Yes, what a privilege we have to behold the Lord God Almighty who (as the prophets from afore declared) shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. He who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance. (Isaiah 40:10-12; John 10:11, 14-16; Hebrews 13:20; I Peter 2:25)
"Do ye not know? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in." (Isaiah 40:21-22; Romans 1:19)
Indeed, He Himself has revealed to us the greatest love story ever told! That is, God Himself after His kindness and love would willingly become our Saviour, shedding His precious blood on a cross, so that you and I could experience salvation in Him. (Titus 3:4-7) God manifest in the flesh, so that we might be be grafted in as a member of His family -- the body of Christ church. (I Timothy 3:16)
As John wrote, "He was in the world and the world was made by Him but the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not." (John 1:10-11)
And, as a consequence, He is the pearl of greatest treasure! This is why we (as believers in Jesus by faith) are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17; Psalm 40:9-10; Romans 3:21)
And in another place, "that the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith." (Romans 9:30; Romans 4:11)
Apostle Paul knew firsthand of the Lord God's abundant love and mercy for His beloved creation. As such, Paul was willing to go to great lengths to ensure that every single person he met knew of our Lord God and Saviour's endless mercy, His long-suffering and His love beyond measure. How the Lord God desired to call us "My people, which were not My people; and her beloved, which was not beloved ... and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not My people, there shall they be called the children of the living God." (Romans 9:25-26; Hosea 2:23; Isaiah 10:22-23; Romans 11:5)
Paul writes, "What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory -- even us, whom He hath called, not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles." (Romans 9:23-24; Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:28-30)
But the apostle also knew, like Habakkuk who had prophesied afore about the Israelites -- that his brethren were not saved and his heart was heavy with concern for them. As the scripture states, "But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness hath not attained the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; as it is written, "Behold, I lay in S/Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offence; and whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 9:32-33)
These did not accept the Rock, the Head of the body of Christ church, the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.
Nevertheless, Paul's heart desired that these would be saved. Paul writes, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is this -- that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes." (Romans 10:1-4)
This same message -- that Christ fulfilled the law so that we can be saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God -- is evident throughout Paul's epistle to both the saints at Ephesus and in Galatia. Indeed, Paul declared that if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise. But as the scripture points out, "God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore [asks Paul] then serve the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the SEED should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one but [nevertheless] God is one!" (Galatians 3:18-20)
And in Jesus did the SEED of promise come. The one and only mediator between God and man -- the veil torn from heaven to earth, so that we who were once sinners without hope, could be redeemed.
"Does this mean that the law then is against the promises of God?" Of course not, but rather, if reveals to us that if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have and would have been by the law. But there was not a law. So instead, the scripture hath concluded that all are under sin so "that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." (Galatians 3:21-22)
What promise? The promise of God in Christ. (Galatians 3:17; Romans 4:13) And to thy seed which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16) That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:14) Note that His plan of salvation was decided by God before the creation of the world -- "the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed." (Galatians 3:8)
Therefore, as we now know, the law is not of faith, which explains why Christ has redeemed us FROM the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written; "Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree." (Galatians 3:13; Romans 8:3-4; Deuteronomy 21:23; Romans 4:5, 9, 16; Isaiah 49:6; Romans 3:29-30) But there is more.
As we know, Paul experienced great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart for his brethren -- "my kinsmen according to the flesh; who are Israelites to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came -- who is over all [the eternally blessed] God forever," because Paul wanted to see them saved.
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed form Christ for my brethren ..." (Romans 9:1)
Paul's intention in writing was for us to understand that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. (Romans 10:4) And that we are saved by faith and not of works. And, that it is by faith we stand. (II Corinthians 1:24) Likewise, that we might know the love of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus the Christ in our hearts because of the Word of faith which we preach. (Romans 10:8)
Stand in the offering plate.
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