An Abundance of Grace

Since it was first revealed, this book has brought tremendous encouragement and controversy. It speaks of the indescribable majesty of our risen Lord and the utter depravity of a Christ-rejecting hellish world. In its message, we’ll see God Almighty upon His throne and the debauched Satan sitting in rebellion upon his. We’ll be told of the course of events during the age in which the church faithf...

These who will be barred from entering the kingdom of heaven will evidently know about God, but they never actually know God and thus they cannot fulfill Deut 6:5 to love God. You see, this attribute of God, Love, this is the big one. Don’t debate it, don’t just approach it intellectually. The Pharisees never got it; sometimes contemporary seminarians don’t either.

You see, God knows that what our hearts and souls truly crave is rightness. But answers to the ‘whys’ or ‘wherefores’ cannot bring redemption, restoration, resurrection – rightness. At these times, what we need comes not from an intellectual or emotional explanation no matter how profound, but from our souls being wrapped in His loving heart.

I submit that our church corporately is hurting for lack of pastors, not just in name or title but in truth. Oh, we have lots of wonderfully dedicated people in the pulpit teaching and preaching and most are there with a deeply sincere heart to love and tend God’s people. But our churches as a whole simply don’t model the life and ministry of Christ. Today’s churches are businesses with slogans an...

Likewise, we as Christians need walls – NOT walls between one another but walls of defense against the spiritual enemies we face. Without them, we too are easy prey – the ‘world’ and/or our own sin nature then has too much freedom to bother, bully and oppress.

The point was, and is, the camp with all its blessings, blessings of Egypt which God had bestowed were insufficient. The promise that God would guide them to the promised land was insufficient. Guaranteed angelic defense and miraculous obtaining of prosperity were insufficient. Stardom, celebrity among the chosen people was insufficient.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ( v1) When you consider this, it’s really radical. Jesus, the Son of God, had to be tested. And it was the Holy Spirit who led Him into the desert. Our first observation here is that if Christ Himself had to deal with temptation, you and I should not think we’re exempt.

Now, just a few yards away, he watched the teacher turn to behold him. At any moment, he expected a look of abhorrence and disgust. But to his utter surprise, the tender eyes he beheld pierced his soul like a sword and then filled him with an unearthly, supernaturally-natural warmth. Suddenly, he realized this was not simply a gifted rabbi. He fell to his knees and bowed on his face. He was oblivi...

I submit that there is the human tendency to ‘simonize’ – to ask Jesus in to our home but to come to treat Him quite casually. The religious and the righteous are not necessarily one in the same. Oh, may God give us a fresh glimpse of how desperately we need Him, and as a consequence, may our hearts be fastened to Him by forgiveness

The point is, when we fail at the gate of our lives so to speak, when we make poor choices, bad judgments, let the wrong influences in, etc. (which we all do quite often), God is gracious to us over and over and over and… not because we deserve it, not at all.

It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to produce rain, broken grain to give bread and broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is the broken Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.

Christ offers many freedoms – freedom from the slavery to sin, freedom from hatred and bitterness, freedom from condemnation and guilt, and freedom from fear. Of course, all of these are blessings that come as a result of believing in Him right now.

God prefaces, if you would, His truth with His goodness, kindness and faithfulness. When truth is given this way, it is “all truth”. (See John 16:13) This is one reason why Jesus could assert that He was the truth (see John 14:6)

While the disciples where still calling Jesus “rabbi” (John 9:2), this man, once doubly blind, now called Him Lord. He became ‘heavenly minded’ so to speak.

But when you fail, if you’ll listen to the Spirit of God and repent, the result can actually be healthy for it leads to greater and greater humility in your character as well as appreciation of holiness.

Christ is the real deal, the original, the only and authentic standard as a shepherd. Is it any wonder Jesus said, “If the world [Egypt] hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

The confusion was driving him nuts. His whole life had been spent pursuing the wisdom of the elders and the knowledge of the scriptures. He knew the traditions better than most Pharisees. In fact, he was known as the teacher of Israel. And for most of his life, he’d been quite confident about his knowledge. But then came this itinerant rabbi doing these truly amazing signs.

And as the stage is being set in heaven so the earthly stage is also being set exactly as the Lord foretold. Center stage are the Jewish people, Jerusalem and the temple mount. Only our Father knows when the ‘stage’ is right in heaven and while the same goes for the stage on planet earth, He has given us advanced warning on what to expect here.

But the 70th week is designed to prepare the Jewish bride for her Husband. She has not yet accepted His Spirit (typified frequently in scripture by oil). She is not ready for his appearing.

So what was revealed in this passage is clearly the grand and glorious plan of God, and the timepiece so to speak for it is also made obvious – the Jews and Jerusalem – like two hands on a clock.

Of course, most of us understand that being spiritually born again is fundamental to being a Christian but thinking that this simply means a sincere invitation to Jesus to come into our heart and be our Lord is missing the bigger and more beautiful message here.

Likewise, we as Christians need walls – NOT walls between one another but walls of defense against the spiritual enemies we face. Without them, we too are easy prey – the ‘world’ and/or our own sin nature then has too much freedom to bother, bully and oppress.

You see, as awed and overjoyed as these ragamuffins were with their risen Savior, they were surely discouraged and down on themselves for their own behavior – Peter, as you recall, not many days earlier dished out some satanic advice to Jesus concerning the cross and then denied vigorously ever knowing Him at His trial. After the resurrection, Thomas was filled with an almost defiant doubt that Je...

But they look to America and their own wits, their own power to preserve them. They’re not yet ready for their true Messiah, they’re ready for a false one. And Christ will remain in heaven until it’s time

Will you turn, or will you be taught? Will you truly accept what He has to say about you, about this world, about love and grace, about righteousness and judgment, about heaven and hell? Everything the world, so to speak, throws at us is intended to cause us to turn, to turn away from the truth.