Friday, February 24, 2017

Grace Of God (LG36)


‘Last Generation’
Eze 36:26-27 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
    God demonstrated this new heart of flesh consisting of love, mercy and compassion instead of the laws of the OT in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ while He was on earth.

John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
    Our Lord clearly told the Jews that He was not sent by God to condemn them but to save them through His love and mercy. Though the foundation of His throne is justice (judgment), yet before His face is mercy. Brethren, do not be arrogant but let’s be humble before His face to obtain mercy.
    Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.

Two examples of His mercy triumphant over the laws:

1. Forgiving adulterous woman
John 8:10-11 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
    The adulterous woman Mary Magdalene, was spared her life and she became His faithful disciple.

2. Healing of the Canaanite’s daughter
Mat 15:24,28 But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”... Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
    By His grace, the Canaanite woman’s daughter was healed.

Grace through our Lord Jesus
1 John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
    The Word or Spirit of Christ was made flesh in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was full of:
Grace – love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, kindness, generosity, etc.
Truth – wisdom, understanding, knowledge of God, power, faith, etc. and set free from worldliness, lusts, lies, wickedness, and abominable practices.

The gospel of Jesus is the greatest grace shown to men when the Word was made flesh. As a human, He suffered from the crown of thorns and the scourging for the healing of our infirmities. He was crucified as our sacrificial Lamb and on the third day He rose from the dead. He went back to the Father to be glorified. When we confess our sins because we believed and accept the gospel of Jesus then we are saved and the Holy Spirit is given to us as the seal of redemption.
     And when we love our Lord Jesus by keeping His commandments, He will baptize us with the victorious Spirit of Christ (the Helper, the Spirit of truth) to help transform our evil hearts into new hearts filled with His grace.

Rom 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

Brethren, with the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, we will be able to have His grace (new heart) to be kind, gracious, helpful, merciful to our brethren and to forgive, protect, support, provide, encourage and most of all to love one another as our Lord Jesus Christ had loved us and died for us.