2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Yesterday, the Holy Spirit led me to define mercy and to begin sharing some citations that allow us to have a deeper, more God-directed understanding of this wonderful attribute of His that blesses us so much. Today’s message continues with more on this subject. There is a particular verse that I have leaned on very heavily, especially in recent years when Satan has been taking such constant pot-shots at Peter and I. It is PS 46: 1, “God is our Refuge and our Strength, a very present help in time of trouble.” It’s so easy to forget that we can turn to Him and that He is so eager for us to do that. Satan loves nothing better than to set snares for us. Since he has no respect for our ability to remain faithful to God, he tempts our flesh and takes delight if we are snagged into whatever form of idolatry he can devise for us. PS 31: 3-5 are David’s words to help us keep our perspective. “You [God] are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care. You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God.” If anyone could understand the power of God’s willingness to answer a prayer like this, it would be David. How can we erase from our minds the picture of him moving from place to place with demented Saul in pursuit of him, being apologetic one minute and trying to kill him the next? [1 SAM 19-24]. We can find comfort in knowing that God’s mercy brought an end to this persecution and be reminded that His mercy is available to us as well.
There is an important lesson for us in AC 19: 11-20, the story of the sons of Sceva, a Jewish priest in Ephesus. These were Jewish exorcists who combined Judaism with the occult. God has made His will concerning the occult very clear throughout the Scriptures, and these men should have been aware of it. They called on the name of Jesus to try to deliver people from demons which possessed them. God lends His power only to those who engage in true worship of Him. These men shunned God’s grace, and thus the Lord offered no mercy. The story goes on to say that the evil spirits overpowered the sons of Sceva, leaving them naked and wounded. But those of them who saw the folly of practicing magic brought their books and burned them in public as a way to renounce it. They confessed their sin and repented of it, coming to faith in Christ. In this way, the word of the Lord kept spreading and growing stronger. God’s mercy was extended to them.
Peter writes about a living hope that isn’t available without faith in Christ in 1 PET 1: 3-5. “Let us give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of His great mercy He gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keep for His people. He keep them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are kept safe by God’s power for salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.” To my way of thinking our God is a God of new life. First He tells us through Christ that we should be born again [JN 3: 5-7]. Then, in 2 COR 5: 17, we are told, “When anyone is joined to Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come.” Beyond that we are told that at the time of our glorification, we will receive incorruptible, immortal “resurrection” bodies, another manifestation of God’s mercy [1 COR 15: 42-49]. All along the way of our life “in Christ,” God is working to sanctify [perfect] us in preparation to answer the last trumpet and meet with Christ in the air [1 THESS 4: 13-16]. His mercy refreshes and renews us!
This is an important enough subject that it will take more space than I have in this message, so I will go on with it tomorrow. However, we must pay attention to where Satan’s fate is in the picture of God’s mercy. Our adversary has no future, and he knows it [REV 12: 12]. Yes, he is leveling a lot of pain and loss at us now. We sometimes feel like we are going to be crushed by that burden, but then Christ offers us these words of encouragement and love: MT 11: 28-30, words I often feel prompted to include with the prayer requests I send to our prayer chain. “Come to Me, all of you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke and put it on you, and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the burden is light.” What better example of God’s mercy can we find than the broad shoulders of Christ, who carries us when we can’t walk for ourselves? As for Satan and his follows, justice will be done. They are on a one-way trip to the lake of fire and sulfur to suffer conscious torment for eternity from which there is no escape. On the other hand, it is God’s mercy that tells us that all believers will find entrance into the new Jerusalem to walk streets of gold with the Father. The gates of the city will be open to us. It is we who will be welcome to feast on the fruit from tree of life, healed by its leaves, quenched by the water and no longer in the presence of anything under God’s curse. Evil will be a thing of the past, and we will rule with Christ there forever We will see His face, and His name will be written on our foreheads. Our desire to worship Him will be our main occupation. Marantha! Come, Lord Jesus! [REV 22: 2-4; 1 COR 16: 22].
PRAYER: O Lord, there are times when we feel like Satan’s arrows will overpower us, and we tend to forget the blessed power You have given us to come out from under the weight of our pain and sorrow. But Lord, You are there with us. Isaiah reminds us of that in IS 40: 31, “But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.” The picture this gives is of the strength You used to raise Christ from death to life now given to us to fend off Satan’s attacks and temptation [EPH 1: 18-20]. You lead us to believe that Christ’s example of warding off Satan in the wilderness is the example of what we are also empowered to do. What it takes, Dearest Abba, is our faith and trust in You. With the story of the sons of Sceva, You once again remind us of how repugnant human rationalization is to You, how wrong it is to try to mix belief in the occult or any other belief system with true faith in Jesus Christ. What You teach us is pure, consistent, and possible for us to learn. We turn to You as sinners, wishing to pledge our obedience to You and dedicating ourselves to the study and practice of Your word. Through Your mercy, You have made salvation possible through the death of Your Son on the cross, and You have given us the gift of faith and the Holy Spirit to keep us on course. The Greek word, “kupernete” [pronounced “cooper-nay-tay”] means “administrator.” Rather than to indicate an organizer, it’s real meaning is “one who keeps on course.” Christ’s example is that of a good administrator, and it’s an example we can follow by keeping our lives on course with You. We humbly confess our sins and offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, glory, honor, praise, and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
I actually feel honored to share these wonderful citations on mercy. God is giving me a privilege to share His wisdom and perspective, so that we can see through the haze of our earthly pain and suffering to what is ahead for all who endure in their faith. Satan is surely the loser in God’s plan, as long as we recognize that we have the power to thwart any schemes he devises. Our power is in the greatest love letter ever sent, the Bible. It’s God’s love letter to us, and we can find direction and comfort found nowhere else from it and from Him. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn