The Response To God’s Grace is Rejoicing - Psalms 12-14

Psalms 14:7 (ESV)

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

To grasp the significance of the above verse, that closes out Psalm 14, we have to read what the writer of the psalm states just previous to this:

Psalms 14:2-3 (ESV)

The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after God.

They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

God is looking down from heaven and sees the “children of men” and sees only evil.   As a just God there is only one likely outcome for evil people and that is God’s justice, carried out by His divine wrath.    Yet at the end of the psalm we read this verse of grace and mercy via salvation out of Zion.   God will restore the fortunes of “His people.”  God has a people.  Out of his mercy and grace He makes salvation available to those who put their trust in Him.   Despite the evilness of man’s heart, stated clearly in the text, we have God’s grace on display.   God WILL save those whom He will.   What is Israel’s response: To rejoice and be glad.   Our response to God’s grace is rejoicing.   

God MUST Punish Sin - Genesis 16-19

 Genesis 18:20-21 (ESV)

Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

The above passage is spoken in front of Abraham about the city his nephew, Lot, lived in with his wife and two daughters.   The “LORD” in this passage is probably a Theophany of Jesus (an Old Testament appearance of the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God).   The LORD has just visited Abraham and Sarah and confirmed to them that even in their old age (Abraham, 100; Sarah, 90) God would give them a child and Abraham would be the father of many nations.    As the LORD is finishing these covenant agreements with Abraham, He reveals to Abraham the condition of Lot and the city he lives in.   The cry of the sin was so rich that the LORD was about to destroy the city.   The above passage seems to indicate that the LORD does not really know if the city is fully corrupt or not and He is sending embassies to Sodom to check it out.   The LORD knew the corruption.  But the language used in the above passage is for Abraham’s (and Lot’s) needs.   God will destroy Sodom for their corruptness.  This is a lesson to learn here.   God sees and knows about the sins of a city, a town or a nation.  He knows when people sin and He knows when they are to be punished for those sins.  Sodom and Gomorrah were so corrupt God sent fire and sulfur upon them.  This will be true for all nations and cities of the earth as well.   One of the famous quotes attributed to the great evangelist, Bill Graham, states this thought:

"If God doesn't soon bring judgment upon America, He'll have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!"

God sees the sins of people, villages, towns, cities, counties and nations.   He will bring judgment upon them.  There is no hiding from His eyes.    

Hebrews 4:12-13 (ESV)

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

No More Condemnation - Romans 7-8

 Romans 8:31-37 (ESV)

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 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? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Chapters seven and eight of Romans are some of the most important truths about our justification, our sanctification and our glorification.   Justification is when we are declared righteous based upon our faith (alone) in Jesus death and resurrection for us.   Sanctification is God making us holy (both a one time act by Him through Christ and also an on-going act by Him by the Spirit).   Glorification is God consummating our justification and sanctification completely by taking us to be with Him, through Jesus being the way, forever.   

In the above passage we read the amazing truth of all these three coming into one glorious act for believers.  Because, now, we are still fighting with sin (chapter seven) we might find ourselves second guessing our salvation.   And where chapter seven reads that we often do things we don’t want to do (Romans 7:17-25), chapter eight gives this amazing assurance that our salvation is not based upon what WE do, but on what JESUS did for us.   Nothing can separate us from the love of God because it was His love that secure our salvation.    Jesus not only died here on the earth for us and then rose again to give us new life.   He is also, right now, at the right hand of God making intercession for us.   We have an advocate in Jesus, seating at the right hand of God (the Judge) making intercession for us based upon His death for us.   This is why chapter eight ends with, “... we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”   Jesus love allows us to be “conquerors” for Him.   Nothing can separate us from God because Jesus continues to live and intercede for us.    Because sin is still in our bodies we will continue to sin.   But it is the constant intercession of Jesus that frees us from the condemnation of sin.

Romans 8:1 (ESV)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

New Faith Does Not Fit Into An Old System of Works - Matthew 8-10

 Matthew 9:14-17 (ESV)

Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

The above teaching of Jesus to the disciples of John has to be put into the context of the day.  When Jesus arrived on the scene John the Baptist’s ministry was over and he turned his disciples to follow Jesus.   However, not all of them had made that switch in their hearts and minds.   When they come to Jesus to ask about “why don’t your disciples fast like we do (and the Pharisees)” they were wanting to know why Jesus was not teaching the need to follow religious tradition.  It should be noted that there was only one fast commanded in the Old Testament (and that was during the Day of Atonement ... Yon Kuiper).   But in this time and period the Pharisees had established two fast per week.  They would often make a big deal out of it. They would walk around with disfigured faces and mourning outload to show their deep anguish in fasting (Matthew 6:16).   John’s disciples did not want to know why Jesus was not following the OT teaching, they wanted to know why Jesus wasn’t following the religious practices of the day.  

Jesus gives them two reasons.  The first answers the point of fasting.  The purpose of fasting is that you are mourning over sins, or grief or loss.   Jesus tells them there is no reason to mourn at a wedding.  The Bridegroom (In this case Jesus) is there.   You are to rejoice.  Jesus tells them that as long as He is present there is no reason to mourn.   There will be time when He is taken away (after His crucifixion) that they will need to mourn via fasting.   

The second reason Jesus explains is that He is bringing in a new way to believe and think.  He is NOT saying this new way is contrary to the Old Testament.  He is saying this new way is contrary to the Pharisees and religious leaders teaching.   Jesus is teaching that it is not the outside of something but what we believe on the inside.   He is telling them you can’t take His teachings and put into an old way of thinking.  In those days they would use animal skins to old their wine, especially for travel.   You would put new wine into a new wineskin.  The wineskin was new and could easily expand with the new wine.  But if you put new wine in an old skin the skin would burst and spill the wine.  The word picture is intense for those listening.  Jesus did not come to perpetuate what the religious leaders were practicing.  He was coming to teach holiness of the heart and genuine faith toward God.  Religious practices can’’t contain faith in Christ.  Religious practices are based upon our man-made ways and our man-effort.   Jesus came to introduce them to a new way of life in Christ through faith.  You can’t put that into the old way of thinking.   A life of faith does not fit into a life of effort.  

God’s Grace vs God’s Wrath - Isaiah 18-22

 Isaiah 19:23-25 (ESV)

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”

Contrast is noticeable. Artist and muscians and writers all know the power and beauty of a sharp contrast. White on Black, or vice-versa, draws attention to both and to niether at the same time. Sunset at night draws attention to the darkness to come and the light that is leaving ... but you don't notice one over the other, they are both the same. In this passage of reading today we see the wonder of contrast in Isaiah's writing. God takes the prophets pen and begins to display the horror and the wrath about to be poured out on the surrounding nations. In chapter 19 we begin to read the disciple God will distribute to Egypt ... a land Israel was saved from but often wanted to return to. Yet, in the midst of these words of destruction God delivers the contrasting message of salvation. In 19:23-25 we read that God will provide salvation to Egypt and Assyria. Along with Israel this unlikely trinity will worship together and be saved by the same Savior; Israel's Messiah - Jesus Christ. Here in the midst of gloom and doom and certain judgment we see Grace. Like a lilly pad in a swamp we see the mercy and grace of God in marvelous contrast to the deserved punishment for mankind. God is the master of contrast. His perfect wrath stands in complete contrast to His all encompassing grace and love. An antinomy of wonder we stand and worship the God who can justly punish the Egyptians and yet, through His grace, provide them with salvation. None of us deserves His grace - but what a joy to see it and to have it poured out upon you!!!

The book of Jonah would be written to give repentance and grace to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria.   Over 100 years later the book of Nahum would be written to show God’s wrath coming to Nineveh.    Those who squander God’s grace will fall victims to God’s wrath.   

A Sharp Tongue Can Damage A Good Word - Job 8-10

Job 8:3-4 (ESV)

Does God pervert justice?

Or does the Almighty pervert the right?

If your children have sinned against him,

he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.

The above lines are from the words of one of Job’s friends, Bildad.   We should be careful describing him as a “friend” of Job.   That is how God’s Word describes him in chapter two of the book, so we should honor it.  But, as the saying goes, “if this is Job’s friend I would hate to meet his enemies.”    Remember, Job has lost everything.   He is sitting on the road scrapping sores on his body.  He has lost all his property, all his servants, all his children.   Again, ALL HIS CHILDREN.  Note, with that in mind, what Bildad says to him in the above lines:  “If you children have sinned agains him (God), he (God) has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.”   Think about this scene and this moment for Job.    This would be like walking into the hospital room  of a survivor of a car accident that took that person’s family and saying, “Well, looks like the kids got what they deserved.”    

When understanding this we have to remember that Job was declared righteous by 

God in chapter one of this book.  Bildad does not know this.   Bildad is making a mistake almost everyone makes about people who are in deep suffering.  We simply blame it on their life choices and make similar assumptions to Bildad’s thoughts.   Bildad has no room in his mind for the “suffering of the innocent.”  His point that sinful people suffer is not off base.  That is a true statement.  Romans 3:23 tells us that the “wages of sin is death.”   So, he is not wrong theologically in his argument.   What he is wrong on is two points:

1. Biblical truth can’t simply be applied without contextual meaning.    Job’s family was innocent.   In fact, Job was declared righteous by God.   This whole situation is between God and Satan and Job is just the pawn Satan is using to test God’s love for Job and Job’s love for God.  Both God and Job will be vindicated in the end. 

2. Bildad’s approach to present truth (like a counselor) has totally missed the mark.   It is not only the truth you say, it is the way and timing of how you say it.   Bildad being blunt might make him feel good.  But it does little to console and/or inspire Job.   In fact his first words to this accusation by Bildad about God’s justice is:

Job 9:2

Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? 

Job knows the truth of this.  Bildad is not being the person who delivers truth to a heathen.  He is simply being unkind and extremely lacks empathy.   Note what Solomon stated about talking to people and giving them instruction or knowledge or even a blessing:

Proverbs 27:14 (ESV)

Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,

will be counted as cursing.

We are not to even “bless” someone in a way that might be more harm than good.  It is not just what we say but how we say it.   Again, note:

Proverbs 27:9 (ESV)

Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.

Our counsel to others ought to be stated like providing oil and perfume.  We can still speak truth, but even truth should be delivered in love:

Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

God Is The Righteous Judge - Psalms 9-11

Psalms 9:11-12 (ESV)

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!

Tell among the peoples his deeds!

For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;

he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

God is the God of justice.   Although this is true, mankind does not believe it, see it, or honor it.   Note:

Psalms 10:2-6 (ESV)

In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;

let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.

For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul,

and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him;

all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

His ways prosper at all times;

your judgments are on high, out of his sight;

as for all his foes, he puffs at them.

He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”

Psalms 9-11 are songs about the justice of God.   Mankind does not think God sees their evil and their mistreatment of others.  But God does see.  God sees and He will bring His righteous judgment to them.  As the above stanza from Psalm 9 states, God does not forget the cry of the afflicted.   This is a truth we can rejoice over and we can enjoy and contemplate.    It is true that God wants all to come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:9).   However, those who do not repent will be judged by God’s righteous judgment.   We ought not rejoice in the destruction of others, but we ought to rejoice in the truth that God is the righteous judge.   

God Sets Our Boundaries - Joshua 16-20

Joshua 16:5-6 (ESV Strong's)

The territory of the people of Ephraim by their clans was as follows: the boundary of their inheritance on the east was Ataroth-addar as far as Upper Beth-horon, and the boundary goes from there to the sea. On the north is Michmethath. Then on the east the boundary turns around toward Taanath-shiloh and passes along beyond it on the east to Janoah,

God Sets Our Boundaries

At first glance it might not see as those there is much in the above passage for us to learn.   However, the key word to settle into today is the word “boundary.”  This is the Hebrew word “gebul.”   The word is used 227 times in the Old Testament and over 20 times in these chapters we are reading for today.   In the immediate context it means that, as Joshua was dividing up the land, each tribe received a portion of the Promise Land and had their boundaries set by God.  God sets the boundaries of His people.  God sets the boundaries of all people.   This might be the hardest truth for the non-believing and the believing world to grasp.   God sets all boundaries.   We don’t have what we have unless God has allowed it.   We may not appreciate the boundaries He sets for us and we may want more in our boundaries, but this is what God has given us.   We have to come to the understanding that we can rejoice in the fact that God is in control of such things.   That does not mean we can ask God for more.  Note the following:

1 Chronicles 4:10 (ESV Strong's)

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

We can ask God to enlarge our boarders.  But, we need to affirm that God is in control of our boarders.  When Hosea’s wife sought other lovers, it was God who told him to pray this way:

Hosea 2:6-7 (ESV Strong's)

Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns,

and I will build a wall against her,

so that she cannot find her paths.

She shall pursue her lovers

but not overtake them,

and she shall seek them

but shall not find them.

Then she shall say,

‘I will go and return to my first husband,

for it was better for me then than now.’

God hems us in and out.  Non-believers reject that truth.   Believers need to live in victory in light of that truth. 

Righteousness by Faith - Genesis 12-15

Genesis 15:1-6 (ESV)

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

It is important to recall the significance of this moment in Abram’s life, the story of Israel and the doctrine of Justification by faith.   Chapter 15 of Genesis is one of the most significant chapters in the Bible.   Paul will use the above story to teach us about justification by faith.   Those who would eventually receive the Law from Moses would later teach that you had to keep the Law to be saved.  But since Abraham’s belief, as stated above, was before the Law.  So we see that this passages tells us that Abram’s belief was “counted as righteousness.”   The story if one about a man who did not have a child to pass on his name.   For men in those days to not have an heir is a bad thing.   But we have to remember that God has promised (in chapter 12) to bless all mankind through Abraham’s descendant.    

The only way that Abraham could be counted a righteous was to simply believe the promise that God gave him.  The promise? That even in his old age God would give him and heir and through that heir mankind would be blessed.  At this point Abraham had no idea that this heir would be Jesus the Messiah.  But the truth for us is that righteousness was counted to him by his BELIEF.   It did not get righteousness because of something he did, but rather something God would do for him.   That is how we obtain righteousness: By Faith.  

Rejoice in Our Reconciliation - Romans 5-6

 Romans 5:6-11 (ESV)

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

THIS IS IT!  THIS IS THE GOSPEL!  You can summarize all the Bible into this one paragraph.  There a some major points to rejoice over in the above thesis statement:

1.  God sent Jesus at the “right time.”  God doesn’t do anything by accident.  He has a divine design.   

2. No one would think of dying for someone else, especially total strangers, especially sinful strangers.  But, that is exactly Jesus did!!  

3. We have been JUSTIFIED.  This is the most amazing word in Romans.  We have been made JUST.   

4. We have been delivered from God’s wrath.  That implies three things, at least.  A).  God is a God of wrath.   B).  God demands payment for sin.  C). Christ’s death was for that payment, in our stead.  

5.  We are to REJOICE in these truths that we have received “reconciliation.”    Note what Vine has to say about this word:

(Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary) katallage (καταλλαγή, 2643), akin to A, No. 1, primarily “an exchange,” denotes “reconciliation,” a change on the part of one party, induced by an action on the part of another; in the NT, the “reconciliation” of men to God by His grace and love in Christ. The word is used in Rom. 5:11 and 11:15.

We have a change in our condition as result of Christ’s work on our behalf.  His death lead to our life.  We are free from the wrath of God to fully enjoy the love of God.  

Satisfied in ONLY God - Matthew 5-7

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:20 (ESV)

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:48 (ESV)

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Is there any question in your mind of what God requires and is looking for regarding out walk in this world?  We have many hungers in our lives.  We hunger for significance.  We hunger for belonging.   We hunger for recognition.   We hunger for comfort.  We hunger for safety.  None of those hungers are wrong.  They may, in fact, be a natural outcome of being born in the image of God.   It is not the hunger that is wrong.  It is the resources we search for when attempting to satisfy the hunger.   We are going to have desires.   That is part of the human condition.    The struggle is that our desires attempt to satisfy themselves through wicked things and that turns everything upside down:

James 1:13-15 (ESV)

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

God wants us to desire Him and His righteousness.   He is SO wants us to desire His righteousness that He made a way for us to have it, for FREE!!

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God made Jesus sin for us so that we might have His righteousness.   Matthew, in this Sermon on the Mount, is telling us to desire that God has already so richly provided.   That should be our deepest and only desire.   That is the ONLY thing that will satisfy us.   

Proverbs 13:25 (ESV)

The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.