promoted by educators, the media, politicians, and even some clergy in the church. 

We have no freedom to believe anything to be true and good without confirmation by the inerrant, timeless, and transcultural word of God. We have no right to hold views, for example, about any area of sexuality, unless Jesus taught it. Because we are slaves of God, we are not free to decide, "My Body, My Choice." We have no business adhering to our own opinions about marriage, or relationships, or finances, or what books to read, or church to attend, or movies to watch – even what candidates and policies we vote for – unless those things align with the word of God and the historic teaching of the Church. 

When I say the ‘historic’ teaching of the Church, I mean what the church has taught since the first century – and NOT how some modern theologians and clergy pervert and twist that historic teaching.

It is not enough for Christians to KNOW the truth. We must obey the truth. As Jesus said, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you DO them.” (John 13:17)

If we are to have an impact on our culture, then we must reflect Jesus in our lifestyles. People don’t care about your doctrinal views. They want to know if our faith has changed our life for the better. 

I heard a poem the other day that speaks to this point about walking the talk. I don’t know who originally wrote the poem titled, The Gospel According to You. It has gone through several iterations over the years. My favorite version is this: 

There’s a Gospel according to Matthew; 
To Mark, Luke, and John too. 
But there’s another gospel many are reading,
It’s the Gospel according to You.

Many won't read the words of the Bible; 
But I tell you what many will do, 
They are reading the book you are writing, 
It’s the Gospel according to you. 

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By the things that you do, and words that you say. 
They read what you write whether faithless or true; So – what is the gospel according to you? 

Our text for today tells us we have been bought with a price. But Paul continues with the next clause, “Therefore, glorify God in your body.”

But what does that mean – to glorify God in our body? 

We will look at that in part two of this message.

To Encourage You

I think about my mom quite often. Virtually every day since she died a year and a half ago.

This morning during my time with the Lord, I read again these texts in Revelation. They encouraged me because I could see in my mind’s eye Mom standing around the throne of her Savior, doing just what it says here. 

Have you lost to death someone you love? If they died in Christ, having all their sins washed in His blood, then your loved one is in the same crowd as my mom, worshipping the Lord Jesus. I hope these texts will encourage you and lift your spirit:

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“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

"And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:9-13)

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“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

"And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 7:9-12)

I hope you are encouraged.

Do You Fear Death?

According to the 2017 "Survey of American Fears" conducted by Chapman University, 1/5 of Americans are "afraid" or "very afraid" of dying.

They give several reasons for their fear of death. I want to focus our attention on only three: The fear of the unknown, the fear of Judgment, and the fear of leaving loved ones behind. I focus on those three fears because they are specifically relevant to our trust – or our lack of trust – in the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Last week I posted a short piece addressing how God simultaneously exercised His mercy and His justice regarding our sins. He punished our sins with the death of His Son – who was our substitutionary sacrifice. And it was by that same death that God displayed His mercy toward us. You can find that essay here: https://tinyurl.com/s5vl3wu 

So, knowing of God’s love and mercy toward us, let’s look first at God’s answer to those who fear death because it conjures for them the unknown. Then we will see what He has to say to those who fear death because they will leave their loved ones behind, and those wo fear judgement. 

You might be surprised to learn that many people – even those who sit in church pews each week – are unsure about what happens after death. For them, eternity is a huge question mark. 

But God gives us enough information about death that we should not fear the unknown. Let’s look only at two texts that speak directly to those who belong to Christ.

Here is what the apostle Paul had to say about death: 2 Corinthians 5:1-8  “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. . . . Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”


Scripture also gives us a glimpse of our new home. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new . . . . And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it . . .  In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; . . . and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 22)

These two passages – and we could look at dozens besides – give us only a glimpse into our eternal destiny. So yes, God has given us enough information throughout His holy word that we can know what awaits the follower of Christ on the other side of the valley of the shadow of death. 

The second reason many have about death is their deep concern about those whom they leave behind. I understand that fear – that concern – because I worry about leaving Nancy behind. 

But what does our Father in heaven – what does our Daddy in heaven have to say that can comfort us and assure us that those we leave behind will be in the palm of His hand? 

He says lots of things about that assurance. Oh, if only we would feed our confidence with His promises. For example, God tells us through His prophet Isaiah: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.” (Isaiah 43)

This promise God gave to Israel has direct application to every child of God who worries about leaving their loved ones behind. Though their tears will sting for a while, God vows to be with them when they journey through their flood of tears, grief, loneliness, and sadness. 

And here is another from Isaiah: “Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4) 

Most everyone reading this knows what it’s like to lose a beloved spouse, or a child, or a parent. As I wrote a moment ago, your tears stung for a while, but in retrospect, has not God taken care of you? When you thought at the time you could not go on, didn’t God carry you and deliver you?  So, do you think He will not do the same for those you love – will He not take care of them when you leave them behind? 

Of course, He will. He vows to never leave any of His children. 

Just as God knows the number of hairs on YOUR head, He also knows the number of hairs on your loved one’s head. Just as God knows what we need before we even ask Him, so He knows what they will need when we are gone.

Listen, nothing will separate our loved ones from God’s love. Nothing – including our death. They will grieve, of course. But God will hover near them, holding them – even when they cannot sense Him. He will guide them, encourage them, keep them, carry them. 

Third, and finally for today, what does Scripture have to say about the fear of judgment? On this subject God also has lots to say. And many people have very good reason to fear the Judgement. 

And that now brings us to today’s text in 1 Corinthians – the bad news for the sinner and the good news for the sinner. 

God tells us through Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth: “Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, HCSB) 

Everyone, inside the church and outside the church, regardless of title, wealth, position – everyone who persists in living in rebellion against God’s commandments will, at their death, be cast from God’s presence into an eternal torment, where there will never be hope for a second chance. This destiny is so terrible, so tragic, so dreadful that we should never cease to pray for all people, but especially for our loved ones who are in mortal danger of that destiny. 

But – and this is important – despite the litany of damnable sins Paul cites in the text I just read – the Holy Spirit quickly focuses our attention on the good news in verse 11 – that being Jesus took upon Himself the penalty for their sins – and ours. God promised the penitent Corinthians that He would not punish them because He already punished Jesus for their sins instead. 

Here is what verse 11 tells them: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 

I researched the meaning of the Greek words Paul used in this text and were translated into English. “You were washed,” means the person’s sins were washed away, totally cleansed through their confession and baptism. “You were sanctified,” meaning God purified them from those sins. He Himself pronounced them ‘pure,’ set them apart for His work. He declared them to be holy because they were covered with the sacrificial blood of Jesus. And finally, Paul tells them, “You were justified,” meaning, God pronounced them to be righteous, innocent, and without guilt. 

I know I’ve shared these nuggets of God’s truths with you many times in the past. And I will continue to share them because we so often tend to forget the great gift God has given sinners such as you and I – sanctification, purification, justification – not because of who WE are or what WE have done, but because of who God is and what HE has done. 

But what of who are not washed, sanctified, and justified by their faith in Jesus’ bloody sacrifice? 

Some falsely teach eternal punishment refers only to an eternal separation from God – a rather benign punishment, some might think. But Scripture pictures it quite differently. Those who reject Christ will spend their eternity separated from God in the Lake of Fire. You can find those references in Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:10. 

But back to the good news for those who belong to God through their faith in Jesus: You and I CAN have unqualified confidence in our eternal destiny. We CAN live absolutely assured that when we die, we will find ourselves staring into the loving and smiling face of Jesus our Savior.

Some might think it presumptuous to have such confidence. I say to that accusation it is never presumption to take God at His word. It was He who said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24) 

Neither is it presumption to believe the apostle John who, under the inerrant inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13) 

Our trust in His promise of eternal life is not at all presumption. It’s called faith in a faithful God. 

Child of God through faith in Jesus, do you fear death?  Be not afraid. What lies beyond the valley of the shadow of death is not a great question mark. Scripture gives us enough information that we should have confidence that when we close our eyes in death, we will then open them in the presence of the King of Glory, and of all the holy angels, and of our family and friends who have gone before us into His presence. 

And when we close our eyes in death, we can know for certain our Father in heaven will take care of those we leave behind.

Thanks be to Him from whom all blessings flow.