The kindness of the Lord…
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Had around 20 folk for the Wednesday evening service. (Yesterday.) Folk are pretty much scattered elsewhere for Thanksgiving. But that’s alright — It doesn’t take a large group for a rewarding time of fellowship.
David Stellwagon led the worship, with Shana on the piano, Nick on the guitar, Nora as our single backup singer, Warren on the sound board, and David McBride at the camera, and your’s truly with the message for the evening. Let’s see — That left us with about 14 in the congregation.
Reminded me a bit of our beginnings in Boyce when the Martins were pretty much the chief cooks and bottle washers. Our very first service had nine in attendance. Boy, have we ever grown. :)
Which raises the question, ‘Where does a preacher get his message?’ …
My ministry was entitled, ‘Micah’s Messiah.’ It is very interesting how the Lord brought this subject to me. At our church Thanksgiving supper, Nathan asked me to pray. Very often when I pray I’ll call attention to the Lord’s ‘kindness’ or to His ‘lovingkindness.’
At some point after the prayer, a dear sister asked me what the word ‘kindness’ meant in the Bible. I shared with her that the word ‘kindness’ or ‘loving kindness’ is one of the most important words in the Hebrew Old Testament. It is actually a covenant term. It speaks of God’s unchanging love, that is, His unconditional love.
With regard to the Lord, the Hebrew word ‘Hesed’, usually pronounced che-sed’, has to do with God’s character; that which is eternal in Him. This is what makes it a covenant expression, or what many refer to as ‘covenant love.’
God delights in unchanging love…
The sister’s question triggered something in me. I had been in the book of Micah for several days and couldn’t seem to get past the closing of the prophet’s book. Now most of us are familiar with something Micah said earlier in his book about the Messiah –
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” (Micah 5:2)
But this is not all that Micah has to say about the Messiah. Listen carefully to how Micah closes his prophecies concerning God’s Messiah –
“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love. He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers From the days of old.” (Micah 7:18-20)
The prophet is projecting the work of the cross. Everything that Micah shares here can be found in the new covenant writings.
Now you know where I got my message. The Lord always instills in His servant’s heart what He wishes His people to hear. And so the true heart of our ‘thanksgiving’ will always center on the Lord’s ‘unchanging’ love for us.
And this is what the apostle Paul is talking about when he concludes his Roman’s eight chapter…
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:38,39)
The cross was a sacrifice of love…Satan’s power was disannulled…
Well, I won’t try to repreach my message here. However, it is important to understand the deeper message of the cross, and how that the Lord saved us by the sacrifice of love. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to take our place in judgment. And out of the cross came the mystery of our eternal redemption.
It can be said that God simply took our life, wrapped it up in love, and placed it in Jesus for safe keeping.
Time for the sitting down part…
Ok, I need to stop. We are getting close to our thanksgiving meal. Nathan and his family are in Houston. Andre is with Judy’s family today. That leaves Shana and grandkids to feast with grandma and grandpa.
Talk with you later.
Remember, love is coming your way.
Buddy
