OUR FATHER WHO LOVES JUSTICE

Psalm 11 reads this way;

In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain.

For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.

The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.

On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.

This Psalm speaks of a time of complete societal breakdown.

During such times, the psalmist declares that the Lord is His refuge and therefore he spurns the advise he is given to flee to the mountains.  But as he looks around, he sees that  the righteous are hunted and persecuted by the wicked. The foundations of human life itself are being destroyed and he is at a loss of what to do.

Gaining perspective, he remembers that the Lord is in His holy temple.

From His throne, the Lord sees and studies everyone. He examines the righteous but the wicked who love violence, He hates passionately.

The Lord visits a fiery retribution on those who carry out violent wickedness on people..

The Lord is righteous and loves justice.

The upright will see His face.

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OUR FATHER WHO IS MIGHTY, FAITHFUL AND JUST

Psalm 89 verses  1 - 10 reads this way;

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,

‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’”

The heavens praise your wonders, Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?

In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.

You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

You rule over the surging sea

You command the waves

Among those who in heaven be

You are the One who saves

I will sing of the Lord's love forever

And make Your faithfulness known

Lord, the heavens praise your wonders

Righteous and just is Your  throne

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WELCOMES HIS SON'S BRIDE

From Psalm 45

Your throne, O God, will last for ever

Your kingdom in glory where justice is Your  scepter 

And at your right hand is the royal bride

All glorious is the princess bride 

Her  gown interwoven with gold

Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;

Honor Him, for He is your lord.

Enter with joy  Enter with gladness

Enter the palace of the King

In the land Your sons will be princes 

Therefore the nations will ever sing 

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OUR FATHER WHO IS MINDFUL OF MAN

In the book of Hebrews chapter 2 verses 3 - 5, the author, speaking of the fact that the messages brought by angels were binding on those who heard them, asks the question that if a message of salvation was brought by the Lord Himself;

...how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? 

The writer continues;

This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,  a son of man that you care for him?

This passage exposits the extreme gravity of the project undertaken by God to redeem mankind.

The message was delivered by the Lord Himself to the human race and confirmed by those who heard Him and this message was attested to by the working of signs, wonders and miracles as well as by the spiritual gifts that  the Holy Spirit distributed among those He chose to continue attesting to the message as it was broadcast to all the nations.

The writer makes it clear that the whole enterprise of salvation was carefully executed to redeem mankind and it will be under them that the world to come will be subject.

Quoting Psalm 8 verse 4, the great mystery of the age is asked;

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,  a son of man that you care for him?

Man, made in the image of God, holds the attention of God who had a destiny for them and this moved Him to mercy and to action to save them whom He fashioned after Himself and are His children.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE HEAVENLY WISDOM GUIDES US TO HUMILITY AND SELFLESSNESS

James chapter 3 verse 13 says this;

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

This verse marks those who are wise and understanding as being the ones who are able to demonstrate a good life by humbly doing things as taught by the wisdom that comes from heaven.

The apostle James contrasts such a life with one that is driven by an earthly, unspirtual or demonic wisdom and filled with bitter envy and selfish ambition. 

James describes a community rife with envy and selfish ambition as being disorderly and riddled with every evil practice.

On the other hand, as verse 17 says, when heavenly wisdom is applied, our lives become first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO MADE PROVISION TO CLEANSE OUR CONSCIENCES THROUGH CHRIST 

Hebrews chapter 9 verses 13 - 14 says this;

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

In this passage, the writer of the book of Hebrews contrasts the power of the blood of goats ano m.

d bulls to cleanse those who were ceremonially unclean with the power of the blood of Christ to 11q our consciences.

Whereas the ceremonies in the man-made tabernacle were representatives or shadows of the spiritual tabernacle in heaven and were enacted to ceremonially cleanse those who were externally unclean, when Christ offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit, our internal consciences are cleansed when presented to God so that we can serve Him.

Also, whereas the priests had to conduct the ceremonial external cleansing by the blood of goats and bulls every year,  the blood of Christ was shed once and for all and for all time has the power to do the deep work of cleansing our consciences.

It is on the basis of the power of the blood of Christ that we can find forgiveness for as it says in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22;

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The blood, having been shed to pay the penalty for sin, we, by believing in Christ's power to save us, find that His blood has covered our sin and we are acquitted in the courts of judgement. When we look at the court documents, we find that the Lord Jesus is the one paid the penalty and so when we go to inquire of our benefactor what we owe Him for paying the penalty of our sin, He tells us that we owe Him nothing.

So the Lord shed His own blood to pay our penalty of death and gain our complete exoneration in court and then does not hold us to repayment but rather writes off the debt we owe Him.

This is what forgiveness is. 

When this is clear to us, are we not moved to offer our lives to Him in love and gratitude for the immeasurable price He paid to save us and yet demanded nothing in return? And moreover, with our consciences cleaned, are we not fully able to serve the living God freely and joyfully?

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO RESISTS THE PROUD

Jeremiah chapter 13 verse 19 says this;

The cities in the Negev will be shut up, and there will be no one to open them.

All Judah will be carried into exile, carried completely away.

This verse speaks of the judgement that was to fall upon Judah because of their pride and sins. 

The southern towns would be boarded up and abandoned and the people of the kingdom of Judah would be carried away into captivity as verse 17 says;

If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be taken captive.

Jeremiah had been instructed by the Lord to buy a new belt. After he bought it, the Lord instructed him to take the belt to Perath and bury it in the crevices in the rock.

After some time had passed, the Lord directed Jeremiah to return to Perath to retrieve the belt and when Jeremiah dug up the belt, he found that it was ruined and useless.

The Lord told Jeremiah  that the people of Judah were the same as the belt that was dug up because they were filled with pride and stubborness and they followed other gods to worship them.

The judgment upon them was for their pride that made them think that they could proceed without their God. They set up alliances to defend themselves but their allies ended up being set over them.

The Lord's people fell into pride and sin and the judgement of shame and exile was visited upon them.

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