Shocking Grace

Mark 2:13-17

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%202%3A13-17&version=NIV;NLT

  

When was the last time you ate with a bunch of “sinners”?

Jesus’ ministry model was to spend time with “sinners” that nice, religious people wouldn’t want to associate with. Jesus looked at people differently.

 

In Matthew 20, Jesus told the parable of the vineyard keeper who paid the men who worked 1 hour the exact same wage as the men who worked 11 hours! It was an illustration of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. A friend of mine referred to it as “shocking grace”. But that’s what grace is like; it’s shocking!

 

Tax collectors were considered to be the scum of the earth by Pharisees and other righteous Jews. They were thought of as traitors who turned on their own people because they collected taxes on behalf of the Romans. Levi recognizes that he is the recipient of shocking grace.

 

²⁷ Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his

tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. ²⁸ So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.      Luke 5:27-28 NLT

 

Following the pattern of Peter, James and John, who left their fishing business to follow Jesus, Levi left everything to become a disciple of Jesus. And Levi wanted his friends, who also happened to be “sinners”, to hear about this shocking grace; to meet Jesus face to face; to find out what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus.

 

²⁹ Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.   Luke 5:29 NIV

 

How can we duplicate Levi’s example? With whom has God brought into your life? Placed on your heart? A co-worker or neighbor or friend or someone on the periphery of church life? Jesus was always reaching out to sinners; and those sinners reached out to their friends.

 

That’s called discipleship.

 

 

 

That’s called “shocking grace”.

 

 

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What’s on Your Checklist?

Acts 8:1-40

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+8%3A1-40&version=NIV;MSG

 

 

There are a few small advantages to being slightly OCD. For instance, every morning before going to work, I go through a checklist. Wallet? Got it! Phone? Got it! Nook? Got it! Keys? Got it!

 

Each of these items are very important for my day, but none more important than my keys. That’s why when I get to work, before locking my car door, I do an abbreviated checklist. Keys? Got it! Then I know that I can get back into my car at the end of the day, as well as get into the office. Like I said, a few small advantages.

 

Keys are important. They unlock many things in our lives. The Word of God is key in unlocking hearts and opening people to God’s Spirit. Nobody knew that better than Phillip.

 

The setting of Acts 8 was a chaotic time of persecution for the followers of Christ. But little did Saul realize that he was actually playing right into God’s plan of redemption to take the Gospel to “Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth”.

 

And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after

house, dragging men and women off to jail. Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus. Going down to a Samaritan city, Philip proclaimed the Message of the Messiah.            Acts 8:3-5 MSG

 

Phillip went from one outcast people group (the Samaritans) to another (an Ethiopian gentile) sharing the Word to the “ends of the earth”.

 

Billy Graham in his sermons, was well known for the phrase, “the Bible says”. For him, the Word of God was the key to opening the hearts of people searching for purpose in their lives. Not a magical key, like Simon the sorcerer was looking for, but a key that was “alive and active; sharper than any double edged sword”.

 

Maybe I should change my morning checklist. Wallet? Got it! Phone? Got it! Nook? Got it! Keys? Got it! Word of God? Got it!

 

What’s on your checklist?

 

 

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“Gentlemen, This is a Football.”

Luke 22:14-20

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2022%3A14-20&version=NIV;NLT

 

In 1960, the Green Bay Packers had a devastating loss in the NFL finals. The following year, Vince Lombardi started his pre-season training camp with the basics. “Gentlemen, this is a football.” This is what coaches, teachers and employers do; they start with the fundamentals of the job that is in front of you.

 

Understanding the Bible is the same way. You start with the basics; the fundamentals. One of the Biblical basics is understanding the difference between the Old Covenant, found in the Old Testament, and the New Covenant, found in the New Testament.

 

One is about the Law; the other grace. One is about rituals; the other relationship. For some, the two shall never meet. In reality though, they are both a part of the same story. Together, they tell the history of God’s plan of redemption. They tell the story of God’s covenant with Israel, and with all those who believe and have faith.

 

The Old Covenant was confirmed in Exodus 24 with many animal sacrifices being

made.

 

⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed against the altar… ⁸ Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”                       NIV

 

The New Covenant was confirmed during the Passover Feast with Jesus and his disciples in the Upper Room.

 

²⁰ After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.                      NLT   

 

Like the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant, Jesus shed his blood to establish the New Covenant so that we might be forgiven. The difference being that Jesus is the pure Lamb of God sacrificed once for all so that no other sacrifices are necessary.

 

In order to be the best football players and team that they could be, Vince Lombardi

instructed his team in the basics. As followers of Christ, should we do any different?

 

 

 

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1-800 How’s My Driving?

Colossians 3:12-17

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%203%3A12-17&version=NIV;NLT

 

After seeing one of these bumper stickers, have you ever wanted to call the 1-800 number to let them know just how bad the driver of vehicle # 50 really is?

 

But then you cut off the guy in front of you so what can you say?

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

 

When we trespass against someone, we feel like they should forgive us. But it’s often a different story when we’re the one that is offended. Consider the parable that Jesus told about the unmerciful servant.

 

The first servant begged his master to forgive him his large indebtedness; which he did. But then the same servant immediately refused to forgive a fellow servant the small amount he was owed. Here’s what led up to this parable.

 

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18 NIV

 

This is not a popular lesson. How many times should we forgive our boss or our employee? How many times should we forgive our spouse or parent or child? How many times should we forgive that difficult person who continually rubs you the wrong way? Paul wrote these words which addresses these questions.

 

¹² Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³ Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.        Colossians 3 NLT

 

 “1-800 How’s my driving”, makes a clever bumper sticker. The idea behind it is to provide accountability; ultimately, to make the person behind the wheel a better driver. As followers of Christ, God has called us to become more like Him; in a sense, to be a better driver of our lives.

 

God’s character is to love and to forgive. But sometimes it’s hard for us to do that. However, all we have to do is call out to God, and He will answer. We don’t need a bumper sticker or an 800 number for that.

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this blog, please feel free to share it with others.)

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/