My Dear Precious Child,
During the wonderful ministry of Jesus Christ, sinners and tax collectors sought Him out to hear His teachings. The religious Pharisees and the scribes complained, accusing Him of welcoming sinners and tax collectors to hear Him teach and even chided Jesus for eating with them. (Luke 5:30-31)
Jesus taught this parable: A man who has a hundred sheep, when he looses one sheep he leaves the ninety-nine sheep and goes to find the lost one. When he finds the lost sheep he boosts the sheep onto his shoulders, goes home and calls all of his friends and neighbors together. He invites them to rejoice with him because he had found his lost sheep. Jesus told the Pharisees and scribes that there is more rejoicing in heaven when one repentant sinner is found, more rejoicing for that one sinner than for ninety-nine people who have no need to repent. (Luke 15:4-7) Through Jesus' teachings and His ministry My mercy was evident to the religious people. They expected My Son to be judgmental and condemning, just like they were.
Then Jesus confirmed the lesson in the story of the lost sheep with another parable about a woman who had ten dollars and lost one. She lit a lamp, swept out the entire house and searched thoroughly until she finally found it. When she found it, she called her friends and neighbors together and asked them to rejoice with her because she had lost the dollar but finally found it. Jesus told them again that there is rejoicing among the angels in heaven over one repentant sinner, again revealing My mercy and compassion to the religious people. (Luke 15:8-10)
Again Jesus followed up this teaching about My kingdom and the importance of My mercy to all people. He told the parable of the prodigal son who wanted to go to distant lands and live a carefree party life. He went to his father and asked for all of his inheritance. The father divided the property up and distributed it equally between his sons. The wandering son squandered all of his money on riotous living, finding himself penniless and hungry. A bad famine came upon that part of the earth and the young son began to feel the pinch of being penniless so he found a person who needed help on his farm to feed his pigs. The young son began to figure out that he was so hungry that He would like to eat the husks of the corn that he fed the pigs.
The young son thought about his father's paid servants and that they had more food than he ever had, and he was dying of hunger. He decided to leave the place to which he had fled and decided to leave the pig farm and go return to his father's property, confessing his sins and begging for forgiveness. He wanted to go to his father's property to beg to be forgiven. He decided to confess that he had sinned against Me and against his father and that he should no longer be considered his father's son. His repentance would be genuine just as his hunger was genuine.
While the young son was within sight of his father's property, his father saw him, ran to his young son, told the servants to bring the best robe, put it on his young son and bring sandals for the feet of his son. The father told his servants to bring a calf that had been fattened and slaughtered, to prepare a celebration feast, because his son had been dead but was alive again. The father's entire household began to celebrate that the son that they thought had been dead was now alive, was lost and was finally found. Everyone began to celebrate.
The man's older son was out working in the fields and drew near his house. He could hear music and dancing, asked the servants what it was all about. The servants told the elder brother that his young brother had returned, that the father had killed a fatted calf because his youngest son was back safe and sound.
The eldest son became angry and refused to join in with the celebration. When the father came to plead with him to join the celebration, the son complained to the father that he had been loyal all his life, had always obeyed his father, yet his father had never even offered him a goat for him to celebrate with his friends. He said that his brother who had taken part of the father's property, had squandered it, and yet the father killed a calf for him, throwing a big celebration. The father told the elder son that he had always been loyal and that everything the father owned belonged to the elder son, but that it was the only right and merciful thing to do, to celebrate that his brother was considered dead but is now alive. (Luke 16:11-32)
The parables reveal the truth that I am merciful and forgiving. They pointed to the truth that the people of My old covenant were to become jealous when the Gentiles, the unbelieving children of promise who had never had any religious training, became so easily coached and trained to believe in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and were so easily able to receive My Holy Spirit, My children of the old covenant with Isreal had not repented and welcomed My kingdom into their own lives. Instead, they killed My Son who was sent by Me from heaven to save them, dying for their sins.
Eventually the truth about My kingdom of heaven coming into the lives of My children speedily and quickly spread among the Gentile unbelievers. Their needs for help were met by Me by their yielding to the advice of Jesus spoken through Paul and his helpers to be born of My Spirit and baptized in My Holy Spirit. However,the religious Jews continued to trust in their religious laws to meet their needs, which were of the flesh and powerless.
My plan for saving people from evil worked because My goodness and mercy in My covenant of the Holy Spirit through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ forgives the sins of the whole world and equips My children to become born of My Spirit and baptized in My Spirit, which brings My kingdom into their lives while they live in the earth. They become powerful against evil.
Now, that is reason to celebrate.
As each former unbeliever becomes a believer in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sins, turns to Me, becomes born of My Spirit and baptized in My Holy Spirit, there is great celebration in My family in heaven.
My mercy is everlasting, never ends. My forgiveness is everlasting, never ends. The extreme length, width, breadth and depth of My mercy was demonstrated by My Son Jesus on the cross when He asked Me to forgive the people who were crucifying Him, saying that they didn't realize what they were doing. His suffering resulted in His exemplifying My mercy and compassion.
Greater love has no man as when He gives His life for His friends. (Psalm 86:15; Psalm 85:10; John 15:13))
Jesus Christ became the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2)
Your Father of Ultimate Mercy and Ultimate Forgiveness
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