Source Bible What is the character of God? Exodus 34 6 reveals that The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness ad truth We need to consider the same closely. God is merciful and gracious. When we come to church,when we stand before God, even deep down skeptics expect to see a God merciful and gracious. We are made in one way or the other in the likeness of God. Paul says imitate Christ. Because Christ was merciful ang gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth. Christ through his innocent blood, gave a calling to all gentiles to salvation. Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. I dont think there is not even a child here who does not know the same. Today by the grace of God, we are allowed to enter the throne of grace, because we are washed by the blood of Christ. Today i want to concentrate on this throne of grace. Christianity is all about grace not after the resurrection of christ but even before it. Suppose i say let us all pray to God all day and night. Let us inquire the favour of God. Let us pray till we see the favour of God. Trust me we are all not going to stay here for even one hour. Even if we stood, first hour i guarantee that we will bless the God by praise, then we will bless the God by tiredness, then we will bless God with irritation. Remember God could easily have created Adam with a lowly spirit. Adam would never have sinned. Adam would worship God with all his might. Jesus need not have come because all the sons of Adam would not have known sin. But what if God did not make Adam. But created this world and made every provision required for survival and then made the first man. Even more importantly with a mind and will of his own. God wanted that when man worshipped him, the words uttered to praise God must come from his heart. God wanted to look down on man and see the mind of man earnestly searching God. In human wisdom, giving free will to man would have been stupid. But no father would like see his son retarded. God did not want a retarded son. But somebody who can reflect the goodness of God. Grace was the first thing shown into this world. Adam was then taken to garden and given laws as to how to maintain the garden. Adam however went his way and man fell apart from God. Jacob in christian view is best explained as fox. Elders in the family are entitled to a double portion. Jacob tricked esau to sell his right as elder. Jacob and his mother successfully tricked Issac to bless jacob instead of Esau. Suppose in a family of two children today, what if the younger child tricked and acquired the whole family property, there would be a scandel, lawsuits. But God the ultimate judge showered his grace on Jacob Malachi 1 2:3 Jacob I have loved Esau i did not. When Israel was due to be rescued from Eygpt, you dont see Moses saying, Israel here is the laws follow them then i will deliver you. Israel was not asked questions, Moses did not plan with Israel on what how to ease their slavery, Moses did not create a labour union and demand from Pharoh for more salary. Israel heard only one thing, God of Abraham and Jacob has called you to come into a land flowing with milk and honey to worship him. A promise of peace a promise of safety. Israel people could have easily attacked Eygpt. Remember the main concern of Pharoah was Israel was Increasing with number. Israel did not take possession of chariots and carts no. With great Divine deliverance Israel simply walked out of Eygpt. Then the law was imparted. Abraham was called by God from the land of the chaldeans with the promise of a nation. Abraham was given Canaan. But at the time of Jacob and his twelve sons, they went down to Eygpt, hearing the promise of a pharoah. There the people of Israel forgot their God. God could also have done the same thing. Okay i tried and these people are no good. Let us try someone else. We know the word of God delivered to Moses in the burning bush I have heard the oppression of my people, I have come down to deliver them. Jesus comes from the lineage of David. Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary. Joseph is of the lineage of king SOlomon.After Jeconiah God said no son of David would ever sit in throne of Judah. So if Jesus is the biological son of Joseph, the curse would also have been with him. Jesus being the Son of God makes perfect sense. But unlike Joseph, Mary is the biological mother of Jesus. When the serpent was cursed in Genesis, God has said I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed . he shall bruise your Head and you shall bruise his heel. Now when we look at Luke 3:23 we understand the author Luke is explaining the lineage of mary and not of Joseph. Mary was of the house of Nathan, son of David and Joseph was of solomon. Now we know at time of Zerubabbel (book of Haggai), both houses intermarried. In both house lineages Zerubabbel is mentioned. Now we know why Zerubabbel was called by God as a Signet Ring Haggai 2:23. Now how do Luke and Mathew know this lineage so well. Make no mistake about it they did not make it up. Jews always in expectation of a Messiah used to keep there lineages recorded in office. David was a man after God's own heart. David is the only man ever acknowledged by God for the same. God showered grace upon David, picked him up from being a shepherd boy to be the king of Judah and then the King of Israel. Whereever David went he acted sensibly, he enquired of the Lord before even taking a step. God blessed him abundantly. But David's heart burned for God, One day he asks Nathan the prophet, see i live in a House of Cedar while the ark of God lives in a tent 2nd Samuel 7:1. In the same chapter God makes a covenant with David thru Nathan the prophet for an everlasting house. Jesus fulfills that prophesy. Kingdom of Jesus is established in that promise. We are all children of Adam. Not in spiritual sense, but in every meaning. If we start a long search, i am sure we can trace our ancestory back to noah somehow. When we look at this world and all the relilgion and all the non existant gods, i am sure we can understand Devil has been very busy. In every country practically we can see a cut down, customized god.But then again Israel was no different. Jeremiah talks explicity about a really pissed off God saying, I delivered these people and they pour drink to the queen of heaven. Malachi, the last prophet in the old testament book prophesised the Lord's word saying "My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the LORD Almighty." Israel was called God's son, Israel did not turn out to be any different from any other nation in terms of idolatry and sin . Jesus Christ is the grace of God so that nations can know the love of God and return to the same. Same people say India was under British rule today it is free. Grace precedes law. That is the true nature of God. God shows his grace to all who calls on his name. Because God is not us. God is merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding
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