Grace For The Journey

  I want to share a passage of Scripture with you that, on the surface, can be frightening and even paralyzing to some:

The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 

To be sure, we do have a malevolent enemy in the devil, and he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. But he prowls only on the end of the Lord’s leash! Satan is subject to God and under His complete authority at all times. The devil does nothing apart from the sovereignty of God. Yes, the devil is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19), but God is the God of all worlds, and the adversary’s power to prowl is only the power that God gives him in order to fulfill the perfect purposes of God.

When the devil was afflicting Job, as difficult as that biblical narrative is to fully understand, he did only what God allowed . . . and no more! God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (is present everywhere); Satan is not. He is a creature like you and me – granted, an immensely powerful and formidable creature, but a dependent creature nonetheless. Knowing this infinite difference is the key to understanding the truth that the devil is a lion on a leash.

So . . . have you felt yourself under attack lately in your personal or professional life? God has the perfect prescription for dealing with this lion on a leash.

The Bible says in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

And in 1 Peter 5:9, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith …”

When will the devil flee from your presence? Not when you are resisting him in your wisdom and power, but when you have first submitted yourself to God and are living out your faith. You see, Satan’s power must always be viewed in the context of God’s sovereignty, which should lead us to submission before our Savior each and every day.

God is not only with us …

He is for us.

In fact, God is so much for us that He turned against His only Son. You see, you and I were Christ’s Judas kiss. We drove the nails in His wrists. We put the crown of thorns on His head. We sent Him to the cross. We caused Him to die. God sent His Son to die in our place that we might have eternal life in Him.

Yes, there is a lion on the prowl, seeking to devour everything in its path. But this lion will only do what God has ordained he can do and God always ordains what brings Him the most glory and His people the most good.

The Bible says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

I understand that a lion on the leash is still a little frightening. Hey, a lion in a cage at the zoo is a little frightening! But we must always keep in view the nail-scarred hand that is holding that lion on a chain that will never break. Let this Gospel truth bring you great comfort today, regardless of where this finds you!

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.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  You may recognize the title of today’s blog as a play on the words from one of the most memorable lines in cinematic history.  In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her companions were confronted with many dangers on the road to Oz; at one point they cried out in fear,

“Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!”

We Christians face many dangers on the road to our heavenly destination, but unlike the characters in Dorothy’s dream, the Gospel empowers us to cry,

“Lions and tigers and bears, Amen!”

We will walk “through many dangers, toils, and snares” on this side of the grave, but the Christian is empowered to cry “Amen” instead of “O my!” for two important reasons:

THE PROMISE OF THEM

The first thing every Christian must remember is that we have been promised to encounter a lifetime of lions, tigers, and bears.  We should not be surprised by the dangers and difficulties that beset us, because we live in a fallen and broken world as fallen, broken people.  If our Lord received a crown of thorns for His head, should we expect to receive a crown of glory for ours?  He was betrayed; we will be betrayed.  He was falsely accused; we will be falsely accused.  He was slandered; we will be slandered.  He was abandoned; we will be abandoned.  He was mocked; we will be mocked.  The Bible never promised us a walk in the park!

The passages below vividly teach that . . .

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.”  (John 16:33)

“It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake.”  (Philippians 1:29)

“Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  (1 Peter 5:8)

We should not be surprised by the many lions, tigers, and bears we face on a daily basis because we have been promised them in Scripture.  The Christian faith is forged in the fiery trials of life.  We need not fear them nor flee them because of . . .

THE POWER TO FACE THEM

Once we understand the promise of life’s challenges, we need to rest in the power to face them.  We do not face our problems, challenges, and difficulties alone and we do not fight them in our own strength.  Our power is in the person of Jesus Christ.  Again, the Bible clearly teaches this . . .

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Yet, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37)

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

“I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:20)

So . . . what lions, tigers, and bears have you been facing lately?  Have you been surprised by the number of them or their ferocity?  Faith in the focus of our faith (Jesus Christ) will help us overcome our fear of every opposition to our faith.  Because God has ordained all things (Romans 11:36), no matter what storms beset us, we can rest in Him.  He is not only with us in the storm, He sent the storm for two important reasons: for His glory and our good.

By the way, when Jesus warned, “In the world you will have tribulation,” He didn’t stop there!  He added, “But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

That is a promise

that equips us to move

from “Oh my!” to “Amen!”

. . . no matter how fierce

 the trials facing us!

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.”

Grace For The Journey

  Too many people live with a truncated view of the Gospel; that is, they believe they are saved by grace . . .but . . . must keep working to maintain their salvation by the spiritual sweat of their own brow.  They never fully embrace the fact that their acceptance is assured.

How about you?  Do you know that your acceptance is assured, regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in today?

The Bible says in Ephesians 1:6, “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

All those who are saved by grace through faith are accepted in the Beloved.  Notice that the Scripture does not say your acceptance is based on anything you do . . .

• Not on your merit.
• Not on your good works.
• Not on your righteous living!

No, your acceptance is based solely on Christ, who has accepted you “to the praise of the glory of His grace.”

And once you have been accepted, you cannot be unaccepted!

In spite of repeated foolishness, countless failures, and periodic faithlessness, Jesus has totally accepted you.  In spite of self-rule, self-absorption, and self-protection, Jesus totally accepted you.  He has declared this in John 6:37, “All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out.”

Think about that for a moment! Jesus knows you fully and completely – every sin, every spot, every wrinkle, and every blemish – and yet He has fully accepted you . . . forever!

And that’s because His acceptance

Is based solely on

Everything He did on your behalf.

He lived the perfect life.  He died the sacrificial death.  He paid the ultimate price for your eternal redemption with His own precious blood.  He didn’t wait for you to get your act together or clean yourself up.  He didn’t demand that you join a church or head out to the mission field.  He accepted you when you were smack dab in the middle of the denial of Peter, the doubting of Thomas, and the death-march of Saul.

The Bible says in Romans 5:8, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Only the truths of the Gospel can enlarge our view of the Almighty’s acceptance.  And that brings me to a second point I hope you’ll take away from this message.  If you have been eternally, unconditionally accepted in the Beloved, then the Bible says you are to . . . “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”  (Romans 15:7)

Because of the acceptance that we have received as a free gift (Romans 3:24), we should be accepting of others – all others – all the time.  Once again, we must rely on the truths of the Gospel.  God in Christ has accepted us, completely and fully, “while we were still sinners.”  Keeping this amazing truth in constant view will enable us to rise above the limitations of our perspective and prejudices.  It will empower us to move beyond our insecurities and our tendency to personalize everything and so that we can remember that we have been accepted in Christ . . . and therefore we are to accept one another!

To be sure, we accept without compromising the truths of Scripture.  Yes, we need to keep in mind what is essential to the Gospel and what is not essential to the Gospel. We do not accept sinful behavior, because God does not condone sin.  But because God accepts the sinner, we too are called and commanded by God to accept the sinner.

Remember the fact that God is not finished with us yet, and that means He is not finished with others either!  Only a bigger view of the Gospel will give us a bigger view of our calling to accept others, just as we have been accepted by Jesus.

And as we continue to work through these truths, let us remember that Romans 15:7 tell us this is to be done “in order to bring praise to God.”  Our acceptance assured must lead us to accepting others . . . not to bring praise to us but to give praise to the glory of God’s grace!

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.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  When was the last time you thought about God, and got a picture in your mind of a “Running Redeemer?”  Well, the Bible paints just such a picture, and I pray that it will be a word of great comfort for you today. In the parable of the prodigal son, the younger son demanded that his father give him his inheritance, and then went off into the far country and squandered it all. Shamed, hungry, and all alone, when this lost son came to his senses and realized his great wickedness, he longed to return home. He felt sure he had forever destroyed his relationship with his father, but hoped that he might be received as a hired hand.

The Bible tells us in Luke 15:20, “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

We are to see the father in this story as representing God. To those who heard Jesus relate this parable, it would have been remarkable to hear that the father, “filled with compassion for the returning son, ran to meet him.”  At that time and in that culture, the normal response from a father who had been so utterly disrespected by his son was not to run and greet him with kisses upon his return. The neighbors would have been much less surprised to see the father spit in his wayward son’s face, rather than to see him gird up his outer garments and run toward his wayward son. The father’s actions would have been considered undignified and embarrassing. But not for the heavenly Father!

Again I ask, when was the last time you pictured a running Redeemer? James urges us, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). The prodigal’s parable is a wonderful reminder of just how our heavenly father responds to His wicked and wayward children: He is a running Redeemer drawing near to you with amazing love!

Is that not a source of great comfort to you as you go through the struggles and storms of this life? From time to time, we all wander into the far country. The world presents us with so many idols of the heart that seek to ensnare our affections! But when we come to our senses and head back home, our Redeemer does not wait on the porch with a stern, disapproving frown, prepared to lecture us or punish us for our foolish decisions. No, He runs to meet us and wraps His loving arms around us and showers us with grace.

Isn’t that a great truth from God today?  Perhaps this day you are in a season of great success and faithfulness to God. Continue drawing near to Him and He will continue drawing near to you. But maybe this finds you “eating pods with the pigs” in a season of struggle and sin; no matter how badly you have fallen or failed, return to your Father and be prepared to be met by a running Redeemer who will restore you to your rightful place – as a child of the Most High God.

Remember this: a child of God is always a child of God, even when he is not acting like one. And this is the confession of all our lives from time to time. There are those times when you and I have blown it badly! But we need not fear our Redeemer’s response. As we return to Him, He runs toward us. Rest in that comfort today!

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.”

 

Grace For The Journey

   How many errands do you have on your “things-to-do” list today? Personally, I always seem to create a list that is far too long to complete! Experience has taught me that there is never enough time to complete everything that I want to get done, but there is always enough time to complete all that God wants me to get done. And one of the highest priorities on God’s to-do list for me and every one of His children is prayer – what I like to call “eternal errands.”  The Bible has a lot to say about it …

1 Chronicles 16:11 – “Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.”

Psalm 145:18 – “The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”

Proverbs 15:29 – “The LORD is far from the wicked but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

Luke 18:1 – “Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”

Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

1Thessalonians 5:17 – “Pray without ceasing.”

These are just a few examples of the eternal errands that God would have us run each and every day. The Bible makes it clear that one of the marks of the people of God is to be in the habit of prayer. It’s truly unimaginable to think that the Creator of the universe invites us – commands us – to seek Him always through the throne of grace.

How many reasons can you find this day to go before your Creator, Savior God in prayer? I’m sure that with even a little thought your list would become too long to count. And that is why we are to be in constant communion with Christ!

And know this: God does not care about the words or grammar of your prayers! God is not looking for flowing, eloquent, or grandiose rhetoric or theological exactitude. God does not demand some complicated metaphysical formula for approaching His throne of grace. Because He is “Abba” Father, He simply wants us to come to Him, whether we are praying in words, groanings, cries, or tears.

So . . . have you run any eternal errands today? Will you be running some later? Those people who say they don’t have time to pray really don’t have time not to pray! As a father of four (two who have gone on to glory and await us in heaven), I love when my children come to me and make their requests. Why would I not? I am their father. So it is with our heavenly Father. He takes pleasure in – He delights in – the prayers of His children. Jesus invites us, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

How about an “Eternal Errand” right now?

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.”

Grace For The Journey

  Deep inside of every human being is the need to discover the answer to this penetrating question: What’s the point? There are, of course, only two possible answers: the first is you; the second is God.

So . . . what’s the point of your life?  Is it you? Or is it Jesus?

When you are the point, life becomes all about your success . . . your fulfillment . . . your happiness . . . your significance.  Your goals are rooted in what you want and how you want your life to work out.  The key question you continually ask and order your life around is, “What’s in it for me?”  When you become the point of your life, you point only to yourself.  As I’ve often said, at this level of living you have shrunk the size of your life down to the size of your life!

On the other hand, when Jesus is the point, life becomes all about the advancement of His kingdom, regardless of the cost or circumstance.  The key question you continually ask and order your life around is, “What’s in it for the King and the advancement of His kingdom?”  Jesus becomes the point of your life, and when He is the point you point to Him.

This might be a moment for some self-examination.  Is what you are currently doing advancing the cause of His kingdom?  Or are you busy building your kingdom?  Are you the point of your life or is Jesus the point of your life?

Only the transforming power of the Gospel can keep Jesus in His rightful position as the point of life.  Grace empowers you to live for another King and His kingdom.  You are able to look past your own good and live for the good of others and the glory of God. Your life expands beyond the borders of your own cares and concerns to the cares and concerns of Christ.  This is living large for a glory beyond your own.  This is “big living,” lived by “big Christians,” who are living “doxologically (for the glory of God)” – living “coram deo” (before the face of God).  Everything in life becomes an act of worship and echoes in eternity.

Adam and Eve lived this way in the Garden . . . until they changed the point of life from God to themselves.  Instead of pointing to their Creator, they pointed to the creature (themselves) and plunged all of creation into a catastrophic cosmic fall, where the entire created order turned inward and plummeted downward.

Apart from Jesus, we are every bit as willful and rebellious and self-absorbed as our first parents.  But after Jesus comes into our lives, we have the ability to make Him the point of our lives once again.  The grace of the Gospel enables us to point up to Jesus and out to others.  In doing so, we live the way we were originally designed to live – for God and His magnificent glory.

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.”

Grace For The Journey

Did you know that every book ever written is a dead book except one? That’s right. Every book is a dead book because the author is dead – or will die – except one. That book is the Bible.

The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12, “For the Word of God is living and powerful. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Have you ever read a Scripture verse for the umpteenth time and suddenly gained a whole new insight or understood something you never understood about it before? This is a common experience for every student of sacred Scripture. Why? Because Scripture is “living,” just like its Author!  The Bible is so much more than ink on a page; it is divine inspiration imparted to everyone who reads it and has been given eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to receive.

To say that the Word of God is “powerful” is to say it has the capacity to change and transform. Whether you are reading it or listening to it, the Word of God is active and always at work accomplishing God’s purposes. The sovereign Lord declares in Isaiah 55:10-11, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

The Word is also “piercing,” getting under our skin to address the deepest issues of the heart. God’s Word has the power to enter the deepest recesses of a person’s being and do its divine work. So penetrating is the Word of God that it passes the level of information, diving deeper to the level of transformation. Those exposed to the Word of God are never left in the same condition, because the One who wrote is at work through it. Jesus Christ, God’s Word clothed in human flesh, provides powerful testimony to the power of the Word.  He declared in John 6:63, “The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and they are life,” and in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.”

So . . . how much time do you spend reading the Word of God? And how much time do you spend reading dead books, articles, and papers? What we all need to remember is . . .

THE BOOK WE DON’T READ WON’T HELP!

God has given us His Word in written form so we would read it. He could have left it up to the Holy Spirit to inspire and motivate us to live the life God was calling us to live, but He didn’t! He gave us His book to read it, meditate on it, and live by it.

President Ronald Reagan said, “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” President Reagan knew by way of personal experience that every other book he had ever read was dead except one: the Bible.

What challenges are you facing today? What problems are pressing you up against the proverbial wall? What storm winds are blowing your way? Sadly, for far too many, the last place they’ll look for help is in the pages of sacred Scripture, and that is the only place they can find true help.

The great 19^th century prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, had this to say about how we should engage with Scripture. I hope you’ll love this quote as much as I do!

“A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”

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.”

Grace For The Journey

  I offer a word of great comfort and consolation to you today . . . and who reading this (or writing this, for that matter) doesn’t need a word of comfort and consolation? We live in a world that is increasingly marked by uncertainty and chaos, and it is enormously reassuring to know we have a God we can count on.

The Bible says in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”

In all of sacred Scripture it would be hard to find a more reassuring word to the people of God! God is not a man . . . and thank God for that!

• Man lies; God does not.
• Man changes his mind; God’s mind is immutable, unchangeable.
• Man speaks and does not act; when we read “This is what the Sovereign Lord says,” we can count on every word that follows.
• Man promises and does not fulfill; God promises and you can take every one of them to the bank!

We can all recall times when we made promises that we failed to keep; we all remember times when others made promises to us that they failed to keep. The problem is that we often view God in this same uncertain light . . . “Maybe He’ll do it and maybe He won’t.” And this is exactly what Satan wants us to think!

“Has God really said . . .?” the serpent slyly hissed to our first parents. Adam and Eve hesitated . . . and doubted . . . and the result of doubting God’s certain promise was catastrophic for Adam and for Eve and for all mankind.

Yet, can you find a promise God has made that He has not fulfilled?

You and I may waver in our promises!

But when God makes a promise He keeps it!

I’d like to exhort you to become what I like to call a “promise prospector” – one who searches the Scriptures for these nuggets of God’s gold. “There’s gold in them thar hills!” the prospectors from the 1800s cried. Let me assure you that there is gold of infinitely and eternally greater value contained in the Word of God! Here are just three such chunks of pure gold from a Bible that is chock full of them; may they bring you strength and hope, regardless of where this finds you today.

“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

“[I am] confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

If you enjoyed these promises, let me encourage you to open your Bible and read the 36^th chapter of Ezekiel. See how many promises you can find that God has made to His covenant people. And if you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are one of those people . . . and those promises are for you!

Being a promise prospector is one of the most powerful weapons we have in fighting against the flaming arrows of the evil one. You probably recall that in “the believer’s armor,” which is explained in detail in Ephesians 6:10-18, the only weapon for attacking the devil’s schemes is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Let me encourage you to sharpen your sword every day!

The devil is a liar . . . and God is not. May that truth strengthen your heart today!

T 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.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  Forgetting seems to be a bit more regular in my life these days.  Sometimes I forget where I put my sunglasses.  Other times I forget to get the right things from the grocery store.  I have even missed a couple of meetings.  At times, I forget what I am saying right in the middle of saying it!

Can I get a witness?

But there is One who never forgets when it comes to His covenant promises.

The Bible says in Genesis 9:15, “I will remember My covenant that is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

Thank God that covenant promises are not dependent upon the forgetful minds of His covenant people.  It is totally dependent upon the infinite, immutable, and infallible mind of God.  Notice that God does not say He will never again send a flood if we remember His promise.  He says that when He looks upon the rainbow in the sky, He will remember the covenant He has made with us.  God makes the covenant promise and God keeps the covenant promise, wholly apart from anything we do.

What a great comfort this should be for us today and every day!

It is God who remembers His promises and keeps every one of them.

• God remembered Adam after his sin in the Garden of Eden and came sought him out.
• God remembered His covenant promise to Abraham in spite of Abraham forgetting it himself.
• God remembered His people Israel as they groaned under the yoke of bondage in Egypt.
• God remembered you when He was nailed to that cruel cross.

There is, however, a place in Scripture where God promises to forget.  God says in Jeremiah 31:34, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

WOW!  Not only does God promise to remember His covenant promises, He promises to forget our sins.  You see, God placed all of our sins on His beloved Son Jesus and sent Him outside the camp as the Scapegoat for His people.  And because Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin, paid it in full, once-for-all, God will remember our sin no more.  He will not – He cannot, because His justice forbids it – collect a second payment on a debt that has been fully paid.

Because God looks on us through the lens of the perfections of His precious Son, it is impossible for Him to continue to be angry and remember our sins; God poured out all His fury for our sins onto Christ as He hung on the cross.  And because of that God makes this glorious statement in Romans 8:1, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  Our sin debt has been paid in full; it is finished (John 19:30).

When we focus upon the Gospel, we begin to enlarge our view of the vast blessing of God remembering and forgetting.  His covenant promises are never dependent upon our remembering, which is what makes them an everlasting covenant.

• His promise to never leave us or forsake is everlasting.
• His promise to free us from the bondage of the world, the flesh, and the devil is everlasting.
• His promise to give us rest is everlasting.
• His promise to remember our sins no more is everlasting.
• And His promise to prepare a heavenly dwelling place for us is everlasting!

Our God truly is an AMAZING and AWESOME God!  And I think we would all agree that this is truly good news for those of us who remember stuff we would be better off forgetting, and forget stuff we would be better off remembering.  Glory be to God!  It all rests upon Him.

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.”

Grace For The Journey

  John Newton started out as a slave trader, commanding an English slave ship at the age of 25. When his ship nearly sank during a violent storm that battered his vessel, he looked toward heaven and cried out to Jesus.

Throughout his life he wrote hundreds of hymns, the most famous, of course, being “Amazing Grace.” Written from personal experience, John Newton lived out the Gospel truth that forgiveness and redemption are always possible, regardless of the depths of one’s sin-filled life.

Physically blind at the age of 82, his memory and his health fading, Newton told a friend, “My memory is nearly gone. But I remember two things:

That I am a great sinner

And

Christ is a great Savior.”

On his tombstone are written these words, “John Newton . . . once an infidel was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”

Wow! John Newton got it! He knew what he was and he knew what God in Christ had done for him. Make no mistake; there was no hyperbole in his claim to have lived a less-than-holy life. He knew he was a great sinner, by nature and by habit, and he understood that only a great Savior could redeem him from his wretched, wicked ways. Newton found that redemption is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible makes it clear that we are all in the same desperate straits as John Newton.

Folks, without Jesus, the ship is sinking!

There is no exception.  The Bible reminds us of this inevitable truth: In Romans 3:23, the Bible says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and in Romans 3:10, the Bible says, “There is no one who is righteous by virtue of his or her own good deeds, no not one of us.”

Because of these immutable truths,

We need something outside of us

To change what is going on inside of us.

We need a Savior to take away our sin!

So . . . are John Newton’s two things to remember etched upon your heart? If you’re unsure, your answer can be found in understanding what your heart beats for. Does it beat for yourself or your Savior? Does it beat to expand the cause of your kingdom or the Kingdom of God? When we remember what great sinners we really are . . . AND how great a Savior Jesus Christ is, we have all the motivation we need to live for nothing other than Jesus.

Let me close out this meditation with those wonderful words from Newton’s great hymn:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

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.”