Chapel Service
Chapel service is held on Sunday mornings at 8:30 in the bleachers. This is a non denominational service and all are welcome. If you don't have a Bible we can usually provide one that you can keep.
Race track Chaplain Clay Allen is generally on site during race hours and is more than happy to assist in your spiritual needs.
This year we’re looking at the Attributes of God. Today we look at God’s Mercy. The scriptures speak in vast volumes about his Mercy. Let’s take a look at what this Psalm has to say:
Psalm 103:8-178
The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone--
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
We need to remember that God’s attributes are not something God has, but rather it is something God is. Something God has would be a possession that God could lay aside or change. But God is immutable or unchanging. Here we look at His attribute of Mercy. At first consideration it would seem that Mercy is in conflict with his attribute of Justice but the truth is that none of God’s attributes conflict at all. God’s justice or righteousness works to set things right and sin must be dealt with. God’s mercy compels him to kindness and compassion as evidenced by the Psalmist’s words. In verse 10 we see that he doesn’t always punish us or “give us what we deserve”. That doesn’t mean he winks at sin or turns his head. In his letter to the Romans, Paul addresses this:
Romans 3:25-26
25For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
As it was in the beginning so it is all the way until now, God’s Justice and Mercy are both at work on our behalf. The sins of the ancient past were treated with God’s Mercy just like they are now. So we see, that he was looking forward to the sacrifice he would make in the future just as we look back at the sacrifice that was made for us 2000 years ago. So what can we say about Justice and Mercy? How do they reconcile with each other? The answer is Atonement. In his Justice the necessary sentence of death to deal with sin is carried out by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. In his Mercy, God provided his own son as the sacrifice to save us from destruction. Both Justice and Mercy were at work in the awesome act of love in our behalf. The result is Justification. How and why this works is hard if not impossible for us to understand. Take a look at what AW Tozer had to say about this….
“Mercy cannot cancel judgment apart from atonement. When justice sees iniquity, there must be judgment. But mercy brought Christ to the cross. I don’t claim to understand that. I’m so happy about the things I do know and so delightedly happy about the things I don’t know.
I don’t know what happened there on that cross, exactly; God the mighty maker died for the sin of man, the creature. I know that God turned His back on that holy, holy, holy Man. I know that He gave up the ghost and died. I know that in Heaven is registered atonement for all of Mankind. I know that! And I still don’t know why, and I don’t know what happened.”
Wow….what he wrote is just huge. The fact is, God is too vast and deep for us to understand perfectly. He tells us what we need to know, and he handles the rest for us. I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty comforting to me. Because he loves us, pure and simple.
So let me ask you a question? Where are you at with your relationship with God? The bible is clear that we are all condemned because of our sin. Only Jesus can rescue us because of his work on the cross. We are given the choice to accept or reject this most wonderful gift. To reject His gift is to condemn ourselves to Hell for eternity because God cannot tolerate sin. So the question is what does God require of you? John 3:16 tells us that “ God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” So what does the bible mean when it says “believe”. If you honestly believe in your heart it will change you. When you believe God when he says that he has done this wonderful thing for you, you receive the gift of salvation. The response God is looking for from you and I is repentance. To repent means to turn away from your sin and fix your eyes on Jesus and follow Him. We learn what sin is from God’s word…the Bible. We don’t define sin, God does. Anything that doesn’t line up with who God is, is sin. So I would encourage you to ask Jesus to forgive your sins and to come into your heart, and to be your savior and your Lord….your Master. Remember, you don’t earn your salvation, it’s a gift that you receive. Repentance leads to a deeper and deeper relationship with God. We all mess up along the way because we’re human and frail. When those things happen confess your sins and he is faithful to forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness! So don’t give up! He will NEVER give up on you! If you have questions you can email me at madrasdragstrip@gmail.com!
