Effie Darlene Barba

Psalm 86 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

² Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

³ Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

⁴ Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

⁵ For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

⁶ Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

⁷ In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

⁸ Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

⁹ All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

¹⁰ For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

¹¹ Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

¹² I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

¹³ For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

¹⁴ O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

¹⁵ But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

¹⁶ O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

¹⁷ Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, Lord, hast helped me, and comforted me.

David in this Chapter is praying to God; praying out for strength and hope, because of God’s mercy.  He is asking that God unite his heart to God’s that he might understand and revere His name and His righteousness.  He is rejoicing over the mercy of God and God’s loving kindness to his servant David.  As I was reading and studying this verse, I got stuck on the first half of verse 2.

"Preserve my soul; for I am holy|"  So was David asking God’s help because David believed he deserved it due to his own holiness?  So I began a search through a Scofield Study Bible and the Liberty Study Bible.  Then I reviewed this verse in multiple translations of which I did find a few who translated it differently.  I went to one of my favorite preacher’s website and searched for sermons by scripture and it appeared this verse was never preached.  I could just … and leave it out; or could I?  I knew that David had repeatedly in this chapter referred to God’s mercy and that God had delivered his soul from hell; so, he understood that it was not his own holiness that gave him a right to stand before a Holy, Righteous God and that he (David) held no merit on his own.  So I searched the Hebrew text with it’s literal word by word translation and it said "Preserve my soul, I am a godly I"  Okay, still slightly stuck.  Never; however, take scripture out of context.  In this prayer, there are enemies that are seeking to kill David.  David refers in this that he is innocent of the charges they have brought against him. Further searching of the Hebrew word.The Hebrew word used here is – חסיד châsı̂yd – means properly, benevolent, kind; then, good, merciful, gracious; and then pious, godly.  David had shown mercy toward those who wanted him dead because of his faith in the covenant promises that God had made to him personally.  Twice, he had the opportunity to kill King Saul while Saul and his army were in pursuit of David; yet, he chose to demonstrate mercy toward King Saul, because David trusted and believed in God’s preserving power over his own life.  So perhaps the better way of looking at this is "Lord, please show mercy on thy servant who has dealt with my enemy mercifully; because my trust is in You, Lord".   Lesson to be learned?  God is merciful and gracious toward us whom have placed our faith in Him, those who are blessed by his covenant promises of present and Future Grace.  So if I truly trust Him, then I will be merciful toward those who wish to cause me harm.  I like David must ask for God’s guidance to teach me to have reverence toward Him and to teach me how to be kind, benevolent, and merciful to all.  The final question is "How much do I really trust God to do all that He has promised?"

Watchman Nee became a Christian in mainland China in 1920 at the age of seventeen and began writing in the same year. In his book, "Watchman Nee’s Testimonies"  he wrote,

“On the evening of 28th April, 1920, I was alone in my room, struggling to decide whether or not to believe in the Lord. At first I was reluctant but as I tried to pray I saw the magnitude of my sins and the reality and efficacy of Jesus as the Saviour. As I visualized the Lord’s hands stretched out on the cross, they seemed to be welcoming me and the Lord was saying, “I am waiting here to receive you.” Realizing the effectiveness of Christ’s blood in cleansing my sins and being overwhelmed by such love, I accepted him there. Previously I had laughed at people who had accepted Jesus, but that evening the experience became real for me and I wept and confessed my sins, seeking the Lord’s forgiveness. As I made my first prayer I knew joy and peace such as I had never known before. Light seemed to flood the room and I said to the Lord, “Oh, Lord, you have indeed been gracious to me”

He was imprisoned and tortured for the last 20 years of his life because of his faith in Christ.  He wrote many books.  He never rose up against his enemies; rather, he showed them mercy demonstrating Christ’s resurrection life through his own body.

“Christ is the Son of God who died for the

redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ.”— Watchman Nee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwXjc1HqQUU

Isaiah 53: ³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

⁸ He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

⁹ And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹ He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

The old Testament Prophet Isaiah foretold of the coming Messiah who would be rejected by His own.  He would come to suffer and to die so that the penalty for the transgressions of man might be paid so that a Righteous and Just God might commune with mankind.  God had created mankind so that he might share his overflowing love, joy, and glory with them; but man preferred the creation over the creator and broke that bond.  God hates sin.  He knows that it only causes destruction, anger, bitterness, sorrow, and separation.  He knows that the only way for man to fully experience the love and joy he was intended for is to have a close relationship with his Creator.  God is perfect Righteousness, Perfect Peace, Perfect Love, Perfect Joy and Perfect Glory.  Christ came and took upon himself human flesh so that he might experience all the temptations, sorrows, hunger, thirst, and pains; yet, without sin. He was accused by the very ones He had come to save.  He was beaten and mocked.  He then willingly hung upon a cross, high upon a hill where all who passed by would see him hanging there in nakedness, shame, and pain bearing upon His shoulders the sin and guilt of all of mankind.  He will return one day to destroy all the remnants of sin.  He waits patiently so that all who are willing to accept the gift of reconciliation that He offers.  He is wanting to give you His righteousness in exchange for your trangression, if you are willing to believe that He is the Son of God who was slain in your place. 

Revelation 5: And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

² And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

³ And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

⁴ And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

⁵ And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

⁶ And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

⁷ And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

⁸ And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

⁹ And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

¹⁰ And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

¹¹ And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

¹² Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

¹³ And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQh1cjZLmUo

John 3: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

^{3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God….16} For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,

Romans 3:

¹⁹ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

²⁰ Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

²¹ But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

²² Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

²⁶ To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees (a leader among the Jewish Sanhedrin).  He knew the law and had spent a lifetime trying to keep the law to the best of his ability; yet, he came to Jesus in the dark of the night seeking to know if this was the Messiah. Jesus did not tell him to go out and continue to keep the law and he would gain God’s favor.  Jesus instead tells him that the only way to salvation is to believe in the only begotten Son of God who came to die so that the penalty for all of mankind’s sin might be covered once and for all.  Condemnation is to them who do not believe that Christ is the Son of God, the only way of salvation.  Let’s say that you were in debt to someone for $1,000,000.00 and you could never pay that debt.  They send their son to you who says "I will sacrifice all that I have and pay your debt in full, the only thing I want in return is that you believe in who I am and that you accept my gift"    The choice is yours.  We can never be righteous enough to present ourselves to a Holy and Righteous God.  The more we know of His Righteousness, the more we see how depraved we really are. The law could never justify us before God, it can only reveal the truth of our guilt.  So for those who think themselves righteous, I pray that the light of God’s Glorious Righteousness so shine into your heart that you see the truth that you need a Savior to stand before God.

And what about you who know all too well how unworthy you are?  You hope to "clean up your life" to make yourself worthy to come to the altar of God and ask God’s forgiveness.  The truth is, come as you are and lay all your sin at the cross of Jesus; believing and knowing that He has paid the price.  He will save you and He will begin the work of "cleaning you up" and grooming you by the work of the Holy Spirit so that you will one day look like the Prince or Princess you were meant to be. 

 

John 11: ³² Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

³³ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

³⁴ And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.

³⁵ Jesus wept.

³⁶ Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

³⁷ And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?

³⁸ Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

³⁹ Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

⁴⁰ Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

⁴¹ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

⁴² And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

⁴³ And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

⁴⁴ And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

So many who read this verse are like the crowd standing there that day.  They saw that Christ cried and moaned with great sorrow and thought his tears came from mourning the death of his dear friend.  Yet, Christ knew before He ever arrived that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead and that this had been perfectly orchestrated and planned down to the moment so that the Glory of God might be manifested.  So, He could not have been mourning for Lazarus.  He didn’t change His mind because of sorrow and the sorrow of the people He loved.  He came there to raise Lazarus,  He had already said so many times John 11: ⁴ When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

⁶ When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.  Because He loved them, He had waited. The custom was that after 3 days it was certain beyond recovery that a person was really dead.  There would be no question of the reality of the miracle or the gift He was bringing.  I daresay, Christ wept because He was standing there, bringing the greatest gift of all and no one trusted Him or believed Him; though He had tried to tell them.  How often when I have laid before Him with tears pouring down my face because I could not believe that He was enough to fill my heart; has He wept for me?  How often He has reached out to comfort me with His heart aching; because my faith was too little to trust Him? He so wants me to understand that His love is so overwhelming for me that I can trust that whatever comes into my life is what is the very best for me.  No matter what the circumstances, I will trust His heart and if I trust His heart; then I will have peace and joy in the darkest valleys of my life.  Do you trust Him?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmaBhMOXXHg

 

Jeremiah 18: 1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

² Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.

³ Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

⁴ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁶ O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

Romans 9:

¹⁵ For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

¹⁶ So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

¹⁷ For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

¹⁸ Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

¹⁹ Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

²⁰ Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

²¹ Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

²² What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

²³ And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

²⁴ Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

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

²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

³⁰ Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Before I begin, I understand those of you who may wish to rebel against these verses.  When I went to these verses I had a completely different message that I had planned; but, then I read these verses in context instead of taking them out of context which is what I have always heard them preached.  After reading, re-reading and much prayer, I with some trepidation will proceed to explain these as best as I can.   Perhaps my trepidation comes from the fact that most churches run quickly from stating that God is 100% Sovereign and there is nothing that happens within the earth or my life that was not allowed or ordained by God.  So what about my free will–what happens to it?  Oh, yes, I have a free will; but that free will is and will always be contrary to God because this covetous heart would always be at enmity toward God were it not that a Sovereign God would have chosen to show me grace. It is by His Will that I be chosen and if chosen I will be transformed into Christ’s likeness; though, the free will often wants to believe that maybe I have something good that caused Him to choose me.   We live in this society which so desires to believe in self will, self determination, self exalting, and self esteem which is destroyed if you grasp this truth of God’s Sovereignty.  Only He knows how many fires it will take to mold this lump of clay into Christ likeness.  Only He knows how many times He will need to break me to reshape this lump of clay that is I until my will is consumed by His Will.  So, some would say, then why pray, why study, why teach, why preach; if God is so Sovereign, then what difference does it make.  But, I say how can I do any less?  His Sovereign Hand has so drawn this unfaithful heart to fall so madly in love with Him, how can I do anything else?  Then why would a loving and merciful God choose one and not another, if indeed He is Sovereign?  Look very closely at verses 22 and 23.  Would I understand the magnitude of His Righteousness; had I not understood the depravity of Evil?  Adam had eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; before that, Adam did not realize the brilliance of God’s Glory and Righteousness, nor Adam’s own lack thereof.  So, what if God is willing to show His wrath against Sin and to fully let His power be known; He waits patiently, not calling down immediate judgement so that those whom He has chosen can fully understand the depth of His Glory and the magnitude of His Mercy toward us.  After all, did Adam recognize the love and the privilege he had walking in the Garden with God; until it was gone.  Can I understand the depth of His Love for me, unless I truly see His Mercy and Grace toward me as so amazing?  Can I bow in adoration of Him, willing to let Him transform me throughout whatever trial He desires; if I did not understand His Sovereignty?  Can I trust in all the promises set forth in Romans 8 of future, sustaining grace; if, I did not recognize His Sovereignty?  Could I understand the fullness of Joy found in Him if I had not had my heart broken so many times by counterfeit Joy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNClAJO2tnQ