“THE WORD OF HIS GRACE.” – { Acts 20:32}
“I ENTRUST you to …THE WORD OF HIS GRACE….” Paul was saying goodbye for the last time, realizing they would never see each other again. They were heartbroken. He knew that they faced savage false teachers, and he needed to entrust them into someone who would, love care, watch over them. Who could that be? He “commends, commits, ENTRUSTS “ them to GOD! The word “Commit or Entrust, Jesus on the Cross, entrusted, trustingly gave up His spirit into the hand, care of His Father. He could trust HIM. In His darkest hour it was to His Father that He entrusted Himself to, into His safe, keeping. {Luke 23:46}. You can entrust your loved one’s into His care. Have you got kids, grand-kids, heading off to college? entrust them to Him, into His care. There is no better one than Him to entrust yourself to. How about you, how are you? There is no one who loves or cares for you like He does. Entrust, trustingly give up yourself by faith into His care. He is trustworthy. Paul knew whom He had believed in and was persuaded that He was able to Keep what he had ENTRUSTED Him with… his soul!
“THE WORD OF GRACE.” -What a beautiful title for the Scriptures. We come to The Word, and He opens, “THE WORD OF HIS GRACE,” to us which is able to “BUILD YOU UP.”
God is “THE GOD OF ALL GRACE.” – {1 Peter 5:10}.
We can come confidently, reverently, and expectantly to “THE THRONE OF GRACE.” “TO RECEIVE, Mercy GRACE TO HELP, in time of need.{or it says, “THE NEEDY ONE,”} The needy one is to come, by all means, come. His THRONE of GRACE is always open and available for you. A GRACIOUS, KIND, King, who is favorable towards you, abundantly so welcomes you to come and expect a loving reception from Him and He imparts all the grace you need that will help. We come to Jesus, who was “full of GRACE and Truth,” it was said of Him while He lived among us. He is our Great {Superior} High Priest who “empathizes.”- He “feels the very feelings we feel,” in our weaknesses and temptations. He too was tempted and yet unlike us who often succumb, He did not, As a man, yes the God-man, He in His humanity, thirsted, was hungry, slept, felt great sorrow. He was tempted by satan with his full evil, wicked and also through wicked, cunning deceptions seeking to trap him, trip Him up to sin! He withstood, and He is fit to empathize with you. An angel or a multitude could not. He loves us, He is for us, and wants us to know He is seated, His sacrifice once and for all sufficient for us to remove the sin issue that kept us from God. He who knew no sin became sin that we might be in Him become the righteousness of God. {2 Cor 5:21}. Justified- acquitted of all crimes- sins against God. Righteous- the Law of God, and the Court House, where sits the JUDGE pronounces the Legal, Eternal pronouncement,
“JUSTIFIED.” It was a word used in Roman Law. God uses it. To commune with people in a way they would understand. It is a Judicial Act. Once for all. It cannot be reversed, or overruled, there will be no double jeopardy. Justified by God, Because of the Blood of Christ, by faith in Him. He bore our sin. He imparted His righteousness to us. We all stand before Him and we know we are guilty and yet He pronounces “Justified,” how can that be? I thought God could not wink at sin, and overlook it as though it didn’t happen and we get to sneak in a side door. No, the Law is Right. It has no feeling, it deals in facts, not emotions. God declares us right because Jesus bore the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us and dying in our place to bear the penalty for our sins. And He imparted to us the gift of righteousness. {Phil 3:9}. We did not earn it, inherit it. We are undeserving of it, and can never repay God back for it. To attempt to is to insult the work of His Son and the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE GIFT OF SALVATION. It is all of Grace. God acting independent of all but Himself. He did it for His own pleasure. He did it not because there was something loveable in us. No, for we are enemies, ungodly, unrighteous, unholy, did not seek God, no not one of us. We did not seek His glory. We had no Love for Him. Indeed, many of us when we got in a tight spot, in between a rock and a hard place, and could not get ourselves out and asked him to help us, and if He got us out of the mess we were in, we promised we would never do it again. BUT LIKE A DOG RETURNS TO ITS VOMIT, so we continued on in our iniquities, which has the idea of perversion.
Even the good things we did which Jesus addresses, “If you all being EVIL do a good thing How much more God.” It can be a “good “ thing horizontally, but it is evil from God’s true judgment, for it is not done out of Love for God. It is not done for the glory of God. It is not done so men may see our good works and glorify God our Father who is in Heaven. Our motives are not for Him, and we cannot glorify Him as our Father since He is not every one’s Father.
Many years ago on a cold evening in the heart of Tennessee, I turned up at the soccer field under a dark and grey sky. I was early for practice. So I let my six-year-old take some practice shots. Soon another boy from the team, Spencer joined in. They each were on the six-yard box, level with goal post each. John-Keith would shout, “daddy daddy,” and would kick it and I would try and stop it… then Spencer would kick it and I would run across the goal to where he was kicking it straight to the nearest post to him, then I hardly had caught my breath and John-Keith would shout, “daddy, daddy, try and stop it,” and he would kick it towards the post nearest to him, and then I heard, ‘daddy, daddy,” and it was Spencer. We had three children at the time, John-Keith and his twin sister, and Noah who was younger. We didn’t have a Spencer. And, I ran to try and stop him from scoring at the nearest post to him.. an then John-Keith, “Daddy, daddy, try and stop it,” and he would kick straight by the inside of the goalpost to him, and then it happened again, “daddy, daddy,” and Spencer calling to me to try and stop it. There were only us three there. And though Spencer called me “Daddy,” I was not his dad. He was someone else’s son. God has created us all. But He is not the Father of all. Indeed Jesus speaks of God, the Heavenly Father, and the devil a father.
“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” { John 8:43-45. }
Avoiding Sin. –
- “Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.* 5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.d 6No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or known Him. 7Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil.e 9No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in Him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.* 10In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother. 11* For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another,f 12unlike Cain who belonged to the evil one and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous.g 13Do not be amazed, [then,] brothers, if the world hates you.h 14We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death.i 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.j 16The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.k 17If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him?l 18Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.”-{1 John 3:4-18}
- “The Father Loves you, because you Love Me”{ John 16:27}
Both words are Phileo, the love of affection born out of having a common interest, it is the love of Like because we both have the same thing in common’
Herod and Pilate became friends that day- they had the trial of Jesus in common… they had not been friends…the word depends on context.
ait is RACE!
COURTHOUSE- TO THE FATHER’S HOUSE. As wonderful as it is to be justified, acquitted, pardoned, we have peace with God. We are adopted into the FATHER’S HOUSE, adopted INTO His Family, loved “accepted in the Beloved.” {Eph 1:6}. Accepted, access that is permanent to Him. we come as His child, and as heirs with all the Eternal privileges and a Newness of life.New Master. New Power.New relationship with God. “precious and magnificent promises” to be appropriated and He cash’s all those promises according to His will. {{2 Peter 1:4}. The grace of God, His kindness, Favor and His gracious power to transfer from darkness to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son. We did not merit it, for if we did, it would no longer be grace. Adopted as His children and in the Father’s House. The Judge takes of his Judges rob as it were, and takes us home to live with Him and he is our Loving Heavenly Father and our “Older Brother” as He is called, is the ONE Who stepped in and gladly bore our punishment taking our sin upon Him so we would not die in our sin and instead have the record erased, and His righteousness placed to our account. Family!
* THE FATHER’S LOVE; “See, Behold, Don’t take a quick look but linger gaze take time and Gaze and see what manner of LOVE the FATHER has lavished upon us that we should be called children of God and such we are…” {1 John 3:1-2}- GRACE of GOD, nothing we could dot to earn it.
* THE HOLY SPIRIT ASSURES YOU; “The Love of God has been Poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit “{Rom 5:5}- to ASSURE us we are LOVED BY GOD… THE GRACE OF GOD- His gift!
* THE SON OF GOD; -And if times of doubt, and the evil one tempts you to look at your performance rather than the FINISHED Work of Your Elder Brother,Christ, go back to the cross,THE OBJECTIVE TRUTH; “GOD DEMONSTRATED HIS LOVE towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.” -{Romans 5:8-9}. THE GRACE OF GOD… FROM THE COURTHOUSE, ACQUITTED, RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF TH PERFECT SIN OFFERING OF JESUS WHO KEPT THE law, fulfilled it and took our place as our Substitute, and Sin Bearer, and the wrath of God was poured out on Him instead of you or me.It causes us to pause, and think “Amazing Love how can it be that Thou my God should die for me.” – The Grace of God- nothing we did to deserve it.
* GRACE THAT SAVES— through faith, and not of ourselves,it is THE GIFT OF GOD, that no one should Boast -{Eph 2:8-9}.
* GRACE THAT SUPER ABOUNDS- “where sin abounds Grace SUPER ABOUNDS… It rises higher, Covers, Smothers, cannot be contained. GOD’S GRACE for ALL SIN. An elderly lady told me when she was a child they had huge amounts of snow, and one day she looked outside and called her mom to come and see the snow was so high that the Garbage Can was covered over and was buried, deep under the snow. He has cast All our sins from the east to the west having taking them out of the way. All our garbage is eternally removed, erased, forgiven by the “precious blood of Christ”- “The Word of Grace” declares- {1 John 1:7,9}-
* GRACE TO STAND” -{Romans 5:2 }. We stand based on God justifying us, we have peace with God, aces that is permanent to God our Father and we stand not in condemnation, we stand not in Grace.” Our permanent position always stand in favor with Him and before Him.
” GRACE SUFFICIENT TO SUSTAIN -{2 Cor 12:7-10}. “Paul’s Thorn,” . The word, “thorn,” was not a little sliver that might go under our flesh and we can take a needle and remove, The word was used of wood that was sharpened at one end and used to IMPALE someone. By the time he wrote of it he had it now in his 14th year. He recalls how he fervently prayed, three times to remove and each time God answered, “My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul’s response to God in it, that accepts HIS ANSWER and submits to Him, Drawing closer to Him, dependence upon God, Grace Sufficient for him. Present tense Grace to empower Him”IS”- moment by moment grace. The WORD-“Sufficient,” means, “ENOUGH,” and implies satisfaction. His Sufficient grace satisfied and His Power made perfect through weakness. We all want Power- we like POWER, BUT IT TO THOSE WHO see their need, acknowledges their own sufficiency, yield to God’s answer and entrust themselves to Him Him. His is a present tense Grace. My Grace- “IS” ENOUGH, ALWAYS will have ENOUGH,TO SUSTAIN us and, the proof of acceptance to God’s answer is to GLORY, not sulk, quit, accuse God of not been “fair,” those are attitudes of rejecting Him being the potter and you the clay, and His desire to weaken you, keep you from pride, Pray, Depend on His sufficient Grace, and know your weakness is not a liability but an awesome qualification for the Power of God to work in and through you. Let’s be honest, we all want POWER on our terms but we are not willing to be made weak enough for qualifying for His Sufficient Power. And so many of us are self sufficient, blinded by pride and weak spiritually because we are too ‘strong” in our own “strength,” to experience the power of God! TO Paul, He gloried in his weakness for when he was weak it caused him to draw close to the Lord depend on Him and derive from Hm grace that was enough for what God had for him to be and do! Five years later to the Philippians Paul would write, “I have learned to be content, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”{Phil 4:11-13}. He still had the “thorn,” now in his 19th yer with it and yet we see He had made peace with his circumstances and had “learned,” to be “content, with little or with much, He wrote this from prison. The “thorn,” could not hinder him from learning to be content, derive contentment, and the secret to contentment? I can do ALL things through Christ who infuses me with His strength.” -{Phil 4:13.}. What we look at as a liability may be the thing God uses to wean us to depend on Him ore and we learn to draw closer to Him recognize His Divine empowerment to do His will and we always have “ENOUGH” Grace, moment by moment supply. And we glory in our weakness, so that the power of Christ in and through us be made known. He gloried in insults for Christ sake. He was a contented man, who had huge troubles he faced. But His grace would be enough for Him- The Grace of God empowers.
” GRACE TO SUFFER; “After you have Suffered for a little while, THE GOD OF ALL GRACE, HIMSELF WILL “perfect, “{ word was used to mend nets, to make useful again for service}. Confirm,Strengthen you; Establish you {a firm foundation, stable,solid.}- ” {1 Peter 5:10}. There is a time limit,.”a little while,” only God knows the time table. But what was meant for evil, God would work for god and He Personally would personally Mature His suffering ones! Suffering is one means God uses for Spiritual growth in grace. To the suffering ones He makes Himself known as “The God Of ALL Grace.” He would have no shortage of grace to heal them mentally, stabilize them spiritually and all deposited with Kindness, graciousness, and Grace that would equip for greater service. Deeper service, developed in “the furnace of affliction, crushing, great pressures.”.
* GRACE TO SERVE -” You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses ENTRUST to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”- {2 Tim 2:1-3.}. “the word of grace,” says Timothy was young, and told to let his character speak for him. He was easily intimidated. He was frequently sick, yet Paul says of Him”I have no one else who will genuinely be concerned for YOU, for all seek after their own interests and not those of Christ….Paul said he served Paul -{Phil 2 } -“SO WE KNOW HE Had learned to Submit to authority, He cared for others and the interests of Christ. He was a servant, He was selfless. He was Christ like, and he did not allow his youth, timidity, or frequent illness as an excuse to drop out. And he would find grace to enable Him to train men, and to suffer as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Note in this passage like a relay race. Paul passes on to Timothy who passes on to faithful men who in turn are to pass on to faithful men.Grace to overcome what could appear to hindrances, youth, timidity, frequently sick, But He chose to be strong, derive His strength from allowing Jesus Christ to strengthen him, with His grace that was greater than his temperament and frequent illness’s. Only trough reception by faith, in dependency upon the Grace of the Lord Jesus could he serve effectively. Self reliance nullifies His supernatural, empowering grace to serve Him, His way and with graciousness to lead by serving others. Grace of Jesus Christ could strengthen him to serve, humbly, submissively, effectively, sacrificially, selflessly, lovingly purposely.
- GRACE TO GIVE =
* GRACE TO HELP; “Come to the THRONE OF GRACE, confidently, expectantly to receive mercy, GRACE TO HELP, in time of need.” “The Needy One,” is the way it is written is to come and receive the Grace to Help, aid in their need. Come and “receive.” The Needy One comes to the right one and receives exactly from the Gracious King, what they need. They come to THE THRONE OF GRACE. Where sits our Great High Priest who ever lives to intercede for us and loves to dispense GRACE TO HELP. Why is it when we are conscious of our need, we tend to run to different places and jaded, mentally exhausted we should have the faith of a little child, who trusts. Could it be we don’t come because of pride, or unbelief. We willfully refuse to take God at His Word. Unbelief is a wicked sin, It says God cannot be trusted to meet my need, and therefore I will not trust Him. The people in Hebrews were suffering rejection, kicked out and rejected by the religious and were wobbling in their faith and yet God meets each of the needy ones who run to Him to “receive,” and they are given Grace that will Help. -{Heb 4:14-16}.
* GRACE FOR THE HUMBLE – { HOW to DEAL WITH ANXIETY} { 1 PETER 5:6-7} Peter writes to those going through fiery trials, and suffering… and with it can come and did come anxiety within. The enemy of God and of our soul’s injects a “fiery dart,” such as Doubt.Questioning and attacking the character of God. Can God do anything to Help? Does GOD Care? Peter says “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Humble – lower your self, take your rightful place, we are not equal with God, above Him. we are weak, dependent beings and HE IS independent of all. In need of nothing or no one to inform Him, sustain Him or supply to HIM. h He is self existent, unchanging, Soverign King. “The mighty hand of God..” was symbolic of God’s Power in the Old Testament and various aspects. CREATIVE Power, DELIVERING Power, PROTECTING Power, CORRECTING Power, in the New Testament we see the GREATEST DEMONSTRATION of RESURRECTION Power. God raised Jesus from the dead, His sacrifice accepted, sufficient, and the resurrection power the proof. God raised you also with Saving Power, made alive unto God from the deadness of sins and trespasses- RESURRECTION Power. “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”- {Jer 32:17}. Humble ourselves under His MIGHTY POWER- it is a place of safety, security, our impotence in and of ourselves wraps our fingers around the LORD GOD. OMNIPOTENT WHO REIGNS! He will in his Time raise us up… and with Submission to Him,
“CASTING,” — A Command.”CASTING,” the word comes from a word meaning,”FLINGING,” something away, immediately, do not delay. Do it now, this is not optional it is a command. FLINGING ALL, none is to be excluded or kept back by you to think on, mull over again and again, fret about. The word anxieties speak of a “mind divided.” The purpose of our mind is love God with all of our heart and… Mind.” FLINGING all of your anxieties of of you onto Jesus. By faith. “LORD, in obedience to You, I give You { name them , } and now they are Yours. What happens if they continue to come back? The attitude of faith. Stand on the Promise. He said He would handle them. God is not bringing them up to divide your mind and anxiety unchecked Prov 2:25 shows leads to being “weighed down,” – depressed. According to Luke 12, anxiety and Fear travel together and turn us away from seeking the Kingdom of God as our priority. So anxiety offers you a mind divided, fear, weighed down,depression,turns you away from Loving God by thinking on the truth about Him and turns you away from moment by moment living seeking the Kingdom of God as the priority wherever you find yourself at. So now, you see from “THE WORD OF GRACE,” what anxiety does and to fail to humble yourself is pride and you know God isopposed to the Proud. Humble yourself under the Mighty hand of God and immediately, fling that anxiety, care unto Him, by faith, and if it coms back the act of faith says , No i gave that to the LORD I will not yield to the temptaion to be anxious. It is not in the life of Christ it as no part in my life. And then you have to change what you think on. If you say i mustnt think on anxiety over and over, guess what you are thinking on. Philipians 4: 8 says whatever is true,whatever is lovely, whatever is praiseworhy, ect, let your MIND THINK ON THESE.” Camp out on them. The thouht coes here is the test. Is it true of God, of me”In Christ,” is it a lvely thoough, it it prasiweworthy of God? if it doesnt pass, fling it away onn Jesus by an act of faith , and maintain the attitde of faith and He promises, His peace which surpasses all understanding will GUARD your heart and MIND,”IN Christ,” This promise is for those who by faith tell the LORD about it , pass, FLINGING IT IMMEDITELY on to Him and He promises Peace.
THE Attack – is on your mind – anxieties the poision. The response , the ACT OF FAITH- FLINGING ALL THAT WORRIES ME , BURDENS ME ANXITIES ON Him. The Atiude of faith is I believe I have given t to Him I will not allow it entrance into my thinking to dwell on. i cannot stop a though coming but I can choose what I give my attention and time to and here is how o RENEW YOUR MIND… CHOOSE TO THINK ON the two truths about the LORD in this passage- He is ALL POWERFUL. hE Cares for you. Think on His Power as exercised in Scripture. Think about How He has shown He cares for you, and turn the attack eant for evil into a time of ADORATION for the Mighty hand of God, and that God cares for you so much . IN HIS GRACE He says , FLING ALL of those anxieties onto Me. – THE WORD OF GRACE shows us how to deal with the temptation to anxiety that we are no longer a slave to . It was for FREEDOM Christ set you free, NEVER AGAIN to be en-yoked to a bond of SLAVERY. We need to develop a new Habit, how to handle the temptaion to yield to anxities by running to Him and receiving Grace to help in this needy time. God’s Power, God Cares for th things that concern you nd He commands you , FLING THEM ALL Unto ME. FAILING TO TO DO SO IS SIN! Willful sin, Because you know. A New Habit pattern to be developed and God’s Grace will empower you to remember and act. Obedience is an expression of Love to Him. -{ John 14:21}. OK, can we stop, and that which is gnawing at you, weighing you down. B faith now act… humble, lower, submit yourself under His Mighty power to do things His way, Choose now{Name by is causing you anxieties} and a definite act f faith fling it on him, and fling hem all, The attitude f faith don’t allow it back to dwell on it instead TRANSFORM your thinking by thinking on the TRUTH about the LORD- HE IS- ALL POWERFUL to DEAL WITH ALL MY ANXIETIES. HE CARES FOR ME! – He shows me how to deal with them by faith His way. His Grace is Sufficient to enable you to obey Him and maintain and develop a new God honoring pattern of thinking and Acting.
* GRACE THAT TRANSFORMS; “For THE GRACE OF GOD HAS APPEARED that offers salvation to all people. It TEACHES US TO SAY – “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”
The Grace of God TEACHES, INSTRUCTS us, INFLUENCES our thinking and moves our will’s, inclining us to respond to the things He desires, we have new desires, goals, attitudes, conforming to Him. God works in us both to desire and do according to His good pleasure and we work out through His Spirit’s enabling, the grace of God in our lives, CHANGES US – GRACE TEACHES, INFLUENCES. Grace is not a Christian “buzz “word. That has no relevance to my life, and just floats around as some random entity, with no connection to anything.GRACE is coupled with A Person. God in action. God’s grace. His favor, kindness power that influences and changes us from the inside out that transforms us. Paul in the above verse says “The GRACE OF GOD has appeared….” against the darkness of night suddenly the Sun breaks in- light changes, Jesus Broke in bringing salvation. In the fulness of time God sent forth His Son.-{ Gal 4:4}.
He says Grace instructs, influences our thinking inclining our will to say “NO”- to ungodliness- everything not like God- NO! The GRACE of God strengthens us to see worldly passions and NO to them, and we have the power when tempted to say NO- as His God’s Grace is sufficient, strengthens us, empowers us to choose against sin. But Grace is not just known for what it is AGAINST in these verses but what it is for- what it empowers and turning away from the temptation to sin against God and YES to- God’s GRACE that teaches, INSTRUCTS, INFLUENCES US, ENABLES US TO SAY “YES,”- to live a new direction, not perfection but a new direction born out of a new heart- to Live self controlled- mastery over ourselves… Upright… Godly lives. { See 2 Peter 1:3-4.} IN THIS PRESENT AGE, WE DON’T HAVE TO RUN OFF SEEKING A CAVE, BUT WHERE WE ARE THE GRACE OF GOD… on display through you.. and the grace of God motivates us waiting in expectation for the APPEARING of the Glory of our GREAT GOD and SAVIOR, Jess Christ. GOD’ GRACE GIVES US A HEART THAT IS LOOKING for His return and it motivates us to say “No,” and say “Yes,” not for meerly no and yes sake, but motivated by the grace of God that appeared, JESUS WHO WAS SAID TO BE WHILE ON EARTH “FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH,’ CAM, NOT ONLY TO DELIEVER US FROM SIN AS OUR MASTER. AND PENELTY AND GUILT OF, BUT TO BRING US TO gOD… TO REVEAL THE fATHER TO US. Marin Luther said he had a hard time as seeing God as Fatr, some can say because they may not of has obedient das to the LORD, or had no dad, who walked out. Differnt reasons we can say. But Jesus said in John 1 when one of the disciples said,’Show us the FATHER AND THAT WILL BE EOUGH,” JESUS RESPONDED HAVE i BEEN WITH YOU SO LONG… S YOU SEE mE YOU SEE THE fATHER.” iF YOU WANT TO kNOW WHAT gOD THE fATHER IS LIKE , lOOK AT THE LIFEOF jESUS….power and eternal perspective, and a process that influences our choices, changes us. {“those who have this hope in them purify themselves even as He is pure – 1 John 3:2-3}. Every day at around five o clock the yong boy would run to the window in the apartment window and look out and towards the way into the apartment complex- his motivation was he was waiting and watching for his daddy to come home from school. He was excited, looking to see the one who loved him and whose love had influenced him and he waited with hopeful expectaion his daddy is returning and they can be together… we look with confident expectaion for Him to return and Go’d grace reminds us to REMEMBER HIM- what HE has done for us…who gve Himself for us, to reddem us, buy us out from the slave market of sin and set us free and to be with Him who has and does love us, and He redeemed us from “all wickedness” bought us, brought us out from the bondage of salves to the authority of sin and satan… we dont belong in that sphere anymore, we have been transfeered from the kingdom of darknes into the Kingdom of His Beloved Son and God’s Grace produces increasing gratitude to the Father for doing so through His Son {Col 1:12-15}.and God’s Grace gives us purpose – He redeemed us from all wickedness- out from bondage to sin and into His work of Grace to purify a people … why? Dont miss he end of God’s grace is He reeemed us, works in us and the glorious good news of the grace of God, reddemed from sin, to live His way and be His… His Very Own! YOu belong to HIM. You are His. He loves you, proved i through giving Himself on th cross- what amazing act of God’s grace, He died the just for the unjust to bring us to God. Romas 5 says we were sinners, ungodly, helplesss, eneemies, and He died for us… and God demonstrated His love towads s while we were yet sinners CHRIST DED for us. paul never got over the fact “The Son of God loved me and gave Himself Up for Me- and it influeces him to live by faith in Him. His Love infleunced Paul to TRUST HIM… and in 2 Cor 5 the Love of Christ compelled them to TESTIFY of Him! The grace of God in the lives of rebels, redeemed taken from the courthuse where we were prounced Justifed, acquiited off all chareges the Law brought against us becaue He bore our sin, so would not die in our sin and His sacrifiece, of fulfilling the Law’s demands on our behalf and as our Sin bearer, our Substitute He bore the wrath of God for us… so we can Live for Him- Oh the depths of the God of grace towards us!
THE GRACE OF GOD TEACHES us to be EAGER FOR GOOD WORKS. Good works not to gain merit with God, that is an insult to the Cross of HIS BELOVED sON. wE DONT WORK TO GAIN APPROVAL WE WORK OUT OF GRATITUDE and Love from Him and God’s Grace teaches us to be EAGER FOR GOOD WORKS. wHY ARE GOOD WORKS SO IMPORTANT. gOD CREAED WE SHOULD DO THEM {ePH 2:9-10},,, AND ALSO THEY ARE opportuities to Point to God.. Testify to Him, “That men may see YOUR GOOD WORKS , and GLORIFY- not you… for Jesus said when the Spirit of God comes He wil Glorify me. He pints to JESUS… and our good works seen by men GLORIFY OUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN”- You can PREACH AND PROCLAIM CHRIST at your JOB where othere may slacken off, leave a bit early, only begin to work if they see a boss, you do your work as onto the LORD and GOD will bear witness and men will SEE it and GLORIFY Your Father in Heaven.”
I just sat down and had thought earlier on Paul on a phrase I had ben thinkng of earlier and the tenderness of it to me, “THE WORD OF GRACE…” Paul commited the believers, who were hertbroken at his departure, and he uses this beautiful phrase,”Now I commit you {entrust you} to THE WORD OF GRACE…. mmm , How fresh is that… and then my mind, began to have Him Recall verses to me and I just began to write, and all of these triuths, that is the THE WORD OF GRACE refernces of Scripture are there for you to read and look to Him to BUILD YOU UP!
Perhaps you could take and divide them up into a weeks worth of reading a few a day and looking up the verses. Read them, meditate upn Him. THE GOD OF ALL GRACE- and The WORD OF GRACE, And PRAY and Ask the Holy Sprit, who is also called as the SPIRIT OFGRACE, to teach you, unfold these grace jems to you which are ABLE -{ DIVINE ABILITY- the Power of God to meet you, His Word,} to… BUILD YOU UP!
I DO HOPE YOU FIND HELP AND HOPE IN THE ABOVE FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE YOU FIND INSIDE THE PAGES OF- “THE WORD OF GRACE,”
TESTIMONY- HIS KINDNSS TO ME
I have had maybe two hours slep in the past two and a half days, pain now had ben intense, rinding teeth, not realizing until it eased off some, thank you to those who pray. The pain,weakness, couldnt eat a meal yesteday, stomach nausea from the pain, and thinking if I could just throw up, I might feel better. Tremors in parts of my body, loss of balance but today, {apart from that I am the poster boy for health.}.The A/C is broke again upstairs and my room is like an oven, and yet… all day, HE, The Gracious God of all Grace, comfortd me, brought verses to my mind, I got to hear a friend teach on line in a “Q” and “A” programme. Itwas powerul. It was like siting under the most wonderful cool waterfalls on a hot day and come out the otherside refreshed. He answered with Scriptures and his sentences bursting with Scripture and I was so, Pointed to HIM,,, i slowly got out of my chair and to my knees by my bed and then slowly prostrate on the ground, praying, prasing Him… and thankful… for that dear brother rightly dividing the Word, feeding multitudes by using “THE WORD of GRACE,” And the Spirit of Grace bringing to his memory verses , I dont think he paused, or He gave an opinion….It was the question sked, the nswers Scripture upon Scripture explaining the hy’s and how, and what God has to say in regards the subject as he looked at it from various angles from the Scripture
Colossians 3 says we are to let the Word of Chirst dwell in us RICHLY, So that we can assist one another I was so refreshed and for the first times in months and months I went back to the station and got to hear music for the first ime in months and be refreshed listenng to words that pointed me to Him. I fel like He spoilt me yesterday. No sleep last night but times of prayer pleading for some people and one lost young tree lost young men and one in perticular.
thank you for your kind notes and those who remember us in prayers… I have been praying Romans 15:13… what a poweful thing to see God to work this into lives…