Glad to see the new look!
On Saturday, December 19, 2020, 1:59:41 PM EST, <fharris80@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
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Roman;}Bros. this a blessing to a lot of people local& i send on to Norway
,Russia ,Africa & India. I pray you & the Church there have a good Christmas.
Francis.
----- Original Message -----
From: Don Martin <dmartinsr@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: forthepoor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, 19 Dec 2020 10:28:44 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [forthepoor] Re: grace gazette
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Received OK, thanks to Al for his expertise in setting up the forum. May
Christ be ever glorified!
Bro. DON
From: forthepoor-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:forthepoor-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
On Behalf Of mike mcinnis
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2020 10:15 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: [forthepoor] grace gazette
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 XVIII Issue 52
Published occasionally for Zion’s mourners
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make
straight paths for 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
