Reflections | Sunday, 1st December 2013

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Taken from: http://www.joymag.co.za/article.php?id=144

“Grace is possibly one of the most misunderstood concepts by Christians today. And yet Grace is integral to our walk with God – for Grace is actually Jesus Christ. He is Grace personified. His Grace is evident through the work of the Gospel – for the Gospel itself is Grace.

The gospel and grace

The test of the Gospel is Grace. If the message excludes Grace, or mingles law with Grace as the means either of justification or sanctification (Gal 2:21; 3:1-3), or denies the fact or guilt of sin, which alone gives Grace its occasion and opportunity, it is ‘a different’ gospel. (v. 8-9). We are saved by faith, not works. Our Christian walk is only by Grace…we cannot do anything by or of ourselves. When you put Jesus in the midst of your life, your marriage, your church, He will hold everything together.

“For the law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ”. John 1:17. Notice that Grace and Truth are linked together. So what is this Truth? It is the Truth of the New Covenant. Grace is not a doctrine. It is a person. The person of Jesus Christ. Grace is not a teaching, it is the Gospel. Sometimes when you look at Bible Schools they will teach on Grace….but Grace was never a doctrine. We need to rediscover the Gospel that Paul preached for it is in this Gospel that the righteousness of God is revealed – that is, the Grace of God through Jesus.

The law and grace

The Law demands righteousness from sinfully bankrupt men. Grace imparts righteousness to sinfully bankrupt men. The Law of God says “I will by no means forget your sins, but I will visit them to the third and fourth generation”. But under the New Covenant because of the Blood of Jesus, God says, “I will remember your sins no more but your sins and iniquities I will remember no more.” The Law is natural.

Grace is supernatural. The man in the street understands Law; there are people in the Middle East blowing themselves up because they believe they are keeping the Law. They are training to gain righteousness, hoping that they will obtain paradise. The Old Testament prophets call your sins into remembrance. New Testament preachers call your righteousness in Christ to your remembrance – because when you are awake to righteousness you will be dead to sin.

Lawlessness and grace

Why is it then that the Church has become so legalistic? It is because the Church fears that by teaching Grace people will become lawless and disgraceful. We know that we are saved by Grace – but it doesn’t end there. It’s Grace that saves us and Grace that will take us home.

That was Paul’s message right throughout the New Testament and it should be our message today. (2 Corinthians 3). We cannot obtain righteousness with God through our own behaviour. We can only live, breathe and exist through Grace. Through the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
 

Jesus is our example

We do not abandon the law - but we do not live under it. Jesus is our teacher and our righteousness, the law makes you conscious of yourself, it shows you your failings. But it cannot deliver you. Only Christ delivers.

The law was written on tablets of stone (the 10 Commandments to Moses), under the New Covenant God says “I will write My laws on your heart”. Under law you are focused on yourself and your good works or lack thereof. Under Grace you are focused on Christ. If you seek first His righteousness, then all will be added unto you. William Hunt the 18th Century theologian said: “Grace is the only thing that can bring a Holy God and a sinful people together. Therefore Grace is the greatest Holiness there is”. “Sin shall not have dominion over you because you are not under law but under Grace.” Rom 6:14

You can’t be under Grace and not be Holy anymore than you can not be under water and not be wet. Grace can not separate from Holiness. Please understand I am not against the law - Jesus said He did not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it. 

Righteousness and grace

Jesus kept the law completely and set the precedent for us. We do not strive to please God; for in Christ we have already pleased Him. But we live righteously because we love God. It is out of love and not duty that we refrain from sin and serve God. Once the law has been fulfilled (which it was in Christ) you rest. If you are paying a bank, once your debt or loan is paid off, you finish, you rest.

The law is Holy – but it cannot make you Holy. The law is righteous, but it cannot make you righteous. (Galatians 2:21) The law is pure, but it cannot make you pure. (Galatians 3:1-3). Only Jesus can.

When Jesus was preaching in the temple, the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery. They wanted to trip Him up so they said to Him: “Moses said she should be stoned”. If Jesus said don’t stone her, He would have broken Moses’ law. If He said stone her, the people hearing Him preach about the love of God would be confused. Jesus never answered them.

The Bible says He stooped down and wrote on the ground. He said, “Let him who is without sin throw the first stone”. Did He break the law? No. He upheld the law. It is only Christ who can uphold the law and fulfil it. It is only by Grace that we are made Holy.

We do not have to keep laws to be Holy; we keep Christ in our hearts and He makes us Holy. Sin cannot stop God’s Grace – because all are sinners. God’s Grace stops sin.

Wisely, Jesus said to the adulterous woman “...Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” John 8:11b. Instead of condemning her, He showed her Grace and said “Go and sin no more. “
 

There is no condemnation

He didn’t condemn her with the Law. He gave her the gift of Grace. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Rom 8:1.

The Church has forgotten the definition of Grace, we expect people to be clean before they come to God. Before they become Christians! Wasn’t it Jesus who said that He came for the sick, because it is the sick who need a doctor? Why do we expect people to bathe before they come to the altar of cleansing? Why do we expect them to clean themselves when they can’t? It is only Jesus who cleanses us. It is only His Blood that washes us pure as snow. Our righteousness – our good works - are as filthy rags to God! Why?

Because we presume on our own strength that we can be good, that we can please God, that we can do it. No, it is only Christ who can fulfil all the requirements of God.
 

A revelation of grace

People need a revelation of Grace so that they can truly know God and understand what He has done for us. When Jesus said it is finished – He completed it. You cannot finish a finished work. People sin without license – they don’t need a license to sin. (i.e. the argument that Grace gives license to sin).

It takes the Holy Spirit to understand Grace, to live in Grace and walk by Grace. It takes the Holy Spirit to reveal the person and the work of Jesus Christ to you. You can’t do it on your own!

Let us as God’s people return to Grace and not be afraid to preach Grace from our pulpits. When believers have an accurate understanding and revelation of Grace – that is Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross – they will truly live free and desire to be blameless for the Master.

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Reflections | Sunday, 20th October 2013

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Mixing Grace with Works: It’s Not About the Widow (Luke 18:1-8) 

(Taken from: http://escapetoreality.org/2010/06/10/mixing-grace-with-works-it%E2%80%99s-not-about-the-widow-luke-181-8/)

Most Christians who’ve read Galatians know it’s a bad idea to mix grace with works. Paul wondered of the Galatians:

“Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Gal 3:3)

Most believers know that we cannot finish with human effort that which was begun by the Spirit. Yet the great irony is that many Christians are trying to do exactly that. Instead of growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, they get caught up in dead works of the flesh. Instead of keeping their eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of their faith, they get distracted by their own performance. And when you think you’re being blessed because of your effort, you nullify the grace of God.

How do we mix grace with works?

Let me give you an example based on the Parable of the Persistent Widow. I am sure you are familiar with this story. It starts like this:

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men…’” (Luk 18:1-2)

…and you know what happens next. A poor widow comes pleading for justice but the uncaring judge ignores her. She gets no justice. Unperturbed, the widow doesn’t give up. She keeps pestering the bad judge until he finally relents. He thinks to himself,

“because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!” (Lk 18:5)

The lesson that most Christians take from this story is that we need to persistently bang on the doors of heaven, crying out to God day and night, until we get what we ask for.

And so they completely miss the point of the story and end up mixing grace with works.

There is nothing wrong with God’s hearing

Prayer is simply conversing with God. We can talk to God about anything, anytime. If you are facing a problem that won’t go away, by all means talk to your loving Father about it. He cares for you. He wants to take your cares off you. Give them to him.

If you have prayed for a breakthrough and it hasn’t happened yet, it’s perfectly fine to pray again. There is no prayer-limit. It’s also perfectly fine not to pray again but stand in the faith that the prayer you prayed once was heard.

But what is not fine is to subscribe to a method of praying that suggests God rewards our praying effort, that if God doesn’t hear us the first time, that we need to pray again and again and again until he does. To pray like this suggests that God is either deaf or reluctant to help, neither of which is true.

Does God hear our prayers, even our short ones? You bet! Jesus said so:

“When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Mt 6:7-8)

Who is the one that prays with many, repetitive words? It is the one who does not have a revelation of the nature and character of God.

Now you may say, “but Paul, isn’t that exactly why the widow in the story got her breakthrough? Because she was relentless in asking and never gave up?” Maybe, but this misses a larger point. Jesus did not tell us the parable to get us to strive for things in our own strength. Besides, why would he suggest we “keep it short” in Matthew 6 but “pray long” in Luke 18? It doesn’t add up.

The little widow that could

It’s human nature to cheer for the underdog who never quits. But Jesus did not tell us this story so that we might be inspired by the persistent widow. He did it so that we might get a better understanding of our good and gracious Father who, in stark contrast with unjust judges, cares for us and wants to bring about justice for his chosen ones.

Jesus preached the negative to accentuate the positive. The judge in the story was a lazy and wicked man. He kept stalling. He didn’t do the right thing. He didn’t even do what he was paid to do. But God is nothing like that. God is good! He loves justice! He longs to act quickly! Look at what Jesus said:

“And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” (Lk 18:7-8)

How do you pray?

Depending on whether you have more faith in the power of human effort or the power of God, there are two ways to read the tale of the persistent widow:

1. The works-oriented preacher says, “Look at the widow, she’s weak but never gives up.”

2. The Christ-oriented preacher says, “Look at God, he’s mighty and he wants to help you.”

Do you see the difference?

Listen to the first guy and when trials come your eyes will be on yourself. Listen to the second guy and your eyes will be on your mighty Father. Big difference!

If your focus is on yourself and what you are doing or not doing, you are likely to miss out on the grace of God. If you get a breakthrough, you may be tempted to think it was because of your many prayers. Don’t misunderstand me. There have been occasions where I have prayed for years to get a breakthrough (e.g., a friend coming to Christ). But there is huge a difference between standing on the unfulfilled promises of God and thinking that God is impressed by our praying efforts.

The works preacher says we must do stuff to get results. The grace preacher says trust God for the results. Of course we should pray. But pray with faith, with an attitude that says “both me and God fully expect his will to be done in my situation.” If you don’t know what his will is, ask for wisdom. Then pray with a conviction that God will do what he says, that his kingdom reality will soon invade your earthly reality.

The problem with the widow

Why do I have a problem with making the widow the hero of the story? Because you don’t need any faith to identify with the widow in her plight. She was in a bad situation. She took it upon herself to fix things and she succeeded. It’s a good story, but it is a godless and graceless story, a mere triumph of the human spirit. You don’t even have to be a believer to preach on the persistence of the widow.

Why would Jesus want us to be inspired by a widow who succeeded apart from God? He doesn’t! He uses her to show that we are a gazillion times better off because we have God. We do not need to depend on our own effort because we can trust in the grace of a good God who knows what we need even before we ask him.

In fact, God is so good and he knows us so well that he even answers prayers that we haven’t got around to praying. I experienced this just last Sunday. During the service I made a note to pray for something with Camilla. It was a family need and I sat there thinking, “we haven’t even prayed about this – we must do it tonight.” Straight after the service I went to find Camilla (she was out back with the kids), and even before I had a chance to speak she gave me some news that told me that God had answered our prayer. And we hadn’t even prayed it yet!

Who do you trust?

Does your praying testify to the strength of the human spirit or the strength of the Holy Spirit? The best test is to look at what you do when your prayers seem to have no effect.

When the breakthrough doesn’t come, the preacher of works says, “Pray harder! You must do more.” But the Christ-oriented preacher says, “Keep trusting in the goodness of a good God! He has not forsaken you.”

Again, did you spot the difference?

Trust in yourself and you’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. Trust in God and you’re setting yourself up for a miracle. It’s not how big your prayer is, it’s how big your God is. That’s why we need to remind ourselves just how big he is when we pray. We need to magnify him. Like David in Psalm 103 we need call to mind his many blessings: God forgives us. God heals us. God redeems us, crowns us and satisfies us with good things. He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.

Your choice: trust in your own efforts or trust in God. Jesus wants us to have a revelation of our loving Father when we pray. He doesn’t want us to identify with the persistent widow, but to have faith in a good and gracious God who cares for us and helps us in our weakness. Have no faith in your own efforts but receive the grace of God. In the second part of this two-part study, I want to look at the reason why Jesus told this parable.

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