The Messiah’s Secret – Grace and Truth
Jeremiah 31: 7 – 14. John 1: 10-18.
Happy New Year
Below: I made a Bible out of re-cycled cardboard. The board I cover with lining paper. The front cover opens and is kept closed with a small piece of Velcro half way along the front edge.
From within the Bible we find God’s amazing grace and truths.
John said that Jesus was full of grace and truth.
I placed inside the Bible various items that relate to God’s grace and truth.
‘God’s riches at Christ’s expense.’
Five people held the letters G.R.A.C.E and T.R.U.T.H plus symbols.
G. God’s word full of grace and truth.
R. The Riches of his love for his chosen people Israel.
A. An Agreement between God and King David that one of his descendants would be the Saviour, the Messiah.
C. Christ was born in Bethlehem.
E. Expense to God, He sent His Son into the world born of a woman to lay down his life for the forgiveness of sin and reconcile us to God the Father. Truth
T. Truth reveals the living word Jesus who is the light of the world.
R. Jesus’ righteousness transforming a person’s heart by faith.
U. Personal Understanding and knowledge of the Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit.
T. The Treasure of the gift of the Holy Spirit with all his gifts given to us. H. The household of believers, brothers and sisters in Christ. We look to Jesus’ words in scripture written down in the New Testament.
St Mary’s Church and a picture representing the congregation. Scripture verses relating to Grace and Truth were given out.
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The New Year is the time when we think about what are God’s purposes and plans that he has for us this coming year.
In our reading Jeremiah prophesied about God’s plan regarding Israel’s future and it is generally thought of by theologians as referring to the second coming where the Messiah restores and leads the nation after the battle of Armageddon has taken place.
Jeremiah prophesied on several occasions that God would raise up the Branch, the shepherd who would gather the sheep from far and wide bringing them back to their own land. Jeremiah 23: 5, 6. 33: 12,
In our reading Chapter 31 verse 7 the church is looking on with great rejoicing, as we will witness the chief shepherd, the Messiah bringing Israel into his grace and truth, Zechariah prophesied that they will recognise the one they had pierced, despite all their failings Israel is saved by grace.
The Messiah’s Secret Revealed
Were John wrote that Jesus was not recognised as the Messiah, “He came to his own home, and his own people received him not.” At Pentecost for the first time the disciples proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah that God had by the definite plan and foreknowledge of God had been crucified and raised up by God fulfilling King David’s prophesies, Peter said, “ David foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.” After the resurrection and ascension was the time for the nations leaders to receive Jesus as their Messiah, not before his death.
However, on his second coming the Israeli and the nations leaders will recognise Jesus as the Messiah, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they had pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one weeps for the first-born.” Zechariah 12: 10.
However, on his second coming the Israeli and the nations leaders will recognise Jesus as the Messiah, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they had pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one weeps for the first-born.” Zechariah 12: 10.
Another meaning to the word GRACE – undeserved giving by God. Jeremiah prophesied that the Messiah will turn Israel’s mourning into joy, as he gathers his people from among the nations, comforting them turning their sorrow into gladness, with an abundance of blessings including provision like that of a well watered garden and all by grace which is the reality of faith in Christ that we enjoy today.
God does not look at our offences, but as a loving Father looks at his child .
Truth
Truth brings into reality John’s words “But to all who receive him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born not of blood or the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God.” The truth about Jesus having reconciled us to God out of God’s love for us.
Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians 2: 7, 8.“In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Jesus Christ. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
We enter into God’s grace through faith in Jesus God’s love that is undeserved by us and it is not judgemental.
On Oct 3rd I attended the Annual Conference of ‘Proclaim Trust’ founded by Barry Woodward, it was held at ‘The Bridge Church Bolton. The worship leader Mark Stevens told us his story he started in the entertainment industry in 1985, playing ‘Nick Page’ in ‘Neighbours’. But Mark’s life went on a downward spiral when he was gripped by drug and alcohol addiction in his late teens. By the age of 26, he had lost everything. Then in 1996, Mark cried to God, and he was completely transformed.
Mark said that one day he was playing the piano at home and when he stopped playing the music carried on and he heard angels singing all around him. It reminds me of the shepherd’s who saw and heard the angels singing when Christ was born.
Jesus by his grace accepts people where they are, when they turn to Jesus in faith. Jesus and the Holy Spirit bring about transformation of a person’s heart, so the truth about Jesus becomes real, we can’t see God, but we can experience God when we receive Jesus’ Spirit.
The apostle Peter wrote that we grow in grace and knowledge and the writer of Hebrews that our hearts are strengthened by grace, these we find are linked with serving, working for the kingdom with Jesus.
Mark 16: 20, 21 “The the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.”
In prayer we have access to the throne of grace because we are God’s children
Tad Lincoln the son of Abraham Lincoln He used his position as the son of the president to gain instant access to see his father.
When a person wanting to see the president entered the White House, they gave their calling card to the valet. The valet would take the cards in order and then put them in a stack on a table. Tad made a regular habit of chatting with those waiting. If the person had a particularly urgent need: grieving widow, an unemployed family man and so forth — then Tad would help matters along, he moved that person’s card to the top of the pile. As we are God’s children we have the ear of Almighty God and we bring people’s needs to him and it can be any time night or day.
Grace and truth becomes a faith reality, in all those answers to prayer and those God co-incidences that have become part of our daily lives.
Our Parochial Church Council are stepping out in faith having booked the Evangelist Barry Woodward to come to St Mary’s ‘A Meal with a Message’ A God co-incidence: back in November in conversation with Laura our Warden we discussed the day and date that this event could take place and Laura suggested April. The following day I spoke to Barry’s Event Manager and he said to me, ‘We can only offer you one date April 14th’ I replied, “That’s just perfect exactly what we hoped for.”
We are expecting God’s grace on the evening as the truth shall release those who respond by setting them free. They shall be free indeed.