Surprised again by the Grace of God, By His Undeserved Love in Jesus

The Holy Spirit spoke to my heart numerous times this past week about the GRACE of God. First, Kathy and I traveled last weekend to Portland, OR. We walked through airports in Tampa, FL, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR. If there is any place where a person might observe the diversity in our culture today, it is in an airport. The voice inside my heart said to me that, “God loves all these people. No matter the dress, or age, or messages displayed. All were created by our Heavenly Father. Jesus died FOR ALL.” (2 Corinthians 5:15) That is God’s grace.

I heard that voice again in worship on Sunday morning. The assigned Gospel lesson in liturgical Christian churches last Sunday was John 3:1-17. This reading contains the most famous verse in Scripture, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But Jesus spoke this word of grace in response to a visit from Nicodemus. As a Pharisee and religious leader of the Jews, Nicodemus should have understood Jesus better. In contrast, one might consider Nicodemus “clueless” because of the questions he asked. Unfortunately, the confusion of religious leaders like Nicodemus only added to the troubles of God’s people. They were in as bad a situation as they had ever been. Judea was occupied by Rome. The nation was divided into various religious factions. Religious leaders lived lives full of pride and self-righteousness rather than love and mercy. Israel was not living in a manner which would invite the presence of the Lord.

Nevertheless, in spite of the deplorable condition of God’s people, the Son of God left heaven and came to earth. Jesus did not come because people earned His visit, but because they needed His presence and grace. Instead of trusting the power of the sword, or of politics, Jesus came trusting the power of God’s word and His righteousness. Jesus defeated the powers of hell through His righteous life of service and obedience, through His sacrificial death. Jesus defeated death and evil by rising again. If we had a plan to reach lost people it might be through power, through politics, through force. But, in John 3 with Nicodemus, and in our world, instead of acting as we would, our Lord acted in grace and mercy.

God spoke to me again about His grace as I was reading my devotions the last few days from the book of Judges. There are some books of scripture which I do not perhaps enjoy as much as others. Judges is not my favorite book. But, this book of Scripture is still the word of God. The accounts of idolatry and depravity from God’s chosen nation which we read in Judges 17-21 make me cringe that even people of God are capable of such evil. Yet, while our Lord did discipline, He did NOT abandon. Our Heavenly Father prepared Israel as the cradle for our Messiah and Savior. That God would act for sinners such as those we read about in Judges, that He would send Jesus for sinners such as us, honestly, that is GRACE!

We might define religion as ‘how we are to act.” Christian faith, in contrast calls us to trust our Lord’s saving love in Jesus. So many times we live in our ‘religion’ and end up trusting ourselves. Yet time and again our Lord calls us to trust that He has loved and forgiven and saved us in Jesus. That is Grace!

I am currently teaching a class on the book of Acts and this week we are in chapter 16. The jailer of Philppi asks the ultimate ‘religious question.’ “ . . . what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30) Please notice who is supposed to act according to this question. “What must I do?” The jailer asks a law question. He wants to know what HE was required to do. Paul responds , "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved . . . “ (Acts 16:31) Do not trust yourself or your actions. Trust Jesus and His saving love. Paul responds to this law question with a grace answer. Believe in Jesus!

Finally, the Holy Spirit pointed me to God’s grace in a recent shut in call. An elderly saint confessed to me, “I don’t trust the church. I trust Jesus.” In truth, when the Christian Church acts as God calls it to do, the Church points to Jesus, to the unexpected and undeserved love which God gives through faith in His Son. God’s church points to His grace. 8 For 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. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Thank goodness I am saved by grace, as a gift of God, through faith, not by my works. God’s grace brings peace and joy!