Amazing Grace

I want to talk to you about God’s amazing grace.  Do you have any idea what it cost for God to pour forth His amazing grace into the hearts and lives of people?  It cost Him not only the life of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, but did you ever think of the way it affected Him when the enemy of our souls and his demon helpers, were laughing when they saw Jesus brutally beaten and whipped to the point that He couldn’t even carry His own cross.  All of this happened because God would allow His Son to be bruised, beaten and whipped and then humiliated and thrust on a cross with nails pounded into His hands and feet.  There Jesus was, hanging naked before a crowd that was hollering, “crucify Him, crucify Him,” the same crowd that was not long before this praising Him, but now were shouting at the top of their lungs and the soldiers were laughing and mocking Him and gambling for His robe.  Then in the midst of this scene, God hears these words, “Father why hast thou forsaken me.”  God is the epitome of love, how could we have any idea of how this would make Him feel?  

Now think of Jesus, think about His life and ministry and the way he loved people and how He healed the sick, caused the blind to see, cleansed the lepers, cast out demons and even raised the dead, fed many people and blessed the kids, taught multitudes the good news when all the while, in the back of His mind, He knew that He would one day give His life a ransom for the sins of all that would believe and put their trust in Him enduring the pain and the shame that we should have endured.  Think about how He suffered so much at the Mount of Olive, even sweating as it were great drops of blood as He anguished over what He would have to suffer to bring forth the amazing grace that God would provide for the sins of the world!!  This took such a toll on Jesus that he asked if this cup of suffering could pass from Him because He knew the cost, but He was willing to pay the price, saying to His Father, “not my wil, but thy will be done.”  Then think of this, He did it willingly, for no one could have taken His life, but as a lamb to the slaughter He willingly laid down His life.  Who would love that much, that even when we were His enemies He would give His life a ransom for us and for the sins of the world?

This is the God who created the heavens and earth, the only true God.  All other gods expect their followers to do something to deserve their love and devotion and their forgiveness.  The God I am talking about seeks the humble and contrite heart, not your good works or anything that you can do in and of yourselves, He knows you are broken and He knows about your sins and your iniquities and He still loves you, which is very good news, praise the good Lord!!

You can read about this good news in John 3:1-15, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

We cannot enter the kingdom of God by being a better person and living a better life, remember Jesus wasn’t sent to make bad people good, He was sent to make dead people live, so it is only by being born-again, or by being spiritually reborn, that you will ever be right with God.  Only God can bring forth that miracle in a person’s life and the good news is that He wants to set us all free of the bondage of sin.

Please read John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

When the Israelites, in the Old Testament, were wandering in the wilderness because of their rebelliousness, God sent poisonous snakes to bite them, but if they looked up at the bronze snake that God provided through Moses, and believed, they would be healed.  Then in the New Testament, God provided His Son, Jesus, and if we will repent and look to Him and believe on Him that He will save us, He will, and this is God’s spiritual healing.  So if you would like real peace, love and joy in your life without getting it from a bottle or some kind of drug, give your life to the Lord and ask Him to reveal Himself to you and if you are sincere I believe that He will.  Something to think about!  Have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours.