Narrative Themes: The Grace Of God Lesson 2

                                          Preparation For Grace

Hi everyone. In the gospels we see Jesus began His ministry by exposing and demolishing self-righteousness so He could begin to unveil the beauty of grace. In order to prepare the heart for the revelation of God's amazing grace, He first had to uncover the sinfulness of the human heart.

Allow me to explain it this way: Which one has the higher standard for people to live by? Law or grace? If you were to compare people who live by the Law with people who live by grace, which appears to demand more? 

Well, let's ask Jesus. "Jesus, which one has the highest standard and the greatest demand? Law or grace?"

Jesus actually answered that question in Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:21, 22 "You have heard it said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders shall be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry at his brother without a cause will be subject to judgment." 

In this scripture Jesus is comparing Law verses grace. He is saying "Under the Old Covenant, to be a murderer you had to actually commit the act. However, in the New Covenant, the covenant of grace, all you have to do is be angry with your brother without a cause and you are subject to judgment." In other words, "All you have to do is be prejudice and you are under God's judgment." 

So which one has the higher standard, Law or grace? 

Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 5:27, 28 "You have heard it said to the people long ago, 'You shall not commit adultery,'  but I say to you whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Again, Jesus is saying, "Under the Old Covenant, to be an adulterer you had to commit the act, but in the New Covenant, the covenant of grace, all you have to do is look at her and lust and you are an adulterer in God's eyes."  

So which one demands more, Law or grace?

Jesus is just making a point. He could have kept going. He could have said, "You have heard it said to the people long ago, 'Thou shalt not steal,' but I say to you if anyone looks at something that doesn't belong to him and covets after it in their heart, they are a thief." 

So which one has the highest standard? Which one demands more? Law or grace. 

Well, by now you are saying, "Wow! I never saw that before! This is troubling." 

Be of good courage. Before you consume yourself with worry, let's ask this question: Why did Jesus begin His ministry this way? Because the Jewish people had it taught to them all their lives that to be righteous, you must keep the Law. To be right in God's eyes you had to live by a stringent list of do's and do nots. As long as you keep the list, you are holy in God's sight. 

However, when Jesus goes right to the issue of the heart by saying, "If you are angry with your brother without a cause, you are a murderer," and "If you lust after a woman in your heart, you are an adulterer," He is causing them to realize, "Wow! My heart is exceeding sinful! I need a righteousness so much greater than my own heart! I need a holiness much holier than my own heart. My heart is wicked and if my heart is the standard, I am doomed. Woe is me!" Sound familiar? 

In Jesus' day the Jews connected righteousness with behavior. They had a mindset that said, As long as I am not doing bad things, I am righteous before God. As long as I am not swearing or stealing, I am right with the Lord. So Jesus causes them to realize that righteousness is not about behavior, it is about the heart. You may have not slept with someone's wife, but if you looked at her in an inappropriate way, you are an adulterer. You may have not stolen your neighbors cow, but if you coveted after it, you are a thief. Again, Jesus is waking their conscious to the realization, "Wow! I need a righteousness much holier than my own heart! My heart is exceeding sinful! If my heart is the standard, I am doomed!"

My point is, now that the sinful heart has been exposed, the humble heart is now prepared to begin seeing the beauty of grace. Grace is God Himself providing exceedingly sinful people with a righteousness that far exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. And with this grace comes a new heart with  new desires and a longing to be daily transformed into the likeness of Christ. 

 

I think every newborn Christian has a measure of religiousness inside of them; how quickly it reveals itself. And to be quite honest with you, I think a lot of us old-timers do also. But thank God the Lord knows how to expose it in our lives and humble us just a little bit more. And the more He humbles us, the more beautiful grace appears. 

I can't help but think of the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah chapters 1-5 Isaiah is traipsing up and down the land of Israel, pronouncing "woes" on everybody. Pointing at everything and everybody, "You're doomed! And you're doomed! And you're doomed!" In Isaiah chapter 5 alone, there are six verses where Isaiah pronounces 6 woes. 

Vs. 8 "Woe to you who joins house to house. They add field to field until there is no place left!"

Vs 11 "Woe to those who rise up early in the morning that they may follow after intoxicating drink!"

Vs. 18 "Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity!"

Vs. 20 "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil!"  

Vs. 21 "Woe to those who are proud and wise in their own eyes!'

Vs. 22 "Woe to men mighty at drinking wine!"

Did he leave anyone out? I think he covered it all. 

So in Isaiah chapter 5 this 'holiness-preacher' pronounces 6 woes. He is up on his soap box blasting everything and everybody. 

However, what Isaiah does not know is that there is one "woe" left to pronounce. I call this "the 7th woe."  

Isaiah 6:1-5 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim, each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, "Holy! Holy! Holy! is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his glory." And the posts of the door was shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell with a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." 

Wow! The 7th woe. It's as if God is saying, "Okay, Mr. Holiness preacher, do you want to see your own sinful state? Okay, Mr. Doom & Gloom, do you want to see how unholy YOU are in the light of who I am? Take a good look." Then suddenly God pulls back the veil and reveals His glory. Isaiah is so terrified and undone that he cries out, "Woe is me! It is not the drunk, or the thief, or the harlot that is undone! It's not the drug addict or pedophile or the wife beater that is doomed! Forget about them! It's me! I am undone! I am exceeding sinful! Forget about everybody else! It's me! Woe is me!"

Now we know Isaiah was a godly man. He wasn't out drinking and womanizing. Yet, he got the understanding, "If God was to mark iniquity, who would stand in His sight?" 

In Isaiah 6, do you know what the Lord did? He added grace to Isaiah's message. Isaiah continued to preach the same holiness sermon he always did, but with a different heart. It is only by grace anyone can stand in God's sight. 

I truly believe there has to be a moment in all of our lives where everything we think is holy and godly about ourselves suddenly becomes as filthy rags, not just in God's sight, but in our sight as well. It's in those times we realize again, "My only righteousness is in Christ. My only boast is in the grace of God." 

Food for thought: in Isaiah 6, for the first time in his life Isaiah's heart is able to hear God speak so personally. "Who shall I send?" "Here I am. Send me."