Mercy. ( Ephesians 2 v 1 -5)2

 Let us continue to look at Hebrews 4 v 16 'Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence,so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need'.Let us consider the mercy of God We considered how we can come to God with confidence because of the merits of Christ and we received mercy, Our Saviour told a parable in Luke 18 v9 -14 of two men going up the temple to pray,one was a very self righteous person,and the other an out and out sinner. They both prayed ,the self righteous person thanked God  that he was not like the baddies of this world especially that stinker over there ,meaning  the out and out sinner,and  the self righteous person felt ever so proud. The out and out sinner may have heard what was prayed,he may have felt like running out of the temple but he didn't, he was ashamed, afraid to look up to a holy God. He  started to beat himself because of the shame he felt,and so he prayed,the most honest prayer he could think of, for God expects us to be honest,so here's the prayer,'God be merciful to me a sinner', and God who delights in showing mercy did just that

                                                      'I mercy sought and mercy found'

Confidence ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 26 -31)1

  Hebrews 4 v 16 reads,'Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence,so  that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need',the passage this verse is placed in is dealing with ,'Jesus our great high priest', let me just stress the importance of  this,for alas there are those who try to undermine this by adding Mary the mother of our Lord. She is not the mother of God,she was the mother of Christ humanity,not His divinity.We must accept Mary as she is revealed in scripture,and not make her something she is not, and that goes for everything,including the so called special saints,scripture clearly teaches ,that there is only one God and one mediator between God and mankind,the man Christ Jesus.(1 Timothy 2 v 5 .CP John 14 v6 .) Though Christ we are told that we can come with confidence to God, this confidence is granted to us because we are accepted on the merits of Christ,through His finished work on the cross,This is a wonderful privilege bestowed upon every saved sinner,I  pray for Christian women who are doubly despised,for being female and for being Christians. They are not despised in God's eyes, W.Barclay writes,' Christianity made people  who were things into real men and women, more, into sons and daughters of God. It told men who in the eyes of the world were worthless , that,in the eyes of God they were worth the death of His only ( begotten ) Son'.With that in view they can enter with confidence into the very presence of God'

Hope (Colossians 3 v 1 - 4 )

The very nature of life will bring with it difficulties,challenges,trials and sorrows,we have to be realistic it is no good to think otherwise.Of course that does not mean that life will be all gloom and sadness .One of the nicest Christian I have ever known has Parkinson disease, I pray for him every day.One may ask why  should such a lovely soul suffer such a thing?,but we can also say why not?.The fact is we will not be excluded from some degree of trial's, that's a fact , it does not mean that God does not love and care for us,He most surely does. For the non Christian their vision is horizontal,they don't have an upward  look, they have no sure and certain hope.  It is becoming more and  more obvious,many now are not having funerals as such,no service is held,the undertaker takes away the body,and then brings the ashes to the loved ones, that's all there is to it ,I do not write this as a criticism of those people. The end for the Christian is more than ashes in a container,for we have a hope that will surely endure after the passing of time. Like the saints of old we look beyond the temporal to the eternal, the non -Christian just looks at the temporal. A Mrs L.B. Cowman wrote,'Strive to be one of the few  who walk this earth with the ever present realization- every morning,noon,and night- that the unknown that people call heaven is directly behind those things that are visible.' 

                                                    'Christ in you ,the hope of glory'

                                                               Colossians 1 v 27.

He is the only hope. (Romans 1 v16 )

Gradually moral standards are being eroded, why? ,why indeed,not only moral standards ,the secularisation of society is increasing, it is gradual ,within my life time, there has been a steady change.As mankind  turns away from God things will not get better.Paul writing to Romans  in the first chapter, of humanities sinfulness taking  over and a turning from God,and turning to so much wickedness, that we  read, God give them over,in other words He took His restraining common grace away,It is a judgement,as one writer comments,'When God's protection goes,the beasts are ready to maraud.And just as man is powerless to recover the truth,so he is powerless to recognize and to resist error'.I sense very strongly as regards my country of Ireland,who have been betrayed,by awful abuses towards young people ,by those who were their spiritual leaders, that a vacuum now exists, the restraints are being thrown off ,and as Alec Motyer writes,'The vacuum does not remain unfilled', and who knows what will take its place, the moral standards will deteriorate.Like most Western nations ,things that were unacceptable are now not only acceptable,but applauded. So it is, as never before ,we must hold fast to the word of God,and the moral values therein,we must be the light in the darkness,and the salt to hold back the corruptness that is abounding on all sides. And above all else to proclaim without favour or fear ,the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,for it is He and He alone who is the only hope for this sinful world..

Finished ( Acts 16 v 31 )

 Last time we considered  the evidence that we are saved,in others words the works that we do,it spells  it out in Ephesians 2 v 10,which reads,'For we are God's handiwork,created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do'.These are works as Christians we are meant to do, throughout this world their are so many wonderful Christian ministries doing so much good i. We can be part of these ministries by our praying and our giving,but we can also help people  were we live,they may need financial help,they may just need our friendship, our company,so many lonely people, as the old song goes,These works no matter how good and noble they are, cannot save us, the work that saves us is the finished work of Christ. It is sad that there are those  who profess to be Christians and they believe that Christ work is not enough to save them,they must do their bit.in  spite of the fact that the scriptures clearly teach that,'it is by grace you have been saved,through faith, and this is not of yourselves,it is the gift of God. Not by works,so that no one can boast'.  ( Ephesians 2 v 8-9 ). I exhort you to take this very serious,it is not a minor detail.only the sacrifice of  Christ and His shed blood can deal with sin.

                                                    'Nothing in my hand I bring,

                                                    Simply to Thy cross I cling;

                                                    Naked, come to Thee for dress;

                                                    Helpless look to Thee for grace;

                                                    Foul, I to the fountain fly;

                                                   Wash me Saviour, or I die'

                                                       Words by A .M. Toplady.

                                                     

9

Evidence. ( Matthew 5 v 48)

 I would like to share something I read recently by Charles Bridges, hear is what he wrote,by the way he was an 19th century minister,and a evangelical. He  writes,' of the sure connection  between justification and sanctification; the accurate arrangement, by which, while we are not saved by works,we cannot be saved without them'.Often when you tell people that you are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, they rely does that mean you can do what you want?. It is a fair question,but the fact is if you are a true believer,there must be a reality to your faith,and that's why James says,' show me your faith without deeds, and I will show my faith by my deeds'. ( 2 v 18)In other words there must be an evidence that we are saved, no evidence then  you are not saved. of course we must be careful as regards judging people,we must leave that with God. C. B , writes ,''We must not  presume on an empty profession that we are saved. We must not mistake the beginning for the end of the course. We must not sit down on the entry,and say to our soul-Soul- take thine ease. Christian perfection is this continual  aiming at perfection''. (Philippian 3 v12-16)

Weakness . (Ephesians 6 v 10)

 As I have wrote previously we are all still children of Adam, and the most godly people are no different, David and Solomon are examples of that. I read of people doing awful things ,and I get angry,but then I remember, there but by the grace of God go I.Don't get me wrong  those people who do awful things should be punished,but what I am saying is,if my lower nature had its way,I could be capable of whatever. So we must stay close to God everyday ,prayerfully seeking his grace to help in our time of  need,when  we are tempted to do evil, or to do the wrong.and the devil is trying to get us to yield to that temptation.  The word of God tell us 'If you think you are standing firm,be careful that you don't fall,' (1Corinthians 10 v12). As long as we live we will be vulnerable,but the good news is that God has not left us to our devices,or vices, no,He is with us always to help us, 1 Corinthians 10 v 13 tells us ,'No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can endure it,He can deliver us '.Let us remember God is a delivering God,continually we read how He delivered his saints of old,from their enemies,and their sins,He is  still in the business of delivering .We are all familiar of the request in the Lord's prayer Matthew 6 v 19,'Deliver us from evil',whatever is evil He can deliver us ,from falling into sin .likewise He can deliver us from sin ,

                                                ' We are weak,but our Saviour is our strength.'

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