In God’s Amazing Grace (Part 3) we began to get into the meat of grace. We looked at some ways grace should be lived out in our daily lives. We saw that grace should be recognized in us by others and grace should be shared with others. We also saw that grace should empower us and build us up. God’s gift of grace is not a light, weak, insignificant thing. It has more power and worth than we finite human beings can fathom.

With His grace comes knowledge. With His grace comes responsibility. With His grace comes supernatural power.

With His grace comes warnings.

Today we will look at five warnings given us in the Scriptures concerning the amazing grace of our ever so gracious God. Get ready. This is serious business.

1) We are not to receive grace in vain

God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—

 2 Corinthians 5:19 – 6:1

What does it mean to receive something vain?

The word vain in 2 Corinthians 6:1 is kenos and it means empty, vain, devoid of truth– of places: vessels, etc. which contain nothing- of men: empty handed, without a gift, metaph. destitute of spiritual wealth, of one who boasts of his faith as a transcendent possession, yet is without the fruits of faith. metaph. of endeavours, labours, acts, which result in nothing, vain, fruitless, without effect, vain, of no purpose

If we have received the grace of God… really received it. Then it comes full. It comes loaded with truth. It comes with a gift. It bares fruit. It will have an effect in our life. It comes with and for a purpose. It comes with the Holy Spirit.

So let us stop. Look at our hands. Look at our feet. Look at our days… do we boast of our faith in Christ and of His grace in our lives yet have no fruits of it?

2) We are not to fall from grace

And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

Galatians 5:3-4

It was not the law that saved us. It was not our ability to do good and keep all the rules that brought grace into our life. Remember it is a free gift. We didn’t earn it and we can’t buy it. We must be careful that once we have received grace we do not confuse our new power in grace to obey God from the heart with keeping all the rules in order to please Him. We do not gain His favor by works. We already have it. We must do what we do because it is the natural fruit of the grace of God growing within us and flowing out of us. Let us be careful that we do not fall from grace.

3) We are not to insult grace

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 

Hebrews 10:26-29

Oh precious one, this one speaks for itself. Do not keep on choosing sin after you know that you know that you know it is sin… and it was in fact this sin that put the One who by grace died for sins that were not His own… but were ours… on that cross. His blood flowed in place of our own. Remember that we learned in Part 3 that the grace of God empowers us. It empowers us to live a godly life in this present world. The words I can’t help it are a lie whispered to us from the pits of hell. If we have received the grace of God and are His in Christ, then we are filled with the Spirit of God, the very same Spirit that raised the dead, made the lame walk, and the blind see. Let us never insult His grace.

4) We are not to come short of grace

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many bedefiled; 

Hebrews 12:15

Grace is to be extended to others. It is meant to come full circle. If we cannot extend it to others then we never really received it ourselves. The grace of God is powerful enough to save us from death and it is powerful enough to heal us from any hurt and it is powerful enough to give us the strength to forgive anyone for anything.

5) We are not to turn grace into licentiousness

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Jude 4

What is licentiousness?

In the Greek this word is aselgeia and it means unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary explains licentiousness as lacking legal or moral restraints; especially : disregarding sexual restraints, marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness

This is the warning that I see needs to be most headed in our western church. The grace of God was never meant to give us freedom to live how every we want to… the grace of God was given to us to give us the power to obey God from our heats. Remember that grace, charis, means gratifying, of manner or act, the divine influence upon the heart and it’s reflection in the life. Grace is the hand of God at work in our heart and mind and soul. 

It is an ungodly person who claims to know God by the grace of God and claims to be saved by the grace of God but lives a life in absolute open rebellion to what He says is good and right in His Word and claims no shame while doing it.

Especially concerning sexual sin…

We cannot claim to know Christ with our mouth yet deny Him by our actions. What we practice with our bodies preaches louder than our words ever will.

Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

~ Jesus (Matthew 7:22-24)

God’s Amazing Grace (Part 5)

But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts;

Zechariah 7:11-13

I am studying this week in Zechariah 7 and 8. I read through these chapters and the cross-references that the the study leads me to in the Scriptures and it is heart breaking. Our day is heart breaking.

The bombings in Boston on April 15th, being the latest event in America… as authorities try to figure out the why of this day of shock… I read:

Yom ha-Azma’ut, Israel’s Independence Day (from sundown to sundown, April 15-16). Sixty-five years ago the modern state was born out of the ashes of the Holocaust, a true miracle of God’s mercy towards His chosen people.

~ David Brickner

I do not know if the bomber setter and planner was aware of this date in history… but I know one who most certainly was.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, hespeaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

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The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy

John 10:10

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And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Ephesians 2:1-2

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Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

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And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world;

Revelation 12:9

It’s so sad really to watch the commentators… to read and hear the responses of people. Upside down. The lot of of our nation… completely upside down.

I receive White House news blurbs. I suppose they think I am buying into their propaganda because I get them, but I read them in absolute horror. These are the leaders of my country and this is how they lead? This is what they push? This is how they approach the American people? These blurbs are written as though we are ignorant three year olds with no mind of our own and no ability to research history or discover truth.

I know history. I know what has happened to the people of every nation that has ever disarmed their people. I know the steps that led up to the Holocaust. I know that laws are only kept by law abiding citizens… and no matter how great the law or how strong the enforcer… the transgressor will transgress because they have no respect for the law or the lawgiver.

I know what happens when people are more concerned about their pocketbooks than people.

It makes me angry and nauseous. Yet, it is so very sad. I know they are deceived. So very deceived. They think not with a mind of understanding or wisdom… but they are foolish because their futile minds are darkened because they have refused to believe the truth (Romans 1:21-23)

I think they really believe they are right.

However, do listen, as I study today, from what I see in the Book… let not the political conservative church goer get to big for their britches.

As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. Daniel 9:13-14

So many gung-ho, political-conservative, gun-toting, pro-life standing, church going, red-blooded Americans… yelling about the stupidity of the liberal media and political mindset yet we are no better if in our knowledge of God we refuse to obey Him in our personal lives.

You see, we are actually worse.

What movies do we watch? What music do we listen to? How many marriage beds have we defiled? How many clicks on the porn websites have we made? How many magazines are in our house that speak or show nothing but trash? How many books do we read that are meant to awaken and feed sensuality and flesh? Where does your money go? How many orphans have we fed? How many poor have we helped? How many widows yards have we mowed? How much time and money have we invested in our local church? How much truth have we taught to others?

How many stands have we made in honor of our Christ…

Real stands…

Not, “It’s Merry Christmas, by-god, not Happy Holidays!“

A real stand my friend.

A stand that tells the people at work, no I won’t listen to that joke or watch that youtube clip, or partake in that gossip, no I will not steal time from my employer, no I will not get involved or even begin to flirt with him or her because I honor the marriage bed, yes I will come to my job and I will work as unto the Lord and I will do it with a smile, I will not do anything here that would dishonor my name, my family, or my God.

A stand that tells the kids at school no I will not sit quietly and be told that I came from a monkey and I can respectfully share with my teacher and class that I am created by God,  yes I will respect my parents and teachers and no I will not be mean and cruel to him or her because they are different from me and no I will not even come close to having sex outside my marriage bed because I believe the Word of God and I will not buy the lies of what society says is okay.

A stand that shouts by my actions not my words that I believe the Word of Truth and I live it because I believe it.

My head shakes over the deceived minds of the world. Those who speak with absolutely no conviction of the Spirit and no wisdom of God. They speak from what’s within themselves… only from the knowledge of man… his philosophies… and it is upside down.

My head shakes over these… but my heart hurts over those who profess to know God, whether Jew or Christian, yet they do not obey Him in their personal choices in life.

If not for my hope and security in the sovereignty of God I would crumble under the weight of the disobedience and disregard of those who claim to know Him yet honor Him not with their lives.

Stop and think for a moment about the word sovereignty. There’s a small word nestled in the heart of it, the word reign: sov-reign-ty. 

Sovereignty means our all-wise, all-knowing God reigns in realms beyond our comprehension to bring about a plan beyond our ability to alter, hinder, or stop.

~ Swindoll

I expect the upside down thinking from those who are deceived… they speak only from what they know and I pray that God would open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Christ (Acts 26:18).

Yet, for those who have known the truth since childhood… yet refuse to live it… I pray ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. (Revelation 3:1-3).

And I pray, But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.Fo r this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, (Ephesians 5:13-15)

In the words of Earl Pitts, Wake Up America!

Wake up Church… pray for the deceived… pray for the sleeper. Let us be angry and zealous at the right ones. Let us remember that we battle not against flesh and blood, but against against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). It’s time to flip the tables in the temple and give to Caesar what is Caesars. There are so many who are seeking truth but they cannot find it if the ones who have it are living the lie.

Today we have time. Will we choose to live what we claim to believe, no matter what it costs us…

We are now about to get into the meat of grace… In Part 1 we began an introduction and we saw how the beautiful thread of grace flows from Genesis to Revelation. In Part 2 we saw six Biblical truths about grace. In these truths the bottom line was that grace is free, it is a gift from GOD, it is undeserved and unearned, and it is by it that we are called into God’s salvation and it is by it that we are even able to be saved and it is by grace that GOD accepts the death of His Son in the place of our own.

We need to think very highly of the grace of God… and not take it for granted… as many do.

Today we are getting into what I like to call the meat of grace.

Remember that as we look at grace, charis, it means gratifying, of manner or act, the divine influence upon the heart and it’s reflection in the life.

Grace is not behavior modification. Grace is not better sin management due to a clearer understanding of the rules… Grace is an inward change and motivation. It is the heart of God at work in your heart from the inside. The influence of the divine hand of God molding and reshaping your inner man so that you no longer reflect sin… but His Son.

Merriam-Websters dictionary defines influence…

an ethereal fluid held to flow from the stars and to affect the actions of human

an emanation of occult power held to derive from stars, 

an emanation of spiritual or moral force

Grace is not an ethereal fluid or an occult power from the stars… it is the Spirit of the Creator God from the very heart of God at work in your heart, mind, and soul. It changes us with no effort on our part and no exertion on His.

Grace can blow our minds and bring us to our knees if we really truly think on it… precious one… think on it.

And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

Acts 4:31-33

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And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed

2 Corinthians 9:8

If I am a partaker of the grace of God how should that look in my daily life? 

Let’s look at four things:

1) Grace should be recognized in you by others

Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; (Acts 11:23, NASB)

For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. (2 Corinthians 1:12, NASB)

But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Galatians 2:7-9, NASB)

2) Grace should be shared with others

with believers…

But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24, NASB)

if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; (Ephesians 3:2, NASB)

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29, NASB)

with unbelievers…

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. (Colossians 4:5-6, NASB)

3) Grace should empower you

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (Titus 2:11-14, NASB)

4) Grace should build you up

And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32, NASB)

As we look at the Biblical view of grace… we see that it is not some hidden secret thing. If it is real and present in us then it shows… it can’t help but show. God’s inward handiwork is manifested in our outward actions.

Grace gives us the ability to be obedient from our hearts, not from fear of judgment but from faith in justification. Knowing that’s it not by our might or power that we are made righteous… that anyone is made righteous… but it is by His Spirit.

In this knowledge and in this grace… we display grace to others as God displayed it to us. His grace abundantly poured out on and in us should overflow into and onto those around us.

God’s Amazing Grace (Part 4)

Another heart wrenching event in the United States… I still haven’t watched any news. Have yet to see any footage of the tragedy. I heard the story over the radio as I drove home from co-op.

Last night our Pastor preached through Romans 3:10-20. As he taught through these verses he showed the progression that God gives us in this passage. I had spent the week before pondering these verses that are all pulled from the Old Testament… and I asked God if there was a reason they were in the order they were.

You see I am one of those that believes every thing in the Word is significant… every but, if, so, then, therefore, every begot, every generation, every cubit, every name, every number, everything. So I just keep reading and praying and seeking and trusting that God will open my eyes and give me understanding.

He answered my ponderings Sunday night through my Pastor’s teaching.

There is none righteous, not even one;
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12

As you study through the first three chapters of the book of Romans you see it clearly laid out that all of us are headed straight to destruction. Whether you be in the deepest darkest jungles of nowhere or whether you have attended the largest metropolitan megachurch since nine months before you born. All of us are guilty of transgressing the Law of God.

Apart from the grace of God we are all useless.

As we continue in Romans 3, with 13-18 we see the progression of those who still refuse to acknowledge God and turn away from Him… exchanging the truth of God for the lie.

“Their throat is an open grave,
With their tongues they keep deceiving,”
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;
“Their feet are swift to shed blood,
Destruction and misery are in their paths,
And the path of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

We see first their throat. Their throat is an open grave. Nothing but death and decay within it. Apart from God we are all dead. Then, we see that death and decay begin to display itself…

Their tongues… their tongues are deceitful. My Pastor shared how this word for deceit can also be translated “fishhook”. A fishhook presents something that appears to be a meal… but it is meant to capture and make the one it captured the meal. It appears to offer life… but in the end it leads to death. Yes, that is indeed the way of deceit. It looks good, smells good, sounds good… but it is a lie.

Then we see it move to their lips and out their mouths.

Those that know God not speak cursings and bitterness. They rarely have anything good to say about anyone or anything. Their is no thanksgiving in their mouth. No praise to God for His goodness… because they are never satisfied.

When we make ourselves the center of our own universe then we will never be happy, as my Pastor shared, we are fallen… and fallen man always thinks more highly of himself that he ought. He will never have enough postion, money, health, fame… people will never be good enough for them or to them… life will never bend over backwards enough to make them happy… therefore their mouths are full of cursings and bitterness.

I have heard them.

Then their words become their actions… the death they spoke with their mouths that proceeded from within them now is played out in their hands and feet.

Just take a moment and think.

Think of all the news and movies and music and games… how much of it is centered and focused on bloodshed.

Just look at the events of our present day?

As our nation continues to turn her back on the Creator… look at the bloodshed.

Look at our nation. Look at our schools. Look at Boston.

God give us eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

There is no fear of God before our eyes…

At the ballfield tonight I watched some interaction between a father and son. The son was probably three years old. He was a handful to say the least. I think my mouth dropped open in stunned shock over his behavior at least three times.

I almost said something to the father… but didn’t.

The final straw for me was when the little boy was about to drop a toy off the top of the bleachers… the father had already said several times earlier to stop. The little boy then goes up again and the father says “Don’t you dare drop that again.” The boy doesn’t check up… he drops it. The father doesn’t even turn around, he just shook his head and let the boy go on.

The words of the father meant NOTHING to this boy. NOTHING.

That terrifies me.

The words of the father should mean something to the child…

The Word of the Father should mean something to the child.

Judgment begins with the house of God.

Have we gotten it all wrong? Have we built up walls for buildings to keep people out of the church? Have we built up walls for a building to keep the church in its place and keep it out of the walls of our homes? Are we worshipping behind walls when we should be worshipping before the world? 

Please come to Boston in the springtime… where death and bombs and destruction and calamity and confusion and despair are present. Where disobedience to the Word of God is exalted. Are we still so foolish as a nation to ignore the connection between disregard and death.

I don’t know if our nation will ever see revival… but I do know that as the dark gets darker… the light gets brighter. I am after those who will love the Light. I have nothing to offer those who love the darkness.

God’s Amazing Grace (Part 1) left us meditating on the beautiful thread of grace we see that flows from the book of Genesis to Revelation.  Today we will dig even more into the New Testament as we continue our study of the grace of our God.

In the books of the New Testament we can discover many beautiful truths about grace. So let us take some time to wipe away any preconceived notions we might have about grace… and let us look at the Word of God through clean and clear lenses. Let us take the Word at His Word.

Today we will focus on six truths about grace. 

1) Grace is free

to the praise of the glory of His grace,

which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:6

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For by grace you have been saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves, 

it is the gift of God; 

Ephesians 2:5-8

We do not work to gain grace… it is not a wage due us. It is a free gift from God. We can do nothing to earn it. We can’t buy it. We can’t sell it.

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

Acts 8:18-20

2) It is by God’s free gift of grace that we are saved

being justified as a gift by His grace

through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus

Romans 3:24

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Therefore, having been justified by faith, 

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

through whom also we have obtained our introduction

by faith into this grace in which we stand;

and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1-2

Remember we were dead before we were made alive in Christ… spiritually dead. A dead person cannot do anything… they. are. dead. It is by God’s free gift of grace that we are even able to be saved.

even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 

Ephesians 2:5-8

3) It is by grace that Christ offers Himself and it is by grace that God even accepts this as propitiation for our sins

But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. 

Hebrews 2:9

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But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ 

Romans 5:15-17

Has it ever occurred to you that God didn’t have to accept Christ’s blood on behalf of you own? It was the grace of God that made the way and it was the grace of God that accepted the way. It’s my debt that needs paid… God doesn’t have to accept it from anyone else… it’s mine to pay. I owe it. Yet Christ stood in my place and put his arm up to me and said “I’ve got it“. He did this and God didn’t have to accept it, but He did.

4) It is grace that calls us to salvation

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him

who called you by the grace of Christ,

for a different gospel;

Galatians 1:6

It was by the very grace of God that you were called into salvation. Grace, this free gift, this grace of God is what saves us. Grace, this free gift that saves us, this grace is offered up by grace and accepted by grace and it is by this grace that we are called.

5) It is grace that covers our sins

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Romans 5:20-21

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even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:13-14

No matter how great the sin… God’s grace is enough.

6) All that we are in Christ is by grace

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 

1 Corinthians 15:10

All that we are, all that we ever hope to be, all that we ever were, all that we never were, all that we ever will be… it is all only by the grace of God. From the beginning to the end it is all wrapped up and wound up in grace.

God’s Amazing Grace (Part 3)

Today we begin a series on God’s amazing grace. We begin… of course with the introduction. So today allow me the honor and great joy to introduce to you the incomprehensible, the absolute unmatchable, the seemingly almost unattainable, yet the freely given and available… amazing grace of our God.

The very first time we discover the use of the word grace in the Word of God is in Genesis. Why, yes, in Genesis… the book of beginnings. Grace was indeed in the beginning… Let us go to Genesis 6:8

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (NASB)

Here in Genesis 6:8 we see that Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. The word favor in Hebrew is chen -it means favor, grace, kindness, beauty, precious. It comes from the word chanan –which means to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior, to have mercy on or to have pity on. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and it would be this grace that would bring him the offer of salvation from the coming judgment upon the face of the earth.

The last time the word grace is used in the Old Testament is in the book of Zechariah. Let us go to Zechariah  4:6-7

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” (NASB)

and let us go to Zechariah 12:10

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. (NASB)

From Genesis to Zechariah we see that grace is equated with salvation and our beautiful Savior. Grace and salvation and Jesus… they just all go together.

In 1 Peter 1:10-12 we read of how God’s grace was prophesied through the prophets. We see how His amazing grace is longed to be looked into even by the angels!

As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look. (NASB)

The first time that the word grace is used in the New Testament is in Luke 2:40 and once again it is in a verse that is teaching of our Savior.

The Child continued to grow and become strong, 

increasing in wisdom;

and the grace of God was upon Him.

In the Greek, the word grace is charis –which means gratifying, of manner or act, the divine influence upon the heart and it’s reflection in the life.

The next mention of the word grace is in John 1:14-17.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

In this passage of Scripture we read of how grace and truth were realized in Jesus.

The KJV of this verse (John 1:17) reads “grace and truth came” by Jesus. The word came in this verse is ginomai –and means to cause to be generate, to be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, grow, be kept, be married, be ordained to be, partake, be performed.

What we see from this is beautiful!

The Law is indeed truth, but it came with no grace. Yet in Christ grace and truth are married, they are one. Grace and truth are finished in Christ, they are performed in Christ. They are brought to life in our lives in, through, and by Christ.

The very last mention of the word grace in the Word of God is in the book of Revelation. The very last verse recorded from the breathe of God… Revelation 22:21

 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

How great is our God and how abundant is His grace!

So… now… what does all this mean… how should grace look in us? We will begin to look at this tomorrow.

However today, think on the beautiful thread of grace that flows from Genesis to Revelation. Meditate on the truth that grace that flowed like a fountain upon Noah before the fountains of the deep broke forth in judgment. Meditate on the truth that grace was prophesied and offered to the disobedient and rebellious Israel while she was in the midst of her consequences. Meditate on the truth that grace is still available and being offered today… to you… may it fall like rain.

God’s Amazing Grace (Part 2)

Then all the men who were aware

that their wives were burning sacrifices to other gods,

along with all the women

who were standing by, as a large assembly, 

including all the people

who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt,

responded to Jeremiah, saying, 

“As for the message that you

have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, 

we are not going to listen to you! 

But rather we will certainly carry out

every word that has proceeded from our mouths…

Jeremiah 44:15-17

We live in a day where there is a lot of standing by. It’s sad really. We read all the time in the news of how someone is arrested for a crime… and then all these “witnesses” get on the tv screen telling the reporter all that they saw. As I watch I find myself screaming at the tv: “Excuse me? You “saw” all this and you just stood by and did nothing? You just took notes so you could get in front of the tv camera and give your grand opinion of the situation for your fifteen minutes of fame?“

How many times do you see something caught on camera and we see this huge crowd standing by watching one person being abused… there is a whole crowd of grown men and women there watching… seeing… and yet they do nothing.

Steubenville was not a one time, one place thing. It happens all the time… everywhere… in every little town… in every big city. How many were there that night and saw, but did nothing.

Rutger was not a one time, one place thing. It happens all the time… everywhere… in every little town… in every big city. How many were there and saw, but did nothing.

Penn State was not a one time, one place thing. It happens all the time… everywhere… in every little town… in every big city. How many knew… had a feeling… even saw, but did nothing.

Church goer… Christ professor… did you see… yet do nothing?

For me there are times that it is almost nauseating to think of all of us piling our families into our cars in our clean Sunday clothes and driving to our beautiful church building on Sunday morning and walking in and smiling and singing our songs and playing with our tech gadgets as we half-way listen to the Word while we whisper and giggle about what movie… game… race… we saw last night or during the week.

Knowing that somewhere, right now, at some other place in the world… a six year old girl is being raped by a disgusting blob of demonically driven mad-man that bought her from a wretched woman who sold her to him for coins…

How many saw her sold… how many knows he buys… how many knows she sells… yet do nothing.

Please, for the love of Christ… for the love of innocence… let us do something.

Today, stop.

Stop and look.

What do you see?

And precious one… above all else… what can you do.

Trust me.

You can do something.

“I will make it go forth,” declares the Lord of hosts,

“and it will enter the house of the thief

and the house

of the one who swears falsely by My name;

and it will spend the night within that house

and consume it with its timber and stones.”

Zechariah 5:4

This morning as I was studying through the book of Zechariah I read Zechariah 5:4, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and I thought of how my sister-in-law’s example with her company is a perfect example of application for this verse.

Now on the first day of the week 

Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb,

while it was still dark,

and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 

John 20:1

Destiny’s Child had a song called, Say My Name. The lyrics went, “say my name, say my name, you actin kinda shady ain’t callin’ me baby, why the sudden change… if you ain’t runnin games… say my name, say my name“

There is something quite powerful about someone saying our name. Destiny’s Child sings about it. Shakespeare wrote plays about it. Dale Carnegie teaches techniques to help leaders learn people’s names because it is so important for success in business and really for life in general.

Your name is important.

Your name is used to get your attention and your name is used to show that you have someone’s attention…

Mary returns to the tomb… what does she see but the stone rolled away. Of course her first thought is that they had taken His body… those Pharisees… the council… Rome.

How could they?

Was the Friday torture not enough?

Would they destroy His dead lifeless body as well?

Could they really be that cruel?

Mary knew that yes… they could. She had lived in the perversions of man. She knew the depths of which they could steep. Now she turns and she runs to find Peter and John. I find it interesting that she ran to Peter and John. I believe she knew she could trust these men to do something… what she might not know… but they would do something.

The men entered the tomb to investigate. Jesus was gone. The tomb was indeed empty, they held His grave cloths in their hand… at a loss… a complete loss. What was going on? I can see the two men looking at one another shaking their heads… trying to work out in their minds what they should do next. However, not knowing what to do, not yet understanding the Scriptures, they just went home.

But not Mary.

Mary stayed at the tomb. She is after all a woman. Mary would need a good cry. It was time for a meltdown moment. She would need to fall to the ground and place her hands over her head and weep until her nose was red and running and her face soaked with salty tears, that poured so thick out of her eyes that they ran down her cheek and down her neck and soaked the veil that hung around her shoulders.

She had stayed and watched it all. She had been there when they laid Him in the tomb. She had came early to be near Him in the only way she knew how… and He was gone.

Yes, it was time for a meltdown.

Then she’s interrupted. She looks up through red-eyed, tear-blurred vision and doesn’t even question where these men came from… there is after all no telling how long she had been heaving these sobs. She speaks to these men, hoping they can tell her something… and then she turns:

When she had said this,

she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,

and did not know that it was Jesus.

John 20:14

He was there!

Right there!

Right there in front of her, yet she did know it was Him.

In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not be afraid, O Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Zephaniah 3:16-17

Right there in her midst… How many of us have Him right here in our midst yet we do not see Him. But when He said her name… she recognized Him. There is indeed something quite powerful in someone saying our name.

I was the first on the scene of a vehicle accident about fifteen years ago. I actually witnessed it happen, should have been involved in it, but by God’s grace was spared. I was sitting in a side parking lot in one vehicle, talking to my mother and grandmother who were in another. As we sat and talked we saw the car pull out and we saw the diesel truck top the hill…

We knew it was coming but could do nothing.

The truck slamed into the car as he tried to stop and somehow instead of continuing in the direction straight toward our vehicles, he manages to turn the wheel and send his truck, that was now attached to this car, into a tree on the other side of the road.

I jumped out of my vehicle and ran to the car expecting to see death, I couldn’t tell if there was a pulse or not, I couldn’t tell if there was breathing or not… I saw the young woman’s purse and grabbed it trying to find out who she was. I saw that her name was Katie…

The moment I addressed her by her name her eyes shot open and she began moaning and crying…

She lived.

There is something powerful in knowing that someone knows our name. There is a reason people want to see their name in lights on a stage. There is a reason people want to see their name in the paper. There is a reason we do play bulletins with the cast and character list. There is a reason that hand out football programs. There is a reason we announce the player as they go up to bat. There is a reason it matters that someone knows our name.

I remember well the moment that Jesus said my name… I thought He had forsaken me. I thought He would never want me. I thought He was far from me… but the moment He said my name I could see that He had been there with me all along. I was just too caught up in my own meltdown to see Him.

Precious one, I don’t know where you are today… I don’t know if you can see Him or not… but trust me, He is in your midst… He knows your name.