How did we get where we are today? There is nothing that we can do in ourselves to pick us up and wash us off to put us on the journey of life. There is no amount of prayer or bible study that we could have done to save us. God uses these as means for us to realize the need for Him but the reality is that there is nothing we can do to bring salvation to our hearts.
Grace is brought to man but there must also be a response. The Lord has chosen us (Deuteronomy 7:6). Moses in all of his writings tells us that there is nothing more or nothing less that causes God to love us. There was nothing in the nature of the people of Israel for God to love them but there were signs that showed that they needed love and salvation. God saw the falling state of man and desired to catch him before he touched the ground.
The Stubborn Grace of God
The word ‘stubborn’ means to not change from one’s position or attitude. The people of Israel were not stable, they were of God and then they weren’t. They were stubborn but God was stubborn too. God was firm in His position to love them and to save them. Over and over the people of Israel failed to respond to the grace of God. They were stiff-necked people who turned their back on God. God chose them and initiated the covenant with them. Even though there was a covenant, they still sinned.
What is sin? Sin is to miss the mark which is the standard of God. The standard of God is closely related to the character of God. There is no evil or wrong doing in God (Job 34:10). Holy is what sets God apart. Everything else in creation has been influenced by sin. Anything that opposes the character of God is sin. In the world today, there are many diseases that are the effect of a sinful world. There are acts of homosexuality and sexual immorality. Through the choice and disobedience of man, sin was welcomed into the earth realm. If God is true, then lies are sins. If God is love then hate is sin. Israel walked in that place of sin over and over again, they took their lives into their own hands. Their commitment to God was very shallow. Many times God was moved to angry because of the sin that was displayed. They forgot Yahweh for prosperity (Hosea 13:6). But the good news is that the anger of God only lasts but for a moment.
God raised up prophets to call His people to repentance. Why is it that God would want to call a perverse, adulterous, wicked and ungodly people to Himself? God raised up men to sound the alarm. Hosea stood as an ambassador for God. Hosea whose name means ‘God saves’ spoke and sounded the alarm for God. God raised him up to help Israel know their sin. In the book of Hosea, we see displayed the Father heart of God. The heart that is moved for His people. We see that although Israel was in sin, God still loved them. God passionately pursues His people.
Although the people pushed God away, the grace of God came into the picture (Hosea 11:1-11). God said, ” I drew them with gentle cords with bands of love”. We can run but we cannot hide from God. Even though Israel was running they couldn’t hide form God (Isaiah 49:15). He saw when Israel was committing sin but the cords of love of the Father continued to draw them. God’s grace was pulling. People go further from God but grave releases more. Grace and more grace. No matter how deep, you went into dirt, the Word says that He loves with an everlasting love. God is not slow in His promises and He wants all to come to repentance. This is the power of grace. The grace of God continually went after Israel. God’s heart was changed within Him. We know how dirty it got but God looked upon us and pulled with cords of love.
Israel had no right to deserve grace. It is not that God approved of their sin but He was passionately going after them. God chose you. Even though we were deep in sin, He chose to love us anyway and pull us out. God is the initiator of goodness and kindness in our lives. He knows that we desperately need Him and He rescued us. It is to His benefit to pull us out of the dirt because out of it comes praise. Many of us can testify that even though the pull of sin was on us, the pull of grace was even greater. The Old Covenant was established but now God desired to change the story and desired to write their law and His Spirit on the heart of every man (John 1:14).
God saw us when we didn’t even see Him. Jesus took on and bore the sins of the world to break and destroy the works of sin on our lives (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 5:8). Before the death of Christ, the law said kill them but after the death of Christ the Spirit of God said keep them. Where there was once a time sin would take us out, now we have the authority over sin. Under the new covenant, God has prepared a way for everyone to come into the knowledge to the saving power of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). Grace revealed Jesus. It is because of the grace and goodness of God, that He sent Jesus into the earth so that His people can live again. The Lord has never abandoned His people and He never will.
When we consider the grace of God, we should be moved to greater depths of worship and devotion. It should produce devotion. It is not a matter of rules and regulations. When we live by the Spirit, we are free from being ruled by the law. Works were always required to produce forgiveness in the old covenant but in the new covenant God says it is not by works that any man should boast. God doesn’t want us to live in a place of traditions and rituals, He wants it to be a 24/7 lifestyle. He doesn’t want it by our works, He wants to be the One who draws us to the word and causes us to serve. It is all about God.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11-13
God has sent Jesus to the earth and it beckons a response from man. Salvation has appeared to everyone, the vagrant, the suicidal, the weak. There is hope again because the grace of God has showed itself to all humanity. The grace did not only come but it had some expectations of us. The grace of God teaches us to say no.
There are various expectations from grace:
– to abhor sin
We don’t have to fight sin in our own strength and power. We are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Anything that is contrary to God, we should no longer desire. We should no longer desire the things we use to do. The grace of God restrains and pulls us back from living a life of sin. Sin is for sinners. Because we are in Christ, we are dead to sin. Why is it that so many in the body of Christ are falling habitually into sin? Sin is a choice, we choose if we want to or not. As believers, we have a choice to make.
– to passionately pursue godliness.
When we get rid of sin, we have to replace it with godliness. Godliness is a determination to passionately devote ourselves to God, His will, His character and His strength. We must be disciplined to possess the characteristics of Jesus Christ. Godliness comes through the power that is released from the Holy Spirit who is within us. The Holy Spirit is the one who stands by and accompanies us in our lives. Therefore we shouldn’t grieve Him. Ungodliness says to live wildly, godliness says to live self control. Ungodliness says be proud at your accomplishments but godliness says live humility. Grace teaches us to live lives that are godly and upright. Whatever the pressure we can live godly.
Jesus was assuring His disciples that even though He was leaving, He was going to return (John 14:1-3). While we wait for the return of Jesus, the bride is being prepared. God is preparing us for not only this place, this world but somewhere else, a place of citizenship. We are not citizens of this earthly realm but of heaven. If we kept the return of Jesus in constant view, we wouldn’t live a life of falling and stumbling. Grace does not desire us to be left behind but is routing for us so that we could abide with Christ so that at His appearing we wouldn’t be ashamed. The grace of God has not brought us out of sin to see us not finish the race but He is cheering us on.
– to be eager to do what is good
Why is it that we are so comfortable to just receive in church but yet not to do good works? There are still too many people sitting at church still not doing anything. We need to get off the seats and plug into something that is worthy of our calling in Jesus Christ. There is nothing that restrains us from doing the greater that God has called us to do. We need to be passionate about our Father’s business. If God has saved us, we need to get out of our seats so that God can be glorified. We need to be hospitable, be an encourager, be graceful and be humble. We should serve the Lord with gladness. It doesn’t matter if we are seen or not seen. God sees us.
Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise.
For it was grace that bought my liberty,
I do not know just why He came to love me so.
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary,
To view the cross, where Jesus died for me
How marvellous the grace that caught my falling soul
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
