2021 07 11
Ever since the fall of man in Genesis 3, the state of humanity is one of misery, toil and pain. We have been weak, sickly and helpless, being tossed to and fro, eventually ending with death.
- There is a song in which the lyrics say “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Nobody knows my sorrow”. - This song is an old hymn that continues with “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Glory Hallelujah. - Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Nobody knows but Jesus
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Glory Hallelujah”
Yes, indeed Jesus knows our troubles, our pain, our sorrow. He has not only come to save us from ourselves, but He is willing and able.
The good news is that in our helplessness, God has done the needful.
It is called Grace.
Glory Hallelujah.
Sabbath for the blind, halt, withered
Sabbath is a time of rest
Genesis 2:1-3 (NKJV) 1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Exodus 16:23 (NKJV) Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ”
Jeremiah 17:21-22 (NKJV) 21 Thus says the LORD: “Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
May not make practical sense
Showed reliance on God
However, the law offered no rest
Galatians 2:15-16 (WEY) 15 You and I, though we are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, 16 know that it is not through obedience to Law that a man can be declared free from guilt, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. We have therefore believed in Christ Jesus, for the purpose of being declared free from guilt, through faith in Christ and not through obedience to Law. For through obedience to Law no human being shall be declared free from guilt.
Colossians 2:16-17 (NKJV) 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
True rest = Free from guilt/Sin
Rest
- God’s plan was to redeem mankind
- To acquit man
- Jesus came to save us,
- To do the needful to declare us free
- That plan is executed by God’s grace
- Salvation- for our spirit
- Deliverance-for our soul
- Healing-for our body
Jesus not only came to save us.
He is the promised rest for God’s people
Mark 2:27-28 (NKJV) 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
Colossians 2:16-17 NKJV So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.
Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV) 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
True Grace
Psalm 46:1 (NKJV) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
God gives us Grace in Christ
- Unearned, underserved benefit
- At the expense of God
We receive but not on our merit. He is all powerful – We are weak & helpless in sin
The law not only offered no rest, legalism took over and God became a burden
Then Jesus came to set things straight
- blind, lame, or paralyzed John 5 NKJV
- the blind, halt, because of having to stop often from lameness, withered
The Blind
John 9:1-14 (NKJV) 1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. 8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” 9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” 10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” 12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.” 13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
- Who sinned?
- Blind from birth
The Lame
John 5:1-9 (KJV) 1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
- Helpless
- Wilt thou be made whole?
The Withered
Mark 3:1-4 (NKJV) 1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
Luke 6:6-10 (NKJV) 6 Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. 8 But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” 10 And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
Matthew 12:9-13 (NKJV) 9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”–that they might accuse Him. 11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.
- The Man did not expect a healing
- Left it as the cards he has been dealt with
- Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” (luke)
- 11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” (Matt)
If things of God are a burden to you, check to see if legalism has taken over
What Grace is not
Galatians 2:21 (WEY) I do not nullify the grace of God; for if acquittal from guilt is obtainable through the Law, then Christ has died in vain.”
- Faith in Christ Jesus
- Not adherence to Judaism or Mosaic Law.
- Grace is not an excuse or a reason to not work or be employed.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-13 (NKJV) 10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. 13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.
- Not laziness
- Not unemployment
- Not idleness
Colossians 3:23 (NKJV) And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.
In one way, it can be said that our maintenance and our reliance on God are complementary when we put God’s grace first
- Our strength, our talents used for the purpose of God for our lives.
Not self-reliance
- The popular saying that “God helps those who help themselves” is not true when it comes to grace
- If anything inspires people for self-help without God,
- it is not part of the new covenant.
Highly Favored
Those who have a Roman Catholic upbringing will be familiar with “Hail Mary full of grace”
The scripture that Gabriel declared that Mary was “full of grace” is Luke 1:28
It might say that she is “highly favored” in other versions in English
The Greek word is charitoō
It is used twice in the New Testament
The other time that this word is used is in Ephesians 1:6
Luke 1:26-28 (KJV) 26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Ephesians 1:6 (KJV) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Gabriel’s greeting is literally, “Grace, you who are highly graced!”
Mary was a godly woman,
- but it was God’s grace,
- not Mary’s character, that made her God’s choice
to be the mother of the long-expected Messiah
the mother of the Redeemer of mankind
Mary is blessed among women but not above women.
Nothing we can do to attain salvation – spirit.
- Only God can initiate and complete that,
- giving us a choice to take it or to leave it
We are given authority over the demons that afflict our soul
- This is our responsibility
- We are called to set the captives free.
- We proclaim the truth
- That truth is Jesus the Christ
We work to give and not to live.
- God supplies all our needs.
We have to take care of these bodies that God has given, be good stewards
- God is the healer of our bodies
- God is the restorer of our souls
- God controls the rapture
This is the unearned, underserved, benefit, at the expense of God.
This is Grace.