The Merciful Compassionate Judge

Thank God for forgiveness. That we have right to come before a Throne, not of judgement, but of grace. That when we confess our sins, He, Christ, is faithful to forgive us. That mercy triumphs over judgement. Amen

‘Amazing Grace...I Once Was Lost But Now Am Found.’

Genesis 6:1-8
The story of Noah is the story of God’s grace - ‘Noah found grace’(8). Noah lived in very difficult times (5-7), yet ‘Grace found Noah’. His testimony could be summed up: ‘Amazing grace...I once was lost but now am found’(Mission Praise, 31). Expanding on the thought of 5:29 - ‘this one (Noah) shall bring relief from our work and from the toil of our hands’- we may allow our thoughts to turn to Christ and say to Him: ‘Not the labour of my hands can fulfil Thy law's demands...All for sin could not atone, Thou must save, and Thou alone. Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy Cross I cling' (Church Hymnary, 83). In these two statements - ‘Noah found grace’ and ‘this one will bring...’, we see both salvation and service. We are saved to serve. Once we ourselves have been found by grace, we are to seek to bring others to Christ that they also may be saved by Him and become His servants.

Genesis 6:9-22
To view the flood exclusively in terms of judgment is to see only one side of what God was doing. As well as judging, He was also saving - ‘In this ship a few people - eight in all - were saved by water’(1 Peter 3:20). The ark points forward to Christ ‘who came back from death to life’, Christ who ‘saves’ us (1 Peter 3:21). God was working out His purpose of salvation. In Noah’s day, the remnant of faith was very small, yet the promise of God's love was given to them - ‘I will establish My covenant with you’(18). Even when wickedness threatens to overwhelm us, we still have God’s promise of love, ‘the new covenant in Christ’s blood’(1 Corinthians 11:25). ‘The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin’(1 John 1:7). Knowing that Christ loved us and died for us, we are to be like Noah (22). We are to walk with the Lord and serve Him.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace"(5).

There is always more to God than we can ever hope to understand. He is ‘the eternal God’ (Deuteronomy 32:27). He reaches out to us without reducing Himself to the level of our limited understanding. He comes to us with a ‘love’ which ‘surpasses knowledge’ (Ephesians 3:19). He gives to us a ‘peace’ that ‘surpasses all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7). He fills us with a ‘joy’ that is ‘inexpressible’ (1 Peter 1:8). He saves us without removing the element of mystery. Salvation is never within our grasp. It is always His work. He is the God of salvation. We do not save ourselves. We can only receive salvation from him. We see the greatness of His holiness (Habakkuk 1:13). We see the greatness of our sin (Jeremiah 17:9). We rejoice in the greatness of His salvation (1 Timothy 1:15). We say, ‘His greatness is unsearchable’ (Psalm 145:3).

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace" (4).

This is not an infinity that leaves us confused. This is the gospel which brings comfort. His ‘love’ is ‘amazing’. His ‘mercy’ is ‘immense’. His ‘grace’ is ‘infinite’ (Mission Praise, Combined Edition, (Marshall Pickering, London, 1990), 33). This is the gospel of Christ. This is not only the bridging of the gap between the infinite God and His finite creation. It is the work of redemption, accomplished by the holy God on behalf of sinful humanity. When we look into ‘the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6), we are in the presence of mystery. It is not, however, a mystery that leaves us baffled. It is the mystery of salvation. He is the God who ‘hides himself’. He is also our ‘Saviour’ (Isaiah 45:15).

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace" (3).

Like Isaiah, we are led to worship. Our thoughts become an echo of the heavenly worship: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts’ (6:3). Our worship is grounded in divine grace. There is not only an awareness of the infinity of God. In our worship, we speak of God’s infinity – ‘Great God of wonders, all Thy ways are matchless’. This, however, is not the central focus of our worship. We speak also of God’s grace. Of all God’s matchless ways, there is one of His ways which is ‘unrivalled’. It is ‘grace’. This is what causes us to lift up our hearts and voices in joyful praise: ‘Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?’ (Mission Praise, Combined Edition, (Marshall Pickering, London, 1990), 197). Above all the other features of God’s infinity, there is one that inspires our worship more than any other. It is His infinite grace. This is not an infinity that bewilders us. This is the ‘grace’ by which we are ‘saved’ (Ephesians 2:8).

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace"(2).

When we speak of God, we must speak with humility. He is far greater than all of our words about Him can ever be. We must never forget that ‘the secret things belong to the Lord our God’. This, however, is not all that we can say about the Lord our God. We can also say this – ‘the things revealed belong to us’ (Deuteronomy 29:29). The infinite God has revealed Himself to us. This is what gives us confidence when we speak of God. Here, we have the mystery of revelation. There are ‘things’ which are beyond our understanding – ‘things which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and which have not entered into the heart of man’. These things have been revealed to us by God (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). God has revealed Himself to us without ceasing to be the infinite God. He has given to us a true knowledge of Himself without providing us with a full knowledge of Himself. When we consider the great difference between ourselves and God, we must learn to echo the words of Isaiah. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways (55:8-9). As we consider the nature of this great difference, we can learn much from observing the context within which Isaiah contrasts our thoughts with God’s thoughts, our ways with God’s ways. Isaiah speaks of divine grace (55:6-7). Here, we have the great difference between our thoughts and God’s thoughts, the great contrast between our ways and God’s ways. Confronted by our sin, we can only echo Isaiah’s confession, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined!’ When, however, we listen for the Word of the Lord, we hear His word of grace, ‘your sin is forgiven’ (6:5, 7). This is the great difference between our thoughts and God’s thoughts. Our thoughts are centred upon our sin. His thoughts are centred upon His salvation. This is the great contrast between our ways and His ways. Our way is the way of sin. His way is the way of salvation.

The Infinity Of God: "So Free, So Infinite His Grace" (1).

Where do we begin? Where do we end? There is no beginning. There is no end. This is infinity. It seems like infinity beckons us like a deep, dark hole. We are out of our depth. We grope about in the darkness. We wonder where we have come from. We wonder where we are going. When we speak of God, we speak of depth, but we do not speak of darkness. When we speak of ‘the deep things of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:10), we are not being lured by a faceless, nameless infinity, into a deep, dark hole. We are being led by the God of love, the God who gave his Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. He is leading us out of darkness. He is leading us into His light (1 John 4:8; John 3:16; 8:12). His light is ‘unapproachable light’. Here, we find ourselves in the presence of infinity. It is not, however, an infinity which threatens to overwhelm us. It is an infinity which promises to welcome us. It is the infinity of his love. It is the infinity of his mercy. It is the infinity of his grace. In ourselves, we dare not approach his ‘unapproachable light’ (1 Timothy 6:16). Through Christ, we have ‘access’ (Ephesians 3:18) to His ‘unapproachable light’. Through Christ, we ‘draw near with confidence’ to ‘the King of kings and Lord of lords’ (1 Timothy 6:15). Our confidence comes from this – ‘the Lord of glory’ has made Himself known to us as ‘the King of love’ (1 Corinthians 2:8; Psalm 23:1, paraphrased).

God Is Preparing For Us "A Rich Welcome Into The Eternal Kingdom Of Our Lord And Saviour Jesus Christ."

2 Peter 1:1-2:10a
God ‘has given us His very great and precious promises’(1:4). God has a great purpose for us. He is preparing for us ‘a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’(11). The pathway to heavenly and eternal glory is not an easy one. Often, we will be tempted to settle for being ‘ineffective and unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ’. There will be many distractions, drawing our attention away from Christ. We must keep our eyes on Him if we are not to become ‘blind and short-sighted’. We can so easily forget the most important thing - we have been ‘cleansed from our old sins’. It is so important that we keep looking to Christ, remembering what He has done for us and giving thanks to Him (1:8-9). ‘The Lord’ will not fail us in our ‘trials’(2:9). Let’s not fail Him!

2 Peter 2:10b-3:18
‘Grow’ in Christ and give ‘glory’ to Him. Centred on ‘our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’, our life is filled with ‘grace’ and ‘glory’. From Him, we receive ‘grace’- ‘From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another’. From Him, we receive ‘glory’- ‘I have given them the glory that You gave Me’(3:18; John 1:16; 17:22). Where does this life of grace and glory begin? It begins with God. In ourselves, there is sin. In Him, there is salvation. ‘He is patient with us’. He waits for us to ‘come to repentance’. He shows us our sin so that we might learn to look to our Saviour - ‘Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation’(3:9; 2 Corinthians 7:10). Turn to the Lord. Let it be real. Let Him lead you in His pathway - the pathway of grace and glory.