Category: Mercy

Are Christians Who Judge Others, Hypocrites?

~ Rob Robinson ~ Leave a comment

COPYRIGHT WARNING

Yes. Those who judge the sins of others, while maintaining problems with their own moral behavior, are hypocrites. 

By this definition, every person on the planet is a hypocrite. There is not one of us who is capable of perfection in all of our actions and words. This is what the word “sinner” means. One who has fallen short, the goal of perfection. Does this mean that no person should ever speak against the wrongful actions of another? No of course not. If this were true, a judge sitting before an accused, jury, and the attending witnesses for the trial, could not judge a person of any wrongful action. For all judges, are also themselves—sinners. Continue reading “Are Christians Who Judge Others, Hypocrites?” →

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The Lord is More Interested in Your Character Than Your Comfort

~ Rob Robinson ~ Leave a comment

COPYRIGHT WARNING

The New Testament gives us a strange view of Jesus as He is praying also for all those who are driving the nails into His hands and feet and tormenting Him while He is on the cross.

Luke 23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Luke 23:34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Since Jesus death and resurrection, it has been His continuing role to pray for all those who have placed their faith in Him as their Savior.

Paul described Jesus as our High Priest, who ever lives to make intercession for us. Jesus’ continuing ministry since His resurrection is to pray and intercede for those who have come to Him for salvation. A knowledge of these truths should be a great source of comfort, knowing that at this moment, Jesus is in heaven praying for each one of us.

Whatever it is that you may be going through in your life right now, Jesus is aware of your situation, and He is praying for you. If you are suffering and wondering why the Lord has not rescued you from your trouble, have you considered that He is praying for you?

It is a truth that is often displayed throughout the Bible, that the Lord is more interested in our character than our comfort. Just as any loving father will make the life of his child difficult sometimes to teach important principles and develop character, so also does our Father in heaven. God allows suffering in the lives of those who have come into a personal relationship with Him by Jesus Christ, for good intentions. Continue reading “The Lord is More Interested in Your Character Than Your Comfort” →

For Just One Sin…

~ Rob Robinson ~ Leave a comment

COPYRIGHT WARNING

For just one sin–Jesus had to die. It was not the entire culmination of all human sin and suffering which compelled Jesus to leave heaven and die for us. It was the suffering of one person, one sin–which drove Jesus to become a sacrifice that would remove the judgement of God.

Isaiah 53:8d …For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

1 John 2:1-2 …Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation (payment) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

The plan of God has always been to remove the sins of the whole world. Known to God before the foundation of the world was the fall of Adam, which would result in the need for a Savior. In His wisdom, God planned for this contingency by the provision of His Son to redeem all creation back to His glorious ideal and perfection.

God will make this redemption possible by acts that originate and culminate with Himself. The burden for salvation resting upon God and His actions to save us, while the appropriation of salvation is contingent upon the decision of each individual person to hear and respond by faith.

Continue reading “For Just One Sin…” →

An Appointment From Eternity: The Samaritan Woman at the Well

~ Rob Robinson ~ Leave a comment

COPYRIGHT WARNING

One of the most irresistible and attractive qualities of Jesus is His heartfelt compassion for the lost. When we examine the manner in which He speaks to people, even the most destitute and hopeless—find great compassionate and care. Every word that Jesus speaks—encourages those who hear Him. Like a soothing balm that comforts and heals, Jesus bring relief to the downcast and the brokenhearted.

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would display His intense compassion for people, with great tenderness.

This compassion is best illustrated by the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. As a result of her encounter with the Messiah, this dear woman’s life was transformed. After meeting Jesus she returned to her village and told everyone: Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?

It appears that there were many who were saved as a result of her testimony about Jesus. This was not, however, the chief reason why He came to the well. It was simply because Jesus cared that He visited a woman who needed hope and a new life.

Jesus did not die for the sins of the world so that He could gain a few good out of the many bad. He loved and died for everyone of us, even those He knew would never love Him nor thank Him for the sacrifice He has made. Jesus did not die for the world as a package deal. He died for each individual person, one at a time, loving each one of us with the same passion and intensity. Continue reading “An Appointment From Eternity: The Samaritan Woman at the Well” →

You Need Mercy, Not Condemnation

~ Rob Robinson ~ Leave a comment

COPYRIGHT WARNING

Matthew 9:13 But go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

On every occasion when a person came to Jesus with a great need, He always showed them mercy. We see this vividly illustrated with the woman caught in the act of adultery, in John 8:3-11. Though the law clearly called for her and the man to be stoned to death, Jesus drove away all her accusers and showed great mercy to her.[1]

When the two blind men, in Matthew 9:27-30, asked Jesus for mercy, He touched their eyes and restored their sight.

Jesus constantly reminded the Scribes and the Pharisees that the heart of God’s law was mercy. Even when His own disciples broke the law of the Sabbath and harvested grain as they walked through a wheat field, Jesus did not condemn them, since their need for mercy was greater than the law.

Hosea 6:6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice…

Jesus never lowered the requirements of the Law of God, He showed us what its true purpose was. All of God’s law was designed to benefit man and be a blessing, not to prevent us from obtaining the necessities of our life. If you have a need, you can be confident that Jesus is able to meet that requirement. If you have sinned and feel that you cannot possibly be forgiven, Jesus will forgive you. The forgiveness that He offers is not a temporary relief from guilt but a total cleaning of the conscience and absolute peace for the soul. Continue reading “You Need Mercy, Not Condemnation” →