Grace V

Restoring Grace

2 Samuel 14:19 And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: 20 To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. 21 And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. 22 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant.

Unless you are a better person than Jesus is you have done foolish and hurtful things in your life; maybe even this week.  Because of his ‘mistakes’ David suffered all his life because of the disobedience of his children.  This came from sleeping with married women and committing murder.  In spite of this God found something of great value in David; a heart to submit to God and surrender to His will.  Before you judge him too harshly you should know that David was raised by a father who wasn’t even sure David was his and brothers who despised him.  His entire youth was spent alone with the sheep; the only love he received was from his mother. 

I don’t explain these things so you will totally ignore the evil things David did in his life, but to make you understand that in today’s value relativism America people are abandoning the truths of God as fast as they can.  Children are no longer led in prayer in school and we wonder why they bring a gun to class when they have been bullied and try to murder their tormenters.  If you believe there is no life after death and no hell to be suffered then you might just feel that it is a gracious thing to kill bad kids and then take your own life.  After all, in your wounded mind you have served the rest of humanity with a useful service. 

Now, before you say, “That’s insane,” consider that you can’t judge what someone else believes.  Remember, there is no right or wrong.  Who is to say that the young man who killed all those children in a school was not serving a higher purpose?  Okay, calm down.  I know they weren’t, but did THEY know?  I have heard couples say that they didn’t want to FORCE their religion on their children.  In one case a Catholic woman from a religious family married a Jewish man from a religious family.  They chose to let their little hellions grow up religion free. 

Sorry, perhaps they aren’t hellions.  Perhaps they’re just non-believers who will go to hell with no knowledge of a God in Heaven.  Perhaps their parents have simply failed them utterly, first by denying their own faiths, second by marrying outside of their faiths for LUV (can you hear the heavenly music and see the choirs of angels singing hallelujah at the word LUV?)  No?  Me either.  They failed their God, failed their faith, failed their children and their future in the spirit.  They decided to marry because it felt good and they liked each other a lot.  It is no better than two men marrying one another and saying that God would not send them to hell because they LUV each other.  I can’t say LOVE because LOVE is something much more noble and requires an understanding of God to receive.  Apart from His love, God is HOLY and holiness requires a life free from sin.  Raising your children to ignore God is not teaching them to be free from sin.

Getting back to David we find that he was just such a parent.  He didn’t learn how to parent a child while growing up because his father, the example every young man needs, wouldn’t have anything to do with him.  David learned from his mother alone and it prevented him from fully maturing.  If you ladies who are raising your sons without a father are screaming at me that you’re doing a great job…uh…no.  Just because you find yourself in this situation does not make it a good one.  Children need BOTH parents to grow up strong and noble.  One parent, no matter how loving and saved, cannot raise their children as good as two saved parents.  It just can’t happen.

Scripture says that David…like his father…never even corrected his children for bad behavior.  His son Amnon thought he LUV’d his step sister Tamar and forced himself on her because daddy didn’t raise him any better, and then when the deed was done hated HER as if it was her fault.  Leviticus 18:9 says it is evil to uncover the nakedness of your sister.  When you consider her other brothers, it is criminally stupid as well.  Apostle Sims used to say that sin makes you stupid.  You will do things that in the light of cold reason you would never consider.  In this case David was extremely angry but other than bluster and yell he didn’t punish Amnon.

Absalom watched to see what would happen and when no punishment was levied for the sin against his beloved little sister he decided to take matters into his own hands.  He was a subtle young man and waited until things had died down before he invited Amnon to a party, in fact he even sought his father's unwitting help in his plan.  Once he got his brother good and drunk (against scripture), he killed him and fled to get away from his father’s wrath.  You might say it was all Amnon’s fault it happened or blame Absalom or David for being a lousy father.  Whatever you believe, the truth is that none of them were biblically founded and because they were not strong in their scripture they did as they wanted. 

Getting back to our original scripture, Absalom was tired hiding out in the town he had fled to.  He wanted to come back to Jerusalem and the night life there.  He kept seeking permission through Joab who refused to pass the request on.  Absalom eventually took the drastic measure of setting Joab’s fields on fire to get his attention which precipitated this conversation between a subtle Joab, an unknown woman and the king.  It can be difficult to obtain grace from a king who has his own weaknesses and failures so you might get help for someone who does not deserve it.  Ultimately, grace won out and Absalom was allowed back home. 

Sadly, since nothing had changed in the way David treated his sons or dealt with family problems so bringing Absalom home eventually caused more harm than good.  The brother who was incensed with his father’s handling of his sister’s rape eventually raped his father’s concubines.  There is an old saying that hurt people hurt people.  This is quite true.  Punishment is not pleasant, but once it is completed the person is free to live their life with a greater understanding of what is allowed and what is not.  Never doubt that it is far better to be chastened for wrongdoing than to ‘get away with it.’  We never truly get away with anything…not now or in the time to come.

Undeserved Grace

Ezra 9:7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. 8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah the weeping prophet told Israel they would be in bondage for 70 years for their sins.  After the time was up God sent word it was time and arranged for their release from slavery.  This was one of those occasions where God had turned the heart of the captors to His service and released the Jews…all the Jews.  The majority of those who returned from Babylon were of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin though all the tribes were represented.  Sadly, much fewer braved the hardships of travel to Jerusalem and began to rebuild the Temple.  Ezra was ashamed to ask for a military guard because he had told the Persian king that God would protect them. 

He left with only the barest representation of the Jews in captivity and without any protection but Gods.  Because he went with so few and without help, the work never progressed fully due to the attacks from outsiders and those who longed to see the Jews dead and forgotten.  Until the time of Nehemiah they were stopped and persecuted and because they failed to leave Babylon as a whole people they were too few to succeed.  The book of Esther is partly an allegorical account of their failure to obey the call of their King and be presented to the world as His bride.  It contained a response that God would choose a new bride, a faithful bride if the royal bride would not stand in that place of honor. 

Like Israel today, a bare few chose to endure the hardship of total obedience to God and press in.  Those few were preserved until God arranged a more organized and believing group to come and rebuild the holy city.  Israel today is largely a secular society and yet there is greatness there if they would but acknowledge the God of their fathers.  One day, when the church is removed they will acknowledge God and stand in faith and power.  A very few, like the Rabbi who God revealed His savior to, will know the truth.  This is because we are told that if we seek the truth it will be given to us.  The truth made Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri…one of the most revered sages in Israel who died at 108…free from his sins.  He not only declared that Jesus is the Messiah but Prophesied that He (Jesus) would return after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died. 

Ariel Sharon is still in a vegetative coma since a stroke in 2006.  Lately he has been showing some signs of consciousness.

Promoting Grace

Esther 2:15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her. 16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

In Esther, we have a book with more hidden meaning than most other books in the Bible.  I love in verse 15 where it says, “…she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain…appointed (to her).”  Esther wasn’t a blab it and grab it saint.  She was satisfied with whatever she received.  Because of her gentle and submissive spirit she was looked upon with favor by everyone who knew her.  When king Ahasuerus got to know all the young women brought for his examination, she not only caught his eye, but his heart as well.  Vashti had proven herself unworthy.  She would not come when the king called.

The lesson of Esther is not that a woman should ignore her husband and his leadership, but that a gracious and godly individual will submit to the authority that has been placed over their life.  We are the bride of Christ and are supposed to submit to God in all things.  Why do so many Christian churches wrestle with scriptural concepts simply because they are not well received by the world at large.  The world has no place in the kingdom of God.  This is clearly explained in scripture.  How do we get the idea that God will lower His expectations simply because we feel guilty preaching about those expectations.  He is God and does not answer to our mistaken belief that everyone should be saved because Hell is not a good place and God loves us.  God’s love for mankind does not change the fact that God is holy and a holy God cannot accept sin, not in us and not in anyone else.

Scripture goes on to say that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).  If He says sin will not live in His sight then God will not allow sin in His sight.  When we refuse to come to Him through Jesus and strive to submit ourselves to Him, He has no plan of redemption through any other.  There is no plan of salvation apart from the sacrifice of Christ and there is no plan of salvation in any other name.  The truth is, we cannot understand the Word of God unless we are born again.  His Word is spiritually discerned and cannot be understood fully without a born again spirit.  Even Satan misquoted and probably misunderstood scripture when talking to Jesus.  His own sin has blinded him to the truth.

Redeeming Grace

Psalm 45:1 My heart is indicting a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

In Luke 24:44, Psalm 40:7 and Hebrews 10:7 it explains that Jesus is spoken of in the volume of the book.  There are several messianic psalms and Psalms 45 is just one of them.  Can you picture God sitting at a desk with the Torah before Him?  He is saying in effect, “My heart is pronouncing a good thing.  I BOAST of what I have made…your King!  My tongue is the pen of a skilled writer.  With it I have established the worlds and with it I have established your King!”

2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

More beautiful are you than the children of men:  MY grace is poured like living water into your lips (Jesus):  because of it I have blessed you and made you (Jesus) a blessing for ever.

Jesus is more beautiful than we are and the Grace of God has been poured without measure into his lips.  He is forever blessed and because of the eternal grace, we are forever blessed.

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

Jesus came to be the suffering servant, but once He fulfilled that task He is returning to be the conquering Messiah and King.  Jesus carries a sword on His thigh.  That sword is the Word of God.  No one is mightier than He and He is full of glory and majesty.  This is not the suffering servant.  This is the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, The beginning and ending, the first and the last. 

4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

We are the body of Christ.  As the body of Christ we obtain our Lord’s attributes as our natural bodies obtain our physical body’s attributes for its own.  We ride in prosperity because of truth, meekness and righteousness.  You might say, “I’ll never let someone walk on me; step on me.  I’m nobody’s fool!”  Let me ask you; how’s that working for you?  Defending yourself and deciding what you’ll take and what you won’t; has it added wealth to your life…real wealth?  God says that our Savior’s…truth…meekness…and righteousness bring us prosperity.  It says that Jesus’ right hand shall teach us wondrous and terrible things.  What is in His right hand?  His Sword is in His right hand.  The Word of God shall teach you wondrous and terrible things.  Scripture says God’s glory conceals truths but it is the honor of kings to search out a matter (Proverbs 25:2).  We are kings and priests and our wisdom comes directly from God through His Word and the Spirit of God.

5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

We strive so much to say God will never allow us to spend an eternity in torment because He loves us.  That idea ignores the truth that God is…as I have said before…HOLY.  Aaron sinned terribly against God on numerous occasions but as long as he wore the linen ephod with HOLY UNTO THE LORD on it he was not himself but belonged to the office of the High Priest and could not be touched.  Once he retired and passed the ephod to his son God required his life and he died.  Eli the judge and High Priest failed to reign in his sons and so God killed them in battle and allowed Eli to fall off a fence and break his neck.  If God expects holiness from His own people, then how much more will He demand it from sinners who refuse Him.

6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter.

The throne of Jesus is an eternal throne.  It will have no end.  If you believe there are many different ways to come to God then why would He give Jesus and Jesus only an eternal throne.  He also gives him a scepter, a badge of office and that scepter is a scepter of righteousness. 

7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

I love this verse.  If we walk in the grace of God we will love righteousness and hate wickedness. The more we walk in His grace the more we will hate sin and love righteousness.  It is this attitude that will ultimately see us anointed with the oil of gladness.  That oil brings healing and sets us free.  The more we love that holy life the more oil of gladness and the more healing we will obtain from God.

Bishop J