30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 24 50-53 THE BLESSING OF GOD 04 16May2022 Luke 24 50-51 Always in the grace of God
📖 Luke 24:50-53
04 – 16May2022 – Always in the grace of God - Luke 24:50-53 - THE BLESSING OF GOD - Bible reading: Romans 9:15-16
“Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are calling us to live in Your blessing. Your ways are far higher than our ways. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.”
Luke 24:50-51 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. (51) Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
We have been considering the Aaronic blessing.
Numbers 6:25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
We will now ponder over God being gracious to us. God’s grace is a huge subject but we will look at some aspects of God’s grace.
Exodus 33:19 Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
When we come to God, we must place ourselves at His mercy. This is what man resists. Man wants to come to God in a contractual relationship. Man expects God to fulfil His part of the contract since he has completed his.
God resists the proud. James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."
God is gracious.
Romans 9:15-16 For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOMEVER I WILL HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOMEVER I WILL HAVE COMPASSION." (16) So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
As we seek to follow the Lord, He keeps us by His grace. Yes, we must follow and obey His word. These matters cannot be put aside, yet it is all about God’s grace. We cannot stand before God and claim that our ways are aligned with His, but we stand before Him acknowledging His grace.
This is the brokenness that is required of us that we always are in His grace, though we intentionally exercise our will to surrender and submit to Him, again, by His grace.
Malachi 1:2-3 "I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" Says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved; (3) But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness."
There is a huge difference between Israel and the people surrounding Israel. Why has this happened? This is the grace of God. “Jacob I have loved but Esau I have hated”.
Apostle Paul grapples with this matter of God’s grace.
Romans 9:17-26 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I HAVE RAISED YOU UP, THAT I MAY SHOW MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MAY BE DECLARED IN ALL THE EARTH." (18) Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. (19) You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?" (20) But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, "Why have you made me like this?" (21) Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
God raised up the Pharoah in order to reveal His power in him and declare His name on all the earth. Can we question God for His ways? He is gracious.
(22) What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, (23) and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, (24) even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? (25) As He says also in Hosea: "I WILL CALL THEM MY PEOPLE, WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, AND HER BELOVED, WHO WAS NOT BELOVED." (26) "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD."
There is no way by which human logic can explain the ways of God. We can only fall before Him in worship for HE IS GRACIOUS.
Why has the Lord chosen you and me, out of the millions of people in this world, on whom He has shown His wonderful work? This is His grace.
Romans 9:10-14 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (11) (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), (12) it was said to her, "THE OLDER SHALL SERVE THE YOUNGER ." (13) As it is written, "JACOB I HAVE LOVED, BUT ESAU I HAVE HATED." (14) What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!
We do not know on whom God will be gracious. Ours is to be His witnesses, pleading with people to surrender to Christ.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. (9) "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Thought to ponder
Are you living in obedience to Him and by His grace?