Our God - Gracious and Compassionate
Psalm 145:8
The Hebrew Scriptures describe the God of Creation as Gracious and Compassionate.
[This is the 1st message of this series]
In previous lessons we have discussed that the Christian Scriptures revealed the God of Creation as having compassion with everyday people, because He became one of us. He went through the same things we are going through.
Funeral
Have you ever attended a funeral or memorial service where the bereaved were unconsolable?
Many of us wouldn't even begin to understand how they can be so distraught. Many will have no idea as to what was going on with them, what they were thinking, how they are feeling. That is unless we too have undergone the same loss, and experienced the same pain, the same grief, the same hopeless or helpless situation, or felt the very same emotions.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth
Jesus Christ of the Christian bible is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the Word who created everything. He became human flesh and lived among us.
He experienced hunger, thirst, homelessness, loss of loved ones, the same human emotions in human frailties.
He was slandered, betrayed, arrested, abandoned, struck, humiliated, made to carry His cross where He will be nailed to, hung and left to die, stripped naked for all to gaze at and to mock and jeer at.
He had no father, no spouse, no children, no earthly riches, no reputation.
He received 40 lashes less one and died in the most himiliating and excrutiating way.
Jesus is the Gracious and Compassionate God in human form -- taking the penalty and punishment of God's judgment upon the world.
God revealed Himself to humankind in this manner so as to demonstrate that He is that Compassionate God.
True, God is the judge, The Holy Spirit is our defense attorney. But Jesus became the accused, for He took our place on the judgment seat.
He went through these for humankind's redemption and reconciliation with Our Heavenly Father, the God of Creation (when we believe).
It is Finished
Everything has been done for us, the lost sheep to be found and be safely carried back home on the shoulders of the Great Shepherd, if we are willing.
He showed us the Way. He is the Light to our path. He is the Truth, regardless if we believe or not. And He will not force us to. He is ever so Gracious.
And He is calling us through the pages of Scriptures, using ordinary people empowered by the Spirit of Christ to reveal Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the long awaited, prophesied Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Will you listen to His call?
Even today, His invitation is open to everyone, to you, wherever you are in the world, whatever you are going through, whatever condition you are in.
Jesus is calling to you..."come."
"come as you are.."
"come to me..."
"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and ‘you will find rest for your souls.’ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Everything has been done, so you would come...
The Message Paraphrase puts the invitation of Jesus this way:
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30
In previous lessons we have discussed that the Christian Scriptures revealed the God of Creation as having compassion with everyday people, because He became one of us. He went through the same things we are going through.
Funeral
Have you ever attended a funeral or memorial service where the bereaved were unconsolable?
Many of us wouldn't even begin to understand how they can be so distraught. Many will have no idea as to what was going on with them, what they were thinking, how they are feeling. That is unless we too have undergone the same loss, and experienced the same pain, the same grief, the same hopeless or helpless situation, or felt the very same emotions.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth
Jesus Christ of the Christian bible is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the Word who created everything. He became human flesh and lived among us.
He experienced hunger, thirst, homelessness, loss of loved ones, the same human emotions in human frailties.
He was slandered, betrayed, arrested, abandoned, struck, humiliated, made to carry His cross where He will be nailed to, hung and left to die, stripped naked for all to gaze at and to mock and jeer at.
He had no father, no spouse, no children, no earthly riches, no reputation.
He received 40 lashes less one and died in the most himiliating and excrutiating way.
Took Our Place
Jesus is the Gracious and Compassionate God in human form -- taking the penalty and punishment of God's judgment upon the world.
God revealed Himself to humankind in this manner so as to demonstrate that He is that Compassionate God.
True, God is the judge, The Holy Spirit is our defense attorney. But Jesus became the accused, for He took our place on the judgment seat.
He went through these for humankind's redemption and reconciliation with Our Heavenly Father, the God of Creation (when we believe).
It is Finished
Everything has been done for us, the lost sheep to be found and be safely carried back home on the shoulders of the Great Shepherd, if we are willing.
He showed us the Way. He is the Light to our path. He is the Truth, regardless if we believe or not. And He will not force us to. He is ever so Gracious.
And He is calling us through the pages of Scriptures, using ordinary people empowered by the Spirit of Christ to reveal Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the long awaited, prophesied Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Will you listen to His call?
Even today, His invitation is open to everyone, to you, wherever you are in the world, whatever you are going through, whatever condition you are in.
Jesus is calling to you..."come."
"come as you are.."
"come to me..."
"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and ‘you will find rest for your souls.’ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Everything has been done, so you would come...
The Message Paraphrase puts the invitation of Jesus this way:
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30
For mutiple generations, God sent His prophets to tell the Jewish people who He is.
Prophets of the Jewish Scriptures describe the God of Creation as:
And rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster and insight." Joel 2:13
for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Jonah 4:2b
But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Nehemiah 9:17b
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. Micah 7:18-20
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” Moses, Exodus 34:6-7
And rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster and insight." Joel 2:13
for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Jonah 4:2b
But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Nehemiah 9:17b
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. Micah 7:18-20
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” Moses, Exodus 34:6-7
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