Greetings to all; thanks to bro. Al Cloud for setting up the new
forum. You may have already received this by other means but I thought
I would post it on the forum to see how well it works. I encourage all
of you to participate in the forum by posting your own writings and
thoughts or if you are blessed by something you have read or had sent to
you. Our desire is to exalt CHRIST and to declare the gospel of HIS
free and sovereign grace. I hope this will be of benefit to all who
participate.
Blessings, mike
GRACE GAZETTE
Volume XVIIIIssue 52
/Published occasionally for Zion’s mourners/
/Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;And
make straight pathsfor your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out
of the way; but let it rather be healed.Hebrews 12::12-13/
EVERLASTING MERCY AND ENDURING TRUTH//
//
/For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth
to all generations./
/Psalm 100:5///
////The terms “mercy” and “truth” appear together in twenty-two verses
of the OT.In many ways we can certainly say that they are inseparable
concepts.The MERCY of GOD and HIS TRUTH are met together in CHRIST and
HIS MERCY is manifested in HIM who is the TRUTH, just as HIS TRUTH is
demonstrated in HIS MERCY.Moses asked to see the LORD’s glory, when he
met with the LORD on Mount Sinai, for HE was hidden from Moses’ view by
the clouds, fire, and smoke which surrounded HIM.
HE chose to reveal HIS glory to Moses by showing him HIS backside as HE
passed by, for the undimmed glory of the SOVEREIGN RULER of the universe
cannot be looked upon by mortal men. /“And he said, _Thou canst not see
my face_: for _there shall no man see me, and live_. And the LORD said,
Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it
shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a
clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And
I will take away mine hand, and _thou shalt see my back parts_: but my
face shall not be seen.” (Exo 33:20-23/)
The LORD was in no wise obligated to shew HIMSELF to Moses, and we see
that the revelation which was given to Moses, (even though it was in
part; see I Cor. 13:9-12) was, in itself, a demonstration of HIS mercy
to an unworthy sinner.In fact, the very thing which the LORD defined as
“/HIS glory”/is HIS mercy.“/And he /(i.e.; Moses)/said, I beseech thee,
_shew me thy glory_. And he /(i.e.; the LORD)/said, I will make _all my
goodness_ pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD
before thee; and _will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will
shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy_.” (Exo 33:18-19/)
The “/glory of the LORD/” is seen in HIS /“goodness/” (i.e.; HIS
delight, joy, and blessing).HIS “/goodness/” is manifested in HIS
willingness to show mercy to the sons of men.Nothing can prevent HIS
bestowal of that mercy, as HE declares HIS sovereign right to dispense
that mercy as HE sees fit.And who could bring any accusation against HIM
if HE withholds mercy from some.Mercy would not be mercy if it is not
sovereignly dispensed according to HIS pleasure and not the merits of
the recipient.For then it would be the payment of a debt, of which the
LORD has none.
Therefore, when we discuss the mercy of GOD; any such discussion must be
attended with the truth which the scriptures declare concerning that
mercy and the ONE who is pleased to show it according to HIS own
prerogative.The LORD prepares the hearts of those to whom HE will show
mercy by causing them to confess that apart from HIS mercy they will
surely perish.The publican who went up to the temple to pray went down
to his house “justified”, not because of something he said or thought,
but because he was an object of the LORD’s mercy which was manifested by
the convicting work of the SPIRIT of GOD which moved him to cry out to
the LORD.“/And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so
much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, _God be
merciful to me a sinner._” (Luke 18:13/)That man who is shown his need
for mercy is already a recipient of that mercy, for no man will seek the
LORD on his own. “/As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not
one: There is none that understandeth, _there is none that seeketh after
God_.” (Rom 3:10-11) /We praise HIM for HIS mercy.
David manifested the work of the SPIRIT of GOD in him, when he was
confronted with his sin by the prophet Nathan.Those words, “/thou art
the man/”, went into his heart like a dagger, and he was in a moment
brought down to that same condition of which Daniel writes, “/there
remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into
corruption, and I retained no strength.” (Dan 10:8/) We read David’s
confession and desperate plea “/_Have mercy upon me, O God, according to
thy lovingkindness_//: according unto the multitude of thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my
transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only,
have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be
justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I
was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psa
51:1-5/)None who seek HIS mercy will be turned away, for it is GOD which
works in them both to will and to do of HIS good pleasure, according as
HE dispenses HIS mercy.
Thus, it is the confession of all who have tasted that the LORD is
gracious, that HIS mercy is “/everlasting”./We cannot trace its
beginning and HIS promise and faithfulness ensures that it will have no
end.Nothing about HIS mercy in anywise depends upon the recipients of
it./“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1Thes 5:24)
“But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious,
longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.” (Psa 86:15) “The LORD
hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jer
31:3)/The objects of HIS love (i.e.; HIS elect, the called according to
HIS purpose) are the recipients of HIS “everlasting mercy.”
John tells us, “/For the law was given by Moses, but _grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ_. No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, _he hath declared
him_.” (John 1:17-18/)JESUS CHRIST is the only manifestation of GOD by
whom a man may have knowledge of HIS TRUTH.Apart from seeing the MAN
CHRIST JESUS, a man can neither see nor know the TRUE AND LIVING GOD,
besides whom there is none else.
HE is that ONE who is the BEGINNING and THE END by whom all things were
made, and without HIM was nothing made. /“I have made the earth, the man
and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my
outstretched arm, and _have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me_.”
(Jer 27:5)“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him,
and for him: And he is before all things, and _by him all things
consist_.” (Col 1:16-17/)
Thus, when HE told HIS disciples, “/I am the way, _the truth_, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6/); HE was
not merely claiming to be speaking truth, but that HE is the very
embodiment of TRUTH.No man can know the truth apart from knowing HIM who
is that “/TRUTH which endureth to all generations.” /HE is that ONE who
is the SAVIOR of HIS people even before the world was created and sin
enveloped Adam and his offspring.No man has ever been justified nor been
received into the presence of GOD apart from being found in CHRIST.
HE is that “covering” which was given to Adam and Eve.HE is that SEED
which would bruise the head of the serpent.HE is that ARK in which Noah
and his family rode upon the flood.HE is that BOW which was set in the
CLOUDS.HE is that RAM caught in the thicket when Abraham would sacrifice
the PROMISED SEED upon Mt. Moriah.HE is that ROCK which followed the
children of Israel in the wilderness.HE is that CITY not made with
hands, which those confessed that they sought as strangers and pilgrims
in the earth.HE is that ONE who has come in the end of the age to pour
out HIS soul as an offering for sin in the behalf of all of that
“generation” which are HIS.HE is that ONE who rose victorious over sin,
death, and hell and made a show openly of all of HIS enemies, triumphing
over them and giving gifts unto those whom HE loves.
HE is the TRUTH which endures; HE who shall come again in flaming fire
taking vengeance on all who know not GOD, and who have not received a
love of the TRUTH that they might be saved. What a glorious SAVIOR is
HE. Full of mercy to all who call upon HIS NAME. /“Great and marvellous
are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King
of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for
thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee;
for thy judgments are made manifest.” (Rev 15:3-4) /Let us exalt HIS
NAME together.mam
