The Unspeakable Gift of Jesus

O God of grace,
teach me to know that grace

precedes,
accompanies, and
follows

my salvation;
that it sustains the redeemed soul,
that not one link of its chain can ever break.
From Calvary’s cross, wave upon wave of grace

reaches me,
deals with my sin,
washes me clean,
renews my heart,
strengthens my will,
draws out my affection,
kindles a flame in my soul,
rules throughout my inner man,
consecrates my every thought, word, work,
teaches me Your immeasurable love.

How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus.

Without him I stand far off, a stranger, an outcast.
in him I draw near and touch His kingly scepter.
Without him I dare not lift up my guilty eyes;
in him I gaze upon my Father-God and friend.
Without him I hide my lips in trembling shame;
in him I open my mouth in petition and praise.
Without him all is wrath and consuming fire.
in him is all love, and the repose of my soul.
Without him is gaping hell below me, and eternal anguish.
in him its gates are barred to me by His precious blood!
Without him darkness spreads its horrors before me.
in him an eternity of glory is my boundless horizon.
Without him all within me is terror and dismay,
in him every accusation is charmed into joy and peace.
Without him all things external call for my condemnation;
In him they minister to my comfort, and are to be enjoyed with thanksgiving.

Praise be to You for grace,
and for the unspeakable gift of Jesus.

—”Privileges,” from The Valley of Vision

HT: Justin Taylor

All of Grace

Last night, as I came into God's presence in song and prayer, I was deeply overwhelmed that all that I am and all that I have received is due to the infinite grace of God. Every breath that I breathe, every second that I continue to exist is because of the grace of God!

And this grace is something that I could never earn or claim from God, but it is given solely because of the goodness of God. It is freely lavished upon me apart from any work or merit on my own part. For that I give God praise.

And not only has God given me grace upon grace, but He has promised me future grace that will never end, for when I get to Heaven the grace will never end.

And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. (Romans 11:6)

All of grace; it is all of grace!

Some Thoughts after Communion Last Night

Unworthy. That's what I am. That's what we all are because of this sin that plagues our every thought and deed. We do not deserve, happiness, peace, liberty, life, forgiveness, and so on. All that we deserve is just punishment by a Holy God for our infinitely offensive sins. We don't even deserve the air that we breathe.

And no matter how hard we try, there's nothing we can do to change that for everything that we do is tainted by sin. In and of ourselves, we stand justly condemned and helpless to do anything about it.

But I'm so glad that's not the end of the story.

This is only the terrifying prologue that sets the stage for the most beautiful story ever told. If you haven't gotten past the prologue yet, this is the rest of the story: God sent His perfect Son to take on flesh, and He, who was like us yet without sin, took the punishment that by all rights was ours and justly deserved by us to give us more than we could ever imagine, hope or attain.

And all of this for His glory so that one day all those that find their greatest joy and fulfillment in God- people of every tribe and tongue- will gather around the throne and sing together with one voice,

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" (Rev. 5:12)

This is the outstanding beauty of the Gospel, not that was anything in us worthy of being rescued from condemnation, but that He who was worthy and who is worthy of all glory and honor and praise and life everlasting chose to take our place so that we would not suffer our just punishment, but live forever in the eternal joy of God. Praise the Lord for sending His Son! Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain!

Free Grace?

Is grace really free? I mean, completely and totally free?

I most certainly and wholeheartedly affirm that grace is free for us, the recipients. It is freely given according to God's good will. But let us not think that this means grace is cheap. Grace was bought for a high price- the highest. Namely, the life of the Son of God.

We should never forget this important truth, but I think we often do. We act as if grace is cheap. We don't realize how much it took for us to be able to receive that grace. God sent His only Son, who was perfect, without any spot or blemish to suffer inhumane torture and punishment, die a criminal's death, and bear the wrath of God for our sins. There was, is and never will be anyone who deserved that kind of treatment less than Jesus Christ.

And yet, this was all for us. He took the suffering, the pain, the scorn, the wrath, and the death that each and everyone of us rightfully deserved so that we may be forgiven. He who was without sin became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is why grace is free for us who receive it.

May we honor the sacrifice that Christ made for us. He rose again and now offers this forgiveness to all who believe in Him. If you have not, please accept his gift that no one can earn or hope to buy in anyway. His gift that is free for us to receive.

And if you are already a Christian, please remember the sacrifice God made for you and never take grace lightly.