Celebrate God's Grace

Every day is a fitting time to celebrate the grace of God.  Appreciation of God's grace springs from the acknowledgement we are undeserving of any good thing.  If there is a moment circumstances fill us with the feeling "Life is good," it is only good because God is good and gracious.  When we feel like is a drag and a bummer, it is evident we have ceased looking to God and are either focused on ourselves or problems - something other than God.  In Jesus alone is abundant, eternal life, and He offers it freely to all who trust in Him.

The grace of God stands in contrast to all who clamour for rights, equality, and social justice.  Our very existence on this planet is by the grace of God alone.  These humanistic approaches claim all people are entitled to an arbitrary standard of living based upon what others have, not because of who they are:  people created and loved by God for Him.  The reach of human rights and justice is limited, but grace goes beyond what is required out of love.  Man's problem is seeking to make ourselves equal or superior to God, and when we do so we selfishly rob ourselves of countless blessings, peace with God, contentment, and divine provision to help others.  The reality of God far surpasses human idealism or legislation.

How gracious and good God is to provide eternal life when we deserve death because of sin.  We have all rebelled against God in our wickedness, but He has drawn near to us by grace.  1 John 5:11-13 says, "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."  What peace and joy we are given by God's grace, to have absolute security and certainty of an eternal, glorious future with Jesus.  He has provided everlasting life as a free gift paid for by an immense cost, for Jesus laid down His life on the cross for sinners.

The God who preserves our souls eternally will not forsake us during our lives on earth, knowing what we need to live.  David wrote in Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."  If God provides food for the birds of heaven, won't He supply the food we need by His grace?  He will not forsake us, and the infinite grace He extends towards us provides cause to trust and praise Him.  Psalm 37:1-5 tells us, "Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. ² For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. ³ Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. ⁴ Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."

God is faithful and gracious, and as we delight ourselves in Him all our needs will be supplied.  He's sustained you many years to be able to read this, right?  Won't He continue to guide us and supply all our needs in a world where our only future certainty is our demise?

Christ In Me

We are studying through the book of Galatians at Calvary Chapel Sydney on Sunday mornings and it has been a privilege and blessing to put the talks together.  The letter was written by Paul to stand against legalism and emphasised how righteousness and salvation come by faith in Jesus Christ alone.  The Law never promised righteousness, but exposed the need of sinners to be forgiven.  The Law was like a schoolmaster who led us by the hand to our Saviour who could forgive and redeem us, Jesus Christ.

A portion of the book which has impacted me immensely is found in chapter 2.  Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20:  "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Paul, through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on Calvary, was through the Law dead to the Law.  The risen and glorified Messiah Jesus now lived in Paul's life by faith in Him.  God is not just for us or with us:  He lives in us.  How awesome is this?

In preparing for the message I remembered The Saving Life of Christ written by Major W. Ian Thomas.  He wrote, "If you will but trust Christ, not only for the death He died in order to redeem you, but also in the life that He lives and waits to live through you, the very next step you take will be a step taken in the very energy and power of God Himself...You will have become totally dependent upon the life of Christ within you, and never before will you have been so independent, so emancipated from the pressure of your circumstances, so released at last from that self-distrust which has made you at one moment an arrogant, loud-mouthed braggart, and the next moment the victim of your own self-pity - and, either way, always in bondage to the fear of other men's opinions." (Thomas, W. Ian. The Saving Life of Christ. Zondervan, 1994. pages 15-16)

What a worthy reminder!  It is one thing to acknowledge God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and died on the cross and rose again, but a necessary step to believe He lives in us and waits to live through us.  No more can we pride ourselves on our maturity or growth, for it is Christ in us.  All mercy, self-control, love, and boldness for the sake of God's glory is evidence of Christ in us.  We refer to fellow Christians as being faithful or solid, but that is actually Christ in them.  As it is written in 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ⁷ But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."  Praise the LORD Jesus lives in us, and may we choose to surrender ourselves before God believing Him so His excellency might shine forth.

Thanksgiving Forever

It is eternally appropriate to give thanks to our great God.  In every season and at all times He is merciful, gracious, and compassionate.  Even circumstances intended by our enemies for evil He can redeem for good.  Every day is a fitting day of thanksgiving unto our God from whom all good things come from.  Whether we are among family or even feel isolated from friends, we can rest in the presence of Jesus who calls us friend.

Psalm 103:8-12 says, "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. ⁹ He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. ¹⁰ He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; ¹² As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us."  We are all guilty of sin, but God has not dealt with us as condemned criminals awaiting eternal justice.  He has made a way for our crimes against Him to be expunged, to be released from our bonds, and deemed righteous by the Gospel of grace.

How wonderful it is to know as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is God's mercy to those who fear Him.  Though man possesses powerful telescopes and orbiting satellites scan into the far reaches of space, no end can be seen.  It goes on forever, and so is the mercy of God for us.  As far as the east is from the west, God has removed our sins from us.  I believe David the psalmist did not say "as far as the north is from the south" because there would be a definite and measurable end at the earth's poles.  Walk, drive, boat, or fly far enough, and you could find evidence of your damning guilt and transgression.  But David said God removes our transgressions from us "as far as the east is from the west."  Travel east or west as long as you like on earth, but you will never reach the end.

Thanks be to God who only does glorious things, is merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy.  Praise the LORD for removing our sins from us, never to be reckoned or remembered again!  Let us always remember the goodness of our Saviour and thank Him, for He is worthy of all praise and honour forever.

God's Work is Good

It is encouraging to be part of the living, dynamic Body of Christ.  Jesus Christ is the Head of this Body composed of many members with different roles, gifts, and callings.  Jesus went to the lost sheep of Israel, and Paul was chosen as an apostle to the Gentiles.  Jesus worked to advance the kingdom of God, and He continues to do this through His people today.  It is amazing how God uses our own backgrounds and experiences to burden us for particular groups of people.

Harold Morris was falsely accused of a double-murder and spent over a decade in prison.  Upon his miraculous release one might think Harold would never step foot inside a prison again, but ministering to prisoners became a focal point of his life's work.  All Christians are born again and filled with the Spirit, but there is no question Harold's experiences opened his eyes to needs others are ignorant of.  Being imprisoned gave him insights into how convicts think and feel, and provided common ground and credibility as an equal which enabled him to be an effective witness for Christ.

Pastor Bill Wilson is a man who knew from personal experience how it felt to be homeless, abandoned, and alone as a child.  His experiences paved the way to a outreach ministry among children and youth who were in the grip of unthinkable poverty, violence, and the lure of gangs.  At the same time, God is not limited by our experiences or history.  The late pastor Chuck Smith was used by God to make inroads with the Gospel during the counter-culture hippie movement in the '60's.  He wore a suit and a tie and perhaps never smoked a cigarette or went to a dance in his life, but aptly ministered to barefoot hippies who reeked of alcohol and marijuana at church.  God calls and equips us to do His will, and His ways are higher than ours.  In our weakness and inability His sufficiency is evident.

It may seem cliche, but my heart yearns to aid and support churched people to faithfully persevere in following Jesus.  I have been a regular churchgoer since I was a child, and over those years I have seen countless youth and adults forsake fellowship as they plunged into all manner of sin.  How tragic to have heard Gospel truth, to experience the love of God, but for hearts to fall short of steadfast faith in Jesus!  I have seen professing Christians battle addictions, fall prey to lust, turn their backs on God, tear apart their marriages, and be estranged from their grown children.  I have known pastors who were caught up in drugs, depression, and even commited suicide.  Kids I went to Sunday school with as adults were incarcerated, one was shot dead by police, and others lived in sin:  their decisions funnelled into the downward cycle Jesus saved their parents from.  About 85% of the kids in my youth group where I served for many years left the church upon graduation.  My heart is for the 85% who left and the 15% who stayed:  for pastors, ministry leaders, parishioners, their little ones and families.

I believe the people who attend church and profess Christ are as much at risk of spiritual pride or apostasy than a homeless kid on the streets to be hooked on drugs and alcohol.  Praise the LORD He is able to save our souls for eternity but also protects and delivers us from all evil now.  Satan would sneer at the disillusioned wounded, fallen, and apostate saying, "See?  What kind of Messiah is Jesus to have followers such as these?"  There is no denying genuine Christians fall far short of God's glory, but there is no accusation Satan can rightly bring against God nor His elect.  There is no rebuttal against the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who regenerates people dead in sins and transforms them by His grace.  Just one transformed life by faith in Jesus is a miracle which stops men's mouths and brings them to marvel:  the changed heart we observe is the work of God.  God is working, and ours is a faith that works.  Wherever He has you and whatever you put your hand to do, do it with all your might as unto Him.