God is Ready to Pardon

 Neh 9:17b
.. but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.

The children of Israel historically wavered in their faith. Any time things started to get bad, they would turn from trusting God and relying on the gods of the world around them. We find over and over again that God would deal harshly with their sin, but would always make a way to turn back to Him. Nehemiah recalls the days they were set free from Egyptian slavery, and it was not long after they were complaining about the prospects of dying. Because of their unbelief, they were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, the consequence of their disobedience. But God did not cast them away, He would not forsake them. We serve a God who is merciful and full of grace. If any man wavers, or falls into sin, we can go to Christ, who is our advocate to the Father, and be forgiven. Like the story of the prodigal son, God’s arms are wide open, ready to pardon. He is a God of second chances, and extends His mercy to any who will turn to Him with a sincere heart of repentance. God does not tolerate sin and will not abide by it. Through the blood of Christ, He has provided a way of escape. We don’t have to succumb to the temptation of Satan and fall into sin. Our faith does not have to waver in times of temptation. He will not forsake us in our time of need. We can overcome temptation with the help of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. But it is possible that one could fall from fellowship and communion with God, but one does not have to despair, for God is slow to anger, and of great kindness, and will not forsake His own. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Walk Not in Darkness

 1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

From the fall of Adam and Eve, man is born with the sin nature. The Adamic nature is passed on to every person born into this world. We can deny this truth, but it does not change the reality that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness. Some teach that man is hereditary good. We must cultivate this goodness in us and overcome the evil that we face each day. Don’t believe this lie, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  John writes to set the foundation for why man needs a Savior.  As sinners, we confess our sins, and Jesus, who shed His blood for the remission of sin, cleanses our heart from sin. We no longer walk in darkness, we walk in the light, we walk with God without sin. As long as we continue to walk with God, the blood of Jesus will continue to cover us from all sin. A Christian no longer lives in sin because he is walking in God’s light, and the path that God provides is without sin. No darkness at all. We still live in a fallen world, and Satan works, tempting us to fulfill the desire of the flesh. We still have human desires, and God has a plan for those desires to be fulfilled. As we walk in the light, His will is accomplished in our lives. The promise of God is that He will not leave us or forsake us. If we fall into the temptation of Satan, His word says to confess our sin, and He is faithful to restore us to the light. It is not God’s desire that we walk in darkness, we can live each day in the light of God. We don’t have to sin and walk in darkness. God does not have fellowship with darkness. That is why John says, “My little children… sin not.” Eternal security is provided to all believers as long as they remain in the light. Keep walking in the light.

Disobedience to God

 Gen. 2:17
​​ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The fall of Adam and Eve points to a tree placed in the garden. The tree was put there for a purpose. God does all things with a purpose. The tree of knowledge tested man’s obediences to God, the one who created them. The command was simple, “Don’t eat this fruit”. God’s commandments are given for man’s good.  A tree with fruit that God forbid them to eat. The fruit was no doubt a fruit to be desired. Eating of the forbidden fruit would open Adam and Eve to the dark evil ways of sin. It was not so much the fruit itself, but the disobedience of Adam and Eve that caused them to plunge into darkness, causing their hearts now to seek the pleasures of evil.  God made man a free moral agent, the ability to choose right, or wrong. God did not predestine Adam and Eve to make the wrong choice, they could have abstained from the temptations of Satan, but they choose to listen to the deceptive lies of Satan and disregard God's words. We all have choices to make each day. Sometimes choices are made without all the information, but such choices are not willful disobedience to God’s word. But, “Thus saith the Lord.” are made clear in His word. Our human judgment may falter, but we can have a heart perfect toward God. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to us. Follow the Holy Spirit’s leading and do what He saith. 

Fall From God

2 Peter 3: 17,18 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…

The teaching that once you have accepted Christ as your Savior you are eternally secured is a false assumption. We are saved by grace through Christ, and nothing but the blood of Jesus can save us from the sins we have committed. But to continue in sin is presumption and assumes that He covers our sins without confession. If any man sin, we have separated ourselves from His promises. Thankfully, we have an advocate, who will forgive our faltering and falling away, but we must turn to Him in our time of need. Scripture teaches us that it is possible to fall away from God, but it also teaches us that we can remain secure in Christ if we continue to grow in grace and let the mind of Christ dwell in us through the Holy Spirit. We are vessels of clay, and subject to human weaknesses, and human perfection is not possible, but our hearts can be made perfect in Christ if we stay stedfast in the teaching and grace of Christ.

The Father of Lies

Gen. 3:4, John 8:44 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die…the devil..for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The devil is a liar and deceiver. His lies are shrouded with enough truth to convince people that they are right. The heart of man has been corrupted and is easily deceived. Before the fall of man, the devil tempted man to give in to their human natural desires. There was nothing wrong with eating fruit in the garden of eden, they were just not to eat this one fruit. Why God put this one fruit in the garden is speculation. Like Job, God knew and allowed Satan to tempt Adam and Eve. Why did they not just flee, and resist temptation. We are left with many questions unanswered, but this we know, sin entered into the world by one man’s sin, and failed to believe God and obey His commandments. We may not always understand the reasons God say “no”, but blessed is the man who will put their trust in the lord, and lean not to their own understanding. The devil will come and do all he can to deceive you and me into doing what is wrong, but if God said it, we must believe it! Don’t believe the devil, He is a lair and the father of lies.  

Fellowship in Christ

Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour… For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

Never go on a hike alone, never go swimming alone. Such advise is often given to those who seek out adventure or extracurricular activities. It is smart and safer to have someone else with you. Not good if you go alone and you fall on a hike trail, and are not able to get up and walk. Such is the advise given to us in this passage. Traveling this journey of life was not meant to be a solo walk. There are times that we might have to stand alone as David did in the face of the Giant, but it is God’s intention that we walk together as one. fellowshipping together as believers. Jesus, said that where 2 or 3 are gathered together…He will be there with us. In the beginning God said, it is not good for man to be alone. Such is God’s plan to fellowship one with another, encourage each other in the most holy faith. If a brother falls, to reach out in love and lift them up. 

Prayer is Always in Order

Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper…

In time of crisis, praying for God’s intervention is always in order. Nehemiah was facing a situation of dire need. The walls and gates of Jerusalem were in ruins, and it appear that all efforts to build the walls again was being resisted. Nehemiah realized that all that had befallen Israel was because they failed to obey God’s commandments, yet he beseeched God to have mercy and once again come to their aid. How often do we come short and need to fall on our knees and ask God to once again rescue us. God has the power to keep us from falling, but the devil is mean and shows no mercy. It is possible to fall from the favor of God, but it is not God’s desire that we be cast away. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father..” Such is the prayer of Nehemiah, “I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy”. Prayer is always in order, and never inappropriate or a waste of time. Let us make prayer a priority in everything we do.

We Do Not Have To Fall

Jude 1:24 “ Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,”- 

If no one is perfect, then why does the Word say that we can be faultless? If it is not possible not to sin, then why does the Word say that He can keep us from falling? It would be arrogant to think that in our own human efforts that we can keep ourselves faultless. So, it would stand to reason that with God all things are possible, and if we seek Him first in everything we do that he can lead us through times of temptation and keep us spotless from the taint of sin. Praise be to God who is able by His power and grace to sustain us in our time of need and help us to stay focus on the mark. We don’t have to “miss the mark” if you keep our eyes on Jesus.