The riches of grace

The riches of God's grace are seen throughout the Bible. In the beginning, Adam was given a garden to enjoy. He didn't have weeds to pull or wild animals to ward off. He didn't have to water or cultivate. He just had to enjoy all that God had created for him. This was a grace based creative order - requiring nothing of man except to receive all that God provided. After the fall, pain and effort would be his lot. The nature of humanity changed after the fall however God was and is still the God of grace.


It was the riches of His grace that made the way of redemption possible. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph.1:7) The very first animal sacrifice that provided a picture of protection and covering was enacted by God Himself. The very last sacrificial offering that would satisfy God for all time was when "the perfect lamb of God took away the sin of the world". Undergirding the blood that redeems, is grace that blesses.


Grace is most powerfully seen when people are seemingly outside of God's arena of blessing. In truth all are outside of His arena of blessing because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". One great example is Ruth, a Moabite woman. the Moabites were outside of the covenant that was intended for Israel. The Moabites were descendants of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter. They were despised by Israel. Yet the story of Ruth is a story of incredible grace. Ruth adopted the faith of her mother - in - law, Naomi. Both of these women experienced the worst of situations. Both were widows. Both were vulnerable. Naomi had virtually given up all hope. In fact she decided to have a name change that reflected her belief about how she now saw God - "call me Mara, for God has dealt very bitterly with me." But Ruth's view of God was different. A convert to the God of Israel, she saw her future through a different set of glasses.


Upon Naomi's return to Bethlehem, Ruth immediately sought work in the fields. She collected or gleaned from the edges of fields (as entitled to do according to the law) until she "happened to come to the field belonging top Boaz who was of the family of Elimelech". (Naomi's husband's family) She received favour as Boaz offered her both protection and provision as long as she remained in his field. This is a picture of the believer receiving grace and then being exhorted to "stay in grace". She was given permission to trail the people harvesting. She was no longer on the edges; she was in the middle of the field. She was gathering what others had sown, cultivated and harvested. This again is a picture of grace at work. Interestingly she worked even harder. Grace empowers us to be more productive.


The benefits of grace were such that provision came to both Ruth and Naomi. Naomi saw the providence of God at work and rejoiced. Her faith was re ignited. Both were offered protection from Boaz. Grace is designed to fit the foreigner, the sojourner, the outsider. It is designed for you and I!!










This blog is based on a sermon by Ross Smith on 26/04/15 at The Vine Church, Logan City, Queensland, Australia. The full sermon can be accessed by podcast from www.thevine org.au/teaching

Seeing the finished work in the Bible

With the benefit of the empty cross and only the empty cross, the believer can unpack with the help of the Holy Spirit, the contents of the Bible. This is like going 'back to the future'. It is like unpacking the details of the cosmic battle while knowing the outcome of that battle in advance. From Genesis to Revelations, every event, every detail regarding places, people and accounts will point toward or reflect what Christ has done by way of restoring relationship between Father God and humanity.


The first question that God asked Adam and Eve after the fall was "where are you?" The question had a relational context. He was asking 'where are you in relation to Me?' The first sign of heaven's plan to restore what was broken was the act of God when He killed an animal and clothed Adam and Eve before they were sent away from the garden. Here was the expression of His plan to provide cover for sinners all the way to the cross. The first sacrifice was initiated by the Father for the first Adam. The last sacrifice ever required to satisfy a holy and just God would be performed by His only Son, the last Adam at Calvary.


Everything in between these offerings would point toward both the intent and fulfilment of heaven's plan to fix what was broken between humanity and God. For example, even the items of furniture that were prescribed for the tabernacle (the meeting place between God and man) would serve the ultimate purpose of providing the way forward until the "new and living way" could be accessed through Jesus Christ.


The Ark of the Covenant symbolised the way forward. Inside this wooden box (speaking of humanity), covered with gold (speaking of divinity) were three objects. Each object showed up Israel's (and humanity's failings). Aaron's rod was a reminder of her rebellion toward God's authority. The pot of manna was a reminder of her ingratitude toward the provision of God. The stone tablets were a reminder of her rebellion against God's standards. These three objects were reminders of the things that we too find most hard to trust God for - instruction, provision and leadership. But when we see the finished work of Christ we see how He invaded the box by His death and resurrection. He met all the requirements of the law. He is our bread of life. He submitted to His Father's authority. Today the person who identifies with His death and resurrection is delivered from both the power and the penalty of sin. This is because the last Adam's blood covers the sinner forever, unlike the blood of an animal that was poured over the ark. Its effectiveness was but for one year and had to be repeated again and again. The blood of Jesus however, has opened "the new and living way which He consecrated for us..." (Heb.10:19)


Put another way, God in not put off by what is inside the 'box' of the believer because He sees the blood of His Son over the 'box'. He doesn't 'see' our shortfall; He sees what His Son has done for all time. The elements of the Ark of the Covenant pointed all the way to the Son. When we look through the empty cross we will even see the significance of a piece of furniture!

April 2015 Life Group Study

The Empty Cross

The celebration associated with Easter is about the celebration of the empty cross. The empty cross, the reminder of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, lies at the core of the Christian faith. The apostle Paul said "if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor.15:17). The empty cross meant that Father God was fully satisfied with the redemptive work accomplished by "the lamb of God" who both carried the sin of the world (past, present and future) and satisfied a Holy God that the penalty of sin had been fully paid for all time. In fact the sacrifice of His Son at Calvary more than satisfied the judgement of God. Love and justice met at the cross. The love of God for sinners was demonstrated and the justice of God was fully met as the Son became the ransom for our sins.


The empty cross is the source of our hope. The hope that comes from the work of Christ never disappoints. Worldly hope depends upon unknown things happening, things that are often beyond our control. This hope is circumstantial and is more than not illusory. But the hope of God never disappoints "because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom.5:5) Godly hope doesn't depend upon what we need to do; it depends solely upon what He has done. If what He had done was in anyway incomplete, we would have no hope.


Hope rests upon the fact that "there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ" (Rom.8:1) The empty cross not only dealt with all judgement from God toward humanity but it also freed humanity to live freely without shame and guilt. Hope works when a person is no longer condemned by guilt and shame, The cross deals with the nature of the sinner as much as the blood of Jesus deals with sin. When Jesus became shame for us, we were able to take on His righteousness. The believer in His death and resurrection now takes on His righteousness - not earned or merited but imputed. The redeemed sinner is freed from the shadow of condemnation. This is the substance of hope!


The empty cross opens up a new way to do life. The believer is urged to "enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us through the veil, that is His flesh" (Heb.10:19) This "new and living way" is the way without condemnation. It is the way of faith not the way of the law. The way of faith always looks to what Jesus has done whereas the way of the law will always measure what we haven't done. The empty cross ushers in the new way. It provides the way of reconciliation because in Him every dividing wall has been torn down. Every division has been destroyed in Him. "For He Himself is our peace who has made the two one and has broken down the middle wall of separation...so as to create in Him one new man from the two, thus making peace." (Eph.2:13-16) The empty cross invites every person to receive reconciliation with Father God through Jesus Christ as well as to be reconciled between ourselves and other people.


Let the Holy Spirit show us this new and living way that comes by way of the empty cross.






This blog is based on a sermon topic entitled "The Empty Cross" delivered by Ross Smith on 5th April 2015 at The Vine church, Logan City, Queensland, Australia.