Today we will continue our series entitled “God’s Grace & Our Faith.” We are looking at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our primary scriptures are John 1:14 & 17.
(John 1:14 New International Version)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Whenever I talk about God’s sovereignty, I get questions like, “If God is sovereign, then why does He allow a school shooting or cancer?” I think part of the challenge is that people confuse God’s sovereignty with His dedication to allowing us to be free moral agents. Our sovereign God is committed to the system He created. This system is founded upon our right to choose.
God has given us the ability to make our own decisions. He made us to RE-present Him on the earth. He made us to show the earth what heaven is like. But if He did not give us the right to make our own decisions, then He would be doing everything and not us. There would really be no need for man. Worship would be fake because it would be forced and not genuine. Submission would be fictitious because it would be contrived. Any act of sacrifice would be a farce because it would be orchestrated. So for all these things to mean anything, they must come from our hearts, as an act of our FREE WILL!
God gave us both the charge to rule the earth and the choice NOT to do it if we don’t want to. This then leaves this world and many of the decisions made here in OUR hands and NOT God’s!
Let’s look at some scriptures we can walk through over the next few days.
(Psalm 115:16)
The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind.
(Psalm 8:3-6)
David said, “I look at the heavens you made with your hands. I see the moon and the stars you created. And I wonder, “Why are people so important to you? Why do you even think about them? Why do you care so much about humans? Why do you even notice them? You made man almost like gods. You crowned them with glory and honor. You put them in charge of everything you made. You put everything under their control.”
(Genesis 1:26,27)
Then God said, “Now let’s make humans who will be like us. They will rule over all the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. They will rule over all the large animals and all the little things that crawl on the earth.” So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female. God blessed them and said to them, “Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. Rule over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God placed man in charge of the earth.
In the creation account, God said, “Now let’s make humans who will be like us. They will rule over all the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. They will rule over all the large animals and all the little things that crawl on the earth.” So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female. God blessed them and said to them, “Have many children. Fill the earth and take control of it.“ (Genesis 1:26,27)
God made the earth and every living thing in it (outside of man) in five days. Then, on the sixth day, He made man and placed man in charge of everything He made.
— From that day forward, mankind was in charge.
— Humans who blame God for everything that happens on the earth are failing to understand the system God put in place. God gave us the power and authority to rule, govern and dominate this planet.
2. David was fascinated with God’s fascination with us.
David was amazed that a God would take the time to think about a man. David said, “You made man almost like gods. You crowned them with glory and honor. You put them in charge of everything you made. You put everything under their control.” (Psalm 8:3-6)
— Mankind (male and female) is in charge of everything God made.
— Mankind (male and female) is charged with ruling over everything under our control.
— There are many things humans are blaming God for today that God had nothing to do with. These things come as a result of a) the poor decisions of humans, b) the results of a fallen system (see Eph 2:1-3 and 2 Cor 4:4), or c) a host of other reasons. But God is not out here causing havoc on the planet. The planet is in a fallen state already.
3. Understanding free will and ‘sowing and reaping’ is critical to walking with God.
The entire earth functions on a system of cause and effect, sowing and reaping, and the free will of humans. Many Christians don’t understand this. To make a bad situation worse, many Christian leaders confuse others with statements like, “God is in control!”
— If your child was killed by another human or overdosed on drugs, or he/she died at the hands of a disease, and someone says, “God is in control,” what do you think that statement is going to do for the parent?
— God is not pulling the strings behind a serial killer or mass shooter. God is not feeding drugs to an addict. God does not cause a disease to come upon His children just so He can turn around and heal them from it. I would not want to serve a God like that.
— The truth is, we live in a fallen world. The autopilot of this world is set to “darkness.” That’s why Jesus said we are IN the world, but not OF it. Once you got Born-Again, God did not PULL YOU OUT of the world becuase you are supposed to be a change agent IN IT!
— We are called to discern God’s will and then CHOOSE to pursue it by faith. Faith is a choice. Overcoming darkness is a choice. Living Godly is a choice. This does not mean that bad things will not happen to good people, but it does mean that if you don’t pursue God on purpose, the systems of this world can, and will, overtake you, and it won’t be God’s fault.
4. This series is about understanding God’s grace and our requirement to live by faith.
I will attempt to bring together what you have been learning in this series with what I just taught you (yesterday and today) about the sovereignty of God.
— It is true that God made plans for you before the world began.
— It is true that God has given you the grace to become the man/woman He called you to be.
— It is true that you live in a fallen world, so you don’t have to do anything to “go backwards.” All you have to do to regress is to stop progressing. There is no such thing as NO MOVEMENT in this world. You either MOVE in the direction of your divine assignment, or this world will PULL YOU in another direction.
— If you succumb to the pressures of this world and allow yourself to be led astray, it won’t be because God doesn’t love you, it won’t be because God did not make plans for you, and it won’t be because God did not bestow His grace on you. It will simply be becuase YOU FAILED TO LIVE BY FAITH. It is your faith that lays hold of God’s grace. It is your faith that taps into God’s power. It is your faith that will keep your feet bound to the path God set for you before the world began. God has provided the grace, but you must activate your faith. If you don’t, you are running the risk of missing out on God’s best. You are running the risk of getting to heaven, only to realize that you WASTED the ONE LIFE God gave you.
— This doesn’t mean God is not sovereign. It just means that our sovereign God will allow whatever you allow. He will permit whatever you permit. God’s part is already done. He has given you the grace. But He won’t force you to live by faith. Faith is a decision, and it must come as a result of your FREE WILL!
My prayer for you is that YOU CHOOSE to walk and live by faith, so you can tap into God’s grace and change the world! Because at that point, it won’t be YOU doing it. It will be God working through you!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your amazing grace and my requirement to walk and live by faith.
You made plans for me before the world began. You gave me both the power and the authority to RE-present You in this world.
I live in a fallen world, but I am not fallen. I have been redeemed. I am Born-Again. I am covered by the Blood of Your Son, filled with Your Spirit, and called according to Your purpose.
The world will see Jesus IN me because I choose to live out what You already planned. I will experience all You planned for me to experience. I will leave the mark in this world that I was born to make! I will do this becuase I won’t be the one doing it. I yield to You, Father, and You live in/with/through me.
I am a human conduit of the divine. I am in this world, but not of it. I am light and salt. I am a world changer and atmosphere setter. I am all You have called me to be. By Your grace, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
