Laced With Grace

On Sunday the sermon was (of course) on the resurrection.

Christ offers us resurrection, eternal life, salvation. Not “resuscitation” – we will have to face death again. Christ offers us resurrection, to go through death and never have to face it again.

The pastor gave an illustration of a typewriter.

God is not offering us white out.

He’s not even offering us new paper.

No – Christ offers something totally new! Entirely different.

With whiteout, the mistake is still on the paper, it is only covered up. With new paper, you “get rid of the evidence”.

Christ offers us a new way…

Christ has the “delete key”.

He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psa 103:10-12)

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:18-20

Today is Easter Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb. We celebrate hope in a Savior who died for our sins so that we could live in freedom. We celebrate the fact that God had his only Son take on our punishment being treated as though he was the most unrighteous person so that we could be made righteous before the Lord. We celebrate the fact that the cross and resurrection is the basis of our salvation and without that sacrifice we would live in total depravity forever. We celebrate the final blow Jesus dealt death. The atoning work of Christ on the cross and subsequent resurrection gave us, the believer, more power to live in victory that we sometimes acknowledge.

We can rejoice today in our salvation. The cross is our justification, our atonement and our ransom payment. The death on the cross and resurrection is our hope! Jesus reconciled us with the Father by paying the price of our sins in His death. Romans 3:24-25 ESV says:

and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, “THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,” He then says, “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.” Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Hebrews 10:14-18 NASB.

Because of Jesus’ work on the cross we are given the incredible opportunity to become a saint upon our conversion. As the Holman Bible Dictionary says, we are not free from sin but free from the death penalty of sin. Our salvation begins our lifelong process of sanctification and enables us to live a holy and righteous life with God through the power of the Holy Spirit for all eternity.

Also, the cross is victory over Satan. It is ironic that Satan thought he had done the ultimate in having the Lord Jesus crucified. Satan did not understand the sovereignty of God to work out His plan. Satan succeeded in his own mind in having Jesus put the death, but the cross is what defeated Satan! Satan played the ultimate role in his own demise. The cross disarmed the demonic powers (Colossians 2:15) and as the Holman Bible Dictionary says, “the cross…forged the final triumph over Satan and his hordes, forcing those spiritual forces to follow his train in a victory procession.” Revelation 12:12 ESV says,

Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

My prayer for your Easter Sunday today is that this brief devotion will ignite and excite you in your own Christian walk with the powerful work of the cross and subsequent resurrection. God loved us so much that He sent His only son to pay a degrading penalty by death on a cross. In God’s ultimate sovereignty it doesn’t end there as Jesus was gloriously risen on the third day so that we could be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life. It was all the work of God that brings us glorious salvation.

How can a simple man become acceptable to a righteous God? John MacArthur answers this question in his teaching this week on Easter

“God, out of love, chooses not to punish the sinner but to punish his son. Therefore does he preserve the integrity of his nature and his reputation and give place to his grace as well. If the sinner were to suffer for his own sin he will suffer eternally and even eternity cannot pay the price or eternity would end. But God is gracious and provides a sacrifice. Jesus Christ died the death that you deserved. He became sin who knew no sin. He died in our place. He is our substitute. He had to be man to die as man. He had to be God to overcome death and sin. And so the God Man had to suffer.”

Our gracious and heavenly father who sits on the throne in glory in splendor, Lord I praise you for your atoning work on the cross to save me in my depraved state of sin and hopelessness to come into saving and amazing grace. Lord, I worship you today as we celebrate You the risen Lord who was in control then and in control know. Thank you for the ultimate sacrifice that gives eternal life to the saints, defeated Satan and death and saved me. I love you with everything I have. In Jesus Christ’s holy and glorious name, Amen.

Have you ever been uncomfortable in your skin? I mean you wanted to jump out and be someone else. Maybe sin has found you out or caught up with you. Maybe you have been called on the carpet about a mistake or mishap at the least and you just wanted to disappear. On a positive note, maybe you have been blessed immeasurable or been given an incredible talent. Whatever the case may be, it causes you to stand out and that makes you uncomfortable.

Back in the Old Testament times the Spirit of God would come and go as the Lord pleases. Many times the Holy Spirit or glory of God would depart from the Israelites due to sin, broken communications, complaining and grumbling. If God got “uncomfortable”, He would not dwell where He was not being honored and glorified..

The scripture tells us we are the temples of the Holy Spirit. That means when Christ died for all people at Calvary, He left the Holy Spirit with us or within us to those who were believers. The Holy Spirit would never leave or depart. It makes me really consider what I must do to the Holy God dwelling or as the original language actually translate “tabernacling” in me, when I sin, quench, and grieve the Holy Spirit.

“Quenching the Spirit means to say no to His presence or lead in our lives. Grieving the Holy Spirit means to give over to sin and to not repent or experience true forgiveness,” writes Beth Moore from Living Beyond Yourself.

Does God get uncomfortable in our skin? Everything God filters down in my life is very much for a reason. When things come into my life, easy, hard, frustrating, exciting or even fun, I have a responsibly in my actions and reactions. He knows and feels my thoughts also. I can react and think in a way that brings Him glory or I can do the opposite that meas Him want to find somewhere else to dwell. He is not that kind of God. He is there to stay and promised to never leave! He just has a hard time working through our lives when we are not living for Him daily.

In Isaiah 66:1 God is asking where He can reside or where He can tabernacle. In verse two we find that He longs to dwell in the place that is humble, contrite in spirit and with one who trembles at the word. He longs to be in the skin of the one that is constantly seeking righteousness and forgiveness; one that is looking to bring Him glory. The tests may be rough, the blessings may be ample, but is He comfortable in your skin?

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption.” ~ Ephesians 4:30

Smileplz,
Leigh (Speaking Thru Me)