Tag Archives: grace

Is it Too Good to be True!?

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Sermon at New Life Church 2nd Aug 2009.
Click here to listen

Is it Too Good to be True!?

As I was researching for this sermon, I decided to consult the internet.  I googled several terms, and eventually came across these wise words, which were not as encouraging as they first sounded:

“… a good sermon helps people in different ways: some rise from it strengthened, others wake from it refreshed…”

With what I am going to share with you today though, I KNOW you are going to rise strengthened, invigorated and full of energy and excitement!  If you were asleep, or about to, you are going to sit up in your seat because what I have to share with you is the most amazing news you will ever hear!  Life changing, transforming, mind blowingly amazing news!

How do I know you are not going to fall asleep?  Because the more I researched this passage, the more my eyes were opened!  The joy that I at times struggle to hold onto was re-ignited, my understanding renewed.  Everything changed, and I have been on fire ever since!

The title of this sermon is a question:  “Is it too good to be true!?”

The main passage today is Ephesians 2: 4-9, and for those following I will mainly be referencing from the ESV version.

We will be looking at God’s gift of salvation. We will start off by looking at who we were and then, who we are now.  We will then look at what God has done for us and why he did it.  And we will finish with what it means for us!

Remember what Scott said last week as one of his 4 points to “Cease the Day”.  Know your God… it changes everything!  Well I urge you to take this journey with me today through this scripture.  Know what God has done for us, know how God feels about us, and Know what God is doing for us!

Ephesians 2:4-9 (English Standard Version)

4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved- 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Lets pray: Pray that you will get a fresh understanding of the Gospel, and of its power this morning.  I pray that lives will be changed, that people will be set free.  That lost joy will return, that there will be a party here today as the amazing truth of your Gospel, of your good news, of your amazing grace is revealed to us, maybe even for some for the first time.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Verse 8 says:  “It is the gift of God”

Dictionary.com – defines GIFT: something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favour toward someone.

So how much does a gift cost?  Well at least to the receiver, nothing!  Its FREE!

FREE….  Now there’s a word I guarantee you have probably heard several times this week, if not seen on your TV, or at the supermarket.

We live in a society where FREE is becoming more and more a popular concept/topic.  You only need to look in shop windows, “buy one get one free”, of Free gift when you spend £10 or more on anti ageing cream”!

Look at the internet, and there are even websites dedicated to “Freebies”.  Listing the latest ways to get your hands on mouse mats, t-shirts, short breaks and more for….. FREE!

And yet behind all these offers, there always seems to be a catch, or perhaps an ulterior motive.

Buy one get one FREE!  Well for a start you have to buy one… and if they can offer one free, what always gets me is, why haven’t they been charging half the price all these years? (Sorry, that’s the grumpy Lee speaking!)

All the “freebies” I looked at on the internet, require me to hand over nearly all my personal information so I can be “kept up to date with the latest offerings,” and my data can be shared with “specially selected business partners”.  Yes my information will be sold, and I will be shortly receiving my free gift, followed by a barrage of phone calls for double glazed windows, time shares and book clubs offering me the first book for £1.99 as long as I promise to continue to purchase other books they send in the post for the next year!

How about those free tasters we are kindly offered when we wander around super markets, and streams of people dash forward?   Unfortunately, these too are not gifts motivated by love or kindness, but are tasters of what the supermarket hopes you are going to buy!  Its your wallet that is their objective!

… FREE…. Does FREE really exist at all?  Does FREE always come with an ulterior motive?  Does the motive behind FREE always involve me giving something in return?

When you look at “free” with all its ties, free doesn’t really seem so… “free” any more!  “Modern day marketing free”, seems to involve giving something or doing something in return for a gift/reward.

All this marketing bombardment, has probably contributed us become much more cynical in life.  Now a days, a knee jerk reaction to being offered something for nothing tends to be “What’s the catch”?  And warnings such as “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” are common place.

In this passage we see that God has offered us a FREE gift!  The gift of salvation!  We are saved by his grace.  As the passage says, BY GRACE

What does grace mean?  In short “Unmerited favour”.  Getting something you don’t actually deserve!

To fully realise the magnificence of Gods grace, lets look again at verses 4-5, and firstly where we were.  We need to remind our selves of what we were to God, to understand the mind boggling amazingness of what he has done for us, and the true value of the gift he gives.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (English Standard Version)

4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved-

It says here we were DEAD in our sins!

Of course we weren’t physically dead as such!  We walked, talked, did our 9-5, went to school, took care of the kids, went out and partied etc.  We were, however spiritually dead, (cut off from the Lord, separated from him)!

If we look at verses 2-3 of Ephesians 2, we will see exactly where we were:

Ephesians 2:1-3 (English Standard Version)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience- 3among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Built with a natural need for acceptance, significance and security (which only a relationship with God produces) we instead looked to other things to try and fill those needs.

a)the world – The world presents itself as our friend.  It promises to offer us the security we need in such things as finance.  It tells me if I conform to a certain look, a certain dress style, and have a certain body shape then I will be accepted.

b)the devil – The Devil is behind the promises of the world, so whether we knew it or not, he was who we followed.  All temptation is simply an attempt at getting us try meeting our inbuilt needs for significance, acceptance and security from sources other than God.

c)the flesh – our cravings, our desires, our thoughts of the flesh.  These includes negative thought processes, and bad habits that can form that took control of our lives and ensnared us.

To summarise:

  • We did what the world wanted

  • We did what the devil wanted

  • We did what we wanted

Therefore, because of this, as in verse 3 we were by nature objects of wrath!

Who we were displeased God, we were therefore by nature objects of Gods Righteous anger, thus separating us from God… and there was nothing we could do about it!

We had all sinned, and the Bible is clear:

Romans 6:23 (English Standard Version)

23 For the wages of sin is death,

And yet,  despite all this…… our awesome, heavenly, merciful, loving father stepped in and took action.

If we read the second half of Romans 6:23:

Romans 6:23 (English Standard Version)

…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Despite where we were, God stepped in, lets look in this passage at what he did for us!:

(Verse 5 second half)

He made us alive!

(Verse 6)

He raised us up with Christ!

Seated us with Him in the heavens!!

(Verse 8)
He has saved us.  Saved us from eternal separation from Him. Saved us from the judgement to come.  Saved us from death.

As Christians we are completely accepted by God, the gap separating us from Him closed.

Look at how many times Paul emphasises the fact we are no longer separated from God.

We are with x3 and in x2.

made us alive together with Christ-
6and raised us up with him
and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in-kindness toward us in Christ Jesus

That’s a lot of emphasis in a couple of sentences!  Paul is making a point of it!

We are no longer separated.

We are NO LONGER subject to Satan, the world, the flesh.  We are free!  We have died with Christ, been raised up with him to new live, and ascended with him to the right had of the Father in heaven!

WOW!

Again,  despite where we WHERE, he did this for you and for me!

And guess what??? Its ALL A GIFT!  A FREE GIFT OF GRACE!

Grace

God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense
God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense
God’s Radical And Complete Embrace
Even Christians can STILL struggle with that niggling doubt… “What’s the catch?”

I think I earlier coined a phrase “marketing free”.

Does FREE exist?  Real FREE is easier to recognise when we look what motivated the gift.

We already understand the “marketing free” isn’t motivated for a love for us, or a concern for our well being, but about our wallets, and how much we will spend, and how valuable our information is.

Lets look at WHY God did this for us, what are Gods motivations for offering us the gift of Salvation:

Notice again Paul ads extra emphasis to highlight each motivation.  Yes he is making a point again!

(v4) Because of His Great Love
Its because he loves us SO much that he had compassion on us.  Not because we deserved to be saved, but because he loves us, because he loves us, because he loves us.

(v4) Because he is rich in Mercy
It is because because he is so rich mercy, we get what we don’t deserve!

We are saved.
What have we been saved for?

(v7) To show The Incomparable riches of his grace
And His Kindness

The Amplified Bible translation sums these last 2 up well:

Ephesians 2:7 (Amplified Bible)

7He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favour) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.

God is Glorified in this.  His great love for us is demonstrated in this, that we too may shine for Him.

To God be the Glory, lets look at verse 10 quickly:

Ephesians 2:10 (English Standard Version)

10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Workmanship in the original Greek means, “Work of Art” or “Masterpiece”.  We are Gods works of art!  We are part of his plan.  We are his masterpieces that he is working on, chipping away at all our rough edges!  He wants to show us off, for His Glory.

That we may be examples of his grace.  So that those who have not experienced grace or goodness, can see Him in us.

Remember, we were separated from God, we were dead in our sin, there was nothing we could ever do to, right any wrongs, to atone for our wrong doing or to earn our way to heaven!  In short God RESUCED US!

And it was a GIFT.  A truly FREE gift, motivated by love, mercy and kindness.

Surely we have to bring something to the mix?  What do we bring?  Some might say; “well, My faith”!  Well no! Even your faith has  been given to you.  Look again at verses 8 – 9.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (English Standard Version)

8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Faith is a gift too!

Romans 10:17 (English Standard Version)

17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Faith is the hand that receives the gift.

Many Christians still struggle with feeling they must need to do something in order to deserve the gift of salvation.
Illustration:

Let me give you an example of this, in story of Tom and Bob;

Tom met Bob at a Church Community project painting the homes of the elderly in their community.
“Is this your first time at the Paint-a-thon?” asked Tom.

“Oh, no. I’m a regular.” Said Bob

“Hey, that’s great!” Tom said “Serving people this way seems like a great opportunity to show our gratitude to God.”

“Gratitude?” said Bob, puzzled. “I never really thought of it that way. I just figure it pays to make points with The Man Upstairs whenever you can. It might come in handy. Know what I mean?”

“I don’t think a person can actually earn points with God”, said Tom. “Isn’t it all about grace?”

Bob stopped painting. “Ever hear the expression there’s no such thing as a free lunch?”

“Well, why should religion be any different? You don’t really expect “The Big Guy” to give people a free pass, do you? What if you mess up somewhere along the line and tick him off? I’m not sure hell is real, but why take a chance? I’m playing it safe. I plan to cover all my bases, rack up some brownie points just in case.”

Have you ever thought like Bob did?  Even a little?

We cant “earn” salvation by doing good things.  God doesn’t have a gold sticker chart in heaven, and apply another one when you help an old lady across the road or drop some change into the tin rattled in your face!

People often struggle with a natural sway toward “too good to be true” mentality, perhaps because of their own life experiences.  A parent who had anger issues, or an unpredictable friend or colleague who could flare up without warning may have broken their trust, confidence and security in people and relationships.

These feelings can then transferred when looking at God, and it can all too easily creep into a Christians way of thinking and perception of God, eventually leading to a “Salvation by works mentality” (totally contrary to this scripture).

The Joy that was theirs when they were first saved is robbed, and they live their lives trying to get more gold stars on the giant refrigerator in the sky!  Suffering with feelings of condemnation, chasing “holiness” by doing good deeds.

When you understand that your salvation is a GIFT by the GRACE of God, because of his GREAT LOVE for you, it starts to affect the way you live!

Grace, by the way is not a ticket to sin.

I have often heard people say that grace is a “get out clause” so that people can sin whenever they please, then just check in now and again to say sorry.  This can be termed “Cheap Grace”. Cheap grace means they haven’t truly understood grace! Grace understood would and could never translate to making such an amazing act of undeserved mercy trivial or unappreciated.

The natural response is to grace is to be amazed at Gods glory, to be in awe of what he has done, and who you are now!  Small token, “brownie point earning” acts, become works of love and appreciation.

“Holiness” does not lead to grace.  Grace leads to Holiness.

Illustration:

A husband and wife didn’t really love each other. The man was very demanding, so much so that he prepared a list of rules and regulations for his wife to follow. He insisted that she read them over every day and obey them to the letter. Among other things, his “do’s and don’ts” indicated such details as what time she had to get up in the morning, when his breakfast should be served, and how the housework should be done.

After several long years, the husband died. As time passed, the woman fell in love with another man, one who dearly loved her. Soon they were married. This husband did everything he could to make his new wife happy, continually showering her with tokens of his appreciation. One day as she was cleaning house, she found tucked away in a drawer the list of commands her first husband had drawn up for her.

As she looked it over, it dawned on her that even though her present husband hadn’t given her any kind of list, she was doing everything her first husband’s list required anyway. She realized she was so devoted to this man that her deepest desire was to please him out of love, not obligation.

Obedience to God is born not out of the need to earn points to gain his favour, but becomes an act of love, to honour Him!

Holiness is the natural response to the revelation of Gods Grace.  The realisation that God loves us.  That we are truly accepted by God.  That we are Children of God.

God has done everything for us.  There is nothing we can do to make him love us more, and there is nothing we can do to make him love us less.  He did everything for us on the cross.

We are no longer objects of his wrath.

Its amazing!  Absolutely amazing!
Remember the question “Is it too good to be true”?

Here is the answer:

It IS GOOD, and it IS TRUE!

Application:

To the Christians here today.  Perhaps you have lost sight, or forgotten the original message of the Gospel.  Perhaps you have lost the joy you once had, perhaps your life is reflecting that of Ephesians 2:1-3, rather than whom you really are in Christ!

I urge you to grab onto the truth of the gospel, the power of the gospel.

John 8:32 (English Standard Version)

32and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

You are no longer separated from God, this is your identity in Christ:

Several months ago we looked at out identity in Christ.

I want to remind you of just a few of them.  Under 3 headings.  The three things we automatically seek!

You are SIGNFICANT:
You have been chosen and appointed by God  John 15:16
You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms  Eph 2:6
You are god workmanship created for good works  Eph 2:10
You may approach God with freedom and confidence. Eph 3:12

You are SECURE:
You are free for ever from condemnation  – Romans 8:1-2
You cannot be separated from the love of God  Romans 8:35-39
You are a citizen of heaven – Phillipians 3:20

You are ACCEPTED:
You are Gods child John 1 :12
You have been bought with a price,  You belong to God.  1 Corinth  6:19-20
You are a saint.  Eph 1.1
You have been adopted as Gods child.  Eph 1:5
You have direct access to God through the holy spirit. Eph 2:18
You have been redeemed and forgiven for all your sins.  Col 1:14

The way you live your life is usually a result of who you think you are.  These are biblical truths of who you are today.
Don’t fall into the trap of chasing “Holiness” by doing good deeds!

Instead embrace God’s Grace and let Him work out his masterpiece in you.  Let God gently chip away at your rough edges, whatever they are, as he transforms you his work of art, his masterpiece.

Let go, and let God

To Non Christians:

If you are not a Christian today, then you are still living in the world of Ephesians 2:1 – 3, spiritually dead, and separated from God.

When God created man he made us to be like him.  He gave us purpose and authority.  And he provided for us.  Just like any parent would do today for their cherished children.

He wanted to be in a relationship with us.

Love and relationships cannot however be forced upon someone, so God gave us all a choice.  Right back at the beginning, the very first man and woman, Adam and Eve both rebelled against God, and from that point onward were separated from God.

God, could very well have called it a day at that very point and yet, because he loves us he stepped in and made a way.  A way that would cost him dearly.

He he sent his own Son to earth, to die for our sins!  For the small white lies, and the “borrowed” office stationery, right through to the worst things you can imagine.  God took all them on that day and hurled them at Jesus who took the punishment for every single one.

3 days later Jesus his son rose from the dead, and having defeated death and taken the punishment that we deserve, he now offers you the completely FREE gift of salvation.

If you recognise the sin in your life, see your need for a saviour, and you want to have a relationship with God, to be saved, to have the gap between you and God bridged, then I urge you to take action.

I am going to ask the band to come up and play, and as we sing, THERE’S NO CONDEMNATION  (I’m Alive in Jesus Christ), I want to invite you, if you feel that God has been speaking to you today, to come up to the front and we will happily talk with you and pray with you.

Final Song: THERE’S NO CONDEMNATION  (I’m Alive in Jesus Christ)

Belief and Faith

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I had always thought belief and faith were the same thing.  The following example really helps you understand however that there is a difference.

When you approach a chair, you look at it.  You analyse its structure, and you brain no doubt completes many calculations whilst figuring out if that chair will support your weight.  Once you have collected enough evidence that the chair looks like it will support your weight, you come to the belief that yes it will support you.

Now comes the part that highlights the difference betweek belief and faith.   You have looked at a chair, and based on some factors have now come to the belief that the chair will support your weight.  You BELIEVE it will support you.  Now comes the part where you SIT on the chair!  THAT is FAITH in action.

Your brain can analyse the evidence but can only take you to a certain point.  Looking at Jesus, you can look at the historical evidence, as well as the biblical evidence to come to a belief in his existance, however belief if not enough on its own!

Even the devil believes in Jesus (James 2:19).  Intellectually the devil believes in Jesus, in God, in the Bible!  But the devil is not saved!  He has no FAITH in Jesus.

When you become a Christian, you first believed, it was then you excersised faith.  Faith is the hand that receives the gift of salvation.  Faith is a gift from God (Ephesisans 2:8).  By grace we have have been saved.

My Story – Acts 26:9-18

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I took a look at Our Daily Bread today and was reminded of my own conversion story.  Sauls was as dramatic as I can imagine, and there are many many dramatic conversion stories through out the ages.  No matter however how, dramatic or even “normal” our conversion was, the result is the same.  We were once lost, but now are found, blind but now can see, we are saved!

So with no further a do, I will share with you a breif version of my conversion story.  When I was 15 on a tuesday in April of a year in the 90s, I was quite happily walloping down my moms home made food when I had a call from the curate at church asking if I would mind popping along and assisting some speaker with the projector during his talk!  Yes my parents were both Christians for as long as I could remember, and I had been attending church for the same period of time… as long as I could remember!

During the talk that evening, I was bored as usual, not really paying much attention, however when the speaker mentioned a “half way house”, my ears pricked up.  I can only describe it when you are in a crowded room and not listening to anyone but then you hear your name and you immediately look up!

I was in my “half way house”, as I was going through the motions of being a Christian, going to church, helping out, singing songs and yet I hadnt made a decision for Christ.  I cant remember what was going through my head, but I do remember completely breaking down at the front of church after the service, and the speaker praying with me to accept Jesus into my life.  I remember I felt like I was floating when I walked home and despite the fact I had not told my parents, my mom still wrote, “Lee met Jesus tonight” in her diary as it was so blatantly obvious!

Things went well,  the Lord blessed me with faith enough to be a witness at school, and got me through some very tough times of teasing.  However over time as I grew older, peer pressure slowly wore me down and by the time I was 16, I was on a path of self destruction.

I spent many years living “under my own steam”.  I basically was a rebellious child all over again.  I stopped going to church, my worship music collection gathered dust, my Bibles found their way to the attic in storage, and I lived life as a lost person for many years.

It was after the birth of my second daughter when I started to feel the conviction of my sin too over bearing, and that I had to go to Church and start a journey of re-discovery of my relationship with the Lord.  I went first to a local church, however really just went through the motions.  I was struggling with a bondage to sin, and a heart desire to change.  I continued to struggle with that for some time also after I made my decision for Christ again just a year ago now approx.

I began a hunt for a church that I could meet God in, and eventually chanced upon a new church plant that was meeting in a school.  I started going now and again whilst visiting other churches and still trying to “get right with God”, and at first I thought that that church probably wasnt for me, however for some reason I still kept going!

One evening I was watching a Christian film called The Perfect Stranger where a woman is let down by her husband at a restaurant, when a stranger appears and has a meal with her claiming to be Jesus.  The film went through what he knew about her, and what he did for her, and it was moving.  She didnt believe him however right up until suddenly the holes in his hands became obvious.  That night I broke down and wept, asking Jesus back into my life, to change my heart, to release me from strongholds in my life and to save me.

It wasnt a dramatic change over night, I was so entrenched in sin, that I struggled for months, torn between the desire to grow stronger in my faith and in my relationship with my Father God, and on the opposite end the temptation of sin and straying.  I had spend 8 – 9 years living under my own strength, and I realised, only months ago that despite the fact my heart had understood and wanted the Lord, my head was still trying to live my life and be in control.  I was not letting God take the stearing wheel of my life and I was still insistant upon driving which was why I was failing.

Its been a few months now where I finally let go of the steering wheel and let God drive.  Admittedly there have been times where I have “side seat” driven, trying to tell God where I should be going, and other times where I have grabbed the steering wheel back for a few seconds, only realising that I have forgotten the art of driving, and that it is only God who can steer my life in the right direction.

Thank you Lord for your saving grace.  Despite the fact I rebelled for many years, and even despite the fact I as a human can still mess up now and again, you are a loving, forgiving God.  You were there even in my darkest hours, simply waiting for me to turn back to you.  Waiting for the prodical to return.  I pray that anyone reading this who can either see themselves in this testimony, or know they have a need for something, will check out my “Believe” page, and or seek a local church to learn more about a relationship with you Father.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Prodigal Son – Luke 15:11-24

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This is one of my favourite stories that Jesus told. In a nutshell a Son who has wronged his father returns after he messes up his life, expecting not to be welcomed and seeking to simply become one of the servants so he can at least live more comfortably than he had been. Yet the father, seeing him from the distance, jumped up and ran to him.

21 The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

And although his son had stolen from him, rebelled against him and run away, the fathers love and forgiveness knows no bounds.

22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

We were once that son. We had rebelled against God. We were living for ourselves, and yet when we came to the point of realisation that we needed our Father God, and we took that first step, He came running to us with arms stretched wide open! There is a party in heaven for every lost Son/Daughter who comes to the father.

This morning, I am reminded too of the fact that although at a young age I had come to the father, I once again went out on my own, living for myself and freezing God out of my life. They were trying times, and a year ago, I finally came to the prodigal Son realisation again, that I can’t live without God in my life, and thus I began to take baby steps back toward him.

He came running to me, and over a period of a few months I was in a new church, with amazing new Christian friends who have all since helped to build me up, encourage me and help me in my relationship with the Lord.

For those of us who have never accepted Jesus into our lives, or for those reading this who have backsliden, the Lord is sat outside His house like the father in this story, and he is waiting to see you on the horizon so he can come running to you, and throw the biggest party ever at the return of His Son or Daughter. Check out my “Believe” Page.

What amazing grace our Lord has.  He is willing to forgive us ALL our sins, and welcomes us as part of His family.  Not as slaves, or as acquaintances, but as Sons and Daughters!  Heirs to His Kingdom!  It is so incredible to think that our Creator God, Almighty and Powerful God, loves each one of us that much!

If you have lost your way, take that step back to the Lord.  He is waiting to throw a party for you and to bless you.

Get your facts right! – Joshua. 22

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What a fantastic story! We see the Israelites on the verge of civil war, however it is averted simply because they took the time to talk to each other, and discover the reasons for each others actions! Imagine, had they jumped to conclusions when they saw the altar being built, and sought to avenge the Lord there and then, an extremely bloody battle could have ensued. Instead, they sent a representative from the head of each family to go and talk with the Gadites.

It’s great how the Bible really is current and really does cover the issues of today. I can think back to many occasions where I have jumped to conclusions and acted only to find that I had got the complete wrong end of the stick! By jumping to conclusions and acting upon them, I hurt those very close to me. It may not have been potentially deathly as in Joshua 22, however it still applies as a perfect example.

What can we learn?  Don’t jump to conclusions.  Many, if not all situations are not as they seem.  Reacting quickly to what you think you see can have disastrous affects.  Instead, talk with the people concerned, if your fears are grounded then consider, what would Jesus do in this situation?  Remember we have no right to judge others, we are called to imitate Christ and be a living witness of His eternal love and grace.

Of course if you then find your fears were fantasy, and you had got the wrong idea, then appreciate the fact that a potentially nasty situation was averted!

Thirsty? – Isaiah 55:1-5

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2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labour on what does not satisfy?

Have you ever dreamed of being super rich? Owning a big car, huge mansion, having a butler called Jeeves, walking around your private island and then returning to your mansion for a well earned cocktail before retiring to bed soothed by a quartet of instruments

? Sounds wonderful doesn’t it?

I have heard many times too people wishing they were rich enough not to have to worry about bills, for then they would be truly happy! No matter which dream you hold, be it the extreme private island, or the worry free dream, both although maybe possible to attain, will not, and cannot satisfy our souls. We will always thirst for something more, we will always be in wanting for something else that will quench the undying thirst!

You only need to see the many celebrities who “have it all”, and their struggles in life including many marriages, partners or even drugs to soothe their pain. Reflecting on our own lives also, we have at times, if not still tried to satisfy ourselves through worldly means, be it chasing wealth, sexual, addiction, other faiths etc.

The fact is, that without Jesus, one will never achieve satisfaction. You know what I find amazing? That the gift of grace from our Lord is FREE! We cannot earn it, we cannot deserve it, we cannot buy it, its is by His grace that we are saved. Even the richest man in the world, without Jesus is poor, for

with Christ not only do you stand to inherit the riches of heaven, but you will never thirst again.

If you are saved and have been neglecting the living water of His Word, then I urge you, don’t seek satisfaction by worldly means, turn back to the Word, feed on it daily, fellowship with other Christians, and most of all, work on your relationship with Him, in reading and prayer.

If you have not yet asked Jesus into your life, please read this: http://bygrace.co.uk/believe

Incomparable – Psalm 89:1-8

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 6 For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD ?
Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?

What a great reminder of how awesome God is!  There is no one, no thing, nothing that can compare to Almighty God.  He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, Creator God and Wonderful Saviour.  He isn’t the angry old man with a long white beard throwing thunder bolts at those who displease him, but he is a Loving Father!

The Devotional today picks up on His saving grace.  Some people have amazing testimonies of how they were caught up in miserable situations, and the Lord took them out of those situations.  How inspiring.  However, for those of us with less “inspiring” testimonies, (saved at church at a young age), remember that the Lord still saved you.  Imagine what your life would have been like without him!  So he saved you BEFORE you got caught up in that world!

No other “god” offers this gift of grace, that’s what sets Christianity apart from any other faith, and is one of the many reasons our God is Incomparable.

Correction – 2 Samuel 12:1-13

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I think this is a valuable lesson in humility.  Often when someone points out we are doing wrong, we can get very defensive and arguments can ensue.  David here, accepted completely Nathan’s correction without fighting back, without being defensive or getting angry.  David acknowledged that he had sinned against the Lord, and accepted the consequences.

When someone offers you a compliment, it is very easy to accept.  Even at times when it may not be founded in absolute fact, we still enjoy the attention, feel good about the compliment and go on our way.  For some people, compliments are so important to their overall outlook on life, that they can tend to seek approval regularly and even take actions that they see will result in more approval.

David did wrong, and when it was put to him in that way, he accepted the correction.  He confessed his Sin to the Lord and sought forgiveness and as Nathan said, “The Lord has taken away your sin, you will not die”.  Check out Psalm 51.  This is where David says sorry to the Lord for what he has done.

Like David, when we do wrong, confess it to the Lord, and seek his forgiveness and strength to move on and learn.  If a brother or sister points out something that you are doing or have done that you didn’t consider a problem, don’t be quick to defend yourself, but take the time to think about what they have said, how it applies biblically and whether they have a point.

Obedience

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Today Stuart challenged us to think about the things that we don’t always want to think about or discuss.  The word Obedience is one of them!  We first looked at how we have never needed to be taught to be dis-obedient!

Yes, my daughter aged 1 knows very well how to be dis-obedient!  It was described really well like this:  Any one born from a human father inherits the original sin of Adam back in the Garden of Eden.  That’s why it comes to naturally!  This also explains why Jesus was able to be on earth, without Sin and be the perfect sacrifice for our Sin as he, although born of a human woman, was the son of God!

Once we determined where dis-obedience stems from, we moved on to look at reasons that we should be obedient to Gods word and do as he wishes.

We looked at several verses (and I wish I had noted them down, I will probably ask for them) that described it as the desire to do Gods will, to be obedient.  I can’t describe exactly how Stuart put it, but will explain what I understood:

When we are born again as Christians, we accept the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.  It is the GIFT of God!  We did not earn it!  This of course does not mean we should then continue to live for ourselves.

Living for Christ, and being obedient to him, allows us to lead fulfilled lives, allows us to grow a strong relationship with him, as well as allowing us to do his will, including bringing others to the Lord.  I have never met anyone in my life whom has lived for themselves, and could tell me that they were truly happy.  And from my experience, when I have lived for myself and been dis-obedient, I have been miserable!  When you accept the Lord into your life, he sends the gift of his Holy Spirit who convicts your heart, and makes his desires your desires!

Before I was saved I could sin and feel no remorse!  Now if I sin, I immediately feel terrible and seek the Lords forgivness for it is our hearts desire to be obedient, to do his will, to reach the lost, and to be fulfilled.

Stuart also pointed out that although we are saved we are still to be judged, therefore if we are saved yet don’t live for him, we will still feel some loss when we reach heaven and realise there were blessings we could have benefited from!

In a nutshell, being obedient to his will allows us to grow and to be used for his glory.   And store up those blessings in heaven as you can’t take your possessions with you!

New Living – 2 Corinthians 5:12-21

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When you become a Christian, you have taken a huge step of faith and asked for the Lord Jesus forgiveness of your sins, and for him to come into your heart so that you can live for him. Read more about becoming a Christian here. The moment you do that your life immediately is changed. For many people there is no flash of light, and BANG everything is different, but over the next few days and weeks, as they grow to learn more about Jesus, their lives are transformed.

Once we become a Christian, we wonder what the next steps are. Do we need to follow a set of rules? Can I eat certain foods

? Must I wear certain clothes? Speak in a certain way

?

Remember, to be saved, you need to have taken the step and asked Jesus into your life, you have accepted that he died for you, and you wish to be forgiven. Its a FREE gift, a gift of Grace. Read Ephesians 2:8-9. You don’t earn this gift because we as humans would never be good/holy enough to earn salvation. Therefore you don’t follow a set of rules to earn salvation, you have it!

How to live as a Christian is your living “thank you” to the Lord for saving you. He sacrificed his Son to die in our place so that we may have eternal life and that we may have a relationship with him. Therefore once we accept his as our saviour, we want to live our lives in a way that says “thank you” to the Lord for what he has done.

Therefore, by imitating how Jesus lived, by reading the Bible, Praying and through your relationships with other Christians at church and in groups you learn how to grow and live as Jesus lived, thus breaking free from any sin that’s in your life and being a changed person.

If you have asked him in, then you already have the gift, so the next steps are to learn to live a “thank you” for him. If you are a new Christian then make sure you join a Bible orientated church and make Christian friends so that you will have support in growing as a Christian and fixing anything in your life that you need help with.

Also please contact me if you want more information or have any questions.