THE DESTINY OF GRACE

THE DESTINY OF GRACE

                “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that any one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

                So few Christians have any idea of the destiny to which grace is calling us. They avoid works like the plague not realizing that we are not doing what we do to earn salvation. We are in training for positions in glory that only a few can even begin to imagine.

                In the old days we used to have to stop at a service station and pick up a map, which when unfolded filled the whole inside of the car and we would look on the ledger on the back for a grid location, say N-14 and then we would find our address and we would then plot a course through the maze that would get us to our destination.

                Nowadays we just enter the address into our GPS and a pleasant voice comes on and tells us where to turn each step of the way. Grace is sort of like that. In the old days we had to get out the law and figure out how to make it to our heavenly destination, but now the directions are written in our hearts and a pleasant voice guides us each step of the way.

                We still make the same turns. We still have the same goals. Only now, it is written in our hearts      and so we make all of those turns with passion rather than a sense of obligation. We really do want to meet the friendly voice that guides us.

                This that guides us is grace. It is the Holy Spirit of truth that the world cannot know because He is received by faith.

                I must say that our journey has become more restful with a GPS. Bonnie and I followed its voice to a wedding yesterday that was way up in the hills and it involved what seemed like 2 dozen turns, and yet we were able to enjoy the scenery and good conversation along the way, free of stress because the friendly voice spoke clearly and always gave us time to prepare for each turn.

                False grace, such as is going around these days would make us think that because of grace, we no longer have to make the turns. We can cruise along any old highway and 70 mph and God will somehow get us to our destination. What a cop out.

                We are in training to reign with Christ, to judge angels, to regain the authority over creation that Adam lost in the fall. We are destined to inherit bodies, so magnificent that if we were to meet ourselves now, we would want to fall down and worship.

                John, during his writing of the book of Revelation, said that he fell down to worship at the feet of his guide, but the guide said, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book; worship God.” Rev. 22:9.

                Quite obviously this was not an angel. He was a fellow servant, a glorified Old Testament prophet or saint. He said so. And he was now so glorious that John wanted to worship him in sheer awe.

                We don’t realize what we are destined to become. Paul tells us saying in 2 Thess. 2:14: “Whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Whaaaat? Attaining to the glory of Christ? You’ve got to be kidding, right Paul?

                Hebrews 2:10 says: “:For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

                Romans 8:16-17 says: “The Spirit Himself (that pleasant voice) bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, IF INDEED WE SUFFER WITH HIM, THAT WE ALSO BE GLORIFIED TOGETHER.”

                We don’t understand the plan or the destination and therefore we quibble about faith verses works and we don’t understand that we are in training and so we miss most of the turns relying on a false grace to get us to our destination. We follow our own reasoning instead of the “pleasant voice” and so we go merrily on our way thinking only of getting saved no matter which way we go.

                But the Bible tells us that many will say in that day, “Lord, lord, did we not do this and that in Your name and He will say, “I never knew you.” They thought they were on the highway to heaven when in fact they were on the wrong freeway. They were foolish virgins; never having followed the “pleasant voice” they could no longer hear it. Their oil was depleted.

                Don’t buy the lie, my friends. A false grace is being foisted upon the church these days. In trying to avoid the works, they are also avoiding the training that will prepare us for glory. This is why Jesus said to every one of the seven churches.” To him that overcomes I will grant…” We live in enemy territory friends and we have things to overcome. We do so by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. We do all of it with God on board. We have been given His Holy Spirit as the “pleasant voice” that makes the map, (the word of God,) living and active and sharper than any two edged sword.

                We aren’t trying to earn our way to heaven with works of the flesh… but we ARE in training and training is rigorous and intense. Especially as the devil has been cast down and is going forth like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Our training is all about learning how to live behind enemy lines by hearing and trusting the “pleasant voice.” It is about learning to live by His power and not our own. It is about walking out His Word and making the right turns.

                “For whom He foreknew He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

                Again I say, “Don’t buy the lie my friends.” Walk the walk and learn to walk in Spirit and in Truth and you will do just fine. Our training may seem intense at times, be we are in training for a destiny far beyond all that we can imagine. So hang in there.