April 10

Psalm 100
You know that there is only one reason a sheep would enter into the gates of the temple. There is only one reason that a sheep would enter the court. A sheep comes to die, to be a sacrifice. He first tells us that we are His people and the sheep of his pasture. Then He commands us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Hmmmm. . . Why in the world would I ever want to do that? I can only do that if I am convinced that He is good, merciful and true.
How can a God who is good, merciful and true ask me to die for Him? Doesn’t that seem kind of incongruent? If He were good, would he not protect me from death? Does not goodness protect from unpleasantness and death? Does not goodness seek pleasure for its object? If God the Father loved God the Son, how could He ask Him to die for us? Sounds like a pretty awful thing to ask of your beloved son. Does love require the preservation of goodness, the expression of mercy or the enforcement of truth? If so, then perhaps it would change the way we view the expression of love. What if those three elements were more important than providing comfort or pleasure for the object of love?
Did you know that www.Dictionary.com has 47 separate entries for the definition of “good?” Its first entry is, “morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious: a good man.” However, its nineteenth entry is, “agreeable; pleasant: Have a good time.” Can a certain circumstance be morally excellent but not pleasant? If so, then it can be both bad and good at the same time. Can a certain time be morally excellent but not pleasant? Is the death burial and resurrection of our Lord a ‘good’ thing? So while He was hanging on the cross, was it a ‘good’ time or a ‘bad’ time for Him? Well, it was both. It was bad. It was not pleasurable. It was not agreeable. It was good. It accomplished our redemption. It made it possible to restore us to a morally excellent state.
While Jesus was upon the cross, He cried out, “My, God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” He was enduring the moral punishment for our sins. He was enduring the full wrath of a righteous God against our sin. At the point in which He cried out, He was not experiencing the mercy of God, but the wrath of God. Whether you agree or not, the moral excellence of God, (his goodness) was on display. There is goodness in justice, and His justice was being meted out. But His goodness led to the showing of His mercy. Dictionary.com defines mercy as:
1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner. 2. the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: an adversary wholly without mercy. 3. the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, especially to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty. 4. an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors. 5. something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened
God accepted the sacrifice of His Son and had mercy upon Him, raising Him from the dead.
His death, burial and resurrection are also evidence of His truth. Since truth is the actual state of a matter, it is impossible that the Creator could be anything but truth. However, truth also refers to faithfulness to a standard. That the Son should die for us at the request of the Father clearly demonstrates that He is true. He remained faithful to His love for the Father, and they remained faithful to their love for us.
The definitions all sound rather cold and factual, but grasping His goodness, mercy and truth are very important in my motivation for entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise as a sheep. I can joyfully enter, knowing that I will die, because His goodness means that upon my sacrifice, He will produce the highest form righteousness in me. My death releases Him to build righteousness in me, ever expanding His glory. As His goodness is displayed in my death, He pours His mercy upon me resulting in my resurrection as He was raised. His goodness and mercy showered upon me yields faithfulness in my relationship with Him allowing me to fully enjoy His love. Immersed in the bliss of His love, I cannot but help to bring great glory to His name! . Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John