The Overruling Sovereignty of God

God's foreknowledge is exhaustive and true because God is holy, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.  God knows all things actual, and He knows all things possible, and He knows all these things perfectly.  He knows all things that can possibly be known, including all future events.  This exhaustive knowledge is something that is unique to God alone, it is intrinsic to His very nature, it is in part what it means to be God.

In Isaiah 40-49, is speaking to Israel and firmly explaining to them about the worthlessness of their idols that they have been worshiping.  The point of these passages is to show the supremacy of God, as God, above all other "gods."  Now it is in this passage God is very clear about His ability as God to know all things, including all possible future events.  He says, 

"Bring in your idols to tell us what is going to happen.  Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome.  Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods" (Isaiah 41:22-23).

And then, 

"Remember the former things, those of long ago;  I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please" (Isaiah 46:9-10).

What God is making plain is that He knows perfectly all events, including all future events.  Now why or how does God know these things?  He knows them because He alone ordains them to be and then see to it that they come to pass, "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  "  God is not just simply able to predict these things because He is so observant or has exhaustive knowledge of the world and all the creatures (including man) that He has created, but God knows all future events and able to predict them ahead of time because He has sovereign reign and infinite wisdom and perfect knowledge and He decrees what must come to pass.  This is what He says at the end of Isaiah 46:10, "I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."  God is clearly saying that He alone has absolute rule and reign over every aspect of the universe, at every moment and at all time, and this most certainly includes all events in human history and the heart of every person.

Consider what Proverbs says about the overruling sovereignty of God concerning the intentions and plans of  finite man...

• "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19:21).
• "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue" (Proverbs 16:1).
• "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
• "The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes" (Prov 21:1)

Every plan by a created being is subject to be overruled by the will of God.  God knows all things perfectly because God has ordain everything according to the counsel of His will.

• "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created" (Revelation 4:11).
• "We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11).
• "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36).

Application:

1. God's sovereignty confronts and defeats human pride.  We Americans are pound of our independence and so in our sin we believe that somehow we are independent from God.  That God must submit to our will and that He must do what we ask.  We sinfully believe that somehow God cannot act unless we give Him permission, that God cannot save unless we tell Him that it is okay.  This simply is not true.  God is sovereign and He will  have mercy on whomever He wills and He will harden whomever He wills "What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, "I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION." So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH." So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires" (Romans 9:14-18).

2.  What God has promised, God is able (and will) keep.  This is why Paul says, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).  And why he urges us to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12) because in the very next verse he says, "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."  And why he prays in "now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass" (1Thessalonians 5:23-24).

3.  We ought to remain bold and confident in the face of suffering because God is sovereign over all things including our sufferings. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).

4. God will accomplish His mission.  His saving grace, His glorious gospel will be spread among all peoples, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth" (Revelation 5:9-10).

 Amen!

Our Sovereign Savior

Recently, I have been reading a book written by multiple contributors.  The title of the book is, "Whomever He Wills: A Surprising Display of Sovereign Mercy."  It has been a GREAT read.  In one particular chapter, Steven Lawson is expounding on Revelation 5:1-14 and he provides some tremendous insight and clarity.

In verse 9, John writes, "Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation."  In the context, we find the four angels and the twenty-four living elders all singing a new song of praise in response to the sovereignty of Christ in salvation.  Below is a portion of what Steven Lawson writes as he expounds on the definite atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  I quote it in length because I know that I cannot say it any better or more to the point than he does.

This is what he writes,

"What does this new song mean, that Christ has purchased with His blood a people for Himself?  This word purchased is a word drawn from the marketplace.  It is a term taken from the business world, indicating that a finished financial transaction has taken place.  It means that a purchase price has been paid, and the purchased object is given to the rightful buyer.  Notice, there is no ransom to Satan theory of the atonement in this text.  Jesus is not paying the gold and silver of His blood to Satan in order to free sinners from his bondage.  To the contrary, when He died upon the cross, Jesus did business directly and exclusively with the Father.  This was an inter-Trinitarian transaction between the Father and the Son by which the Son paid the definite price to secure the salvation of all who would believe upon Him.  Jesus Christ bought His people with His shed blood (Acts 20:28).  This Lamb gave His life for His sheep (John 10:11, 15).

Do not miss the particularity of Christ's atoning work on the cross.  Heaven is rejoicing that He bought us "from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (verse 9).  This text does not say He redeemed everyone in every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.  If that were so, the whole world would be saved.  The fact is,  a perfectly just God cannot require a double payment for the same sin.  If Jesus has already paid the ransom for everyone'e sin at the cross, then on one would go to hell.  If purchased sinners did go to hell, God would cease to be righteous, something that is clearly impossible (1John 1:9).

But to the contrary, Jesus actually purchased a specific people out of, or out from among, every people group.  "Tongue" here speaks of language groups, "people" of ethic races, "nations" of national identities, "tribes" of genealogical descents.  Out of fallen, ruined humanity, Jesus purchased all who had been given to Him by the Father from before the foundation of the world (John 6:37-39; 10:26-30; 17:2,6,9,24).  Not a drop of His blood was shed in vain.  It is all victory at the cross.

Simply put, Jesus possesses everything He paid for at the cross.  Jesus was not jilted, nor shortchanged.  Jesus did not pay an infinite price for the salvation of sinners and receive less than what He bought.  He did not purchase the entire world, but only received believers in return.  He did not merely make the world savable, contingent upon man exercising faith and, thus, in part, saving himself.  Instead, He actually saved a definite group of people out of the world.  He did not simply make us redeemable.  Rather, Jesus actually redeemed us by His death upon Calvary's cross.  It was a finished transaction upon that cursed tree.  Jesus did not procure a hypothetical salvation for all sinners, if only they would have the good sense to believe on Him and close the deal.  Instead, at the cross, Jesus actually purchased out of these groups a specific people for whom He intentionally died and actually secured their redemption.  Only by this understanding of the cross can one truly sing "Jesus saves."

Moreover, all whom Jesus purchased will one day find themselves around the throne of God.  He did not die for an anonymous mob of people, some of whom will never make it to heaven.  He did not die for a nameless, faceless human race.  Rather, upon the cross, He died for each individual sheep.  He gave Himself up for the church (Ephesians 5:25).  All for whom He died, He saves.  It is impossible to exhaust the significance of this redeeming work of Christ upon the cross.  We can never get our arms around it completely.  We can never ascend to the heights of it, nor plumb the depths of it.  It is too high, too deep, and too broad.  It is too wonderful to comprehend that Jesus Christ redeemed a vast number of hell-bound rebels in His sin-bearing death."

O that we might truly see our Sovereign Savior in His definite atoning work of the cross and join the angles and the elders in this gloriously good and exceedingly joyful new song.  The mission is accomplished by the Lamb.  What Jesus came to do, He has completely done.  Salvation is of the Lord!  Jesus saves!  May seeing this glorious reality bring unspeakable and unshakable joy to your heart. 

13 Things a Lost Person Cannot Do

by Curtis A. Pugh

That the lost sinner must cast himself wholly on the mercy and grace of God must be obvious to those who read and believe the Scriptures. But the Bible knows nothing of such foolish man-made ideas as "praying the sinner's prayer", or "making a decision for Christ", or "inviting Jesus into your heart" or "going forward to receive Christ." No New Testament preacher ever used such terms or tactics! To tell spiritually dead sinners that there is something they can do to bring about their salvation is damnable heresy for by its false hope sinners are taught to trust in what they have done rather in Christ who has done all. 

Consider these thirteen spiritual things an unsaved person cannot do:

1. HE CANNOT THINK AS GOD DOES: 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

2. HE CANNOT UNDERSTAND GOD:

". . . thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself . . ." (Psalm 50:21) 

"Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than hell; what canst thou know?" (Job 11:7-8)

3. HE CANNOT SEE SPIRITUAL THINGS:

"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." (John 3:3)

4. HE CANNOT KNOW HIS OWN HEART: 

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"(Jeremiah 17:9)

5. HE CANNOT PROPERLY DIRECT HIS OWN PATHS:

"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." (Jeremiah 10:23) 

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

6. HE CANNOT FREE HIMSELF FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW:

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written,Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." (Galatians 3:10)

7. HE CANNOT RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT:

"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not . . ." (John 14:17)

8. HE CANNOT HEAR (receive & understand) GOD'S WORDS:

"He that is of God heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God." (John 8:47)

"But the natural (unsaved) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." (1Corinthians 2:14)

9. HE CANNOT BIRTH HIMSELF INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD:

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of manbut of God." (John 1:13)

"For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." (Romans 9:15-16)

10. HE CANNOT PRODUCE REPENTANCE AND FAITH IN CHRIST:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that (faith) not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

". . . for all men have not faith." (2 Thessalonians 3:2)

"For unto you it is given . . . to believe on him . . ." (Philippians 1:29)

". . . if God peradventure will give them repentance . . ." (2 Timothy 2:25)

". . . to them that have obtained like precious faith with us . . ." (2 Peter 1:1)

11. HE CANNOT COME TO CHRIST:

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him . . . Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father." (John 6:44, 65)

12. HE CANNOT BELIEVE ON CHRIST:

"But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep as I said unto you." (John 10:26)

13. HE CANNOT PLEASE GOD:

"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. . . . So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."(Romans 8:5, 8, 9)

SO THEN, MANKIND IS SHUT UP TO THE FACT OF HIS OWN TOTAL INABILITY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT HIS LOST CONDITION.

In the light of these things which a spiritually dead (lost) sinner cannot do, how then do we account for the command of God to all men to repent? The Bible does state that God ". . . now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). What do we do about the counsel of God to men which says they are to believe on Christ? Would God command and instruct men to do that which they cannot do?

We answer an emphatic "Yes!" Our proof is the holy Law of God given to Moses on Mount Sinai. While there was nothing wrong with God's Law, no man is able to keep those commandments (1 Timothy 1:8; Romans 8:3). No man ever kept the Law of God and yet God was right to give it to man and command its keeping! By that Law we see ourselves as sinners (Romans 3:20). That was the purpose of the Law!

While God requires repentance (the will to turn from sin) and faith (the will to believe in Christ), no man is able of himself to do either. Thus, as with the Law, man is forced to see that there is nothing good in him and that he cannot repent and believe savingly in Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Bible God's children recognize their own inability to do anything to save themselves. In addition to the portions previously quoted in this tract, consider the following statements: 

• ". . . I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Romans 7:18)
• "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24)
• ". . . I am shut up, and I cannot come forth." (Psalm 88:8)
• "Turn us. O God of our salvation . . ." (Psalm 85:4)
• " . . . Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God."(Jeremiah 31:18)
• "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our riqhteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee . . ." (Isaiah 64:6, 7)
• ". . . Salvation is of the LORD" (Jonah 2:9).

Those who think that they can properly repent of their own ability and savingly believe of their own faith fall into error. They trust in their own ability and not in the saving work of Jesus Christ! Is not this true of those who boast of their past sins and their turning from them? Do they not claim that they did it themselves? Repeatedly we hear this in their popular "testimony meetings." Some are willing to share the glory and admit that they had a little help from God, but even this is wicked confidence in the flesh. And do not some religionists boast of their faith as if it was some great thing worthy of reward? Faith (confidence) in my faith or in my turning to God is not ". . . the faith of God's elect."(Titus 1:1)

Paul wrote concerning true children of God, ". . . We . . . worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3:3). To trust in anything done in the flesh (human nature and strength) is to have "confidence in the flesh." To trust in your prayer, your baptism, your goodness, your faith or any experience you may have had is to have confidence in the flesh and not to trust in Christ. The faith and confidence of the true believer is in Christ! Those born of God trust not in rituals, sacraments, good works, their own repentance or their faith in Christ, but rather in Christ alone!

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith . . ." (2 Corinthians 13:5). Are you trusting in your faith or are you trusting in Christ? What is the object of your faith? Do you really see that all your "righteousnesses are as filthy rags"? (Isaiah 64:6). Have you seen that you deserve Hell? Are you willing to take your place as a sinner and if God sends you to Hell will you say He is just, fair, and righteous to do so? Or do you think yourself unworthy of eternal punishment?

Consider these words from the old English Baptist Gadsby Hymnal.

O beware of trust ill-grounded;
'Tis but fancied faith at most, 
To be cured, and not be wounded:
To be saved before you're lost.

Have you never been wounded by the Word of God so that your sins have been laid bare? Have you never been lost--that is, have you seen yourself as hopelessly lost and a Hell-deserving sinner? How can you think yourself saved if you have never been lost? Jesus said, ". . . I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17). If a sinner, surely the Scriptures cited in this tract have shown that you are helpless to do anything about your terrible lost condition!

Salvation is free and comes, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us . . ." (Titus 3:5). Look to Jesus Christ, who has done all things necessary and possible, "for he shall save his people from their sins"(Matthew 1:21).

May God give you grace to see yourself as He does, and may He give you the twin gifts of". . . repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21) so that you are ". . . not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:39).

INSIGHT FROM A.W. PINK ON THE GOSPEL

I found the following paragraphs thought provoking.  Below is by A.W. Pink in his book Studies on Saving Faith, Part 1: the signs of the times.  

"What is the Gospel? Is it a message of glad tidings from Heaven to make God-defying rebels at ease in their wickedness? Is it given for the purpose of assuring the pleasure-crazy young people that, providing they only "believe" there is nothing for them to fear in the future? One would certainly think so from the way in which the Gospel is presented—or rather perverted—by most of the "evangelists," and the more so when we look at the lives of their "converts." Surely those with any degree of spiritual discernment must perceive that to assure such that God loves them and His Son died for them, and that a full pardon for all their sins (past, present, and future) can be obtained by simply "accepting Christ as their personal Saviour," is but a casting of pearls before swine.

The Gospel is not a thing apart. It is not something independent of the prior revelation of God’s Law. It is not an announcement that God has relaxed His justice or lowered the standard of His holiness. So far from that, when Scripturally expounded the Gospel presents the clearest demonstration and the climacteric proof of the inexorableness of God’s justice and of His infinite abhorrence of sin. But for Scripturally expounding the Gospel, beardless youths and business men who devote their spare time to "evangelistic effort" are quite unqualified. Alas that the pride of the flesh suffers so many incompetent ones to rush in where those much wiser fear to tread. It is this multiplying of novices that is largely responsible for the woeful situation now confronting us, and because the "churches" and "assemblies" are so largely filled with their "converts," explains why they are so unspiritual and worldly.

No, my reader, the Gospel is very, very far from making light of sin. The Gospel shows us how unsparingly God deals with sin. It reveals to us the terrible sword of His justice smiting His beloved Son in order that atonement might be made for the transgressions of His people. So far from the Gospel setting aside the Law, it exhibits the Saviour enduring the curse of it. Calvary supplied the most solemn and awe-inspiring display of God’s hatred of sin that time or eternity will ever furnish. And do you imagine that the Gospel is magnified or God glorified by going to worldlings and telling them that they "may be saved at this moment by simply accepting Christ as their personal Saviour" while they are wedded to their idols and their hearts still in love with sin? If I do so, I tell them a lie, pervert the Gospel, insult Christ, and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness."

The Gospel of God's Grace

What is the gospel?  The gospel is the story of God's grace.  The word gospel means good news, but what is this good news and why do we need to hear it?  If you think about it, good news is only "good" when it is spoken of in light of the bad news. Suppose you hear the news that the medical field has found a cure for pancreatic cancer. (Pancreatic cancer is a major killer: 94% of pancreatic cancer patients will die within five years of diagnosis and only 6% will survive more than five years. 74% of patients die within the first year of diagnosis). Reading about this major achievement in the newspaper or hearing about it on the news channel certainly is news, but this news is not "good" in the respect that it has no effect on your life--unless you have pancreatic cancer!  You see, if the doctor has never told you the bad news--"you have pancreatic cancer," then then news about a cure for pancreatic cancer is just news.  Until you are hit with the reality of the bad news, the good news will have no effect in your life.

The gospel of God's grace IS good news, but it will only be news to you until you understand the bad news.  When I share the gospel with people I seek to communicate five key components of the gospel that I outline in the word grace.  The bible makes clear that we are saved by grace.  It is by God's grace that any of us are saved.  It is by His doing for His glory.  So as I share the gospel, I focus on the GRACE of God and the way I seek to do that is to use the word grace as an acronym--each letter represents a key component in the gospel. 

God is holy

Rebellion of man

Achievement of Christ

Change of heart 

Eternal life  

So let me provide you with an outline for your consideration.  Everything must begin with God and where we must begin is with the holiness of God.

GOD IS HOLY

The Bible tells us that God is HOLY. Holiness is the attribute of God that makes Him completely unique and separate from His creation; Holiness is the pinnacle of all His attributes.  God is absolutely perfect.   Revelation 4:8 says, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come"

And because God is holy he is also JUST, Deuteronomy 32:4 says, ""The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice.  A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”

And because God is holy and just, the bible says He hates wrongdoing (sin) and therefore must judge all sin justly.  Psalm 5:4-6 says, "For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with You.  The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.  You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man."  And Nahum 1:3 says, "The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished."   And we read in Habakkuk 1:13, "Your eyes are too pure (holy) to approve evil,  and You can not look on wickedness with favor."

 And what God demands from us is holiness, He demands perfection.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:48, "You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  And the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12:14, "Without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

The question you must ask yourself at this point is "am I a perfect person?"  I know I am not perfect, in fact, the Bible tells me that I am not--that no one is perfect.  Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory (perfection) of God.”  And we read in Genesis and Psalms about the extent of our depravity.  Genesis 8:21 says, "the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth."  And Psalm 58:3 tells us that "The wicked go astray from the womb, they err from their birth, speaking lies."  So the Bible says “all have sinned,” and in our sin we have rebelled against God.

REBELLION OF MAN

You know, I used to think that I was a pretty good person, but the bible says in Romans 3:10-12  that there is "None righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."  Think about what the bible is saying.  Sin is anything we feel, think, say, or do that does not please God.  How many times a day do we fall short of God’s perfection? Let’s say you only sinned one time a day, if that were true you would be considered a pretty good person, right?  Even if you were this good (which you are not), you still would have sinned 365 times in a year.  And if you lived to the age of 75, you would have over 27,000 violations against God’s Law on record against you.  Now what do you think would happen to you if you stood before a judge with 27,000 offenses against the law? 

Here is the reality.  We do not sin once a day.  We sin multiple times a minute.  We sin knowingly and we sin unknowingly.  Romans 14:23 tells us that "Everything that does not come from faith is sin." An unbeliever (lost person) by definition does not have saving faith, therefore, everything they do is corrupted by sin.  Titus 1:15 says it this way, "to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled."

The Bible says that everyone has sinned; no one is right with God and therefore, the PENALTY of our sin is death, “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  This means that because of our sin, we are spiritually dead — dead to God, "you are dead in your trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).  And because of our sin, we are eternal dead — separated from God, “the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord" (2Thessalonians 1:9).   We cannot save our self.  We cannot do enough good things to make up for our sin.  Even if it were possible to only sin once a day, even so, when you stood before a judge with 27,000 violations against the law, it would not matter how many good deeds you have done in life, because you would still be guilty of 27,000 violations and must pay the penalty for your sins.    

So how can we as sinners become righteous (or perfect) in God's sight?  How can God express His love without compromising His holiness?  If God is to be righteous judge He cannot ignore our sin.  He must judge us in our sin--we are guilty and the penalty is eternal.  So how can a holy God judge us for our sin and,  at the same time, set us free from the penalty of our sin?

ACHIEVEMENTS OF CHRIST

What we cannot do, God did for us by sending His Son Jesus.  In Ephesians 2:4-5 Paul tells us of this wonderful act of grace, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -by grace you have be saved."  And Romans 5:8 says, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

In Jesus Christ, God provides a SUBSTITUTE.  A substitute is someone who stands in the place of another.  My wife is a teacher.  On days when she is unable to make it to school they call in a substitute teacher.  The substitute stands in the place of my wife.  In a much deeper way, God has provided a substitute for us.  God demands holy perfection; Jesus, as our substitute, came to live a sinless life and to earn for us the perfection of God according to Hebrews 4:15, "Jesus has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”  God demands payment for sin; Jesus came to die in the place of sinners to satisfy the justice of God according to 1Peter 3:18, "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God." And 1Peter 2:24, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross.”  And Romans 5:10, "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.”

At the cross, an amazing exchange took place: our sins were credited to Jesus; His righteousness is credited to those who follow him. “He (God) made Him(Jesus)  who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Therefore, Jesus alone is Savior and Lord!   By His life, Jesus attained righteousness on sinners’ behalf.   By His death, Jesus paid the penalty that sinners owed.  By His resurrection, Jesus defeated death for all who will follow Him.  This is why Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Does this make sense to you?

The bible calls what God has done for us, in Jesus Christ, a GIFT.  Do you remember how Romans 6:23 said “for the wages of sin is death…”?  It goes on to say “BUT the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  And this is great news because what we deserve is justice; but in Jesus, God gives us grace according to Ephesians 2:8-9, "by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not of your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” What we deserve is death; but in Jesus, God gives us life according to John 3:16, “for God so loved the world, that He sent His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

GRACE means unmerited favor.   It means you cannot earn God’s approval.  Grace is not something that can be earned; it is something that is received. God welcomes you not based on what you have done for Him; He welcomes you based completely and only on that Jesus Christ has done for you. “For while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10).  Through His life, death and resurrection, Jesus has finished all the work required by God for the salvation of sinners.  Salvation is by God’s grace, it is a gift that is available to anyone will receive it.  Would you like to receive this free gift?

CHANGE OF HEART

The bible tells us that we receive this gift through faith and repentance.  We must TURN from our sin and self (repentance) and TRUST in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Faith).  Jesus commanded the people to repent and believe in the Gospel.  In Mark 1:15 Jesus says, "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."  Jesus demands a response.  What will your response be?  Will you repent and believe the gospel?  Will you turn from your sin and self and trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?


Then, by His Grace through faith, confess your sin before God, Romans 10:9 says, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  And by His grace through faith, trust in the promise of God, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not of your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). And by His grace through faith, forsake yourself and live for God, Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

ETERNAL LIFE

Jesus says,  “I tell you the truth, he who believes in Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47)

Reflecting on God's Greatness

"Who is it that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?...

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were the bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed?'

Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place?...

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?

Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightenings, that they may go and say to you, 'Here we are'?

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?" (Job 32:1-37)

Oh that I might stand in awe of the sheer power and greatness of God and worship Him for who He is in Himself.

This Uncaused One (God) has caused me to be born again into a living hope. Into a sure hope and one day I will see Him, the one who made all things and sustains all things by His Word, for His own glory and in that seeing there will be joy inexpressible and full of glory.

Oh God deliver me from feeble faith and flabby worship.

Boast in this: That You Understand and Know God

God, through the prophet Jeremiah, says,

Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

What does it mean to understand and know the Lord?

Well the idea is a progress that begins with salvation and continues through eternity.

Yes, in one since salvation is immediate "for everyone who calls on the will be saved" (Romans 10:13). And John tells us, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life" (1John 5:13).

But there is a sense in which salvation is a progression. Paul writes in to the Corinthian believers, "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are BEING saved it is the power of God" (1Corinthians 1:18). And Paul prays for the Ephesian believers saying, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might" (Ephesians 1:17-19).

So there is a progression in salvation, a growing that takes place. Therefore, when God says in Jeremiah that our boast is in knowing and understanding God, not to be only a saving knowledge of Him, but an ever deepening understanding of Him.

The more deeply we know God the more rightly we see our selves and the more we know ourselves rightly the more we understand our absolute need for God and the more we see our need for God the more glorious He becomes to us. This is what Paul is praying for in the hearts and minds of the Ephesians--and for us.

So this journey of knowing and understanding God is humbling because we will realize our own depravity, that there is nothing in us that would cause God to save us.

Our emotions will run wild as we see the depths of our own sin and the even deeper truth of God's grace, that God has called His people by their name--individually and personally "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep" (John 10:14-15).

Think about this the knowledge of God. His knowledge is perfect. He knows you completely. There is nothing hidden from God. There is no secret sin that He does not know about you. There is no accusation given against you that He does not already know. He knew you fully and completely before He created you. And He knew you fully and completely when He chose to save you before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1:4). And still He has called you--individually and personally--unto Himself, bearing your sin on the cross.

Knowing and understanding God is a personal journey and it is an emotional journey. But it is also a very practical journey because growing in a knowledge of God produces obedience to Christ and obedience produces a deeper knowledge of God. You cannot grow in a true knowledge of God and not be continually transformed by His grace.

God invites us to know Him. He has given us His Word, so that we can understand Him. Let's embark on this thrilling journey of knowing God.

Oh Father, grant us eyes to see the wonderful things in Your law and in seeing them may we behold the beauty of who You so that our souls will be satisfied in Christ. Amen!