Grace For The Journey

  I often take the Bible for granted, millions of people all over the world have never even seen one.  I have seen the faces of people who have held the Bible in their hands for the very first time.  I get goosebumps when I see it.  They want to learn more about it.  Seeing people get and begin reading the Bible for the first time is always beautiful and amazing.

How grateful we ought to be

For how God is leading

And providing opportunities

To get the Bible into the hands

Of every people group.

In today’s blog I want us to think about the greatest Book that has ever been written; about the marvelous truths the Bible contains that will teach us about life and how to know Him and relate to Him; and about the powerful eternal life that the Bible points us to.

What Makes The Bible Unique?

God needs to always remind us of what a treasure we have in God’s Word.  Written over a period of 1,500 years, the Bible is a collection of 66 books penned by shepherds, kings, prophets, doctors, and fishermen.  God inspired different men to write the historical records, poems, prophecies, and letters that we know as the Bible.  Yet, in spite of the years involved in writing it and the many different writers God used to give it to us, there is a unified purpose and message that man desperately needs to hear.

When we read the Bible, God Himself

Through His Spirit speaks to us.

The Bible is God’s Word to us about His Love

And the Life we need to know.

It’s a record of His work throughout history

And

Contains everything He really wants us to know.

When we open our Bibles and read them,

We learn who God is,

How He saves from sin,

And what He wants from us.

His love for us comes alive!

What Does The Bible Really Say?

One Christian organization recently asked 2,500 people, including executives, skilled workers, writers, pastors, seminary professors, teachers, and students, what they thought were the main messages of the Bible.

Over and over, they mentioned themes of

Love, Grace, Sin, and Forgiveness.

Let’s look at the five more important teachings of the Bible . . .

1) A loving God created our world.

We take it for granted, but the book of Genesis sets the foundation for the rest of God’s story.  Our universe was no accident.  God existed eternally, and He created the heavens and earth.  God’s nature is love, and He desires a relationship with man, the crown of His creation.

The core truths in Genesis sets the stage for all else

That humanity is a special creation

Above all other created things;

That sin against God truly matters;

And

That God had a plan for redemption

In mind from before the creation.

2) Man needs a Savior.

The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”

Most of us don’t like to talk about sin,

Much less admit we’re sinners,

But it’s an important theme of the Bible.

In Genesis 3, the serpent tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God.  When they disobeyed God, they sinned, and they lost their perfect relationship with their Creator.  The Bible teaches that the consequence of sin is eternal separation from God.   Old Testament stories illustrate how sin creates a barrier between man and God.  The New Testament presents Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

I believe the church today has a huge under-emphasis on sin.  The Bible teaches that sin is so serious that God had to send Jesus into the world save sinners, not the so-called good people or righteous people.

Understanding our sin problem

Is absolutely essential

To understanding God’s love

And

To receiving God’s grace.”

3) Jesus is God and Savior.

The Bible says in 1 John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He lovesd us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.”

When I was growing up, I always pictured God as an all-powerful, loving creator, but I couldn’t understand what the big deal was about Jesus!  I found answers to my questions as a college student when I read in John 1 that God came to earth as a man.

A reading of John’s gospel

(And the other Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke)

Reveals that Jesus continually claimed to be God.

That’s one reason religious leaders wanted Him crucified.

Jesus lived a sinless life, but He died to pay for our sins.

It was the whole reason He came to earth.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 23,

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child,

And bear a Son And they shall call

His name Immanuel, which is translated,

“God with us.”

The very name “Jesus”

Means “The Lord saves.”

4) God calls us to relationship.

The Bible says in John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

Most Christians agree that

Redemption and relationship with God

Are central themes of the Bible.

Abraham was called a friend of God because his faith brought him into a right relationship with God.  Moses met with God face to face, not based upon who he was or what he did, but through His faith and acceptance of God’s message.

Although our sin makes it impossible

For us to draw near to a Holy God,

Jesus paid the penalty for sin

To clear the way for us to enter into God’s family.

We have an amazing privilege:

When we place our faith in Christ,

God adopts us,

Giving us the status

Of beloved sons and daughters.

Anyone can have a personal relationship with God through placing faith in Jesus Christ.  The call to place a faith commitment in Christ is the purpose for God sending Jesus here and for giving us the Bible.

5) God rules and reigns forever (even when it doesn’t look like it).

The Bible says in Psalm 103:19, “The LORD has established His throne in heaven.  And His kingdom rules over all.”

As many watch injustice, violence, wars, and natural disasters on our television screens, they sometimes struggle to believe in a good, all-powerful God.  Yet, the Bible teaches that God, perfect in wisdom, is always at work for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

Even when bad things happen in our personal lives, believers can rest assured that our Heavenly Father will work all things together for our good.  Part of His sovereign purpose is to transform us and make us more like Himself: loving, wise, joyful, and peaceful.

Man’s sin has spoiled this world,

And

Satan exerts influence and authority,

Yet,

Jesus will come again.

God will have the final victory

Over sin and death.

His Word assures us of

A hope and a future.

The Bible says in Revelation 21:4-5, “And God will wipe away ever tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  Neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things have passed.  Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make al things new.’  And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’”

The Bible imparts timeless truths

That will bring us to faith,

Build us up in the faith,

And

Become a blessing to our faith

When we take time to read it.

Reminding ourselves of our beliefs helps us stand firm when the world around us is falling apart and the ground beneath us seems is shaky.  Remember the five most important teachings of the Bible . . .

We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

God loves us with an unconditional love.

Jesus died to pay for our sins,

So we can become sons and daughters of God.

He will come again to take us home.

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.”