The Sound Of Grace ...Continued from page 1
Some say that God’s grace is a New Testament development. Yet, if we look closely, we see that in fact God has been pouring his grace upon humankind since Genesis 3, when God doesn’t strike Adam and Eve on the spot, but lets them live. That was grace. After David sins with Bathsheba and kills her husband, he prays for grace and pens the words that have been teaching sinners to pray for millennia, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” And God forgives David’s sins. And that is grace.
Let me further illustrate God’s grace for us by using an illustration from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. The story of Mephiboshet in 2 Samuel 9 is a beautiful story of grace. After David becomes king over Israel he asks, “Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” David, you see, is counterculture. The Ancient Near Eastern culture would dictate that he kill everyone in Saul’s family. David finds out that there is one man, Mephiboshet, Jonathan’s son, who is crippled in both feet. “Where is he?” David asks.
“He is in Lo Debar.” Lo Debar can mean: No word, no thing, or no place. He has nothing going for him. He is in “no man’s land.”
But David says to Mephiboshet, “Don’t be afraid for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” Notice Mephiboshet’s response. “What is your servant that you should notice a dead dog like me?” Imagine Mephiboshet at the king’s table. He says to himself, “There sits the intelligent prince Solomon; he seems to be writing something. People say that he always seems to get in trouble for writing love songs during dinner. Hopefully, he will publish them some day. Next to him sits the good looking prince Absalom; everybody knew that in all Israel there was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him. And next to Absalom there sits his beautiful sister, Princess Tamar.
“But what am I doing here? I am crippled, I don’t belong, I don’t fit with the intelligent, with the good looking, with the beautiful.” But he experiences GRACE, because the king comes and tells him, “You sit at the table anyway.”
Lo Debar is not a permanent place. It is a waiting place. How long can you wait? Maybe you too are waiting in Lo Debar. How long can you wait? Remember, the king knows where you are. Even Lo Debar is the place of grace. God is ready to pour grace upon you. I love the story of Mephiboshet because his story is my story. His story is your story. Sin has crippled us and we’re lame; lame in our talk (we stutter, we have an accent); lame in our motives (we do the right thing for the wrong reason); and yet God our King says to us, “You sit at My table anyway.” That’s grace. And one day we’ll sit at the King’s table, and our feet will be crippled no more, because he’ll make all things new.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
The Sound of Grace [page 1]
The Sound Of Grace
Titus 2:11-14
Titus was a young pastor, shepherding God’s flock on the isle of Crete. The church that was entrusted to his care was a church that the Apostle Paul probably planted after his Roman imprisonment narrated in Acts. Because Titus is young and inexperienced, Paul is writing him a letter, which we know as the Epistle to Titus. In this letter Paul is instructing Titus that he needs to “straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town” (1:5). Paul also tells Titus that he needs to teach “what is in accord with sound doctrine” (2:1). And then, in 2:11-14, in one long sentence, Paul gives Titus the gospel message. The message is relevant to us today because our churches have problems, like the church in Crete had problems. Elders had not yet been appointed. It seems that one of the candidates for eldership had unconverted children. One scholar writes that “the letter is clear evidence that the Christian church is not intended to function only in cozy, respectable, middle-class environments. The gospel is for the most unpromising of people.”
The Rescue of Grace (verse 11)
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” We are saved by the grace of God alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith. And that is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” In his book Spirit, Word, and Story Calvin Miller writes, “Grace we define as ‘unmerited favor,’ or as our time-worn acrostic declares: ‘God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.’” We are alive today because of God’s grace. We are here today because of God’s grace. We are saved from sin and eternal damnation in hell because of God’s grace. But how did God give this grace to us? Verse 14 says that it is through “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
John Bunyan writes, “O Son of God, grace was in all thy tears; grace came bubbling out of thy side with thy blood; grace came forth with every word of thy sweet mouth; grace came out where the whip smote thee, where the thorns pricked thee, where the nails and spear pierced thee. O blessed Son of God, here is grace indeed! Unsearchable riches of grace! Unthought-of of riches of grace! Grace to make the angels wonder, grace to make the sinners happy.”
With his wonderful sanctified imagination, C. S. Lewis writes about a bus that was leaving hell to take a tour of heaven. And while riding through the streets of gold, one of the guys in the bus sees an old friend walking through the streets of gold, and all of a sudden he jumps up and starts yelling, “It’s not fair, it’s not fair, he was a sinner all his life, it’s not fair. I want justice, I want justice.” And one of the people walking through the streets of gold turned to his neighbor and said, “Poor guy. He doesn’t know that we’re not here because justice has been imparted to us. We are here because we have been given grace.”
Titus 2:11-14
Titus was a young pastor, shepherding God’s flock on the isle of Crete. The church that was entrusted to his care was a church that the Apostle Paul probably planted after his Roman imprisonment narrated in Acts. Because Titus is young and inexperienced, Paul is writing him a letter, which we know as the Epistle to Titus. In this letter Paul is instructing Titus that he needs to “straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town” (1:5). Paul also tells Titus that he needs to teach “what is in accord with sound doctrine” (2:1). And then, in 2:11-14, in one long sentence, Paul gives Titus the gospel message. The message is relevant to us today because our churches have problems, like the church in Crete had problems. Elders had not yet been appointed. It seems that one of the candidates for eldership had unconverted children. One scholar writes that “the letter is clear evidence that the Christian church is not intended to function only in cozy, respectable, middle-class environments. The gospel is for the most unpromising of people.”
The Rescue of Grace (verse 11)
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” We are saved by the grace of God alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith. And that is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” In his book Spirit, Word, and Story Calvin Miller writes, “Grace we define as ‘unmerited favor,’ or as our time-worn acrostic declares: ‘God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.’” We are alive today because of God’s grace. We are here today because of God’s grace. We are saved from sin and eternal damnation in hell because of God’s grace. But how did God give this grace to us? Verse 14 says that it is through “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
John Bunyan writes, “O Son of God, grace was in all thy tears; grace came bubbling out of thy side with thy blood; grace came forth with every word of thy sweet mouth; grace came out where the whip smote thee, where the thorns pricked thee, where the nails and spear pierced thee. O blessed Son of God, here is grace indeed! Unsearchable riches of grace! Unthought-of of riches of grace! Grace to make the angels wonder, grace to make the sinners happy.”
With his wonderful sanctified imagination, C. S. Lewis writes about a bus that was leaving hell to take a tour of heaven. And while riding through the streets of gold, one of the guys in the bus sees an old friend walking through the streets of gold, and all of a sudden he jumps up and starts yelling, “It’s not fair, it’s not fair, he was a sinner all his life, it’s not fair. I want justice, I want justice.” And one of the people walking through the streets of gold turned to his neighbor and said, “Poor guy. He doesn’t know that we’re not here because justice has been imparted to us. We are here because we have been given grace.”
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Morning
Morning...
Psalm 91:3
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler.
God delivers His people from the snare of the fowler in two senses. From, and out of. First, He delivers them from the snare-does not let them enter it; and secondly, if they should be caught therein, He delivers them out of it. The first promise is the most precious to some; the second is the best to others. "He shall deliver thee from the snare." How? Trouble is often the means whereby God delivers us. God knows that our backsliding will soon end in our destruction, and He in mercy sends the rod. We say, "Lord, why is this?" not knowing that our trouble has been the means of delivering us from far greater evil. Many have been thus saved from ruin by their sorrows and their crosses; these have frightened the birds from the net. At other times, God keeps His people from the snare of the fowler by giving them great spiritual strength, so that when they are tempted to do evil they say, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" But what a blessed thing it is that if the believer shall, in an evil hour, come into the net, yet God will bring him out of it! O backslider, be cast down, but do not despair. Wanderer though thou hast been, hear what thy Redeemer saith-"Return, O backsliding children; I will have mercy upon you." But you say you cannot return, for you are a captive. Then listen to the promise-"Surely He shall deliver thee out of the snare of the fowler." Thou shalt yet be brought out of all evil into which thou hast fallen, and though thou shalt never cease to repent of thy ways, yet He that hath loved thee will not cast thee away; He will receive thee, and give thee joy and gladness, that the bones which He has broken may rejoice. No bird of paradise shall die in the fowler's net.
Psalm 91:3
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler.
God delivers His people from the snare of the fowler in two senses. From, and out of. First, He delivers them from the snare-does not let them enter it; and secondly, if they should be caught therein, He delivers them out of it. The first promise is the most precious to some; the second is the best to others. "He shall deliver thee from the snare." How? Trouble is often the means whereby God delivers us. God knows that our backsliding will soon end in our destruction, and He in mercy sends the rod. We say, "Lord, why is this?" not knowing that our trouble has been the means of delivering us from far greater evil. Many have been thus saved from ruin by their sorrows and their crosses; these have frightened the birds from the net. At other times, God keeps His people from the snare of the fowler by giving them great spiritual strength, so that when they are tempted to do evil they say, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" But what a blessed thing it is that if the believer shall, in an evil hour, come into the net, yet God will bring him out of it! O backslider, be cast down, but do not despair. Wanderer though thou hast been, hear what thy Redeemer saith-"Return, O backsliding children; I will have mercy upon you." But you say you cannot return, for you are a captive. Then listen to the promise-"Surely He shall deliver thee out of the snare of the fowler." Thou shalt yet be brought out of all evil into which thou hast fallen, and though thou shalt never cease to repent of thy ways, yet He that hath loved thee will not cast thee away; He will receive thee, and give thee joy and gladness, that the bones which He has broken may rejoice. No bird of paradise shall die in the fowler's net.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
There is hope in God
There is Hope in God
What is destined to happen will happen;
What is prophesied too will come someday;
God hears our prayers: new doors He’ll open;
Work hard, be patient till things come your way.
Good things may be delayed, never denied;
God watches one’s travails and is not mute;
In truth/ injustice, when we do abide,
To land safely, God sends the parachute.
Despair may come in life in umptine ways,
And grief profound may strike the hearts wounded;
And though we may be counting our last days,
New hope and joy will leave us dumbfounded.
Yet, worrying isn’t the method to solve things;
We must face bravely challenges, life brings.
What is destined to happen will happen;
What is prophesied too will come someday;
God hears our prayers: new doors He’ll open;
Work hard, be patient till things come your way.
Good things may be delayed, never denied;
God watches one’s travails and is not mute;
In truth/ injustice, when we do abide,
To land safely, God sends the parachute.
Despair may come in life in umptine ways,
And grief profound may strike the hearts wounded;
And though we may be counting our last days,
New hope and joy will leave us dumbfounded.
Yet, worrying isn’t the method to solve things;
We must face bravely challenges, life brings.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Quiet Walk
Quiet Walk -
Genesis 43
Jacob is forced to send his youngest son, Benjamin, to Egypt.
INSIGHT
"Very often we move forward with dread into the unknown." In reality, our fears are groundless. "If only we realized that [God's] love is waiting for us there." His love requires little from us . . . just ourselves. He enables us to live a happy life when we realize the good He has for us. So, "lift up your hearts; a feast awaits you!"
PRAYER
· We are free to praise God because
of what we know of Him through the
Scriptures:
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.
Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name
(1 Chronicles 29:11-13).
· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life in fellowship with Him:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me. . . .
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You
(Psalm 51:10, 12-13).
· As you confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, voice your affirmation of God's Word:
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
(Romans 8:32).
· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· sensitivity to sin,
· the ministry of your church,
· the concerns of your heart.
· Now offer this prayer of worship to the Lord who loves you as one of His children:
Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and
might,
Be to our God forever and ever. Amen
(Revelation 7:12).
Genesis 43
Jacob is forced to send his youngest son, Benjamin, to Egypt.
INSIGHT
"Very often we move forward with dread into the unknown." In reality, our fears are groundless. "If only we realized that [God's] love is waiting for us there." His love requires little from us . . . just ourselves. He enables us to live a happy life when we realize the good He has for us. So, "lift up your hearts; a feast awaits you!"
PRAYER
· We are free to praise God because
of what we know of Him through the
Scriptures:
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You,
And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might;
In Your hand it is to make great
And to give strength to all.
Now therefore, our God,
We thank You
And praise Your glorious name
(1 Chronicles 29:11-13).
· Now pray this confession to the Lord to keep your life in fellowship with Him:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me. . . .
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You
(Psalm 51:10, 12-13).
· As you confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, voice your affirmation of God's Word:
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
(Romans 8:32).
· As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
· sensitivity to sin,
· the ministry of your church,
· the concerns of your heart.
· Now offer this prayer of worship to the Lord who loves you as one of His children:
Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and
might,
Be to our God forever and ever. Amen
(Revelation 7:12).
Monday, January 21, 2008
God's the weed-puller
Sonnet- God's The Weed-puller
Despite my sweat and toil with pen and hoe;
My rose-filled garden grows recurrent weeds;
God plans to give me roses all the more;
A small reward for my good thoughts and deeds.
This time, God picks the weeds in His own style;
Each one by Hand with intact roots and stem;
And burns them all thoroughly in a pile;
And plans to give to me the diadem.
The ways of God are strange but never fail;
With woeful hearts, He pines for righteous souls;
I need not fight hereafter by e-mail;
God is plugging the Rodent, Snake, Fox holes.
No more, my garden can grow lethal weeds;
God will provide His honest people's needs.
Despite my sweat and toil with pen and hoe;
My rose-filled garden grows recurrent weeds;
God plans to give me roses all the more;
A small reward for my good thoughts and deeds.
This time, God picks the weeds in His own style;
Each one by Hand with intact roots and stem;
And burns them all thoroughly in a pile;
And plans to give to me the diadem.
The ways of God are strange but never fail;
With woeful hearts, He pines for righteous souls;
I need not fight hereafter by e-mail;
God is plugging the Rodent, Snake, Fox holes.
No more, my garden can grow lethal weeds;
God will provide His honest people's needs.
God with skin on
God with Skin On
“So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.” (John 1:14)
I heard the story of a little boy who was frightened one night during a big thunderstorm. Terrified, he called out from his room, “Daddy, I am scared!”
His father, not wanting to get out of bed, called back, “Don’t worry, son. God loves you and will take care of you.”
There was a moment of silence. The little boy said, “I know God loves me, but right now, I need somebody who has skin on.”
Sometimes, our great and awesome God seems almost untouchable. That is where Jesus comes in. He was God with skin on, walking among us and showing us what God is like. I think C. S. Lewis put it well: “The Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God.”
God became a man so that you might become God’s child. You are not born as a child of God. The Bible says that you need to be born again (see John 3:3). There must come a moment in your life when you turn from your sins and invite Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and Lord.
Have you done that yet? Would you like to know with certainty that if you died today, you would go to heaven? You can. By click this link, How to Know God, to learn more about how to be forgiven and how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
He walked among us for a short time on this earth. But you can walk with Him forever. The choice is yours.
“So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.” (John 1:14)
I heard the story of a little boy who was frightened one night during a big thunderstorm. Terrified, he called out from his room, “Daddy, I am scared!”
His father, not wanting to get out of bed, called back, “Don’t worry, son. God loves you and will take care of you.”
There was a moment of silence. The little boy said, “I know God loves me, but right now, I need somebody who has skin on.”
Sometimes, our great and awesome God seems almost untouchable. That is where Jesus comes in. He was God with skin on, walking among us and showing us what God is like. I think C. S. Lewis put it well: “The Son of God became a man that men might become sons of God.”
God became a man so that you might become God’s child. You are not born as a child of God. The Bible says that you need to be born again (see John 3:3). There must come a moment in your life when you turn from your sins and invite Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and Lord.
Have you done that yet? Would you like to know with certainty that if you died today, you would go to heaven? You can. By click this link, How to Know God, to learn more about how to be forgiven and how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
He walked among us for a short time on this earth. But you can walk with Him forever. The choice is yours.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Darkness before the dawn
DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWN
Read Genesis 40:20-41:1
The process of discovering, processing, purifying, and shaping gold is a lengthy, painstaking process. Affliction is gold in the making for the child of God, and God is the one who determines how long the process takes. He alone is the Refiner.
This is where Joseph was when we left him. He is still in process. His gold is still being refined. His heart is still being broken by affliction and abandonment.
Those two full years for Joseph were neither exciting nor eventful. They represented a long, dull, monotonous, unspectacular, slow-moving grind. Month after month after month of . . . well, nothing. Not even the Genesis account attempts to make those years seem meaningful. Because they weren't.
That's what it's like when you're in a period of waiting. Nothing's happening! Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.
On the other hand, it only seems like nothing is happening. In reality, a whole lot is happening. Events are occurring apart from our involvement. Furthermore, we are being strengthened. We are being established. We are being perfected. We are being refined into pure gold.
We're back to my earlier comment---Joseph is being shaped for greatness. All whom God uses greatly are first hidden in the secret of His presence, away from the pride of man. It is there our vision clears. It is there the silt drops from the current of our life and our faith begins to grasp His arm. Abraham waited for the birth of Isaac. Moses didn't lead the Exodus until he was eighty. Elijah waited beside the brook. Noah waited 120 years for rain. Paul was hidden away for three years in Arabia. The list doesn't end. God is working while His people are waiting, waiting, waiting. Joseph is being shaped for a significant future.
That's what's happening. For the present time, nothing. For the future, everything!
Read Genesis 40:20-41:1
The process of discovering, processing, purifying, and shaping gold is a lengthy, painstaking process. Affliction is gold in the making for the child of God, and God is the one who determines how long the process takes. He alone is the Refiner.
This is where Joseph was when we left him. He is still in process. His gold is still being refined. His heart is still being broken by affliction and abandonment.
Those two full years for Joseph were neither exciting nor eventful. They represented a long, dull, monotonous, unspectacular, slow-moving grind. Month after month after month of . . . well, nothing. Not even the Genesis account attempts to make those years seem meaningful. Because they weren't.
That's what it's like when you're in a period of waiting. Nothing's happening! Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.
On the other hand, it only seems like nothing is happening. In reality, a whole lot is happening. Events are occurring apart from our involvement. Furthermore, we are being strengthened. We are being established. We are being perfected. We are being refined into pure gold.
We're back to my earlier comment---Joseph is being shaped for greatness. All whom God uses greatly are first hidden in the secret of His presence, away from the pride of man. It is there our vision clears. It is there the silt drops from the current of our life and our faith begins to grasp His arm. Abraham waited for the birth of Isaac. Moses didn't lead the Exodus until he was eighty. Elijah waited beside the brook. Noah waited 120 years for rain. Paul was hidden away for three years in Arabia. The list doesn't end. God is working while His people are waiting, waiting, waiting. Joseph is being shaped for a significant future.
That's what's happening. For the present time, nothing. For the future, everything!
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