Mercy and Grace is for the lost, the last, the least.

Believers, Adam and Eve ate of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" and they died. In Deut. 1 is the story of the Israelites when they refused to enter the promised land (which is a shadow and type of our rest in Christ today) because of the giants, etc in the land. They trusted in their knowledge/ability and not in God's goodness. So God told them that only their little ones who have no "knowledge of good and evil" shall possess the land (v. 39). The unbelieving generation of Israelites wandered and died in the wilderness. Only their little ones made it, and not by their own power too. Remember Jesus' words in Matt 18:3 “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

So what is this "knowledge of good and evil" and how does one feed on it today? It is the law that so many people are trying to obey in order to be godly (be like God)! It is relying on human effort to attain godliness aka "be like God." Paul's typology in Romans 7 (MSG) shows us that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which Adam and Eve ate of in order to "be like God" is a picture of the law:

"The law code started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of “forbidden fruit” out of it. The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me."

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a picture of the law, which gives the knowledge of what is good and what is evil. Paul rightly said in 2 Corinthians 3:6 "... for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Today, due to the teaching of a perverted message, many who profess Christ are still feeding on the tree of knowledge of good and evil (the law) and trying to live by it. "The letter kills..." is a very popular bible verse but many are still struggling to be under law. Many think Christianity is all about "do good, get good; do bad, get bad." Not so. Remember Hebrews 4:16-

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Notice receive "mercy" and find "grace"…? Mercy is escaping the punishment that you very much deserve. Grace is getting the good things that you most certainly do not deserve. We who believe have mercy and grace in abundance in Christ. Mercy and Grace is what the woman caught in adultery that should have been stoned to death received freely from Christ and FREELY too, without fasting or sowing seed.

Mercy and Grace is how all who were healed and delivered by Jesus received their "no questions asked" salvation from Him. He never asked anyone of these people if they had been paying their tithe or obeying the Ten Commandments before saving them, but many in the church today do so and even tell you that in Christ, God will not answer you because you sinned and that He will punish you for your sins unless you do certain things. No, beloved of God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still saving helpless sinners. He will save you from your sins and death!

Mercy and Grace are for the lost, the last, the least, the weak; the sinner who sees that he can neither save himself from his sins/their consequences like the woman caught in adultery nor enjoy God's goodness because of his "a menstrual rag" works of the law. Isaiah 64:6 describes the good things we do to be righteous as "a menstrual rag" in the sight of God.

Doing these works of the law in order to be godly (be like God) seems "good" to many, but it is like eating the good part of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It doesn't matter what part one eats. The result is still death. Remember Proverbs 14:12-

"There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."

The letter kills but it seems like obeying it in order to be righteous and make it to heaven seems right to many. Romans 5:19 shows us how we are made righteous before God: "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." But many reject the gift of righteousness that Christ died that we might have for that which proceeds from human effort at obedience.

The good that one does under law can kill/lead to regret just as fast as doing the things that seem bad. That's why you can buy a brand new car for an employee and he can end up hurting himself with it. Everyone thought he deserved it. He was ecstatic about it. But it killed him anyway. And then you wish you'd bought it earlier or later. That's why you can give money to a relative and then he uses it to fuel a drug habit, overdoses on said drugs and lands in a hospital. That's why you can pass on investing in a start-up (of course this can never work, you say) and then it goes on to be a hit like Facebook. That's why you can book a flight for a particular time, miss it because someone took your seat, get really mad at the airline staff, and become stunned when they tell you that the same flight you were supposed to be on crashed seconds after take off!

If the woman with the issue of blood had gone by her knowledge of the law, she would not have ventured to touch Jesus' garment. According to the law, she should have been stoned to death for touching Jesus' garment and for mixing with the crowd in her unclean state. But she got her healing this way! Trying to obey the law in a bid to be righteous before God is a barrier to receiving from Christ. This would have been the fate of the woman had she not ventured to touch Christ in her unclean state:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace." Galatians 5:4.

Believers, we don't deserve any of the good things that God gives to us, just as the ancient Israelites did not deserve to enter the promised land if they went by their own strength and righteousness.. We can't earn salvation.

Let's stop feeding from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (the law) and feed on the Tree of Life - our Lord Jesus Christ! Let's focus on Him and His finished work for us:

- all of our sins forgiven - past, present and future(Hebrews 10:12);

- No longer under condemnation (Romans 8:1;)

- Made forever righteous by His obedience, not ours (Romans 5:19;)

- Forever accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 6:1;)

- Christ made to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21;)

- Our sins and lawless deeds remembered no more by our loving Father(Hebrews 10;17;)

- Redeemed from the curse of the law, including generational and other curses that many accusers behind pulpits are trying to foist on you and tell you to come and break! (Galatians 3:13;)

- Made right with God and saved from God's wrath through Him (Romans 5:9;)

- Blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ! Ephesians 1:3.

- All the promises of God, including the blessings in Deut. 28:1-14, fulfilled for us in Christ! 2 Corinthians 1:20.

So much more.

Believe Right and see the giants (sins, addictions, bad habits, challenges, sickness, lack, silly mistakes, depression, everything that brings unrest and dis-ease) occupying your promised land destroyed by Christ working in you; not your puny works of the law, fasts and seeds! The woman with the issue of blood also did works of the law but got no results for her efforts. She became poor and only got worse until she abandoned her works to touch Christ! Christ said to her "Your faith has made you whole." The law is not of faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He took the little Israelite children who had no knowledge of good and evil into the promised land. Today, our promised land is Rest in Christ.

By grace, like Paul, see all of your own (self) righteousnesses from trying to obey the law as dung (Philippians 3:8) and embrace Jesus Christ "The Lord our Righteousness" as your righteousness. He will save you, even from those sins and addictions that you struggle with; those sins that some behind the pulpit say is the reason why you cannot receive from God. Matt. 1:21 says of Him-

She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

How can Christ who came to save us from our sins use those very sins that He came to save us from as an excuse for not saving us?

Sin has dominion over those who are trying to obey the law in order to be righteous, "For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace." Romans 6:14. But many in the church have this backwards. Trying to obey the law in order to be godly causes sin to have dominion. It seems like the right thing to do but the end is death. We see this picture in the life of Adam and Eve. Trying to be godly aka "be like God" through human effort is death. Satan knows this and his strategy has not changed since the garden. His agents are behind many pulpits pushing his agenda of "do your best to be godly by obeying the Ten Commandments and doing good things." But the end is death.

God wants us to live in triumph over sin and death, so He made the Way for us to do so and it has got nothing to do with human effort at being godly. See Romans 5:17-

"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ."

God has already provided dry ground (Jesus Christ the Tree of Life) for you to walk in because He knows you cannot swim (keep all of His commandments); you need to be able to keep them all to get to the other side of your Red Sea; with the law, you break one and you're guilty of all (James 2:10) and face the curse (Deut. 28:15, Galatians 3:10.)

We are saved by GRACE....(Ephesians 2:8-9.) Trying to obey the commandments in order to get right with God and thinking that He will understand and help you because you have "tried" is like telling Him that His sacrificing His own Son Jesus Christ for you is not good enough to make you righteous or to save you. It is to reject GRACE by which we are saved... See Galatians 2:21-

"I refuse to reject the grace of God. But if a person is put right with God through the Law, it means that Christ died for nothing!"

Believers, let's be like little children. Our Heavenly Father loves and His heart is to bless us so, so much. That's why Jesus came! Law-keeping to get right with God is a barrier to touching Christ. In Christ, we are no longer under law but under grace where sin shall not have dominion over us! Grace is the antidote to sin.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.