MEMORISE:
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 1Timothy 1:15

READ:
Acts 22:1-10

1Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.

2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished.

6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

10 And I said, What shall I do, LORD? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

MESSAGE:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:6-8

The above verse beautifully captures the extent of Christ’s sacrifice in order to bring salvation to all of mankind. Even though He was He was God, he brought Himself low for the purpose of extending His mercy to all sinners, irrespective of how much evil they had done. Speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in Luke 1:78-79, Zechariah described Christ as salvation brought to us through the tender mercy of God:

“Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

This salvation did not come to us as a reward for any good deeds on our part: rather, it is a gift given to us by God’s mercy, through the spotless righteousness of Christ when a sinner realizes that he or she is in a hopeless situation, condemned to eternal death and in incapable of doing anything to change the situation, and he or she comes in faith to receive a new beginning from Jesus Christ, the merciful Savior, this person is ushered into a new covenant with God. One of the articles of this new covenant which begins to work in the life of such a fellow is described in Hebrew 8:12, which says:

“ For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”

How marvelous is the mercy of our God to wash away our past into the sea of forgetfulness!

Salvation is the exclusive prerogative of God alone; there no human effort involved in securing it. So then, it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God who shows mercy (Romans 9:16). God has worked out everything in our favor through Jesus Christ His Son. He has shown us His mercy by granting us salvation, making it available for all mankind, irrespective of race, color, language or culture. The least you can do to express your gratitude to Him is to accept His love and mercy today by giving your life to Jesus, proclaiming Him as your Lord and Savior. When you do this, He will give you peace, joy and eternal life.

ACTION POINT:
Express your gratitude for the mercy of God you have received by telling someone about it today.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Acts 1-2
Isaiah 43:14-44:5

HYMN 6:
HAVE YOU BEEN TO JESUS FOR THE CLEANSING POWER?

1. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain
Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

2. Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

3. When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white!
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for His presence bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

4. Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

…“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”John 8:11

THE GIFT OF NO CONDEMNATION

When Jesus was on earth, a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought before Him by the scribes and Pharisees, the religious mafia of His day. They tried to trap Him by posing a question that was difficult to answer: “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:5).
Jesus answered, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7). The scribes and Pharisees began to leave one by one till none of them were left.
The people in the crowd who wanted to condemn the woman could not. But Jesus, the only one in the crowd who truly had the power to condemn her, would not. He then asked her, “Woman…Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10).
He spoke such words of grace to her because He loved her. Also, by asking her the question, He was giving her a chance to speak words of no condemnation to herself—“No one [condemns me], Lord” (John 8:11).
Jesus not only spoke words of grace to her, He also gave her the gift of no condemnation—“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” It was when she received the gift of no condemnation that she had the power to “go and sin no more.”
Today, you have the gift of no condemnation because the Son of God was condemned for all your sins (see Romans 8:1). Today, God cannot condemn you when you sin because He is faithful and just to what His Son has done.
So if the devil tries to convince you that God is angry with you when you blow it, just say, “God does not condemn me today because He has already condemned Jesus at the cross 2,000 years ago!”
Unfortunately, we still hear people saying, “Go and sin no more first, then I won’t condemn you.” Maybe you have been saying this to yourself too. But God says, “I don’t condemn you. Go and sin no more.” He gives you the gift of no condemnation, so that you have the strength to go and sin no more!