Mercy for the Righteous!  By James Lantz

      God’s mercy for his people who fear him is so great, its greatness is compared to heaven being high above the earth.  Ps. 103:17&18  But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and his righteousness unto children’s children; to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.  Our merciful God desires that all of his children be blessed beyond measure.  John 10:10 .  .  .  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  Eph. 2:4  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us.  Our dear heavenly Father has already provided every good thing for us in Christ Jesus.  Eph. 1:3&4  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.  Notice that God said these great blessings are for the righteous, those that are holy and without blame. God is a righteous God, there is no unrighteousness in him. Unrighteousness or anything unclean can never enter the presence of God. Jesus, our high priest, is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. (see Heb. 7:26)  I am not at all diminishing the fact that God loves the sinner. God loved us while we were yet sinners and made a way for us to come into his presence through the righteousness of his Son, Jesus Christ. There is a vast difference from being loved by God and experiencing God’s love. God loves all but not all love God. Jesus said that if you love me you will obey me. Jesus is the word become flesh. If we do not obey the word of God we do not obey Jesus and the Father. Because Jesus desired everyone to receive blessings he spoke strongly to the disobedient ones desiring them to repent. In chapter seven of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus said, I never knew you, depart from me, you that work iniquity. Those who are righteous do works of righteousness. The ones that do the word of God are the ones that get the blessing’s.  James 1:25 … he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. Notice that James calls being a doer of the word, work. Jesus said that the work of God is to believe. The faith of God works by love. Our believing is effectual as we walk in love (obedience). There are many different opinions on what God will accept. Some seem to think there is no fault Christianity, no matter what, its not my fault.  Luke 18:13&14  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.  This man acknowledged his sin and was willing to be corrected and you can be sure he received mercy. Some act as if the purpose for God’s grace is for them to live an unholy life.  Romans 6:1&2 .  .  .  Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?   Our dying to self and making Jesus Lord of our lives frees us from the power of sin. Jesus broke the power of sin and death when he was raised from the dead.  Romans 6:12  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  Christ gives us the power to resist sin when we make the decision to obey him. Some want the power to resist sin and then they will consider if they will obey God. It doesn’t work that way, make the commitment first and the power of God will be there to bring you victory. Some want to feel healed first and then believe, but that is not how faith works. We will be held accountable to the truth of God’s word, so if we are wise, we will form our belief from God’s word. Those who are truly born again do not want to sin because their nature has been changed.  1 John 3:7&8  Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  We know that the works of the devil are stealing, killing and destroying. When Adam betrayed the Lord God he took on the nature of the devil. What Adam lost in the garden Jesus bought back through his sacrificial death, substitutional punishment, and glorious resurrection. When we were born again our nature was changed and we now have the nature of God.  Eph. 2:5  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved).   Rom. 6:6   Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  Our old sinful nature was buried with Christ when he died and our new nature is in Christ  through his resurrection.  Gal. 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live  by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  Our flesh has not been redeemed yet and if we don’t keep it in submission to the word of God it will want to take up the old nature that we have been redeemed from. This confuses some folk because they don’t realize that the resurrection power of Jesus Christ only empowers them as they choose obedience to  God and take authority over their flesh. Their flesh has had its way for so long they have a fight on their hands. The one you feed will rule. Righteousness is given to us through faith in Jesus Christ. God’s righteousness is what qualifies us to come into his throne room and receive grace. As we act on the word of God the flesh is brought into submission and eventually trained.  2 Cor. 7:1   Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  This may be a foreign concept to those who believe in no fault Christianity but God is not going to do for you what he has told you to do. God has victory for everyone who will believe!  1 John 5:4  For what so ever is born of God over cometh the world: and this is the victory that over cometh the world, our faith.  Believing is a choice, we can believe the truth (God’s word) just as easily as we can believe a lie. The devil would like people to think that they just can’t overcome the wicked desires of the flesh. Find the word of God that applies to your need and meditate on it until you believe it.  John 8:31&32 .  .  .  If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  Living a righteous life is not what we try to do to earn God’s favor but rather what we do because of who we are. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  2 Cor. 5:21For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.  This righteousness does not come on us when we get to heaven but rather the very moment we believe God. In fact if we are not righteous now in this life we are not going to heaven.  Rom. 5:1&2  Therefore being justified (made righteous) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. God’s mercy is reserved for his righteous ones!