Created to Believe

I find Ephesians 2:8-10 to be most encouraging concerning God's grace.  Paul wrote, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹  not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."  No one could deserve or earn salvation, but God grants forgiveness, redemption, and purpose for all who trust in Christ.  We are not approved by works, but being God's workmanship He has prepared works for us to do which glorify Him.  Salvation, as well as the privileges of serving God and others, are God's gifts to us.

In our own strength and wisdom we are incapable of doing anything for God, yet indwelt by the Holy Spirit we are helped to both will and do what God has ordained.  The crazy thing is God did not just make works for us to do, feeding us like raw materials into a machine to churn out a product, but He has especially created us to fulfil a particular role as a part of His Body, the church.  The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah presents a worthy example.  God devised a job for Jeremiah to do, but He also created Jeremiah with to do the particular job He had in mind - like a customised machine or tools are engineered to perform specialised tasks.  When I tried to fix the clutch on my truck, I found the flywheel very hard to remove until I borrowed a Snap-On flywheel wrench.  Having the right tool and the right person called by God for a job is key to accomplishing the tasks God intends.  Crazy He would include us, right?

Jeremiah 1:4-10 reveals the ability of God to create people fit to do a role accomplished only by His grace:  "Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ⁵ "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." ⁶ Then said I: "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." ⁷ But the LORD said to me: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. ⁸ Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you," says the LORD. ⁹ Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. ¹⁰ See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant."  The revelation of God's specific plan and calling of Jeremiah was a shock to him.  As a child of God are you blown away to realise before you were born God knew, sanctified, and ordained you for His purposes?  I cannot say exactly what this will entail, and despite our protests has a plan He will see worked out in and through us according to His grace.

God will be with those who fear and trust Him, even as He was with Jeremiah and Paul.  He might not have set us over nations and kingdoms, but Jesus our Saviour is KING OF KINGS.  Many times we do not even know what to say, but He has put His Word into our hearts, minds, and mouths.  We do not need to be afraid because God is with us and will empower us to fulfil the purpose for which we were created, that He may be glorified and praised forever.  All the work God's calls us to is far beyond our ability and comprehension because it is God's work.  If we think ourselves sufficient for the labour and able to endure by our strength, we will falter and fail.  Yet when we look to Jesus Christ we will find our strength renewed, for our life is in Him.  There are many good works God has created us to do, and the first is to believe and trust Him.

The Touch of Jesus

"And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him."

Luke 5:12-13

Leprosy was a death sentence which ostracised and disfigured its victims without any hope of cure.  This man who is described as being "full of leprosy" sounds to be an advanced case.  Though he was an outcast and unclean under Law, Jesus was willing to touch and heal the leper who placed his faith in Him.  Jesus responded to the man's request and instantly he was made whole.

It is amazing how at the touch of Jesus "immediately the leprosy left him."  The disease instantly departed, similar to demons Jesus cast out of those afflicted.  Who would have believed such a thing was possible?  At least two people:  Jesus and the man full of leprosy.  I wonder if we - and I mean Christians - believe in the power of Jesus to heal, deliver, and make whole like this man did.  Oh, we know Jesus can heal, but we are not convinced He is willing so we do not ask.  We may not be willing, as this man did, fall on his face before the LORD and publicly proclaim his need.  He could have remained resigned to his hopeless condition, yet he looked to Jesus in faith.

How often we can tolerate or endure what Jesus came to deliver us from:  our sinful desires, selfishness, pride, worry, and fear.  I do not believe Jesus came to remove every affliction from us (seeing He has left us in a body of flesh in a world of sin), but He brings hope of a new life.  Afflictions move us to realise our need for divine aid.  He was righteous and in many ways afflicted, and a servant is not above his master.  May God renew our faith in the power and love of Jesus Christ!  He is willing to do more than strengthen us to manage but to overcome.  We might be laid low with physical or mental illness, yet Jesus stands ready to touch and revive us.  He delights to do so even when we doubt and forget He is our Saviour.

Jesus is willing, but are we willing to come to seek Him?  That is the question we must honestly answer.  When we lack the strength to come to Him, know He has already come.  He stands at the door and knocks, imploring we open to Him.  All day long Jesus opened His arms to the nation Israel so they might be gathered to Him, for they were as sheep without a shepherd.  They were not willing:  what makes us think we are any different?  Maybe it took this man being full of leprosy so he might humble himself before his Maker, and God allows many trials and difficulties which seem evil and painful to accomplish His good purposes.  Let us rejoice in our God who is willing to touch sinners so we might be made whole.

No Condemnation in Christ

This week at Calvary Chapel Sydney the Sunday message was focused on the interaction with Jesus and the woman brought to Him who was caught in adultery.  The Pharisees brought the woman before Jesus to find an opportunity to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing, but Jesus unexpectedly shifted the focus to the conscience of the accusers:  suddenly they were the ones on trial.  They wanted to know if Jesus agreed with Moses that the woman should be stoned to death, yet Jesus told them the one without sin should be the first to throw a stone.  One by one the accusers departed and the woman was left alone with Jesus.

John 8:10-11 says, "When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" ¹¹ She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."  The woman who was under condemnation of the Law and self-righteous men stood without condemnation before Jesus Christ whom she called "Lord" or master, supreme in authority.  Jesus had every right to pick up a stone being sinless, yet He could see her heart.  It was by no means a good heart, being naturally wicked and sinful like all other people.  This woman was provided by God's grace an opportunity to repent and place her trust in Jesus, and in doing so would not only receive salvation and forgiveness by faith, but power to walk righteously.

I do not believe the words of Jesus had the harsh or threatening tone some read into them coupled with a scowl:  "Don't you dare do that again - or else!"  He said, "Go and sin no more."  The good observation was made in the message delivered this morning that this was not merely a command.  At face value it is a command, but it was also empowering because it was the very word of God.  Having placed her faith in Jesus Christ as LORD, through the power of the Holy Spirit the woman was divinely enabled to obey the divine mandate joyfully - despite being harshly judged or made a social outcast.  She had love and acceptance in Jesus she had sought in an adulterous relationship, and Jesus gave her the real thing which transcended sex or earthly relationships.

The Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  The Law could only condemn, having no power to save, but Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  He brought a way to righteousness apart from Law through faith in Him.  Romans 8:1-4 teaches us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."  Jesus wasn't "soft on sin" or allowed the woman off easy, but granted her an opportunity by God's grace to cease walking according to the flesh and instead live according to the Holy Spirit.  Like the woman in adultery all of us are condemned already because of our sin, but Jesus does not condemn us:  He offers life and new beginnings to those who trust in Him. 

Rending Heaven and Hearts

"Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence-- ² as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil-- to make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence!"

Isaiah 64:1-2

In their present distress the Jews in Jerusalem desired for God to reveal His might to the Syrians, Babylonians, to the ends of the earth as He once did to them on Mt. Sinai.  He appeared with earth-shaking might, flames of fire, thick smoke and darkness, with booming voice and trumpet blast which made man and beast quake in terror.  They wanted the fear of God put into their enemies so they would not be plundered, destroyed, and vanquished.

The irony of the situation is God allowed enemies to attack and take captive His people because they (His own people!) did not fear Him as they should.  They pleaded with God to "rend the heavens" and come down in glorious power, but God exhorted His people to rend their hearts and repent.  The LORD spoke through the prophet Joel in Joel 2:12-13, "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." ¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm."  They had torn their clothes in grief and mourning over their dire situation, yet contrite and broken hearts would bring God's favour.  If God's people truly feared Him as they ought, they would not have remained in sin without repentance (Exodus 20:20).

The prayer of God's people would be answered in a most unexpected way, with the very presence of God - not with an earth-shattering Sinai encounter but as a baby being born of a virgin in Bethlehem.  There was no earthquake when Jesus Christ the Son of God came into the world, no booming voice to a nation (though a few shepherds heard the angels sing God's praise), no grand display of unapproachable might, but a Baby in a manger who was not threatening at all.  As the Child grew to a man people began to feel threatened, however, when there was so much this Boy and Man seemed to know without being taught.   He asked pointed questions no one could safely answer or brush aside.  When the Jewish rulers and people heard Him speak many were alarmed and indignant because of the authority with which He spoke, the claims He made backed with supernatural power to heal, cast out demons, and know the hearts and thoughts of men - all with a humility, grace, love, and compassion unrivalled by any human being before.  After He rose from the dead it confirmed the words He had spoken.

God did rend the heavens and come down, the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove and alighting upon Him, and God the Father said in a voice audible to those present:  "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  Jesus who came down has ascended alive into heaven, and will some day come again in glory and vengeance upon His enemies with His people.  The wise hear the voice of Jesus and tremble before Him, bowing down to the dust, for He is the God who formed Adam from the dust of the ground, knit us in the wombs of our mothers, breathed into us living souls, and baptises with the Holy Spirit and fire.  This fire refines and purifies, consumes and destroys.  The name of Jesus is known to His adversaries and rejoiced in by His redeemed.  All who turn to Him in repentance and faith can be born again and be accepted into the beloved, having victory over all foes through Him.  All glory and honour to the God who has come down to seek and save the lost, the One whose blood through faith makes sinners saints!