April 29, 2012

Church Website: sermonaudio.com/dleeb

O, Lamb of God, still keep me,

Near to Thy wounded side;

Tis only there in safety

And peace I can abide.

What foes and snares surround me!

What lusts and fears within!

The grace that sought and found me

Alone can keep me clean.

'Tis only in Thee hiding,

I know my life secure;

Only in Thee abiding,

I steadfast shall endure.

Thine arm the victory gaineth

O'er every hurtful foe'

Thy love my heart sustaineth

In all it's care and woe.

Soon shall my eyes behold Thee,

With rapture, face to face;

The half hath not been told me,

Of all Thy power and grace

Thy beauty, Lord, and glory,

The wonders of Thy love,

Shall be the endless story

Of all Thy saints above.

(Tune: "The Church's One Foundation" Pg.186)

We are saved by immense grace and this immense grace of the eternal God has appeared in the person of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11; Jn 1:14). Our redeemer is full of grace and truth" and "of His fullness we have all received and grace for grace” (Jn 1:16). Literally we have received grace "piled upon" grace. Just as there are continual arrivals of waves on the sea shore so we are constantly receiving wave upon wave of God’s inexhaustible grace in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the grace of God in human form. His grace is Glorious

(Ephesians 1:6). Abundant (Acts 4:33); Rich (Ephesians 1:7); Manifold (many-sided,) (1 Peter 4:10) and Sufficient (there is never a shortage) (2Cor 12:9).

Surely then, in the light of these gospel truths we can learn to be gracious one to another? You see it’s one thing to know the words of the song of grace, but quite another to know the melody.

The following is a great illustration of the application of gospel grace.

In the 1800’s London had two famous preachers, Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker. On one occasion, Parker commented about the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon’s orphanage. Word of this came to Spurgeon, but by the time it arrived, it was reported to Spurgeon that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker from his pulpit and the attack was printed in the newspaper and became the talk of the town. Londoners flocked to Parker’s church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal.

Here’s what Parker said,

“I understand Mr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage,” Parker said. “I suggest we take a love offering for the orphanage.”

The crowd was delighted; ushers had to empty the collection plates three times. Later that week, there was a knock at Parker’s study. It was Spurgeon.

“You know, Parker, you have practiced grace on me,” he said. “You have given me not what I deserved; you have given me what I needed.”

May we all have the grace to live as though the gospel is real and that grace has indeed arrived in the person of Jesus the Christ.

The following is a good, concise summary of the believer's hope in Christ. "Adam disobeyed the law; we disobey it. God insists that we keep it perfectly. He cannot insist on anything less! We cannot keep it perfectly; then Christ does it for us. Christ, all His human life, was under the law, keeping the law to make us a record. He earned heaven for us on the principle of 'Do this and live.' Christ did, and we plead His merit. I get heaven simply on the ground of Christ's performances–His righteous life, His obedience, reckoned mine, is my obedience."

~~~ O ~~~