Near to the Throne
Hebrews 4:16 can be broken down in several ways. First, we can have confidence when we draw near to the thrown of Grace. We have been tempted as Jesus was tempted, so since he has experienced the same as we have, his grace and mercy does not expire. He has empathy and understanding for us as our experiences have been his also. Second, when you draw near to the throne that is how you can receive mercy. You do not have to drag those sins with you throughout life. God's mercy and grace through Jesus has relived us of that if we desire to believe that and follow Jesus. Not only do we need grace in various times but we can also give grace when needed to others. I need it. You need it. They need it. We need it. God gives it.
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Fresh Start with Jesus
No matter where you are in life, that is not the end. It is not over. There is still another chance when you bring Jesus in. He will not force his way in and make you submit to him. It is your choice to bring him in and let him work through your life. I have had people tell me that they 1) are not good enough to go to church and 2) are not good enough to go to Heaven. They have missed the point. You don't earn church attendance or Heaven. You don't earn Jesus. You cannot read scripture and come away with that belief. Please do not be misled. Seek Jesus and begin again with him.
Before Paul wrote many books from the New Testament, he was not the Christ loving individual we have come to understand him to be. In Acts 9, we are taken through Paul's transformation and experiences with Christ. Paul was responsible for the stoning of Stephen (a new disciple). Paul was responsible for pulling men and women out of their homes and having them killed for following Christ which stepped on the toes of the Jewish faith. On the road to Damascus, Paul has an encounter with the voice of Jesus who asks why Paul was persecuting believers. When Paul rose from the encounter he was blinded and instructed to go a temple to meet someone. Once he meets that person his sight will be restored. Paul followed through and had his sight restored. Paul began to proclaim Jesus as the son of God in the synagogues. It did not matter what life Paul had before he came to know and follow Christ, but what mattered was his dedication to Christ after deciding to serve him. Paul didn't have to be good enough. He just had to have a fresh start which including repentance for his sins.
I will say it again, you do not have to earn your way into God's good graces. God's grace is free. It does not cost any money. Grace is not connected to any good deed. Grace is not connected to any church or denomination. Grace is given to us freely from God and all we have to do is accept it (Ephesians 2:1-10). I was watching a video last night from Ray Comfort who was evangelizing (preaching the word of Christ) on the streets of Huntington Beach, Ca. He explains to people that their set of beliefs is opposite to what scripture teaches. Check out the videos below:
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Remnants and Grafting
In Romans 11:1-10, I was thrown off. Maybe I'm tired, but this whole chapter isn't one I can just read and make sense of based on my knowledge and understanding of the word. But when I came to the parts i didn't understand, I had two options: search for help or give up. In searching I used Dave Guzik's commentary, a video/audio selection from Chuck Smith and another video by Stephen Anderson, all on Romans 11.
It starts off with a reflection of Elijah talking to God and god says that He has kept 7000 men who have not bowed a knee to Baal (a demon). That showed right there that since God kept 7000 for Himself that did not worship the demon, then there was a remnant (left over/remainder) that was saved by grace. This is the opposite of how the Jews were thinking during this time with a focus on works. This thinking still exists today with many thinking if they are good people and do good things, they will get into Heaven. But we have to remember what is stated in Romans 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace." Those that did not seek after God had their hearts hardened so that they could not receive the Word.
The second part of the chapter discusses the heavenly riches that the gentiles were able to receive due to the rejection of Jesus by the Jews. Had the Jews not rejected Jesus then the Gentiles may not have had as much of an opportunity to receive and hear the story of Christ (Romans 11:11-12). Paul warns people not to be prideful or boastful in the grace they have received (Romans 11:17-24).
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God's Mercy is Not Earned
Somebody asked me the other day, "If God loves me, why would He send me to hell (for being gay)?" It was a tough question to face and as best as I could answer as quickly as possible based on my knowledge, I said that God also wants us to do what is right for how He made us and what is right in His eyes. In later conversations with other believers I came to understand also that our disobedience is what sends us to Hell. If we are not following God's will and seeking it first in our lives and we don't accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then that is our punishment. If a child does not do their homework, their punishment may be restriction from phones, computers, parties, etc. That is from the earthly parent. Imagine not doing what you were supposed to do on earth. That punishment would be much larger from God.
That leads me into my next point which comes up in Romans 9 that tells us that God's mercy is not earned. Now we have read this before but this time Paul explains it using Jacob and Esau as an example to what Pharisees would and connected to what is written and how we are to be redeemed to and through Christ. If we want God's mercy we have to be in His will. When we are there then we know all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). Before they were born, God picked Jacob and not Esau. It was not based on what Jacob had done because he had not been born yet. God picks those He calls based on His prerogative (Romans 9:15).
In 12th grade I had a pottery class. I used to make pinch pots and pitchers and a even mugs. I enjoyed that class. Never one (just go with it) did the clay complain to me about being a pinch pot, mug or pitcher. The clay cannot question the potter what is being done, so how can we question God on what He chooses and how He chooses (Romans 9:19-21)? No matter how God makes you, you are to still do God's will anyway. God's glory can still shine in your situation as difficult as it might be to see it, it is possible.
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