Grace For The Journey

  It is one thing to believe in the truths of the Gospel.

• We are sinners in need of a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ.
• There is nothing we in us, nor is there anything we can do that will satisfy God’s righteous demands.
• Jesus is the only Savior – Jesus lived a perfect life . . . died a sacrificial death . . . was raised on the third day . . . . . . and ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God the Father.

All this is head knowledge.  But it is another thing altogether to embrace these truths with our hearts daily.

Intellectual assent to the doctrinal truths of the Gospel is where we all begin our journey into the reign of grace.  But from there these truths must move down to our hearts and take up residency daily so that we continually embrace the Gospel moment by moment. The Gospel enters into our minds doctrinally but it is to continue moving through the heart experientially as we the Holy Spirit, by God’s grace, to make these truths a daily reality in our lives.  Sadly, for far too many in the church today, there is a disconnect between that 18-inch span that separates the head and the heart.  That disconnect leads to Gospel blindness and barrenness.  There are those who have the words of truth in their heads but no wonder-working power of it in their hearts.

But this is not what God wants for us! You see, the Gospel is not only for the lost, it is also for the found, because the Gospel is for sinners.  And sinners we still are, even after Jesus becomes our Savior and Lord.  We need the truths of the Gospel set before our blind eyes and deaf ears daily, that we might begin to see the wonder and experience the power of the grace of the Gospel.  Is it not a wonder to think that Jesus would die on the cross for those who nailed Him to that tree?  And thank God for the power that made the earth shake and rocks split, a power which signaled the destruction of the barrier that separated us from God.

We live not only under the banner of the finished work of Jesus Christ for our salvation, we also live under the banner of His promise to complete what He started in us (Philippians 1:6).

God is not finished with you yet!

You are not yet what you will one day be!

This means you still do things you would rather not do.  Are you still dealing with anger?  How about impatience?  Are you wrestling with a bout of unbelief?  Even though, because of the glorious resurrection power of the Christ, sin no longer reigns, it still remains, and that is why we must keep preaching the Gospel to ourselves every day.

We need to be continually reminded of what Jesus has done for us and what He has promised to continue doing.  We must continue advancing further in and further up into the truths of the Gospel, that we might experience the freedom and joy that comes with knowing that we are both fully forgiven and completely loved – and nothing we do will ever change that.

What we believe about the Gospel is the only cure for our unbelief.  We need to be reminded that it is not about our faithfulness to Him, but rather His faithfulness to us.  We need to dwell upon the truth that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ.  He took the betrayals because of His love for you.

• Jesus took the false accusations because of His love for you.
• He took the beatings because of His love for you.
• He took the thorns because of His love for you.
• He took the nails because of His love for you.
• He took the mocking because of His love for you.
• He took the forsaking of His Father because of His love for you.
• He took the death because of His love for you.

But that is not the end of the story!  Though Jesus really died, He got up and walked, just as He said He would, and one day He will return to finish what He started.

When our hearts beat in tune with these truths, our blood becomes oxygenated with the glorious grace of the Gospel.  And as it pumps through our veins, we desire more and more each day to lay down our lives for His glory and the good of others.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”