Grace

God of the 2nd Chance

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God had been very merciful to the Prophet Jonah by sparing his life but also by giving Jonah another chance to fulfill the mission of God. It is clear that Jonah did not deserve to get a 2nd chance but God graciously extended another opportunity for Jonah to be an instrument of mercy for the city of Nineveh, with the mercy he himself had received. Jonah ran from God and experienced divine discipline through a great storm & a great fish which God appointed. He spent three days and nights in the belly of that great fish and “then he prayed” and cried out to God. The Lord spoke to that fish and it vomited Jonah out on dry land. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time…” (Jonah 3:1 ESV).

Notice that God used a man who was significantly flawed and underserving to accomplish His mission. God used his life to bring one of the greatest revivals ever recorded. God granted him a 2nd chance and entrusted Jonah with His message to speak to the Ninevites. Jonah had been humbled by the merciful discipline of God and expressed gratitude to God for sparing his life. God is the God of the second chance. Throughout the Bible there are instances of God granting mercy and grace to his servants who had failed to obey Him perfectly. Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul … God’s ability to redeem & restore is greater than our ability to mess things up. Rest in God’s grace that He grants you and respond in obedience to His will by His grace.

Gospel Gratitude

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20130222-140230.jpgThanksgiving is a great time to reflect on the many reasons we have to be thankful, remembering the the sources of all those good gifts (James 1:17), and then giving God the thanks that He is due. There are so many undeserved gifts that God has given humanity that we never even consider giving thanks to God for nor acknowledge that those blessings came from him (Romans 1:21). It is good to start with the gift of our life or existence. God in His goodness created us and gives us every breath & heart beat of our lives (Acts 17:25-28). He is the creator & sustainer of all life. In Him we live and move and have our being.
God not only created us but He also faithfully cares for us and provides us with everything we need in life. Jesus taught us we need not worry about anything in life because if God the Father cares for birds providing for each tiny little creature, than He will most certainly grant us humans who have been made in His image what we need, especially those whom God calls His children (Matthew 6:25-27, 1 John 3:1).

Of all people the child of God should be the most grateful. For not only has God given His children sustained existence, but He has granted abundant life & eternal life through Jesus Christ (John 10:10, 1 John 5:11-12). The children of God are forgiven of all their sin, which lead to death. The penalty of for their sin has been placed on Jesus and in exchange they receive eternal life as a FREE gift (Romans 6:23). A free gift like that is worthy of much thanksgiving towards God the giver. An abundance of gratitude overflows from those who have been saved by the amazing grace of God. When a person begins to grasp what has been done for their sake in the gospel and also grasps how undeserving of such blessing they really are, then thanksgiving arises from their heart. That is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians stating “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:15 ESV). Notice the progression; grace extended, thanksgiving increased and glory rendered to God. These three things should mark every child of God. The gospel produces gratitude in the hearts of its recipients, causing glory to be given to God. The link between grace & glory is thanksgiving. Paul exhorted the Corinthian believers to give God glory in everything that they do, even their eating & drinking (1 Corinthians 10:31). How does one eat and drink for the glory of God? It is by receiving the gift of food with thanksgiving & recognizing God has provided it for us (Psalm 145:15). God created every good food for us to receive with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3-4). Also, God gets glory when we enjoy what He provides us with. Paul wrote Timothy saying that God “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). God also gets glory when we share our food with others and demonstrate the same generosity that we have experienced from God (1 Tim. 6:18, 2 Cor. 9:11, Hebrews 13:16).

It is good & fitting for us to give thanks for life & provision, but our gratitude for God sending Jesus Christ to save us from our sins should be the greatest reason for thanksgiving. This is what is loudly proclaimed in Heaven: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! … Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen” (Revelation 5:10-12 ESV).
Give thanks to God for such great salvation found only His Son Jesus Christ!
Child of God, know that God has taken care of your greatest need through giving you Jesus! So don’t worry about the little necessities of life but rather believe that “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 ESV).20130222-140236.jpg

Be thankful for what God has done through Christ coming and also be thankful that Jesus will return one day soon and will restore all things. He will make all things new (Revelation 21:5). He will bring forth judgement & wrath on the wicked (Revelation 19-21) and redemption & perfection to His people. He will wipe every tear from our eye and there shall be no more pain, death, mourning or crying because the former things will pass away and all things will be made new (Revelation 21:4-5). Great is The Lord and He is greatly to be thanked and praised (Psalm 96:4, 145:3).
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17 ESV)

The Gospel of Grace

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Believers possess every spiritual blessing – Ephesians 1:3

God has given every one of His children an abundance of grace upon grace “in Christ Jesus”. We are not lacking any good thing in Christ. We are complete “in him” and we have everything thing we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Jesus became poor in coming to earth, leaving the glories & privileges of Heaven so that we, through His poverty, might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). Why do we feel at times that we don’t have the resources to be who God has called us to be & do what God has called us to do? I believe it is because we don’t see what we have in Christ and we need to have the eyes of our understanding enlightened (Ephesians 1:18). That is what Paul requested in prayer for the church to see.

Let’s look at some of the spiritual blessings that believers in Christ have been given through the Gospel of Grace.

We are chosen – Ephesians 1:4

You are not a Christian merely because you chose God at one point in time. You are a Christian because God chose you before the foundation of the world. You are not an accident or an afterthought. God thought about you and picked you before He ever said “Let there be light”. If God loved and chose you then how could you do anything to earn His love or choice of you? No, He didn’t choose us because He saw something good in us. He chose us on the basis of His grace and for His glory, according to His good pleasure and His will. Salvation is about God the Savior. Salvation is of the Lord, His gift of grace granted to us for the praise of His glory. He has chosen us to be holy & blameless and this should be the mark of those who are chosen. Their lives ought to look different than the world. Peter exhorts the church to make their calling and election sure and growing in godliness, holiness & Christ like character is how one can do that.

We are predestined-Ephesians 1:5

Many Christians have trouble understanding, believing and receiving this glorious truth as the bible presents it. But this is a blessing from God, an expression of God’s grace that should “humble the best of saints and give hope to the worst of sinners”, as John Piper put it. Because many Christians struggle to understand & receive this biblical truth there has been much debate over it, but for the Apostle Paul it was a reason to praise and thank God (Ephesians 1:3, 6). Praise Godthat has made plans for our lives before we existed. Praise God that He foreknew us and predestined us to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). Praise God that by His grace He determined that we would become His very own for all eternity. Let this gospel truth humble you & stir up gratitude & praise to your Heavenly Father. Rest assured that He who began this God work of salvation in your life will be faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6, Romans 8:30).

We are adopted – Ephesians 1:5

We are now children of God and He is our Father. We are greatly loved and cared for. We belong to a family and are highly valued by God. God has promised to provide for our every need according to the riches of His grace and we don’t have to live like orphans striving to survive. Our Daddy in heaven is watches over us and everything in life is Father-filtered. Nothing comes our way in life without first being approved by Him. And He will work together all things for our good (Romans 8:28). Every good and perfect gift that we experience in life comes down from our faithful & unchanging Father. He is good to us all the time and He always has our best interest in mind.

We are accepted – Ephesians 1:6

We are accepted on the basis of Christ and what He has done on our behalf. He is the Beloved in whom the Father is well pleased and through Christ we also are pleasing to the Father. He delights to be our Father and gives us free access to His presence. Through the gospel of Christ we can boldly approach our Father’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16). Never do we have to earn our acceptance from God because Christ has earned it for us. Never do we have to seek acceptance from men to meet our emotional needs because Christ meets our deepest need for acceptance. No longer should we fear the rejection of men & seek the approval of man because we can be content with God’s acceptance & approval.

We are redeemed – Ephesians 1:7

We have been bought by the precious blood of Christ and rescued from slavery to sin & Satan’s captivity. We have been transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of God’s Beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). No longer are we ruled by the god of this world or love for this world. Our God & King is the God of gods, the King of kings & the Lord of lords and He has overcome the enemies of our soul. Jesus is now our Savior & Redeemer and no one can pluck us out of His hand (John 10:28).

We are forgiven – Ephesians 1:7

Our sins are forgiven and forgotten by God. He remembers them no more. As far as the east is from the west so far it is that God has removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:12). The penalty of our offenses has been paid for by Christ and the guilt of sin is gone. The blood of Christ has washed & removed the stain of our sin. Our accuser who seeks to remind us of our past sins is overcome & defeated by the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11). We don’t have to work to make up for all the wrong we have done or try and outweigh our bad deeds with good deeds. Christ’s good work on the cross is finished and He has provided forgiveness of sins through His blood. Now we must freely forgive others because we have been forgiven (Col. 3:13). Now we must freely carry this good news of forgiveness to others because we freely received it ourselves (Luke 24:47, Matthews 10:7, 2 Cor. 5:18)

We have revelation – Ephesians 1:9

God has not left us in the dark but He has shared His secrets with us and entrusted to us knowledge of His will. We now know of God’s purpose & plan to unite all things in heaven & on earth. God will restore creation from corruption through what Christ has done. He will make all things new and there will be no more mourning, crying, pain or suffering and God will wipe every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4-5). We have been granted wisdom & insight from God to grasp what He is up to.

We have an inheritance – Ephesians 1:11

We have become children of God, heirs of God & fellow heirs with Christ. We can say with the Psalmist “the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance”. (Psalm 16:6). We can be content with the lot that God has granted us and not desire the passing pleasures of sin nor love the world with its lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes & the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17)

We have the Holy Spirit – Ephesians 1:13

Perhaps this is the greatest blessing we have been given, namely God himself. Believers have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, by whom we have been sealed as God’s own for all eternity. God has granted us His constant presence to lead and to guide us, to teach & to instruct us, to comfort & to help us, to convict & to change us, to empower & to strengthen us, to fill us & to refresh us, to heal us & seal us (John14:26,16:8, Acts 1:8, 2Cor. 3:18). He is our God and we are His people (Revelation 21:3)!

To hear the sermon I preached on Ephesians 1, entitled The Riches of His Grace, go this link:

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http://citychurchintl.sermon.tv/4368646

 

Gospel Transformation

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It is really good news that God is at work in us to transform us into the image of Christ, by the power of His Spirit & His Word. Not only are we pardoned of our sin but we have the power of the Holy Spirit to live a Christ-like life. Sanctification is growing into Christlikeness and obedience to the will of the Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit. The better we imitate Christ and godly leaders He has placed in our lives the more we will experience progress in the sanctification process (Philippians 2). In this process of sanctification we have a responsibility to “work out our own salvation with fear and trembling” but never are we to work for our salvation (Philippians 2:12, Ephesians 2:8-10). God works in our salvation and we work it out. Sanctification involves God’s working in and through us and our working together with Him, yielding to & following the leading of His Holy Spirit. Any good fruit that is produced through our lives is a result of His work, His grace and His Spirit (John 15:5-8, 1 Cor. 15:10, Galatians 5:22, Philippians 2:13). Therefore we have nothing to boast about before God (1 Cor. 1:30-31).

The Christian life loaded with purpose & power. Our purpose is to be transformed into the image of Christ and reflect the glory of Christ (Romans 8:29). The power we experience is from God’s Spirit and Word (Acts 1:8, 2 Cor. 3:18, Hebrews 4:12, Rom. 1:16) working in our lives to transform us into the image of Christ.

 

The Gospel In Jonah

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It seems that there are many professing Christians who do not understand the gospel or treasure it with joy and gratitude. Many of them see the gospel as something that an unbeliever soley needs to hear and respond to. Many cannot even explain what the gospel is or what it means. The gospel is the good news. But why is it good news? What is it about this news that is any different than the daily news you can hear on the TV? Tim Keller says that “the gospel is not the ABCs of Christianity but the A through Z”. As Christians we do not grow out of our need to hear the gospel and believe in the saving power of God found in it . The gospel is “the power of God unto salvation to all who believe” (Romans 1:16). Yes, as believers we have salvation. It is ours in Christ. We have been saved, but we are being saved and we will be saved. Though we are saved we still find ourselves doing those things that we don’t want to do. We are still sinners in need of our Savior to cleanse us and keep saving us from sin. Christ has delivered us from the penalty of sin, death! Yet we need Him to lead us not into temptation and deliver us from sin and evil. That is why Jesus taught us to pray this way (Matthew 6:13). As long as we are here on earth, in these bodies, there will be a battle against sin. We must not make any provision for it or let have dominion it over us. Indeed Christ has made us free from the domination of sin, yet we still have to resist the temptation to sin. The good news is that through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection we, who believe, have the forgiveness of our sins, freedom from slavery to sin and fellowship with our Heavenly Father.

In the book of Jonah we see the gospel illustrated for us, through God’s gracious dealing with Jonah, the people of Nineveh and a foreshadow of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. In it we see the sinfulness of man and goodness of God. We see that though our sin is great, God’s grace is greater and though our sin reaches far, God’s grace reaches farther. In the book of Jonah we see God’s sovereignty over creation and even the rebellious choices of men. We see God’s greatness and God’s goodness, God’s mercy and His might, God’s glory and His grace. In it we see man’s sin and God salvation. Jonah declares from the belly of the great fish “Salvation belongs to the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). This is the key verse of the book. Jonah is grateful when salvation is given to him but when God gives salvation to Nineveh he throws a fit and gets angry. God teaches Jonah and the readers a lesson of His mercy and grace. God will be gracious to whom He will be gracious. As God, He can freely chose those to whom He will be gracious to and those He will give compassion to. God owes no man grace or mercy, but has the right to freely give it out as He pleases.

Jonah had already been used by God in proclaiming a prophecy that came to pass and then God entrusts Jonah with another task, but Jonah goes AWOL. He tried to go far away from Nineveh, which is where God told him to go. And instead he sought to go to Tarshish. The bible says Jonah “rose to flee from the presence of the Lord” (Jonah 1:3). When man is in disobedience that is exactly what he does, he runs from God. Playing “Hide and Seek” with God is really vain. Is there really any place at all that we can hide from God? God says through Jeremiah “Do I not fill heaven and the earth?” (Jeremiah 23:24). Jonah went down, down, down when he ran from God! That is what happens when ones resists God’s will. God humbles the proud and rebellious and He will always discipline His own children. Charles H.Spurgeon says that “God does not allow His children to sin successfully”. God hurls a storm at Jonah and the ship that he is on. Now Jonah’s sin is affecting others. Our sin can bring trouble to those around us. The sailors realized that Jonah’s disobedience was the reason for the storm. God used the storm, the pagan sailors and even the casting of lots to corner Jonah. It is futile to run from the Lord when He has a calling on our lives and a mission for us to fulfill. The Lord knows how to overcome our resistance and rebellion. God’s amazing grace overcomes our resistance and His goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). God captured Jonah with grace, in the belly of a great fish and the mercy of God triumphed over judgment toward Jonah. Here is the gospel that though we are great sinners Christ is a great Savior. Though we are disobedient God is our deliverer. Though we are lost God is love and He seeks to save us. Actually Jonah’s experience is an illustration of what Christ did for rebellious sinners. Jesus said that as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights,so the Son of Man would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:39-40). This is the gospel according to the Apostle Paul’s writings in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the gospel. I can imagine Jesus after being raised from the dead, walking along the road to Emmaus, speaking to the disciples talking about this event. Luke in his gospel wrote that Jesus explained himself from the law and the prophets (Luke 24:13-47), which would include the book of Jonah.

When was the last time you heard God’s voice? Is there something you have been putting off or avoiding that you know God has called you to do? Do you have a good understanding of the gospel and do your actions display that you do? When was the last time you went up to a stranger or group of strangers and shared the gospel message? Are you more concerned about your own comfort or showing compassion for people?