Jesus, Manifestation Of God’s Mercy! By James Lantz

     The Father’s desire to have you and me be a part of his family was conceived many years ago before the foundation of the world. Being love, he wanted someone like himself who would receive his love, and love him in return. Knowing that man would yield to the temptation to do evil, God in his mercy had an agreement with Jesus to suffer the punishment for our sins.  1 Peter 1:20  Who (Jesus) verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. Satan could not comprehend that God would have Jesus, who knew no sin, become sin for us. Sin will cause a person to become dull, blind, and stupid. Those whose minds are set on evil can not come to God unless they acknowledge the truth of God’s righteousness and their need of his great mercy.  John 1:12&13  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  God has always been a God of great mercy! He created Adam and Eve in his own image and likeness, giving them dominion over the fish, the birds, the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth. Then God placed his blessing on them, commanding and empowering them to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish, the birds and every creeping thing. Adam lost his dominion and place of favor through his betrayal of the Father. Our God of mercy did not give up on his family but immediately prophesied to the serpent that there was one coming that would break his head. Down through history there were always those who received God’s mercy and grace.  Gen. 6:8  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  David was a man who loved God with all his heart but in a time of prosperity backslid, putting his own fleshly desires ahead of God. Lust led to adultery and adultery led to a pregnancy out of wedlock, which led to murder. The devil doesn’t advertise sin with the end result being death, he tempts you with the pleasure of it. The devil is a dirty liar! He told Eve (and Adam was right there), you will not surely die. Sin is progressive with the end being death. Rom. 6:21  What fruit had ye then in those things (sin) whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.  God’s mercy was on Abraham’s descendants because of his covenant. The children of Israel cried out to the Lord from the hard bondage placed on them by Pharaoh and God heard them and delivered them from Egypt. The Lord showed himself strong against Pharaoh with signs and wonders that everyone might know that he is God of all the earth. God divided the sea for his people to escape and drowned Pharaoh and the Egyptian army when they followed Israel into the sea. God led his people with the cloud by day and fire by night. He spoke to them on Mount Sinai and gave them right statutes and commandments. He made known to them the Holy Sabbath. He gave them bread from heaven and water out of the rock for their thirst and promised them that they should possess the land he had sworn to give them. But then the children of Israel dealt proudly, hardening their necks, and refusing to obey God’s commands, and forgetting the wonders God performed for them in Egypt, even appointing a captain to take them back into bondage. Even then God was still ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, forsook them not. Their rebellion climaxed in refusing to enter the promised land, saying they would die in the wilderness. God could not allow them to enter the promised land but gave them over to the reward of their lips. Even after all of their rebellion God was still merciful to them in the wilderness for forty years.  Nehemiah 9:19 — 21  Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.  Wow, God is so merciful to those who repent!  Nehemiah 9:31  Nevertheless for thy great mercies sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.   Many times the children of Israel became proud and rebelled against the Lord, bringing judgement on themselves because of their sins. Every time they repented, God would deliver and restore because of his great love and mercy. God still gives grace and mercy to undeserving people who humble themselves and believe in his goodness. If we were to just think naturally about how God could be merciful to us, after we were willfully disobedient to him, we never could have thought God’s salvation possible. We would have figured that never again could it be as good as it was in the garden of Eden. But the salvation Jesus brought to us exceeds what Adam lost in the garden. We have been made righteous and restored into fellowship with the Father! We have been made sons and daughters of the most High God! We are seated with Christ at the Father’s right hand in heavenly places! God refers to our salvation as, so great salvation, and warns us not to let it slip from us.

Facts about this Great Salvation

1. No one could have fellowship or favor with God because of their sin. (Everyone needs salvation)
   • But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Isaiah 64:6
   • Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand   Mt. 4:17
   • For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God . Rom. 3:23

2. God gave Jesus to everyone in this world as a free gift! (Only Jesus can make you righteous)  If you do well, shall you not be accepted? Gen. 4.•7

1. • For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, John 3:16 whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:21

Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Acts 10:34 & 35

3. Jesus brought a complete salvation! (spirit, soul, and body, way more than we could have dreamed) – Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with  unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? 2 Cor. 6:14

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John

1. • Beloved, I pray above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.3John2

4. Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Ghost! ( God’s best gift to the believer)

1. • All four gospels record that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Ghost. (Mt.3:1 1 Mk. 1:8 Lk. 3:16 John 1:33)
   • Don’t go out to minister until you have been baptized with the Holy Ghost and power (Acts 1:4-8 & 10:38)
   • Jesus did not do any miracles until after he was baptized with the Holy Ghost and we won’t either
   • Jesus is our example, he brought God’s mercy to us. (John 14:12 Acts 2:4 1 John 2:6)
   • symptoms (actions) of those who are filled with the Holy Ghost (praising God, speaking in tongues, magnifying God, prophesying, visions & dreams, signs & wonders, speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, giving thanks, submitting to authority, kingdom first mindset, ect.)