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Daily Devotion May 23rd

Saturday 23^rd

We return today to from where we left off on Wednesday to consider the word riches.

Ephesians 2:7 ‘So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.’

Romans 2:4 ‘Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?’

I did a quick search on the internet to find out who the world’s richest people are. The search gave me this result:

1^st Jeff Bezos (Amazon) worth 143 billion dollars 2^nd Bill Gates (Microsoft founder) worth 106 billion dollars 3^rd Bernard Arnault & family worth 92 billion dollars. The interesting thing is that the site where I got these statistics from showed the gains or losses the individual had made over a 24-hour period, and Bill Gates had lost 10 million dollars the Arnault family had lost 572 million dollars!

This is a statement on the ‘Forbes’ list of the worlds’ wealthiest, ‘The richest people on Earth are not immune to the coronavirus. As the pandemic tightened its grip on Europe and America, global equity markets imploded, tanking many fortunes. As of March 18, when we finalized this list, Forbes counted 2,095 billionaires, 58 fewer than a year ago and 226 fewer than just 12 days earlier, when we initially calculated these net worths. Of the billionaires who remain, 51% are poorer than they were last year. In raw terms, the world’s billionaires are worth $8 trillion, down $700 billion from 2019.’ That was on March 18^th, it would be interesting to see the figures two months later in May!

The good news today is that in the last 24 hours God is still as rich as we was yesterday, as rich as he was last week, as rich as he was last month, as rich as he was last year and as rich as he ever has been! And the good news is the riches of God become available to us through Christ. We have touched over the last few days upon the riches of our God, here is a reminder:

Ephesians 2:4 Rich in mercy – his mercy is still available

Ephesians 2:7 Rich in grace – his grace is still available

Ephesians 3:16 Riches of glory – they are still available

Ephesians 3:18 Riches in Christ – they are still available

In our Scripture today Romans 2:4 we see the ‘riches of his kindness’ and thank God the riches of his kindness are still available. In the context of this Scripture we learn that we cannot depend upon the kindness of God by thinking that God is kind and think to ourselves as some do that in the end God will be gracious to all, and will save all (Universalism) rather it is showing us that we can only depend upon the kindness of God by accepting it as it has been revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ leading us to a place of repentance.

When Paul says in Ephesians 2:7 about the riches of God’s grace, he continues to show us how the grace is given to us ‘that . . . he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace IN KINDNESS toward us in Christ Jesus.’ Grace is God’s kindness towards us, we get what we do not deserve. We also read in Titus 3:4 ‘But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.’ (notice the word richly again)

I think it would be fair and honest to say that when it comes to showing kindness we can be quite fickle, we possibly find it easier to show kindness or to do acts of kindness towards some more than we would perhaps for others. We are willing to show kindness but more toward some than toward others. It depends upon the kind of relationship we have toward the other person.

God is rich in his kindness, which he brings to us through the Lord Jesus Christ, and the wonder is this that he does not show more kindness toward me than he does toward you and vice-versa. He loves us the same, he provides for us the same, he cares for us the same, he expresses his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus the same.

The kindness of God is incredible, because it means that we are continually, daily receiving all that God has made available for us; his love, his provision, his blessing, regardless, to use this phrase carefully, whether or not we deserve it. By this I mean that even though I may be unfaithful in my relationship to God in some way today, he will not withhold his kindness from me! Remember the Children of Israel as they were travelling through the wilderness after leaving Egypt, Scripture tells us that they were rebellious (Deuteronomy 9:7 ‘From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD’) and yet God in his kindness toward them still made provision for them. He provided water, manna, protection, and direction out of his unfailing kindness toward them.

A few weeks back we considered the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ and one of the proofs of the outworking of the Spirit in our lives should be kindness. Galatians 5:22-23 ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.’

As God has been rich in his kindness toward us may we also be rich in our kindness toward others.

Micah 6:8 ‘He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?’

Zechariah 7:9 ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another.’

Acts 28:2 ‘The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.’

Colossians 3:12 ‘Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.’

Proverbs 21:21 ‘Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honour.’

Open up the skies of mercy

And rain down the cleansing flood

Healing waters rise around us

Hear our cries Lord let them rise

It’s Your kindness Lord

That leads us to repentance

Your favor, Lord, is our desire

It’s Your beauty, Lord

That makes us stand in silence

Your love

Is better than life

We can feel

Your mercy falling

You are turning our hearts back again

Hear our praises rise to heaven

Draw us near Lord

Meet us here

^CCLI788682

Tags Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, Gateshead, Gods Kindness, Gods Riches, haydn greenow, Riches in KIndness

Devotions

Daily Devotion May 22nd

FRIDAY 22^nd– Hebrews 2:5-18

We continue with the subject of the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yesterday we looked at several Scriptures that pointed to Jesus being seated at the right hand of God. I deliberately left one out to use today because it brings us to our third point concerning the ascension.

It led to the High Priestly Ministry of Jesus. Hebrews 8:1 ‘Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.’

The whole of the redemption story should enthral us, the word enthral could be replaced with excite, capture, or captivate. It is such an amazing story but more important is the reality of its application in our hearts and in our lives. To be ‘saved’ means that we know this man Jesus as our Redeemer, Saviour. It means we belong to him and are found to be in him, Paul often uses the phrase ‘In Christ’, what a blessed position. But, knowing Jesus as our Saviour also means that he is also our Great High Priest. As our Great High Priest, he acts as an advocate in the presence of God on our behalf, he intercedes on our behalf. John, in his gospel tells us that ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’ (John 1:1-2,14) God became a man in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and he lived as a man, he died as a man, he was raised as a man, he ascended as a man and he intercedes for us as a man. Paul reminds us in his letter to Timothy, ‘For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:5) and what a great High Priest he is, he has presented himself to God as a sacrifice for our sin, he pleads in the presence of God on our behalf and he is a perfect intercessor because he has been where we are (yet without sin) and he is permanently sufficient for our eternal redemption. Hebrews 2:17-18 ‘Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.’

4. It means that Jesus can come again! Jesus promised his disciples in his final week with them that he was going to prepare a place for them and that he would come again and receive them so that they could be where he was. (John 14:1-3) On the day of his ascension, after Jesus was taken up, and while the disciples looked up into heaven the Scripture tells us ‘Two men stood by them in white robes, and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’ (Acts 1:10-11)

For Jesus to be able to fulfil his promise to the disciples about coming again, he would have to go or leave them, and on Ascension Day, that is what he did – he went, and where to? Up into heaven, into the presence of his Father. And because he has gone, it means not only can he come again, but that he will come again, first to the clouds to receive those who are ‘in Christ’, that is both the living and the dead, to take into his presence (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) but also to stand once again on the mount of Olives from where he will establish his millennial kingdom upon the earth. (Zechariah 14:4)

There is a man in the glory, he has been given a name which is above every name, he is crowned with glory and honour, he is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, he is interceding on our behalf and one day he will come and call us into his presence.

The Ascension is so important, it VERIFIES what Christ has done, for as he ascends the Father receives him back into his presence with a resounding ‘well done.’ It VINDICATES what he has done, for his victory is a permanent once for all-time victory, it VOUCHES for the future, we have a hope that is steadfast and sure.

Jesus is king and I will extol him

Give Him the glory, and honour His name

He reigns on high, enthroned in the heavens

Word of the Father, exalted for us

We have a hope that is steadfast and certain

Gone through the curtain and touching the throne

We have a Priest who is there interceding

Pouring His grace on our lives day by day

We come to Him, our Priest and Apostle

Clothed in His glory and bearing His name

Laying our lives with gladness before Him

Filled with His Spirit we worship the King

O Holy One, our hearts do adore You

Thrilled with Your goodness we give You our praise

Angels in light with worship surround Him

Jesus, our Saviour, forever the same

^{Wendy Churchill}^©^{1981 Springtide/Word Music/ CopyCare CCLI788682}

Tags Ascension, Ascension Day, emmanuelpentecostalchurchgateshead, Gateshead, Great High Priest, haydn greenow, Hebrews 2, Interceding, Lord Jesus Christ

Devotions

Daily Devotion May 21st

THURSDAY 21^st– Mark 16:19, Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:9-11

Today, Thursday 21st is known as Ascension Day in the Church calendar, as we can see from the readings, it is the day we recall when Jesus ascended back into heaven. He had come to provide redemption for mankind, his mission had been accomplished and he was returning to his Father.

Before lockdown, I mentioned while speaking on one occasion that I would look at the subject of the ascension when the time came, well, it has arrived and so I will put the thoughts down here in a simple study with Scriptures over two days for you to explore further.

We get used to remembering and celebrating Christmas, Easter and Pentecost every year, but non – conformist Churches (that is those who don’t conform to the Anglican or Roman Catholic tradition) can easily forget the important dates within the Church calendar because we don’t follow a set liturgy or lexicon.

Ascension Day is one of those days often overlooked or quickly passed over, but it is important within the context of the life, ministry, and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and his provision of salvation for lost humanity.

If he descended to be born as a babe in Bethlehem, and to die as a sacrifice for the sin of the world, and if he accomplished the sacrifice by being buried and raised from the dead then the moment he ascended back into his Fathers presence is important. I have used the word ‘if’ at the beginning of the last statement but we know that he did, he did descend, he did die, he did rise again from the dead, he did accomplish his Fathers will and as we see from our texts he did ascend back into heaven. This is all good news. When Jesus cried on the cross ‘it is finished’ he knew that he had accomplished all that was necessary to reconcile man back to God.

Here I will give some reasons why the ascension is important.

It led to his exaltation and his being glorified.

Acts 2:32-33a ‘This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God . . .’

Philippians 2:9-11 ‘Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’

Because of his obedience he has received what is rightfully his, the exalted position with a name which is above every other name and as the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.

David portrays the exaltation or the arrival of Jesus back into heaven in Psalm 24:7-10 ‘Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!’

The ascension is good news, it means the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf has been accepted, it means that the grave is empty, and the throne has become occupied! The following Scriptures remind us where Christ has been exalted to:

Ephesians 1:20 ‘That he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.’

Colossians 3:1 ‘If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.’

Hebrews 1:3-4 ‘He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.’

Hebrews 10:12 ‘But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.’

Hebrews 12:2 ‘Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.’

1 Peter 3:21-22 . . . through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.’

It led to the sending of the promised Holy Spirit.

Act2:33b ‘Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.’

In John 7 when Jesus had gone up to the Festival of Tabernacles it says that ‘on the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink . . . Now this he said about the Spirit . . . for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.’ (vv37-39) Jesus needed to ascend and to be glorified before the Holy Spirit could be sent to the waiting believers in the upper room.

In John 14 in conversation with his disciples, Jesus said, ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter / Helper, even the Spirit of truth . . .’ (John 14:16-17) Once he had ascended, and been exalted and glorified, he asked his Father and there on the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit arrived. (See also John 16:7 ‘Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.’)

Tomorrow we will look at some more reasons for the importance of the Ascension, it means we have a Great High Priest acting on our behalf in heaven and if he has returned to the Father, then it means that according to his promise, he will come again!

He is exalted

The King is exalted on high

I will praise Him

He is exalted, forever exalted

And I will praise His name

He is the Lord

Forever His truth shall reign

Heaven and earth

Rejoice in His holy name

He is exalted

The King is exalted on high

^{Twila Paris CCLI788682}

Tags Acts 1:9-11, Ascension, Ascension Day, Christian Calendar, Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, Exalted, Gateshead, Glorified, haydn greenow, Luke 24, Mark 16

Devotions

Daily Devotion May 20th

WEDNESDAY 20^th – Reading in the verses below

Yesterday we contemplated the wonder of the love and the wisdom of God, we will spend a little longer on this again today. First take at look at the following Scriptures and meditate upon them. They all link in with what we looked at yesterday concerning the immensity of the wisdom and the love of God. They remind us that God is in control and that he knows exactly what he is doing in the circumstances of our lives.

Romans 11:33-36 ‘Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counsellor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.’

Romans 8:28 ‘And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.’

Job 11:7-9 ‘Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.’

Psalm 92:5 ‘How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!’

Isaiah 55:8-9 ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’

Isaiah 28:29 ‘This also comes from the LORD of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.’

You may recall in last Saturdays devotion I asked a question as to whether we have ever felt angry with God, today these verses could prompt us to ask, how often have we questioned what God is doing in the circumstances of our lives? I know I have, many times, and each time I come back to rest in the assurance that even though I may not understand what God is doing, I know that he knows. In fact, it is amazing how many times over the last few months that somehow or someway God has taken me (and as a result through the devotions, you as well) back to Romans 8:28. AND today I believe he wants us to stand upon the assurance that this Scripture gives.

This has been a much shorter than usual devotion, but the reason is this, I have to act on instinct, or should I say the conviction the Holy Spirit puts in my spirit to stop here and challenge each one of us to tell the Lord that we trust him despite whatever our circumstances may be, as we acknowledge him in all our ways, he will direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I’ve come too far to look back

My feet have walked through the valley

I’ve climbed mountains, crossed rivers

Desert places I’ve known

But I’m nearing the home shore

The redeemed are rejoicing

Heaven’s angels are singing

I’ve come too far to look back

I’ve come too far to look back again

There is nothing behind me

All the treasures I used to love

Have all faded from view

There’s a new day ahead for me

All my heartache is over

For I left it at Calvary

Where my new life began

Look around, there’s no happiness

There’s no reason for living

Life will give you a broken dream

Filled with heartaches and fear

Turn around and don’t look back again

Face the new day before you

Place your heartache in Jesus hand

He will mend broken dreams

^{Nancy Harmon CCLI 788682}

Tags emmanuelpentecostalchurchgateshead, haydn greenow, Job 11@7-9, Romans 11, Romans 8:28

Devotions

Daily Devotion May 19th

TUESDAY 19^th – Ephesians 3

We are going to continue in the book of Ephesians today and Chapter 3 verses 14-21.

Paul has started this chapter with the words, ‘For this reason . . .’ and then seems to get side-tracked before returning to his point again in verse 14 ‘For this reason . . .’ so to understand what he means by ‘For this reason’ we have to look back at the verses preceding chapter 3 and into chapter two. He has already done the same thing in chapter 1, after what he has said in the opening verses 1-14, he then says in verse 15 ‘For this reason’ and he prays for them.

I won’t sum up chapter 2 here because we have already looked at it in the previous two devotions, but as a result of who and what the believers had become in Christ, and because of his spiritual care for them Paul says ‘for this reason I bow my knees before the Father . . .’ And just as he prayed in chapter one, he prays again in chapter three. Now, he could have just told the believers he had prayed for them and then continued with his letter, but he chooses not to, he chooses instead to let them know what he has prayed for them verses 16-19.

What a good prayer for Paul to be praying for this Church in Ephesus, it’s a good example of a prayer that every pastor should be praying not only for himself but for the church in which he has been called to serve.

So often and rightly so, we can pray for all the material needs and the physical needs of one another and yet neglect to pray for spiritual needs.

Learning something from his prayer:

We saw in Ephesians 2 that God is rich in mercy (v4) and rich in grace (v7), here in chapter 3:18 we read of the unsearchable riches of Christ and then in Pauls prayer in v16 the riches of his glory. Glory is a word that is used to describe the very presence of God, I believe it describes the fulness of God himself, that is who he is in his attributes and what he is in his eternality. He is the source of life and at the same time he is the one who sustains life, therefore Paul is acknowledging that everything we need in this life finds its source out of the riches of God’s glory. The word riches linked to God’s glory means that God cannot give out so much that the supply runs low or even runs out. It is a permanently perpetual supply. His riches will never be exhausted, and God’s glory will never be diminished.

In this prayer Paul is praying that we would be strengthened with power through his Spirit in our inner being. There is no better place to get our power from than from the heavenly supply, we need to keep being strengthened by his power, the more so as we live in such dark and difficult days. Paul wants the same thing for the Colossian Church, Colossians 1:11 ‘May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy’. As I write these few thoughts down, my prayer is that we at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, and others who are reading this through ‘Wordpress’ or email etc. will know what it is to be strengthened in our inner being as a result of God’s Spirit, imparting strength to us from out of the riches of his glory.

Paul wanted the believers to know not just in theory, but also in practical outworking the power of the presence of the indwelling Christ in their lives.

In the prayer, Paul mentions the dimensions of breadth, height, length, and depth without saying what the dimensions are referring to, it is generally accepted that he is referring to the wisdom and the love of God. In an earlier letter to the believers at Rome he uses similar language to describe that there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:37-39), he sees everything that can seek to come against us as believers, he lists tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and sword, (Romans 8:35) and his definite conclusion is that nothing will separate us from the love of God.

I will attempt to paint a picture here of what I can visualise in my mind, a picture that I hope and trust will help us to understand what I want to say from linking Ephesians 3:18 with Romans 8:31-39.

Imagine (or get a pencil and paper and draw) a large circle (dinner plate size) and a smaller circle. (saucer size and cut them out)

In the small circle place the words tribulation, distress, persecutions, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, and anything which you are battling against at this moment in your life. Then in the larger circle, just write around half of the circumference in the inside edge ‘the love of God’.

Spend a few moments just thinking about the things you have written on the small circle, on their own they would be very depressing, on their own they would swallow us up, but now, place the small circle into the centre of the larger circle, and see how the height, depth, breadth and length of the love of God is far bigger than the problems in the middle. So great is God’s love that there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can overwhelm his love or separate us from it.

Now, finally, somewhere around the other half of the circumference of the large circle also write ‘the wisdom of God.’ Now remind yourself that when you ever question God in the midst of your circumstances, his wisdom is at work, and his wisdom is beyond our wisdom and his thoughts are above our thoughts, so much so than even though it may seem the things written in the smaller circle might be working against us, Gods wisdom is at work, He knows what he is doing and he is bringing about his purpose and plan. The problems might loom over us, but God is much larger, his love is much larger, his power is much larger, and his wisdom is much larger. In the words of the Psalmist

Psalm 60:4 ‘You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow.’ Song of Solomon 2:4 ‘His banner over me is love’ When it actually comes to trying to measure out how wide, deep, high, or broad the love and wisdom of God are, it is impossible for as our text says in verse 7 ‘. . . the immeasurable love of Christ.’ It outreaches our circumstances by an immeasurable degree. If you take the larger circle in my illustration, we could never ever draw a circle big enough to contain the love of God or the wisdom of God, it us unfathomable and uncontainable.

Remember the children’s song ‘The love of Jesus is so wonderful? we will end todays devotion with the words, I have discovered there are more words to this that have been added later, so I have included them. Spend some time today meditating on the wonder of God’s love toward the sinner, toward us.

Jesus’ love is very wonderful

Jesus’ love is very wonderful,

Oh, wonderful love!

It’s so high you can’t get over it,

So low you can’t get under it,

So wide you can’t get round it,

Oh, wonderful love!

So deep you can’t go through it,

So long you can’t see the end of it,

So strong you can’t resist it,

Oh, wonderful love!

So bright you have to see it,

So loud you have to hear it,

So sweet you have to taste it,

Oh, wonderful love!

^CCLI788682

^{2nd & 3rd Verse from Avebury Wiltshire}

Tags Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, Ephesians 3, Godslove, haydn greenow

Devotions

Daily Devotion May 18th

MONDAY 18^th – Ephesians 2:11-22

We continue from yesterday and will go to the second ‘but’ in this chapter, in verse 13 ‘But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.’ A similar portion of Scripture is found in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, ‘For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him’

In Ephesians 2 Paul makes a statement about the Gentile, that is the non–Jewish people, that they (which also includes us) were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth (or family) of Israel, not included in the covenants of God and we were without hope and without God in the world. It is a sweeping statement that sums up that until that time, everything that God seemed to do and be doing was for and involving Israel. They were his special people, they had been given the law, they had been given the covenants or promises. It was an ‘us and ‘you’ kind of programme of events, but thank God again for the ‘but’ found here in verse 13, it all changed at Calvary, for Paul says ‘BUT NOW in Christ you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.’ The cross now meant that God was working not just with the Jew in mind, but also for the Gentile. When Christ died on the cross he was dying for the whosoever, when he became a substitute, dying as the Passover Lamb, he was atoning for the sins of the world and as a result we all, that is Jew and Gentile as we come to believe have access in one Spirit to the Father.

The but in verse 13 leads to a complete change in the situation. There is reconciliation in two ways, first between the Jew and Gentile, the division between both is taken away, so there is no longer an ‘us’ and ‘them’ but through the cross we enjoy the same benefits, the same means of salvation, the same results of salvation and the same blessings that spring from salvation. Instead of the Jew and the Gentile, the cross led to the creation of one new man, that is one new united group or body which is the Church. The second reconciliation is found in verse 16, ‘reconciled us both (Jew and Gentile) to God’. This is good news for in contrast to verses 11-12, verse 19 says that we (the Gentiles) are no longer strangers and aliens but are fellow citizens with or as the saints and members of the household of God.

Yesterday we looked at Gods abundant mercy, great love, and amazing grace. The whole of Ephesians chapter 2 also reminds us of Gods incredible plan. Yes, as Paul puts it in the chapter, it seemed as if everything God was doing up until that point was all toward and for Israel the Jew, but in reality, he had a plan that was purposed even before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:9 says ‘making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ’ This purpose he put into effect immediately after the fall when he pronounced to the serpent, ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.’ (Genesis 3:15) And time rolled on, various events and characters in the Old Testament pointed toward a coming Saviour, who finally arrived at the God appointed moment (Galatians 4:4 ) and that which had been foreordained happened as he, the one born to be the Saviour, surrendered his life as a substitute at Calvary so that we who were dead in our trespasses and sins might be made alive. Ephesians 1:4 says ‘even as he (God) chose us in him (Jesus) before the foundation of the world,’ our inclusion into the family of God, our becoming members of the family of God, our being fellow citizens in the household of God, our being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit wasn’t an after-thought God had thousands of years after he had been dealing with the Jew, it was decided, purposed and planned even before the foundation of the world.

We will let the apostle Peter have the final word today: 1 Peter 2:9-10 ‘But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’

Wonderful grace

That gives what I don’t deserve

Pays me what Christ has earned

And lets me go free

Wonderful grace

That gives me the time to change

Washes away the stain

That once covered me

And all that I have

I lay at the feet

Of the Wonderful Saviour who loves me

Wonderful love

That held in the face of death

Breathed, in it’s final breath

Forgiveness for me

Wonderful love

Who’s power can break every chain

Giving us life again

Setting us free

^{John Pantry}^©^{Harper Collins CCLI788682}

Tags citizenship, devotion, Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, Ephesians 2, Gateshead, Grace, haydn greenow, mercy, peace, Reconciled

Devotions

Daily Devotion May 17th

SUNDAY 17^th – Ephesians 2:1-10

‘No ifs, no buts’

I wonder how many of us know of this little phrase, ‘no ifs, no buts’ and if so, in what context? For me it takes me back to growing up on the farm and either my mum or dad would give an instruction, usually in regard to a job that needed doing or maybe homework that need completing and one of us would start with our objections as to why we thought we couldn’t do what was being asked and out it would come, ‘no ifs, no buts’ just get on with it.

I was out walking and contemplating the devotions for this week and this phrase dropped into my mind, and the thought I had was this, thank God that there are some ifs and buts in Scripture. For example, in 2 Chronicles 7:13 the Lord says ‘When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land or send my pestilence among my people . . .’ This isn’t good news, that God would do these things, but it is followed by an ‘if’ in verse 14, ‘IF my people who are called by name . . . I will hear . . . I will forgive . . . I will heal their land.’

In the New Testament we have as an example, Ephesians 2:12 ‘remember that you were at that time separated from Christ . . .’ then verse 13 continues, ‘BUT now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.’

To start this week we will look at two of the ‘buts’ If you have already read the verses for our reading and maybe continued in the chapter, you may have noticed it contains two ‘buts’, the first is in verse 4, ‘But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us’ the second is in verse 13 as quoted above.

In this chapter the ‘but’ defines a change, a change in what we were to what we have become, a change in our situation and in our position and the changes have come about because of Gods abundant mercy, his great love, and his amazing grace.

A brief summary of the first few verses in this chapter tells us that we were spiritually dead because of our trespasses and sins, we walked as the unbelieving world walked, we lived selfish and sinful lives and we were under the wrath of God. In other words we were depraved sinners and deserving eternal punishment yet because of the ‘but’ in verse 4, we have instead come to know Gods mercy, love and grace and we have been made spiritually alive, the wrath of God has been turned away from us, we are in Christ, and we are already knowing and will continue to know his unmeasurable riches of grace in our lives, and we have become his workmanship. (Philippians 2:13 ‘for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure’) We no longer live according to the flesh but we are living out good works which he prepared for us to do. What a transformation, what a change, an incredible change in our character, in our position and in our lifestyle.

Thank God that we have come to know this wonderful change in our lives, and it is because of a ‘but’, because of Gods abundant mercy, great love, and amazing grace.

Let us ponder on these three things today.

Abundant mercy – Our text says that God is rich in mercy, this means that despite the depth of our sin or the depravity of our human nature, God’s mercy is far greater. One hymn writer puts it this way, ‘Come, ye sinners, lost and hopeless, Jesus’ blood can make you free; For He saved the worst among you, When He saved a wretch like me. And I know, yes, I know, Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean, And I know, yes, I know Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean.’

In Psalm 51:1 the Psalmist cries out ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.’ Imagine where we would be if God were not a God of mercy! We may not think that we should be called the vilest sinner, but the truth of the matter is that whatever our sin we were all lost, hopeless, deserving of hell, but because of his mercy, he came to seek and to save the lost. He found you and he found me. Titus puts it this way, Titus 3:5 ‘he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.’

Gods mercy is linked with his love, Psalm 103, verse 11 is translated in the KJV as ‘For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.’ The modern versions translate ‘great is his mercy’ as ‘great is his love’ (ESV, NIV) Our text v4 says that God is rich in mercy because of his great love. They are both (mercy and love) eternally entwined in the character and nature of God and in his dealings toward mankind. Sadly, many still choose to reject both his love and his mercy. Our testimony is this, ‘Mercy there was great, and grace was free’

Great love – We have already seen how the mercy of God is extended towards mankind because of his great love. I almost should not need to expound on the greatness of his love, for we who believe have all come to be recipients of it because of Calvary. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved, (that is he was bursting with so much love for) the world (lost and sinful humanity) that he gave his one and only Son (to be a sacrifice for the sinner at Calvary) so that if we believe on him we will not perish (go to Hell) but will have eternal life. (italics mine) The immensity of the love of God should never cease to amaze us and should always win a positive response from us. ‘Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all. The song writer expresses it this way, ‘The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell.’

1 John 4:10 ‘In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’

Romans 5:8 ‘but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’

Amazing grace – It was John Newton who penned the words of the famous song ‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound’ he was a man who knew what he deserved as a wretched sinner and yet had become a recipient of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And such were we, wretched, lost, and helpless until Gods amazing grace got hold of us and saved us.

Someone has said that GRACE can be described acronymically as ‘Great Riches At Christs Expense’. In other words, we get what we do not deserve because somebody else, in our case, Christ, does whatever is necessary for us to be able to receive it, (salvation) he died in our place as our substitute. We get what we could not earn, (redemption) we get what we could not achieve, (righteousness) we get status which we could never ever attain to, (seated with Christ in heavenly places) and all because of his grace which is given to us through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul’s letter to the Church at Rome is a great book of grace, the word grace appears around thirty times, I will end this devotion with some verses from that letter. Notice it is a ‘but’, Romans 3:21-25 ‘But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.’

Years I spent in vanity and pride,

Caring not my Lord was crucified,

Knowing not it was for me He died

On Calvary.

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;

Pardon there was multiplied to me;

There my burdened soul found liberty,

At Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;

Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,

Till my guilty soul imploring turned

To Calvary.

Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything,

Now I gladly own Him as my King,

Now my raptured soul can only sing

Of Calvary.

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!

Oh, the grace that brought it down to man,

Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span

At Calvary!

^{William Reed Newell CCLI 788682}

Tags emmanuelpentecostalchurchgateshead, Ephesians 2, Grace, haydn greenow, love, mercy, no ifs no buts, Oh the love that drew salvations plan

Devotions

Daily Devotion May 16th

SATURDAY 16^th

Jonah 4 – or read all of Jonah it will not take long.

Jonah 4:1 ‘But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.’

The context of this verse falls into the fact that God had relented of the disaster that he had said he would bring upon the people of Nineveh, and he did not do it (Jonah 3:10) Jonah was angry with God because of the decision God had made! (we read of David getting angry with God as well in 2 Samuel 6:8)

It was not my original intention to share from Jonah again today, but as I was reading what got my attention was that Jonah was angry with God and I felt I should share something along these lines, an even shorter devotion than normal, so here goes!

You will have got used to me using my imagination during the time I’ve been sending these devotions out, here as I picture Jonah getting angry with God, I imagine a tiny squatty little mouse standing on his hind legs waving his front foot fist in anger towards a large roaring majestic lion. Now for some honesty, I wonder if you have ever been like Jonah, and got angry or upset with God? I have (thankfully it’s not lasted for long) and I know of others who have because they have been honest enough to tell me so, yet in a sense we know that to be angry or upset with God is as pointless as a mouse putting its fist up to a lion, the lion is going to win every time, and thankfully even if we do get angry with God, he still wins every time, not because we didn’t have a legitimate enough reason to feel angry or upset, but simply because of who God is – God, and he is a God of love, in fact he is love and love always wins!

There are many reasons why we may begin to feel angry or upset with God, a sickness, the loss of a loved one, loss of a job, you can put your own reason in this space .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. but what I want to say today is this, that God understands! Yes, God understands our hearts, he understands our emotions, he understands our feelings and frustrations, after all he created us, but more importantly God is big enough to take our anger, our outbursts, our frustration and he is able to come alongside us and to help us overcome it, and the wonderful things is that even though we may have felt angry or got upset with God or toward God, as he comes in love he can turn our anger, upset feeling into joyful praise as we realise that what we saw as harm or as a disappointment or a negative in our lives, God can use it for good and for his glory. Now, I know that some would say (for this reason I was almost reluctant to write about this, but have done because I have had to deal with it in pastoral ministry) that we should never get angry or upset with God, and of course it is better to never get angry or upset with God, but sometimes because we are human our emotions can get the better of us, it can happen in the natural realm, we can get angry or upset with someone we love, but because love wins, the anger or upset feeling is soon forgotten.

God is so much bigger than we realise, even the lion in my imagination at the beginning of this devotion is puny in comparison to our Almighty God, he knows our hang ups, he knows our foibles, he knows us inside out, and yet he still cares for us, he still loves us, and even if we get angry or upset with him, he is still willing to come alongside us and to carry us through. Love wins.

Bigger than all my problem, Bigger than all my fears