“Amen!”Terry Dashner………………Faith Fellowship Church, PO Box 1586, Broken Arrow, OK 74013 Listen to this:”Remember
former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me.” (Isaiah 46:9). Do you hear what God is saying? He wants us to remember what He has done in
past. Why does He want us to live in
past? He doesn’t want us to live in
past. He wants us to reflect on
past to be encouraged today. In other words if God was faithful yesterday, He is trustworthy today and will be trustworthy tomorrow.
Now let’s take this a step or two further. Paul said in Titus 2:11, “The grace of God has appeared.” In John’s Gospel we read that Jesus was “full of grace and truth.” The grace that God promised in
past has come in
person of Jesus Christ. John Piper, in his book Future Grace (Multnomah Publishers, Inc. and Inter-Varsity Press) says this: “Christ came to guarantee that
promises of
Old Testament would indeed come true. He came for
sake of future grace. From
time of Christ onwards, every look back should include a look to Jesus. Without him there would be no future grace.”
Is it all about Jesus? Yes, it is. Let me continue, please. Paul writing a letter of reconciliation to
saints in Corinth says this: “As many as may be
promises of God, in Him they are yes” (II Corinthians 1:20). Again Piper says (in regards to what Paul is saying in
text), “’Have you said yes to all
future grace of God’s Yes to you in Christ? Is there any of God’s Yes to which you are saying, ‘No,’ or ‘Maybe,’ or, ‘Not now’?’ This text begs for immediate and radical response. It calls us to cry out to God, ‘I consecrate myself to forsake
‘No’ and
‘Maybe’ and
‘Not Now’ of my unbelief. And I say ‘Yes’ to every future grace of every promise in Yes to me.’”
Every one without Christ as Savior comes to God through Christ. The sinner brings all his or her needs and finds God
Father coming to him or her in Christ Jesus with all His goodness promised to His children. Jesus is
mediator between God and man. In Christ I lay down my needs. And in Christ I pick up my blessings that God has for me, that God wants me to have. Everything that God has promised you and me for today and tomorrow is found in Christ, God’s revealed Grace and Glory to us.