Numbers 21:4-9 (KJV)
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5 And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loaths this light bread.
6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
We have all known someone that seemed to be growing in their relationship with God and then suddenly everything took a sudden turn for the worse. Their attitude turned sour, their prayer life became quiet and they turned on the people that had given them the most. It’s hard to understand how this could happen. There is a great insight in the story of Israel and the fiery serpents.
God had miraculously delivered His people from the Egypt, spoken to them from the top of Mount Sinai, and fed them with manna from Heaven yet we read that they became discouraged because of the way. Let me remind you that every day the Israelites got out of bed to see God in the midst of their camp in the form of a pillar of smoke and every night they went to bed with the glow of the pillar of fire radiating through the camp. There was no doubt that God was with them yet they became “discouraged because of the way”. How could this be possible?
The answer is found in the complaint made in verse 5 of our text. The people spoke against God and Moses because of their ungratefulness. Instead of considering the abundance that God showered on them each day they dismissed it. Instead of honoring Moses for his leadership and sacrifice they condemned it. They felt they deserved more than what they were getting. They had quickly gone from slaves to privilege in their own eyes. Their self serving ways are highlighted in the question they asked Moses,
“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?”
The unspoken sentiment was that they could do better. They felt they were responsible for their victories and no longer needed Moses.
There is a dangerous place in the Christian walk. It is a place where freedom becomes a deadly trap. A place where mercy becomes quicksand and the heart of those delivered becomes hardened. In this place the glorious gifts of God are taken for granted. Thankfulness becomes a duty rather than an overflow of the heart and the goodness of God and others in our lives is quickly dismissed for the desire for more. In 1 Timothy 3 Paul tells us to not put a novice in the office of Bishop. Ungratefulness can creep into our lives at any time but it is in the "novice" stage of our walk when we have quickly matured and found some success that we are most vulnerable.
This is a dangerous place along the path we trod. It is a place of forgetfulness, where we have come far enough that the past seems distant and our sins no longer weighty. Grace and mercy have overflowed our lives and we have received gifts from God. We are being used by God and instead of seeing ourselves as vessels to be used we begin to think we are entitled. We no longer owe a debt to those that have poured into our lives but instead we deserve more.
This is the place the Israelites found themselves. They arose in the morning under the shadow of the Pillar of God’s Cloud and began to complain and rebel against God and Moses. God’s answer was swift. He sent fiery serpents into the midst of the people. They began to bite the people and many of them died. I find the typology of these fiery serpents intriguing. The bite of the serpent introduced venom into the lives of the ungrateful, proud, self-centered people. This venom quickly spread through the body and made them ill. Death was imminent! The punishment pictured the offence. The sin of pride and ungratefulness is like the venom that was spreading in the convulsing bodies of the people bringing them to a certain end. There was no cure to be found and soon death was marching to claim its victims.
Many died in their sins refusing to repent, but soon some of the people came to their senses and admitted their wrong. They appealed to Moses and confessed their sin. With God it is never too late to start over. A humble heart can enter the throne room and find mercy. God told Moses to put a brass serpent on a pole and lift it up in the camp. All those that looked upon the serpent would live. The typology is once again overwhelming. Jesus said, “and if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me”. It was on the cross that our sins were placed upon the Holy One of Israel. It was on that pole, hanging between Heaven and Earth, that Jesus bore our sins. When we look upon Him let us remember that sin was spreading its deadly venom through our lives and the cure was not of ourselves but was a gift from God. And let us live our lives forever grateful for the presence of God in our lives.
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
But God
"But God"
Romans 5:8 (KJV) - But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Through the years I have heard many people say "Where was God." Let me tell you where God was. While you were living a life of complete disregard for God, He was dying to pay for the vilest of sins you committed. If God was there in your sinful life He most certainly will be there in your storm.
This passage reminds me of one of my favorite Scriptures, Ephesians 2:4 it starts out with the same two words "But God". No matter what the Devil brings against us! No matter what the accusation! No matter how bleak the circumstance! God is on the throne and He is rich in mercy, His love endures forever, and He has called us, anointed us, and raised us to sit in heavenly places with Jesus!
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 2:4-6 (KJV)
Think about the main point of this Scripture "God demonstrates His love toward us". Through out the ages God has demonstrated His love to a world bent on denying Him, abandoning Him, cursing Him, and ignoring Him. His love kept on longing, desiring, reaching, holding, He never let go and He will never let go. As the song says,
Romans 5:8 (KJV) - But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Through the years I have heard many people say "Where was God." Let me tell you where God was. While you were living a life of complete disregard for God, He was dying to pay for the vilest of sins you committed. If God was there in your sinful life He most certainly will be there in your storm.
This passage reminds me of one of my favorite Scriptures, Ephesians 2:4 it starts out with the same two words "But God". No matter what the Devil brings against us! No matter what the accusation! No matter how bleak the circumstance! God is on the throne and He is rich in mercy, His love endures forever, and He has called us, anointed us, and raised us to sit in heavenly places with Jesus!
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 2:4-6 (KJV)
Think about the main point of this Scripture "God demonstrates His love toward us". Through out the ages God has demonstrated His love to a world bent on denying Him, abandoning Him, cursing Him, and ignoring Him. His love kept on longing, desiring, reaching, holding, He never let go and He will never let go. As the song says,
"Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky."
Man was created in the image of God and made to fellowship with Him. It was our sin that separated us from God. “The wages of sin is death!” If we got what we deserved all hope would be lost, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus. It not about how sinful you have been it is about God’s love and grace. The amazing thing about grace Is that God "looks beyond our faults and sees our need".
Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' I like that. Greater love! I want to be like Jesus. I want to be like Him. So my prayer is Lord give me a greater love. A love that brings me to my cross. A love that empties me. A love that makes me just like Jesus.
Jesus said in John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Loving like Christ loves cannot be accomplished without sacrifice. Laying down our lives for others is as much part of the Christian life as kneeling at the altar or picking up a Bible. It really is the essence of following Christ.
Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky."
Man was created in the image of God and made to fellowship with Him. It was our sin that separated us from God. “The wages of sin is death!” If we got what we deserved all hope would be lost, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus. It not about how sinful you have been it is about God’s love and grace. The amazing thing about grace Is that God "looks beyond our faults and sees our need".
Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' I like that. Greater love! I want to be like Jesus. I want to be like Him. So my prayer is Lord give me a greater love. A love that brings me to my cross. A love that empties me. A love that makes me just like Jesus.
Jesus said in John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Loving like Christ loves cannot be accomplished without sacrifice. Laying down our lives for others is as much part of the Christian life as kneeling at the altar or picking up a Bible. It really is the essence of following Christ.
Thursday, January 9, 2014
The Wise Man
Imagine living your entire life working for God and arriving at the gates of heaven to be turned away. We can’t imagine that could be possible but Jesus warned us of this very thing. In both Matthew and Luke those warnings are recorded.
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22,23
“When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” Luke 13:25-27
How can this be? How could a person prophesy, cast out devils, do many wonderful works, eat and drink in His presence and invite God to teach in their streets and then be turned away? The answer lay in the last part of Matthew 7:22, “In thy name done many wonderful works”. If we are depending on our works to get us into Heaven the reality is we don’t even know Jesus.
There are two doors that call to us come and enter. Both promise us eternal life and both claim to be the way to God but there is only one door and only one way. Jesus said,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:7-9 (KJV)
There is only one way in and that is through Jesus but what is He the door to, what are we enter in to? When we come to that holy place where Jesus stands and we knock what lay on the other side? Many have been deceived because they did not understand fullness of God’s plan. He is not the door to self sufficiency, wealth, or a wonderful plan for your life. Jesus is the way to God. When we enter we step across the threshold of grace and enter a room that can only be described by that same word. Grace! Amazing, marvelous, wonderful, glorious Grace!
The Grace of God is best defined as favor. In Christ we are moved from enmity to favor. No longer are we separated from God but we have found that place where “His grace is all complete”. The only way to pass through The Door is with a broken heart. The contrite and humble heart is welcome but the proud cannot even find the door. The proud heart cannot kneel and receive the free gift. It desires to find its own worth and strives to enter by birthright, knowledge, or works. The proud heart cannot find satisfaction in the free gift but will always look to self in a never ending struggle for identity. Blinded to the free gift and groping in the dark for answers the proud heart finds another door.
Next to The Door of Grace is another that beckons the souls of men. This door is much wider and there is no kneeling required. Above this door is a sign that says, “You Can Do It”. The words draw the heart longing for validation. Self esteem, self love, and self fulfillment are drawn to this door. Yes, Jesus died for my sins but now it’s up to me. If I can conquer my sins, make my life over, work hard enough, labor long enough then God will love me. We have earned the blessings of others all of our lives. We obeyed our parents and they smiled at us. We worked hard in school and earned good grades. We labored and disciplined ourselves as we climbed the corporate ladder. This door calls to us and everything we have ever known says it must be the way. It is not.
Disguising itself as the door to God, the works based life simply isn’t enough. When we stand before God and begin to tell of all the wonderful works that we did in His name we will hear those fateful words, “Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.” I have often wondered how could someone that had done all those things be wrong? How could God not know them? The answer is all about Grace.
Some believe that they are saved by Grace but then they must take over and clean up their lives, work for God, and show themselves worthy of His favor. This thinking is exactly what took you through the wrong door. You have not entered the room. You’re not even close. It is by faith that we enter into this Grace where in we stand. The elements of our salvation are well defined.
Jesus is the Door.
Faith, believing in Him, is the Key.
God’s Favor is the room we enter.
Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again. The New Life that we have entered is foreign to this world. We must continually wash our mind and soul with the Word of God because we are walking in the “strange land of God’s promises”. Living in God’s favor does not require you to anything but “be still and know that He is God.”
But what about our purpose, our mission, our work, shouldn’t we be doing something? Of course, we must be about our Father’s business. In that room of God’s grace we receive every good gift. Some of those gifts are the abilities and callings that we possess. Given to us by the Favor of God our work becomes a place of rest. There is no striving, no burnout, no discouragement because all that we are and do, every breath that we take, is a gift from God. We are abiding in His amazing grace. Consider what Paul writes to the Ephesians,
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)
Right after Jesus told His Disciples in Matthew that “Many will say unto me in that day...” and he tells them depart from me you WORKERS of iniquity, He gives them the parable of the wise man that built His house upon a rock. The wise man was able to stand every storm, every wave, every flood, but the foolish man lost it all. Building your life on your works will not end well. Building your life on the Grace of God can’t help but end well. Many expositors have likened the rock in this parable to Jesus. I understand the comparison but in the parable at Matthew 7:24 Jesus says, “The wise man is the one who hears what Jesus is saying and does it.” Now go back and read verses 21-23 again be wise.
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:22,23
“When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” Luke 13:25-27
How can this be? How could a person prophesy, cast out devils, do many wonderful works, eat and drink in His presence and invite God to teach in their streets and then be turned away? The answer lay in the last part of Matthew 7:22, “In thy name done many wonderful works”. If we are depending on our works to get us into Heaven the reality is we don’t even know Jesus.
There are two doors that call to us come and enter. Both promise us eternal life and both claim to be the way to God but there is only one door and only one way. Jesus said,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:7-9 (KJV)
There is only one way in and that is through Jesus but what is He the door to, what are we enter in to? When we come to that holy place where Jesus stands and we knock what lay on the other side? Many have been deceived because they did not understand fullness of God’s plan. He is not the door to self sufficiency, wealth, or a wonderful plan for your life. Jesus is the way to God. When we enter we step across the threshold of grace and enter a room that can only be described by that same word. Grace! Amazing, marvelous, wonderful, glorious Grace!
The Grace of God is best defined as favor. In Christ we are moved from enmity to favor. No longer are we separated from God but we have found that place where “His grace is all complete”. The only way to pass through The Door is with a broken heart. The contrite and humble heart is welcome but the proud cannot even find the door. The proud heart cannot kneel and receive the free gift. It desires to find its own worth and strives to enter by birthright, knowledge, or works. The proud heart cannot find satisfaction in the free gift but will always look to self in a never ending struggle for identity. Blinded to the free gift and groping in the dark for answers the proud heart finds another door.
Next to The Door of Grace is another that beckons the souls of men. This door is much wider and there is no kneeling required. Above this door is a sign that says, “You Can Do It”. The words draw the heart longing for validation. Self esteem, self love, and self fulfillment are drawn to this door. Yes, Jesus died for my sins but now it’s up to me. If I can conquer my sins, make my life over, work hard enough, labor long enough then God will love me. We have earned the blessings of others all of our lives. We obeyed our parents and they smiled at us. We worked hard in school and earned good grades. We labored and disciplined ourselves as we climbed the corporate ladder. This door calls to us and everything we have ever known says it must be the way. It is not.
Disguising itself as the door to God, the works based life simply isn’t enough. When we stand before God and begin to tell of all the wonderful works that we did in His name we will hear those fateful words, “Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.” I have often wondered how could someone that had done all those things be wrong? How could God not know them? The answer is all about Grace.
Some believe that they are saved by Grace but then they must take over and clean up their lives, work for God, and show themselves worthy of His favor. This thinking is exactly what took you through the wrong door. You have not entered the room. You’re not even close. It is by faith that we enter into this Grace where in we stand. The elements of our salvation are well defined.
Jesus is the Door.
Faith, believing in Him, is the Key.
God’s Favor is the room we enter.
Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again. The New Life that we have entered is foreign to this world. We must continually wash our mind and soul with the Word of God because we are walking in the “strange land of God’s promises”. Living in God’s favor does not require you to anything but “be still and know that He is God.”
But what about our purpose, our mission, our work, shouldn’t we be doing something? Of course, we must be about our Father’s business. In that room of God’s grace we receive every good gift. Some of those gifts are the abilities and callings that we possess. Given to us by the Favor of God our work becomes a place of rest. There is no striving, no burnout, no discouragement because all that we are and do, every breath that we take, is a gift from God. We are abiding in His amazing grace. Consider what Paul writes to the Ephesians,
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV)
Right after Jesus told His Disciples in Matthew that “Many will say unto me in that day...” and he tells them depart from me you WORKERS of iniquity, He gives them the parable of the wise man that built His house upon a rock. The wise man was able to stand every storm, every wave, every flood, but the foolish man lost it all. Building your life on your works will not end well. Building your life on the Grace of God can’t help but end well. Many expositors have likened the rock in this parable to Jesus. I understand the comparison but in the parable at Matthew 7:24 Jesus says, “The wise man is the one who hears what Jesus is saying and does it.” Now go back and read verses 21-23 again be wise.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
But God
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Ephesians 2:4 (KJV)
Sandwiched between the past and the future are the two most important words that you will ever read. This changes everything! In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul peels back the veneer of this world and reveals the core of an apple that went bad with just one bite of sin.
We were dead in trespasses and sins. God had told Adam "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV) Because we were the seed of Adam, his sin was passed down to us through the bloodline. Every man, woman, and child is born in sin and shaped in iniquity. We walked in lock step with this world, Satan had a hold of our hearts and the spirit of disobedience drove us farther away from God. Our lives were defined by the lusts of the flesh and our days spent fulfilling whatever sin the mind could conceive. We were by nature the children of wrath.
That is an ominous description written by Paul of the lost. It was our nature that compelled us to sin and it was the same nature that brought us to judgment before the throne of God. There is a side of God that responds to the unholy, rebellious sin of man. When His righteous wrath is compelled by His Just nature to answer the call of His Holy indignation there is nothing that can save us. There is nothing worse, as the preacher repined, than to be “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” We were without doubt headed for an appointment with an angry God and there was nothing we could do about it. In fact there was nothing we wanted to do about it. We were on a collision course with the words that would fashion our eternity “Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.”
But God! There they are the two words that changed everything. When we were without hope and justice demanded payment God stepped onto the courtroom floor and begin to speak. When it seemed that there was no way, God made a way. Changing the future of all mankind the Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived. How could this be? Unthinkable! Unknowable! Unsearchable! That Holy God would offer Himself so that unholy man might be saved. Not just saved but changed! The sinful heart washed by the perfect sacrifice.
This week we will look at the two words that made Christmas possible, two words that are still just as powerful and life changing as they were when first spoken. “But God!”
Sandwiched between the past and the future are the two most important words that you will ever read. This changes everything! In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul peels back the veneer of this world and reveals the core of an apple that went bad with just one bite of sin.
We were dead in trespasses and sins. God had told Adam "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV) Because we were the seed of Adam, his sin was passed down to us through the bloodline. Every man, woman, and child is born in sin and shaped in iniquity. We walked in lock step with this world, Satan had a hold of our hearts and the spirit of disobedience drove us farther away from God. Our lives were defined by the lusts of the flesh and our days spent fulfilling whatever sin the mind could conceive. We were by nature the children of wrath.
That is an ominous description written by Paul of the lost. It was our nature that compelled us to sin and it was the same nature that brought us to judgment before the throne of God. There is a side of God that responds to the unholy, rebellious sin of man. When His righteous wrath is compelled by His Just nature to answer the call of His Holy indignation there is nothing that can save us. There is nothing worse, as the preacher repined, than to be “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” We were without doubt headed for an appointment with an angry God and there was nothing we could do about it. In fact there was nothing we wanted to do about it. We were on a collision course with the words that would fashion our eternity “Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.”
But God! There they are the two words that changed everything. When we were without hope and justice demanded payment God stepped onto the courtroom floor and begin to speak. When it seemed that there was no way, God made a way. Changing the future of all mankind the Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived. How could this be? Unthinkable! Unknowable! Unsearchable! That Holy God would offer Himself so that unholy man might be saved. Not just saved but changed! The sinful heart washed by the perfect sacrifice.
This week we will look at the two words that made Christmas possible, two words that are still just as powerful and life changing as they were when first spoken. “But God!”
Friday, September 13, 2013
When It's Too Hard
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7
Corrie Ten Boom wrote of a meeting she had with one of the guards from the concentration camp where she had suffered and her sister had died in her book “The Hiding Place”.
“It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there—the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie's pain-blanched face.
He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. "How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein," he said. "To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!"
His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.
I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.
As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.”
There are times when mercy just doesn’t come naturally. Our flesh rises up against what we know to be right and truth takes a back door to the pain and suffering that we have endured. In this moment the enemy lays a trap for our soul.
It is easy to say that we cannot forgive. We can blame our fleshly nature. We can say that we are not yet “mature” enough in the Lord. We can reason that the offense was just too great. But whatever the reason the result is always the same. Our heart begins to harden. The Holy Spirit is grieved and we begin to lose our ability to love those that God has sent us to rescue.
It is comforting to know that when the road is too steep. God is always there if we will call on His Name. “Give me Your forgiveness.” I don’t have enough. I have reached the bottom of my barrel. I need you, Lord.
In the meeting with the SS guard it was not the guard who was set free but Corrie Ten Boom. She was rescued from certain disaster in her soul. A festering that only God had seen. I don’t think the meeting was an accident of fate. I know that God placed that man right in the path of His beloved daughter. Her love was multiplied and her effectiveness for God increased above anything that she could have planned. God has a way of doing that if we call on His Name when the enemy comes in like a flood. Don’t be afraid to face those overwhelming moments when you look into the impossible and quietly pray, “Give me your strength.” “Give me your forgiveness.” “Give me more grace.”
Corrie Ten Boom wrote of a meeting she had with one of the guards from the concentration camp where she had suffered and her sister had died in her book “The Hiding Place”.
“It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there—the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie's pain-blanched face.
He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. "How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein," he said. "To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!"
His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.
I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.
As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.”
There are times when mercy just doesn’t come naturally. Our flesh rises up against what we know to be right and truth takes a back door to the pain and suffering that we have endured. In this moment the enemy lays a trap for our soul.
It is easy to say that we cannot forgive. We can blame our fleshly nature. We can say that we are not yet “mature” enough in the Lord. We can reason that the offense was just too great. But whatever the reason the result is always the same. Our heart begins to harden. The Holy Spirit is grieved and we begin to lose our ability to love those that God has sent us to rescue.
It is comforting to know that when the road is too steep. God is always there if we will call on His Name. “Give me Your forgiveness.” I don’t have enough. I have reached the bottom of my barrel. I need you, Lord.
In the meeting with the SS guard it was not the guard who was set free but Corrie Ten Boom. She was rescued from certain disaster in her soul. A festering that only God had seen. I don’t think the meeting was an accident of fate. I know that God placed that man right in the path of His beloved daughter. Her love was multiplied and her effectiveness for God increased above anything that she could have planned. God has a way of doing that if we call on His Name when the enemy comes in like a flood. Don’t be afraid to face those overwhelming moments when you look into the impossible and quietly pray, “Give me your strength.” “Give me your forgiveness.” “Give me more grace.”
Monday, September 9, 2013
Les Miserable
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7
This could be the title of many people’s lives today. It seems that the more we are increased in goods and pleasures and the easier our lives have become, the more we fight depression and our misery index rises higher and higher.
There is a man who attends our church. He was befriended by some of the men in the church who found him homeless and living in the river bottoms. They were able to share Christ with him and be part of his salvation. This man has nothing but a bike that was given him and the clothes on his back. Recently when asked what we could do for him, his only request was for mosquito repellent, “because they are bad down by the river”. Yesterday, he came to church and was taking some of the bread we were giving away. I was moved by his smiling face, his gentle demeanor, and his positive attitude. He had about twelve loaves and I asked if he had a way to carry them. He smiled and said I have my bike. He was taking the bread to his friends who really needed it. Homeless and poor this man was reaching out to show mercy on those that were in need. It defies the understanding of this world that one trapped in such a circumstance would not be miserable but here he was living out the fifth beatitude. There are many people who live in nice homes surrounded by the toys of this life that could learn a lesson from him.
Often we confuse grace and mercy. The idea behind mercy is to give help to the miserable and the wretched. Grace is shown to the undeserving. Looking beyond the fault and meeting the need. Mercy is compassion to the miserable. Compassion not grace is a synonym for mercy. When we take action to alleviate the misery of another’s life that is mercy.
Grace moved the hand of God when everything about me was a stench in His nostrils. When my rebellion separated me from Him and I stood with my fist clenched in defiance it was the grace of God that drew out the plan of salvation. But it was mercy that laid upon a cross and took my place. It was mercy that compelled the Son of God to say “Not my will but thine be done”. Mercy saw our need and came running to meet it.
This could be the title of many people’s lives today. It seems that the more we are increased in goods and pleasures and the easier our lives have become, the more we fight depression and our misery index rises higher and higher.
There is a man who attends our church. He was befriended by some of the men in the church who found him homeless and living in the river bottoms. They were able to share Christ with him and be part of his salvation. This man has nothing but a bike that was given him and the clothes on his back. Recently when asked what we could do for him, his only request was for mosquito repellent, “because they are bad down by the river”. Yesterday, he came to church and was taking some of the bread we were giving away. I was moved by his smiling face, his gentle demeanor, and his positive attitude. He had about twelve loaves and I asked if he had a way to carry them. He smiled and said I have my bike. He was taking the bread to his friends who really needed it. Homeless and poor this man was reaching out to show mercy on those that were in need. It defies the understanding of this world that one trapped in such a circumstance would not be miserable but here he was living out the fifth beatitude. There are many people who live in nice homes surrounded by the toys of this life that could learn a lesson from him.
Often we confuse grace and mercy. The idea behind mercy is to give help to the miserable and the wretched. Grace is shown to the undeserving. Looking beyond the fault and meeting the need. Mercy is compassion to the miserable. Compassion not grace is a synonym for mercy. When we take action to alleviate the misery of another’s life that is mercy.
Grace moved the hand of God when everything about me was a stench in His nostrils. When my rebellion separated me from Him and I stood with my fist clenched in defiance it was the grace of God that drew out the plan of salvation. But it was mercy that laid upon a cross and took my place. It was mercy that compelled the Son of God to say “Not my will but thine be done”. Mercy saw our need and came running to meet it.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
No More Junk Food
Matthew 5:6 (KJV) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
I have to confess there are times when I am hungry and begin to rustle through the kitchen for something to satisfy my longings. I don’t want to take the time to cook or make something complicated, I just want to eat. I will open the pantry, the refrigerator, look in the bread box, and cabinets but can find nothing to eat. Now we all know there was plenty to eat in those places but I didn’t want to go to the trouble. So, having gone through my exhaustive search I pull out the bag of candy and have a snack. It is just enough to relieve the hunger and trick my mind into thinking that I have eaten. Healthy? No way! Am I really full? Absolutely not! Will I be back in the kitchen looking for something? Before you can even ask the question.
Unfortunately, we are not only guilty of this with our physical eating habits but in so many other areas of our life as well. Commercials fill the air waves with “time saving” gimmicks that promise to make our lives easier and fulfill our needs. Being hungry or needing help and reaching out for the wrong thing will never truly satisfy. Instead we waste valuable time and effort on that which can give us only fleeting satisfaction.
When we hunger and thirst for righteousness there is a deep, yearning in our soul that cries out to be satisfied. Some try to fill that hunger with legalism and think that in their rules and regulations they will be filled. The Pharisees were caught in this trap and history tells us that they were never satisfied but had to always find new laws, new rules, new regulations to follow. None of these ever truly made them righteous. No human effort ever could.
Others tried to dismiss their hunger with excuses for their sinful behavior. Grace became an excuse to be unrighteous and no amount of grace applied could ever fill the longing to live right before God. Instead of becoming the satisfaction that God had meant for grace to be in the lives of men it became the opposite of what it was intended to be. They had frustrated the grace of God.
God’s law and His grace are both important parts of salvation. Used properly they can build us up in the faith and help to create a strong, healthy body. It’s important to remember that when we hunger and thirst for righteousness there is only one who is righteous, Jesus! We must take the time to gather all of the ingredients for this meal.
The Law is our school master that brings us to Christ.
Grace is the door wherein we can enter into this new life in Christ.
The Church is the means by which the Holy Spirit teaches us of Christ.
As we hunger and thirst for righteousness we must never forget that the main thing, the only thing that matters is Jesus! He put it this way,
“Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." John 6:53-58
Hungry? Thirsty? Only Jesus can satisfy that longing down in your soul.
I have to confess there are times when I am hungry and begin to rustle through the kitchen for something to satisfy my longings. I don’t want to take the time to cook or make something complicated, I just want to eat. I will open the pantry, the refrigerator, look in the bread box, and cabinets but can find nothing to eat. Now we all know there was plenty to eat in those places but I didn’t want to go to the trouble. So, having gone through my exhaustive search I pull out the bag of candy and have a snack. It is just enough to relieve the hunger and trick my mind into thinking that I have eaten. Healthy? No way! Am I really full? Absolutely not! Will I be back in the kitchen looking for something? Before you can even ask the question.
Unfortunately, we are not only guilty of this with our physical eating habits but in so many other areas of our life as well. Commercials fill the air waves with “time saving” gimmicks that promise to make our lives easier and fulfill our needs. Being hungry or needing help and reaching out for the wrong thing will never truly satisfy. Instead we waste valuable time and effort on that which can give us only fleeting satisfaction.
When we hunger and thirst for righteousness there is a deep, yearning in our soul that cries out to be satisfied. Some try to fill that hunger with legalism and think that in their rules and regulations they will be filled. The Pharisees were caught in this trap and history tells us that they were never satisfied but had to always find new laws, new rules, new regulations to follow. None of these ever truly made them righteous. No human effort ever could.
Others tried to dismiss their hunger with excuses for their sinful behavior. Grace became an excuse to be unrighteous and no amount of grace applied could ever fill the longing to live right before God. Instead of becoming the satisfaction that God had meant for grace to be in the lives of men it became the opposite of what it was intended to be. They had frustrated the grace of God.
God’s law and His grace are both important parts of salvation. Used properly they can build us up in the faith and help to create a strong, healthy body. It’s important to remember that when we hunger and thirst for righteousness there is only one who is righteous, Jesus! We must take the time to gather all of the ingredients for this meal.
The Law is our school master that brings us to Christ.
Grace is the door wherein we can enter into this new life in Christ.
The Church is the means by which the Holy Spirit teaches us of Christ.
As we hunger and thirst for righteousness we must never forget that the main thing, the only thing that matters is Jesus! He put it this way,
“Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." John 6:53-58
Hungry? Thirsty? Only Jesus can satisfy that longing down in your soul.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Climbing the Ladder
Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV) - Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
You can be sure that when you find yourself in a deep dark pit God will extend a ladder to you, but you have to be willing to climb out. Grace is the ladder that reaches from Heaven to sinful man and faith is all you need to climb. Throughout Scripture God extends an invitation to us “Come unto me”! He calls to the nation of Israel in Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” Jesus cried out in John 7:37, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” No matter how lost you are or how desperate your situation God is not far away. He has made a way that you might be forgiven, restored, and blessed. There is a blessing waiting for you today! It is not to be found in the riches of this world or the treasures of man. This blessing is found in the service of God. When we come to the Lord there is rest for our souls. The storms of this life must cease and the our feet are established on the solid Rock, Christ Jesus. If you are struggling under the burden of sin and despair, your despair can be turned to hope your sorrow to joy! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, by faith take hold of His promises and begin to climb today.
You can be sure that when you find yourself in a deep dark pit God will extend a ladder to you, but you have to be willing to climb out. Grace is the ladder that reaches from Heaven to sinful man and faith is all you need to climb. Throughout Scripture God extends an invitation to us “Come unto me”! He calls to the nation of Israel in Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” Jesus cried out in John 7:37, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” No matter how lost you are or how desperate your situation God is not far away. He has made a way that you might be forgiven, restored, and blessed. There is a blessing waiting for you today! It is not to be found in the riches of this world or the treasures of man. This blessing is found in the service of God. When we come to the Lord there is rest for our souls. The storms of this life must cease and the our feet are established on the solid Rock, Christ Jesus. If you are struggling under the burden of sin and despair, your despair can be turned to hope your sorrow to joy! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, by faith take hold of His promises and begin to climb today.
Friday, August 2, 2013
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