Comforting Father(3)
| The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. (Exodus34:6-7) |
We have to be reminded of this all the time. Adam and Eve hid from God when they heard Him walking in the garden and we tend to do the same. It is our brokenness and guilt which makes us avoid and distance ourselves when we think about God. But God, while being holy and sinless, has made a way for us to enjoy and experience His presence. When Jesus offered Himself in our place, the temple curtain that separated the holy of holies from the rest of the temple was torn from top to bottom.
Moses could only see the back of God because His glory was too great and holy. The Israelites could not enter the holy of holies because they were not holy (and even the high priest only went once a year after careful preparation!) But when the Father sent His Son into the world to be a sacrifice for our sin, it was an act of incredible compassion and grace. It fulfilled everything that Moses had heard and seen.
But the Father also planned to pour out His Spirit on the church and so Jesus spoke of a Comforter/Counsellor/Companion (that's how we need to translate the Greek word 'paracletos') who He would send into our hearts - the Holy Spirit.
No matter what we have done or been through.
Whether we have scraped the bottom of the barrel of sin or
whether we are being squeezed and pressed by an anti-god society,
we come to a welcoming, compassionate and gracious God.
It's gooooooood news!
