"Grace"
May 9, 2021
We mostly associate Grace with what we call being saved. And that is a wrong concept and a lack of understanding of the LORD. Romans 5:1&2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
We have limited Him by our religious jargon and define our LORD according to our beliefs. But He does not fit in our box. He is larger than the universe that He created so why do we limit Him in our life. I want to answer that and to illuminate our minds about Jesus Christ and the Grace of God.
This is not a typical Mother's Day Message as it normally goes. I will mention three [3]women: Moses' mother Jochebed, Pharoah's daughter, and Mary the mother of Jesus. and then I will talk about the Grace of God.
To do this for the first two [2], I want to share a story with you, a bible story, about the power of God:
Physical Life is a gift of God and by His Grace
Hebrews 11:23, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. The word proper is explained in Acts 7:20, In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:
Why did Jochebed and Arman hide their baby boy? 1 ]To preserve his life from Pharaoh's pronouncement to destroy Hebrew male infants. This edict was a satanic attempt to destroy the line of heritage through which Jesus would come. Another satanic attempt to keep Jesus from the Cross was made by Herod, Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. 2] Because of what they saw: a proper child [1]"It would seem that the remarkable beauty of the infant was understood by his parents as a divine sign given for the guidance of their conduct. The next clause should probably be closely connected with this—"because they saw . . . and we're not afraid of the king's commandment," Their reliance on the protection of God enabled them to brave the anger of the king." and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
It is only as a believer in Jesus Christ and the molding of your soul by the Spirit of Christ, who enables you to see the true worth of your child. A divine life truly the Gift of God entrusted to you to bring up in the nurture and admonition.
The Word "Nurture" means discipline, training, instruction - in the nurture = with (Greek. en) discipline. Greek. paideia. Only here; 2Ti_3:16. It is the word "instruction in righteousness"
Heb_12:5, Heb_12:7, Heb_12:11. it is the word "chastening". 12:8 it is used as the word " chastisement" and nurture both means to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Chastisement is the work of the LORD in us to correct our lives.
The burden of keeping him hid for three months? I want to focus on The phrase – she hid him, Hebrews 11:23. Maybe one of the reasons as Stephen said in Acts 7:20, In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months: was to create talking points to help his Mother to pass him off as a girl. [Oh isn't she beautiful, dressing him in pink for a while you can't tell the difference] Which she had to do to keep him from being found out. At birth, The LORD protected him through the mid-wives, Exodus 1:16-22 but now Jochebed has to conceal his identity by dressing him as a girl.
Evidently, for three months, Jochebed lived every moment of every day with the tension of being found out. For 90 days as she nursed him, and guarded him, and kept him, she made sure no one was around when he was bathed or when he was changed. What about circumcision? Suppose to be done according to law at eight [8] days old. Would there be complications? All added burdens. And during that time to devise a plan for an ark and I am sure she used Ark of Noah as a guide; it is truly an act of faith and courage in their Saviour, Who was near to them.
For centuries, this particular daughter of Pharaoh, unnamed here in this text, has been known and passed along one Jewish generation after another. Why was she coming to the river? It was not to take a bath. The Egyptians had indoor plumbing she had all there was no need to go to the Nile to bathe only the slaves bathed in the Nile. She had a need and was looking to their river god[believed by them to be a fertility god] to meet that need. And instead met the only God.
Jewish traditions have kept the story alive and passed along, honoring her for her remarkable compassion and courage. Her given name, many believed was Thermusa, but later changed to Bithia. Bithia means, "daughter of Jehovah." Something of God's grace occurred in her life. I wish I had more details but I do not. This woman considered it more important to be the daughter of Jehovah, than the daughter of Pharaoh.
Moses never forgot what he had learned in those early days of his life. Heb 11:23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Moses was chosen by God to lead Israel out of Egypt. And he no doubt influenced this daughter of Pharoah.
1 Chronicle chapter 4 records the lineage of the Hebrews coming out of Egypt at the Exodus, as Moses led them out – and we read I Chronicles 4:17. And the sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And these are the sons of Bithia the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took) . . . Shammai and Ishbah. Let me just read that again . . . These are the sons of Bithia the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered (a Jewish man) took to be his wife . . . their names are Shammai and Ishbah. That's not all. We're given not only the names of the sons – which is traditional genealogical practice. But in this case, we are given the name of her firstborn, which just so happened to be a baby girl. And verse 17 tells us that she named her daughter Miriam. It was Miriam, Moses's older sister that introduced this princess of Egypt to Moses' mother.
We are living in a different time today. We are living in the age of grace. When your children and grandchildren need to hear about the saving power of Jesus Christ. We have a greater than Moses, Hebrews 3:5-6.
Listen to the mother of Jesus in Luke 1:41-47. She was at His crucifixion. She was at His ascension Acts 1:10-`14. Jesus is not on the cross. They called His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins. She took her place as one who needed to be born again, John 3:3,6
There were people in the O.T. who believed in the coming Messiah and were born again before they knew Jesus was the Messiah. [They were looking for the Messiah because one had been promised.] But when Jesus came and started His public ministry your faith must be in Jesus Christ for everlasting life.
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ, Joh_1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.Joh_1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
True we are saved by grace, Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Grace does not end at the moment of our being saved. It is then we find ourselves standing in His Grace. And we see by the context of scripture that all our life is by His Grace. You cannot separate Jesus Christ, the Cross, and God's Grace.
All through the Bible, you are confronted with Jesus Christ, the Cross, and His Grace. He said to Thomas, Joh 20:27 "…. Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. Joh 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God."
He will always bear in His Body the wounds of Calvary. "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced…." And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.
Then in Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
God's grace is greater than our characteristics. His Grace does not depend on, or look or take into consideration our merit or makeup. His Grace touches the unlikely, the forgotten, the hopeless, the one who willingly received Him, that believe on His Name, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
1] You must be saved by Jesus Christ, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
2] You are born again at the moment you believed, to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. You are born from above at the point of believing on Jesus Christ who did the work of salvation on the Cross by Himself,[ Hebrews 1:3]
3] You are saved by grace through faith. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: He saved you more than two thousand years ago on the Cross and that is His Grace, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. and He is not asking you to do anything but believe on Him for His promise of eternal life.
When we left N.C. in 1968 we have been to many places but you always knew why He sent you It was to the people who received you, those who believed His Word.
God has so blessed us with His Grace, For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. What did our Saviour do for us? 1Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. This body that was prepared by the Father, the Virgin birth, the incarnation of God, the sinless Son of Man was beaten beyond recognition and nailed to The Cross bore our sin in His body. And the taunts from the unbelieving world were to save yourself and come down from the Cross. If He had come down to save Himself we would have been lost forever.
Blood is important to our life. The human body is so complex and we are His creation. For the life of the flesh is in the blood: Our blood vessels carry blood to all part of our without which we could not live. The blood vessels in our body, if stretch out end to end would reach more than 60,000 miles. "Without the shedding of Blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.
Jesus is the Son of Man Who Shed His Blood for us.
He shed His blood in the Garden when He prayed – He shed His blood when upon His brow they placed a crown of thorns – He bled as He was beaten over and over again, He bled on the way to Calvary, He bled on the Cross, He bled when they pierced His side. Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
And He is the One who promises you life, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. Do you believe His promise of life? Most people answer to themself, saying, I known If I believe I have everlasting life! The answer to you is this: You have what He promised. If you believe He promised you, you have what He promised. 1Jn 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, eternal life.
[1] Discovery Bible software
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