Peace is received after grace. There is a bumper sticker that says, “No Peace, No God. Know Peace, Know God.” The bumper sticker is saying salvation is the only way to have peace. God’s Word says the same thing.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The peace of God in your heart is not something to dream about. That peace from God is something you can have every day if you trust in Him. We run into problems when we take our eyes off of Christ, but as long as we are “stayed on thee” we have peace. I think Isaiah understood this.
“In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” (Isaiah 26:3)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Grace
Grace is a greeting in the Greek. In the morning, I might tell my wife, Sarah, to have a good day at work. In Greece, they would say “Charis” or grace. We tell each other to “have a good day,” but do we contribute in making the day good? Christ says grace, “Have a good eternity” (Thru the Bible Commentary, p. 290).
Grace is unmerited favor. There is nothing we can do to gain God’s grace. In the front of my Bible, I have written the acronym GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ's Expense. I don’t know where I got it from, but it is true.
“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:18-21)
We have salvation because of Jesus Christ. Because of Adam’s sin we became sinners, but because of Christ’s obedience, we have eternal life. Jesus was sinless and obedient unto death. Jesus had grace on us and now says, “Have a good eternity.”
Grace is unmerited favor. There is nothing we can do to gain God’s grace. In the front of my Bible, I have written the acronym GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ's Expense. I don’t know where I got it from, but it is true.
“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:18-21)
We have salvation because of Jesus Christ. Because of Adam’s sin we became sinners, but because of Christ’s obedience, we have eternal life. Jesus was sinless and obedient unto death. Jesus had grace on us and now says, “Have a good eternity.”
Saints
A saint is a holy person, one who has been set apart. We are to be holy as Christ is holy, which is where we all fall short. Roman soldiers and the centurion were to obey unconditionally. First Peter 1:14-16 brings the saint or a holy person to life.
“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)
Peter says be “as obedient children.” Obeying Christ unconditionally is not an option for the Christian. Before you were a Christian, there was a void and you searched to fill it. Some ways people fill the void are alcohol, other drugs, sports, and overeating. Before you were a Christian, you were ignorant to the truth.
“And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I [am] the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I [am] the LORD which sanctify you.” (Leviticus 20:6-8)
After you ask Jesus to come into your heart and you repent of your sins, you must fashion yourself to Christ because there is no need for a dependence on worldly things. As a Christian, there is no need to go whoring after things you have done in your past. If you just said a prayer and some meaningless words to God but did not change your life and let Jesus live in you, then you are not saved. If you are saved and turn back to your own ways, you will be miserable because your sins are keeping God from hearing from you. A Christian longs for that fashioning with Christ.
Christ set all of us apart for a special and specific task. He chooses to use us as He chose to use them. Paul and Timothy were slaves for Christ and set apart to do His work. Paul is instructing the church, the saints. The saints have been set apart from their sins into good works. The work of Jesus is done through individual believers in the church.
“As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)
Peter says be “as obedient children.” Obeying Christ unconditionally is not an option for the Christian. Before you were a Christian, there was a void and you searched to fill it. Some ways people fill the void are alcohol, other drugs, sports, and overeating. Before you were a Christian, you were ignorant to the truth.
“And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I [am] the LORD your God. And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I [am] the LORD which sanctify you.” (Leviticus 20:6-8)
After you ask Jesus to come into your heart and you repent of your sins, you must fashion yourself to Christ because there is no need for a dependence on worldly things. As a Christian, there is no need to go whoring after things you have done in your past. If you just said a prayer and some meaningless words to God but did not change your life and let Jesus live in you, then you are not saved. If you are saved and turn back to your own ways, you will be miserable because your sins are keeping God from hearing from you. A Christian longs for that fashioning with Christ.
Christ set all of us apart for a special and specific task. He chooses to use us as He chose to use them. Paul and Timothy were slaves for Christ and set apart to do His work. Paul is instructing the church, the saints. The saints have been set apart from their sins into good works. The work of Jesus is done through individual believers in the church.
Servant
Servant is used in regard to position. The Greek word for servant here means bond slave. A bond slave has no rights. Bond slave carries the interpretation of someone who has sold himself into slavery to another. Christ bought us with His blood, and we are His slaves.
Exodus clearly lays out the way that servants were to be treated. After all, the Israelites had just escaped slavery and received the Ten Commandments, so they should have known how slaves were treated.
"Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever." (Exodus 21:1-6)
After six years, a slave was to be set free. If he chose to stay, he was carried before the judges, pushed to the doorpost, and his ear was bore out. In the Hebrew, bore literally means dig, so they dug his ear out. It is not recorded in scripture where this actually happened.
If the slave chose to leave after his six years, there was still a price to be paid. Suppose the master had given him a wife and she bore him children, then the wife and children belonged to the master. If the man came in married, then he left with his family.
This is a picture of what Christ did. The Exodus scripture lays out the framework for what David said in Psalms. "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required." (Psalms 40:6)
This is a Messianic Scripture. If a person’s ear had been dug out, it was an act of obedience. He was saying, “I love my master, and I will not go free.” Christ did that for us. Christ was obedient to the Father; He took the form of a servant.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)
Because of Christ's actions, we have eternal life. Now, we are to go and do as He did and as the apostle Paul mimicked. After the Damascus Road experience, Paul totally followed Christ. The church at Philippi was in a Roman colony set up for retired military personnel, and it was Roman guards who carried out the crucifixion. Roman guards were the ones who divided lots over Jesus’ garments. Paul started a church here to share the Good News with them. Paul, following the example of Christ, shares with the people of Philippi.
Paul stayed under the authority of Christ. He heard the story of the Roman centurion and knew Jesus' reaction. Jesus talked to the Roman centurion in Matthew 8.
“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” (Matthew 8:5-13)
The Roman centurion understood. He said, “I am a man under authority.” We are under the authority of Christ. This man was under the authority of Rome, and his soldiers were under his authority. When the centurion told the soldiers to do something, they did it. The soldier did not question his superior and do what he thought was best. Are we sold out for the cause of Christ?
Exodus clearly lays out the way that servants were to be treated. After all, the Israelites had just escaped slavery and received the Ten Commandments, so they should have known how slaves were treated.
"Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever." (Exodus 21:1-6)
After six years, a slave was to be set free. If he chose to stay, he was carried before the judges, pushed to the doorpost, and his ear was bore out. In the Hebrew, bore literally means dig, so they dug his ear out. It is not recorded in scripture where this actually happened.
If the slave chose to leave after his six years, there was still a price to be paid. Suppose the master had given him a wife and she bore him children, then the wife and children belonged to the master. If the man came in married, then he left with his family.
This is a picture of what Christ did. The Exodus scripture lays out the framework for what David said in Psalms. "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required." (Psalms 40:6)
This is a Messianic Scripture. If a person’s ear had been dug out, it was an act of obedience. He was saying, “I love my master, and I will not go free.” Christ did that for us. Christ was obedient to the Father; He took the form of a servant.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)
Because of Christ's actions, we have eternal life. Now, we are to go and do as He did and as the apostle Paul mimicked. After the Damascus Road experience, Paul totally followed Christ. The church at Philippi was in a Roman colony set up for retired military personnel, and it was Roman guards who carried out the crucifixion. Roman guards were the ones who divided lots over Jesus’ garments. Paul started a church here to share the Good News with them. Paul, following the example of Christ, shares with the people of Philippi.
Paul stayed under the authority of Christ. He heard the story of the Roman centurion and knew Jesus' reaction. Jesus talked to the Roman centurion in Matthew 8.
“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” (Matthew 8:5-13)
The Roman centurion understood. He said, “I am a man under authority.” We are under the authority of Christ. This man was under the authority of Rome, and his soldiers were under his authority. When the centurion told the soldiers to do something, they did it. The soldier did not question his superior and do what he thought was best. Are we sold out for the cause of Christ?
Meaning of Worship
What do you think about when you hear the word worship? Is it singing the glorious hymns of times past or the upbeat tempo of praise choruses today? Is it the motivational sermons we hear from the pulpit today or the hell, fire, and brimstone that was preached in times past? What about raising our hands and saying amen?
Webster’s Dictionary defines worship as “the act of paying reverence to God.” Three thesaurus entries for worship include: revere, adore, and love. In The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren wrote, “Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.”
Ralph Martin states, “Worship is the dramatic celebration of God in His supreme worth in such a manner that His worthiness becomes the norm and inspiration of human living.” William Temples says, “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose--and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”
One can see that true worship of God is not about coming in and just praising God. It is not a spectator event. Someone once defined the game of football this way: "Football is that sport in which 60,000 people in the stands who desperately need exercise watch the struggles of 24 players on the field who desperately need rest.” You could add to the 60,000 in the stands another one million sitting in front of their TV’s. Worship is something you do.
True worship involves walking in obedience to God. Obedience is the submission to the instruction of an authority. Are we walking in obedience with God? “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)
God gave us a list of commandments to obey. He summed them up into two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He gave us these to obey, not to condemn us but to protect us. Just as parents love and protect their children, so God protects us because we are His children.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:15, 21-24)
However, what Jesus didn’t say was just as important as what He said. We must be careful because we can’t turn a cause and effect statement around without changing its meaning. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command,” which doesn’t mean, “If you keep My commandments you love Me.”
Saying so means that love is produced by obedience. If I get a speeding ticket, that should cause me to slow down. I don’t love the police officer for giving me the ticket, but that will cause me to slow down.
Jesus said, “If you love Me, then you will obey My commandments.” In other words, Jesus was saying that our love for Him produces obedience, or our obedience to His commands results out of our genuine love for Him.
While it is possible for us to obey Jesus’ words and not love Him, it is impossible for us to love Him and not obey Him. “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:24)
Because we love Christ, we obey Him and are dependent upon Him each day. Are we walking dependently upon God? Is God our pilot or co-pilot? If He is our co-pilot, we need to get on our knees so He rises above us. David was dependent upon God as the source of his strength. In Psalms 27:1b David wrote, “For the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom should I be afraid?”
Just as God provided manna for the Jews in the wilderness, He still provides for us today if we are dependent upon Him. In walking obediently and dependently upon Him, we still have to fear Him. “Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.” (Deuteronomy 8:6)
Proverbs 14:26-27 says, “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”
Do you fear God today? Is He your source of strength? Are you walking in obedience to His will and depending on Him to guide you? Some are hiding behind others, and it is time to get involved and truly worship the one true God.
"Many years ago a man conned his way into the orchestra of the emperor of China although he could not play a note. Whenever the group practiced or performed, he would hold his flute against his lips, pretending to play but not making a sound. He received a modest salary and enjoyed a comfortable living. Then one day the emperor requested a solo from each musician. The flutist got nervous. There wasn’t enough time to learn the instrument. He pretended to be sick, but the royal physician wasn’t fooled. On the day of his solo performance, the impostor took poison and killed himself. The explanation of his suicide led to a phrase that found its way into the English language: 'He refused to face the music'" (Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado).
Today you can pretend to be a part of God’s orchestra by just blending in with the crowd and going through the motions. No one notices here because you say the right things, go to the right places, and hang out with the right people. And you can enjoy the comfort of being accepted by the crowd of your choice. But there will come a day when you must face the music. One day you will be separated from everything. On that day you will stand alone before God and give an account for your life, your decisions, and whether or not you were tapped into the living water.
Webster’s Dictionary defines worship as “the act of paying reverence to God.” Three thesaurus entries for worship include: revere, adore, and love. In The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren wrote, “Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.”
Ralph Martin states, “Worship is the dramatic celebration of God in His supreme worth in such a manner that His worthiness becomes the norm and inspiration of human living.” William Temples says, “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose--and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin.”
One can see that true worship of God is not about coming in and just praising God. It is not a spectator event. Someone once defined the game of football this way: "Football is that sport in which 60,000 people in the stands who desperately need exercise watch the struggles of 24 players on the field who desperately need rest.” You could add to the 60,000 in the stands another one million sitting in front of their TV’s. Worship is something you do.
True worship involves walking in obedience to God. Obedience is the submission to the instruction of an authority. Are we walking in obedience with God? “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46)
God gave us a list of commandments to obey. He summed them up into two: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He gave us these to obey, not to condemn us but to protect us. Just as parents love and protect their children, so God protects us because we are His children.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:15, 21-24)
However, what Jesus didn’t say was just as important as what He said. We must be careful because we can’t turn a cause and effect statement around without changing its meaning. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command,” which doesn’t mean, “If you keep My commandments you love Me.”
Saying so means that love is produced by obedience. If I get a speeding ticket, that should cause me to slow down. I don’t love the police officer for giving me the ticket, but that will cause me to slow down.
Jesus said, “If you love Me, then you will obey My commandments.” In other words, Jesus was saying that our love for Him produces obedience, or our obedience to His commands results out of our genuine love for Him.
While it is possible for us to obey Jesus’ words and not love Him, it is impossible for us to love Him and not obey Him. “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:24)
Because we love Christ, we obey Him and are dependent upon Him each day. Are we walking dependently upon God? Is God our pilot or co-pilot? If He is our co-pilot, we need to get on our knees so He rises above us. David was dependent upon God as the source of his strength. In Psalms 27:1b David wrote, “For the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom should I be afraid?”
Just as God provided manna for the Jews in the wilderness, He still provides for us today if we are dependent upon Him. In walking obediently and dependently upon Him, we still have to fear Him. “Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.” (Deuteronomy 8:6)
Proverbs 14:26-27 says, “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.”
Do you fear God today? Is He your source of strength? Are you walking in obedience to His will and depending on Him to guide you? Some are hiding behind others, and it is time to get involved and truly worship the one true God.
"Many years ago a man conned his way into the orchestra of the emperor of China although he could not play a note. Whenever the group practiced or performed, he would hold his flute against his lips, pretending to play but not making a sound. He received a modest salary and enjoyed a comfortable living. Then one day the emperor requested a solo from each musician. The flutist got nervous. There wasn’t enough time to learn the instrument. He pretended to be sick, but the royal physician wasn’t fooled. On the day of his solo performance, the impostor took poison and killed himself. The explanation of his suicide led to a phrase that found its way into the English language: 'He refused to face the music'" (Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado).
Today you can pretend to be a part of God’s orchestra by just blending in with the crowd and going through the motions. No one notices here because you say the right things, go to the right places, and hang out with the right people. And you can enjoy the comfort of being accepted by the crowd of your choice. But there will come a day when you must face the music. One day you will be separated from everything. On that day you will stand alone before God and give an account for your life, your decisions, and whether or not you were tapped into the living water.
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