REGENERATION: GRACE'S ULTIMATE GOAL

John 3:3
Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Regeneration. How familiar are we with this word? If we are united to the Lord of Glory we ought to be able to define what regeneration is. Regeneration is the essence of the gospel and exclusively what Jesus came to do in the heart of sinners! This is what the cross of Jesus Christ is all about, rescuing, delivering and truly saving sinners from sins, vices, and chains!!

Regeneration separates Christianity from all other religions, especially when it comes to reaching man's final destination! Without regeneration there is no hope of gaining heaven! The gospel is about good news, and the good news is that Jesus has come to make us new. Regeneration is the work of God, a supernatural work by which God, through the cross and the implanting of the Holy Spirit into the life and soul of the believer, RADICALLY transforms the unbeliever's life!!

Here is a good time to stop and ask yourself this eternal question. Is my life radically different than my neighbor's who does not profess Christ to be his deliverer? Is the same power that raised Christ from the dead alive and at work within your very own soul (Romans 6)? To be wrong about this issue is absolutely no joke! Eternity hangs in the balance.

Christianity is not a feel good religion, however, there is no greater joy and peace than to be saved by Christ! Salvation (regeneration) is not based upon what man can do but is totally dependant upon what JESUS HAS DONE. Hallelujah! The work of Christ is finished! We must remember that the one who claims to have been regenerated (born again) by the Holy Spirit has a peculiar phrase attached to his or her new identity as a Christian. Regeneration means to be IN CHRIST! Over 6o times this identity is attached to the one who has been regenerated. "In Christ" is who and what we are!!

While we acknowledge that a large amount of the people who claim to be Christians live and act no differently than those outside of Christ, this reality should cause us to ask a most important question. Where does the fault lie? Is the power of the gospel deficient in it's ability to transform the sinner? No way! To say that the gospel is deficient, is to say that God is not omnipotent. The prophet Jeremiah clears this issue with these words found in

Jeremiah 32:17-19

"Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 'You show loving-kindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them -- the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts. 'You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings."

The work of regeneration, in which God calls a sinner out the dominion and slavery of sin, is a power which liberates the believer!! The gospel is the power of God unto Salvation (Rom 1:21). So, to say the gospel can't transform or has the inability to do the job is to call into question the omnipotent power of the One True and Living God, which is ludicrous! The scriptures are absolutely clear about regeneration. The apostle Paul presents this truth in

2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Can we say with honesty that we are a new creation? The question is not are you are a perfect Christian, because there are none, but is our life largely lived out with Jesus Christ being our most treasured possession? May Him who came to redeem move within our hearts to consider the solemn call to forsake all to follow Him who is worthy of our every affection! Praise God we can rejoice with Paul in

1 Timothy 1:15 15

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

Regeneration. Are you in Christ? Is that grace which God chiefly gave in the giving of His Son, living and active within your heart?

# 4 THE PINNACLE OF MERCY! THE FREE OFFER OF GRACE!

What would you consider to be the greatest act of mercy? There are many acts of mercy all across this globe that could be mentioned. For the sake of time I would like to consider with you, the greatest act of mercy that has ever taken place in the universe. Some have pinned the pinnacle of God's gratuitous love as "sinners receiving the matchless love of God at Christ expense". This act of mercy is beyond our ability to comprehend or fathom, yet according to the Scriptures we are invited to revel in the awesome love of God!

Paul used words like these to encourage the believers in Ephesians. Ephesians 3:16-19 "that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

If we are to be grounded in the surpassing love of God for sinners we must be willing to take valuable time to consider the breadth, length, height and depth of God's love. Real progress in this arena can take place and we ought to be encouraged to be a people to not just have lip religion. Real heartfelt adoration for the stupendous love God begins when we truly seek a genuine, daily, relationship with Jesus, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3)

So, now we come to consider the pinnacle of grace! The free offer of God's love in the gospel of Christ! How can we define the free offer of God's grace? The free offer of God's grace is that incredible love which reaches and extends to all humanity, to have there sins forgiven and washed in the precious blood of His only begotten Son! All throughout the gospel, when this theme is preached men were moved to great bliss and holy joy. The apostle Paul was willing to have his life cut short, just to preach the free offer of grace to those who have never heard of God's mercy in Christ (Rom 15:20)! And ultimately in the end Paul did die a martyr.

Let's take just a moment to meditate on a few verses which highlight this reality. One of the most famous verses every quoted is John 3:16. Yet, to get the full weight and meaning of this beautiful verse it must be followed by verses 17,18. John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18.Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

Also we read in, 1 John 4:9 "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

And lastly, 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

Many things run through our minds when we read such startling and amazing words as we have just read. We must ask ourselves, how can this be? How can God love those who nailed His Son to a tree. How can God love those who for years and most of their lives lived in rebellion and hatred toward Him! What could move such a Holy and Just Creator to humble Himself, and take the form of a servant. To be born in the likeness of men, to be found in human form, to become obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:7-8)?

Only grace!!! For God has demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet still living in gross sin and rebellion, He chose death, so we who believe might have life! The hymn writer nailed it when these words were pinned- "Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that will pardon And cleanse within. Grace, grace, God's grace, Grace that is greater Than all my sin.

Dear friends, come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Revel and marvel at the free offer of grace and may we all with all that is within us run to that great Fountain that is filled with blood!

May we sing with the hymn writer-

"There was nothing in us to merit esteem,
Or give the Creator delight.
'Twas 'Even so, Father!' we ever must sing,
Because it seem'd good in thy sight."

For further study read Spurgeon's sermon- http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0233.htm

# 3 The foundation of Grace: Its built upon a ROCK!

Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

When you think of a rock what do you think about? A small stone that you find in your drive way? Or do you thing of a rock sitting in a field? If we are thinking biblically, when the word rock is mention we should be drawn to one of the attributes of the one true and living God of the bible! The word rock is attributed to our God conspicuously throughout the scriptures.

So, what does grace have to do with God being a Rock? According to the scriptures it matters a lot. In a world in which things pass away like the morning dew, what significance is it to the Christian that our God be a Rock? To properly understand why God would choose to be acquainted with a rock we must understand what kind of rock we are talking about. We are not talking about some rock that someone can pick up and Skip across a lake. We are not talking about a rock that is sitting in some field. When we think of God as a rock we need to be thinking "UNMOVEABLE" "IMPENETRABLE".

A good focus point would be to think of Mount Augustus in Australia. This is the largest rock in the entire world! It is absolutely immovable. No machinery could move this massive rock. Indeed that rock is there to stay. So is our God! All those who are truly saved and indeed have tasted that Jesus Christ is precious can rejoice that our God is indeed our rock. Our salvation is secure because the rock of our salvation has procured it for us by His grace! When trials come we can say with the Psalmist in Psalm 62:2 "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken." We can also stand on this solid reality that God is guiding our every step. For the Psalmist recites, Psalm 31:3 "For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name's sake you lead me and guide me."

God is our rock for His namesake!! It is for His glory that He has chosen to pull undeserving sinners out of a life dominated and ruled by sin. We ought to praise God that indeed He is our ROCK! The prophet Isaiah's exhortation is one that we should seek to follow- "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock."(Isaiah 26:4)

Jesus in the rock of our salvation. Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Roman Catholicism totally misses the meaning of this text. They make the rock to be Peter. But Peter is no rock. Peter is not immovable. Peter is a mere man who is trusting in the rock which is Jesus Christ of Nazareth! The foundation of Christianity is built upon the back of the Man of Sorrows. Jesus is the one that built the gate that Satan cannot penetrate, (HALLELUJAH!!). He's the only one that can bring sinners into a right relationship with God! But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.(Eph; 2:13)

Let us seek to build upon that rock which the whole foundation of Christendom is built upon and drink deeply into that rock who is Christ Jesus! Ephesians 2:18-22, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."

Praise be to our Rock, our foundation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE FOUNDATION OF GRACE! # 2

Is your house on a good foundation? If a severe flood were to ravish your neighborhood could your house sustain its force? We all hope so! If we did not build our house or supervise the installation we would have to depend on the builder or architect who built our homes.

As Christians one of the aspects of our faith that should cause us to rejoice is that the foundation of our faith does not rise or fall based on our doings or building. Praise God we can rejoice that indeed He is the great master builder! The Psalmist declares this truth in, Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

The essence of this passage is grace, marvelous grace! It's the Lord that builds the house. The Lord of glory did not ask our permission to build. The giving of His only begotten Son and the building of His Chruch originated in the grace and love of a sovereign God! The apostle Paul reflecting on the insurmountable task of his apostleship was overwhelmed that not only did God call him to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ but that any and all success comes from Him from whom all blessings flow! For we read in 1 Corinthians 3:6-11 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. 10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

The foundation of grace is to be found in the love of God before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:3-6 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." As Christians if we miss the mark in our understanding concerning the foundation of grace every aspect of our Christian life and ministry will be skewed by seeking to please God and endeavor to build His Church in our own strength, with man being the main emphases (the center of the stage).

At this point take a quick look at your christian experience and see if the grace of God is its main feature, or are we leaning on our efforts or His, which cannot fail! (Proverbs 3:5) It is absolutely critical for the proper maintenance of our souls that we get grace right!!! Its God's grace and only God's grace that will and can sustain us when the sorrows and trails of this world come our way. If God's grace is flowing through our souls we can say with Job even when disaster destroys all that he held dear in this world in Job 19:24-27 "Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me"
Or with the Psalmist in Psalm 73:26 26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever"

Surly we should sing with John Newton with great fervor, Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,That saved a wretch like me.I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now I see.

Next Post: The foundation of Grace: Its built upon a ROCK!

THE FOUNDATION OF ALL THAT IS CHRISTIAN! # 1

Romans 5:2

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

If someone where to ask you what separates Christianity from all other religions how would respond? There are many ways to respond but there is one thing that places real biblical Christianity in a league of its own when placed beside all other religions and that is GRACE! Anything that says it is Christian and is based on mans ability's, or places its trust outside of Christ merit and worth is absolutely foreign to the teaching that is found in the inspired Scriptures!

Grace was preached by the Apostle Paul as the very foundation of Christianity. Grace is the key element in each of the thirteen Epistles of the New Testament which includes evidence of authorship by Paul, from the very first word of the body of each letter, "Grace to you," to the final, "Grace be with you." The very gospel that Paul preached is called "the gospel of God's grace" in Acts 20:24! If we say we have all from his fullness received, grace upon grace we ought to live with this being the center piece of all we say and do! (John 1:16)

It is my intention in this blog to highlight the grace of God in every aspect of christian living! Anyone that is a regular attender of church should know the definition of grace. Grace is UNMERITED FAVOR! Grace is the mercy of God by which He gave His only begotten Son to save, rescue, ruined sinners. Or we could define God's grace by quoting from 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The love and grace of God by no means finds any merit in man but is based totally on God choosing to love for the praise of glorious grace!

If grace is unmerited favor why do so many professing Christians live out their daily life and evangelize with man being the center and God's grace ending up in the background? Do we conduct our church life, our married life the raising of our children, and every thing we do as Christians according to this wonderful reality! The apostle Peter was convinced that we should! 1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

May our Heavenly Father increase our understanding of His wonderful grace. Let us seek the grace to be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom we desire to shine as lights in the world. (Philippians 2:15)

Next post: Building on the foundation of grace!