Grace Reasoned

I am still going through all my journals, finding tidbits and nuggets, before I decide if I am going to throw them out. Like this one, for instance, sandwiched between empty pages:

REASON

One day I went to Jesus,

Finally face to face.

He looked me right in the eye

And said, "What do ya think about grace?"

And I said,

"Cover me, Lord,

Wash away my sin;

Pardon me, Lord,

I am a sinful man.

Cover me, Lord, 

Make me whiter than snow.

That's what I think about 

Grace, Lord,

Living this life here below."

Also written is the day/night: Wednesday evening at 9:30 p.m. So, I am thinking that perhaps I wrote this after a Wednesday evening Bible Study. I don't remember the lesson, but it must have made an impact on me in such a way, that The Holy Spirit gave me this to write. The timing is right to reveal it, as the subject of Grace and what it is has been on my heart.

Clap Offering

PSALM 47:1 "CLAP YOUR HANDS, ALL YOU PEOPLES; 

SHOUT UNTO GOD WITH A VOICE OF TRIUMPH."

Bring Me a clap offering

(clap--clapclap---clapclapclap)

Bring Me a clap offering 

(clapclapclap---clapclapclap)

I want your worship

I desire praise

From you,

From your heart and not your lips.

You raise your hands in surrender,

But your heart is not on Me.

Give Me your heart

And glorify Me

Give Me the worship

that only I desire

Give Me your heart

and I will set your life on fire.

Bring Me a clap offering

(clap--clapclap---clapclapclap)

Bring Me a clap offering 

(clap--clapclap---clapclapclap)

I want your worship

I desire praise

from you.

Clap Your Hands, All You Peoples
 

1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Clap your hands, all you peoples;

shout unto God with a voice of triumph.

2 How awesome is the LORD the Most High,

the great King over all the earth!

3 He subdues nations beneath us,

 and peoples under our feet.

4 He chooses our inheritance for us,

the pride of Jacob, whom He loves.

Selah

5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,

the LORD with the sound of trumpets.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is King of all the earth;

sing profound praises to Him.a

8 God reigns over the nations;

God is seated on His holy throne.

9 The nobles of the nations have assembled

as the people of the God of Abraham;

for the shields of the earth belong to God;

He is highly exalted.

What's So Amazing About Grace?

1. We don't deserve it.
     Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
    Romans 5:8 "But God commended (established) His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
2. We can't earn it.
    Ephesians 2:8,9 "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." 
 3. Obtained by Faith in Jesus Christ.
    As stated in the above verse, Faith is a Gift from God. It is the first gift we are given when we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. 
     Romans 3:22 "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe for there is no difference. 
    Romans 4:16 "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, ; who is the father of us all."

But, what is Grace that we should desire it so? 

Strong's defines it as such: The Lord's favor, freely extended to give Himself away to people, inclined towards, reaching out to people: because He is disposed to bless (be near) them. 

There you go, then. The Grace of God is God reaching out to people with Himself and His great love. And just how did He does do that? Through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. John 3:16 is God's Grace demonstrated: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 

Why should we want Grace?

God wants you and I saved from the eternal punishment of sin, but the only way that is going to happen is if you and I choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. 
Grace is His Kindness and Love, as written in Titus 3:4-6 "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior."

Ephesians 2:4, 5 It is only through Grace of God that we are saved. 
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, {by grace are we saved}."
Titus 3:7 "That being justified by His Grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." 

Without that 'hope of eternal life' through belief in the name of The Lord Jesus Christ in this life we live, there is no hope after we die. For if a person dies who does not believe, nor accept God's Grace, while there is breath in the body, then there is no chance for life eternal after breath leaves this body. 

Romans 9:27, 28 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." 

To day is the day of salvation. Today is the now opportunity to accept the Grace of God through His extended right arm of salvation: Jesus Christ. "There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved." Acts 4:12 

How do we accept so great a gift as Grace? 

Romans 10:9, 10 "If you confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus,  AND believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. 
For with the heart we believe unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is mad unto salvation."
Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of The Lord shall be saved."

The Hand of The Lord in The Book of Psalms

Spiritual Delights
Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

Holds Me Up
Psalm 18:35 "Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great."
Psalm 37:24 "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand."
Psalm 63:8 "My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me."


Contains My Times (My Days)

Psalm 31:15 "My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me."

Teaches               
Psalm 45:4  "And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things."

Is full of Righteousness
Psalm 48:10 "According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness."

Saves
Psalm 60:5 "That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me."

Psalm 20:6 "Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand."

Psalm 17:7 "Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them."

Holds A Cup
Psalm 75:8 "For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them."

Leads His People
Psalm 77:20 "Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron."
Psalm 23:2 "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."

  
Purchases
Psalm 78:54 "And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased."

Plants
Psalm 80:15 "And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself."

Is Strong and High
Psalm 89:13 "Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand."

Creates All Things: Deep Places to High Places
Psalm 95:4 "In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also."


Gets Him Victory
Psalm 98:1 "A Psalm. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory."


Does Valiantly
Psalm 118:15 "The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly."

Is Exalted
Psalm 118:16 "The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly."

My Keeper and My Shade
Psalm 121:5 "The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand."

Forged In The Fire- A Four Part Series

Becoming A Weapon of Warfare 
in The Hands of The Master

Malachi 3:2-3
But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

The Fire

What Fire Is:

Fire is God’s presence and power--Lev. 6:13  Fire is God’s judgment and consumes everything that is not of God--Deut. 4:24; Heb 12:29

What Fire Does:

Fire guides and leads--Ex. 3:2-12; Ex. 13:21  

Fire purges, illuminates God’s Word, purifies and empowers--Acts 2:3-4

Trial by Fire: A test of one’s abilities to perform well under pressure

Baptism by Fire: (1) In Christianity, the penetration of the Holy Ghost into the human spirit to purify, consecrate and strengthen it. (2) Any initiating ordeal or experience. (3) A soldier’s first experience of battle.

Holiness imparted through baptism of fire of the Holy Ghost. 

Dan. 3:16, 24-27 Holy Fire only burns up what is not of God.

Whose Report Will You Believe?

Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? Isaiah 53:1

This entire chapter of Isaiah 53 regards the crucifixion and burial of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Messiah who was to come and deliver all of Israel: Jacob’s seed, the individual and God’s people, the nation as a whole. 

Report: to announce, proclaim, carry and deliver a message of what one has heard, to announce, to speak of what one has seen and observed.

We who are God’s people are here to tell you that the Messiah has come! It is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! See the words in Isaiah 53 and look to the John 19 for confirmation. See and believe the words of Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23. 

But it does not end there! John 20, Matthew 28, Mark 16 and Luke 24 all speak of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death, hell and the grave! That is amazing news to proclaim, indeed! And,so, we do. As the angels proclaimed the birth of Christ to the shepherds, we speak the truth of His death on the cross, whose blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. We tell of the story of Jesus who came to die for us because nothing we do will ever make us right with God. 

We who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord carry within us the message of  salvation through the blood that was shed by Him on the cross at Calvary. We deliver the message of hope and eternal life through the His resurrection. Because He became sin for us, having the penalty of sin upon Him, He was sent to hell to fight and defeat the devil once and for all. He returned to the grave with the keys of death, hell and the grave in his mighty hand. 

God raised His only begotten Son from the tomb by rolling away the stone and Jesus stepped out into the garden, declaring victory over sin and death, becoming our Hope of Eternal Life through Him! WooHoo! That’s something to get excited about! 

Matthew 7:24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

Romans 10:8-13 [8] But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: [9] that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.

[11] It is just as the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him, [13]for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Acts 2:38, 39 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost…

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Repent and Be Baptized

"The sermon preached in the power of the Holy Spirit invariably commanded men not only to repent, but to be baptized with the Holy Spirit." --Cortland Myers, 1909



In Matthew 3 we meet up with John the Baptist again, who is now calling men to repent and be baptized with water, for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand", meaning near. But what did he say a few days on?

Matthew 3:11-12 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but will burn up the chaff with an unquenchable fire."

And who could do that? Jesus the only begotten Son of God, who must first go through a time of testing and temptations in the wilderness. Did He bring Himself there? No. Matthew 4:1 "Then was Jesus LED up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." To prepare for that part of His journey Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights.

When He was hungry, He was tempted by the tempter to turn stone into bread. When the devil brought Him to Jerusalem (the holy city), he tempted Him to jump off the highest pinnacle of the temple to see if God's angels would catch Him. When the devil took Him to a very high mountain, showing Him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory, the tempter offered Jesus these if only Jesus would worship him.

But none of these temptations did Jesus give into. Not just because He is God's Son, The Lord Jesus Christ but because Jesus had the Holy Spirit with Him. As an example for us, Jesus showed us that WE CAN OVERCOME TEMPTATION when we have JESUS, THE WORD OF GOD, and THE HOLY SPIRIT of GOD upon us! That is exciting news!

And what were the first words out of His mouth afterwards? Matthew 4:17 "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And while He made the rounds of the cities healing the sick, teaching in parables and raising the dead, He was forgiving sins, too, to the heart that sought Him in earnest.

Now, we move to Acts 1:4-5 "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

Which brings us to Acts 2:1-4 wherein the 120 men and women are in the upper room fellowshipping and praying together waiting for the Promise of God to arrive. Fifty days after the Passover Sabbath had passed is the Day of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15-16), the feast of weeks (Deuteronomy 16:10), the feast of harvest (Exodus 23:16), and the day of the firstfruits (Numbers 28:26).

Afterwards, these men and women went out into the city streets proclaiming the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, with the power of the Holy Spirit. It is here in Acts 2:38 that we hear Peter say to us, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

But this Promise/Blessing is not given just to them/us, Acts 2:39 "For the Promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Whether 'afar off' means geographically or genealogically, that Promise is still active today; just as the call of God on our lives is!

So, today, we say "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. You and your children and those that are afar off."

----Oh, Father God, I repent of all my wicked ways, of the sins in my heart and my life. Have mercy on me and forgive me. Deliver me from an unrighteous lifestyle and lead me in Your Word. Give me Your gift of the Holy Ghost that I might walk and live in Your power. Teach me Your ways and Your will that I might never stray from You again. Fill me and feed me that I may not hunger for the things of this world but be content in You. Be glorified, O my God, in me. In Jesus' Name, Amen. And amen. ----