EOLS: Grace fills the gap between God’s holy standard and the sin that still rages in our bodies.
Romans 7:18-25 (Primary)
Ephesians 2:16-21
Romans 6:12-14
The Grace Gap-is my term for the chasm that exists between the ideal of God’s standard, and the flesh in which I live. This very issue strikes at the heart of Christian life.
We use the term Grace a lot in our daily lives. I was just thinking- when I look at the daily parking tickets my security officers issue at the campus where I work, if I see one that needs to be forgiven I write across the top GRACE. We even use it to describe someone who uses great decorum and quiet discipline in their lives. It’s almost synonymous with “class” in our parlance. Even when we think of it in the classic sense it has a whimsical tone. I can give it I can take it.
The Bible is replete with the word from cover to cover. Some of the references are as much as 3500 years old! Words do change over time, and it’s important that we differentiate God’s view of this word which is obviously quite important in His Word. While we could do a three month Bible study on the one word, for this sermon let me solve the puzzle for you and save us some time-simply put, and nine out of ten theologians would agree, Grace simply means:
Unmerited favor.
We are receiving something we didn’t earn and we don’t deserve. Matter of fact we earned and deserve just the opposite. But for some reason-the giver has decided to reverse the verdict and give us a new chance. The old verdict is not just set aside and we don’t have to report to a parole officer or serve probation in a half-way house. The record is scrubbed, purged, clean.
I’ve given you all the acronym before of “GRACE- God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”
I’ll always remember a daddy-daughter moment with my oldest girl when she was maybe three years old. We raised our girls with loving discipline which included an occasional spanking. We didn’t enjoy it obviously, but we did reserve it for the last resort. We would spank our kids for acts of defiance and rebellion when it was clear that they knew what they were doing and perhaps they were “testing” Mom and Dad just to see if they could rule the house.
I don’t remember what it was she did, but shedecided to test the system one night and make a bid to take over. Something we had counseled her on over and over-time out, go to your room, no videos-all the standard punishments had simply not reached the case. I knew it was time for the spanking.
I went in to talk to her that night with my little paint-stirrer paddle in hand. It was essentially a large popsicle stick! It might crush a mosquito if you really press down hard, but to Stacia it represented cruel war club and was the dreaded instrument of discipline.
I asked her “sweetheart, do you know why I’m here?” We went through the short conversation about crime and punishment and she fully understood why I was there to spank her. I could see in her eyes and hear in her voice not just a fear of punishment or the “I’m sorry I got caught.” I could sense, as her Daddy that something had clicked and she understood this on a deep level. She really was repentant and understood what she did wrong, and best I could tell as a Daddy she had it in her heart not to do that again.
I let a pregnant pause go for maybe thirty seconds; she probably thought it was three hours! I looked at her and I looked at the paddle. I told her “Sweetie, let’s have a talk about grace. This is a good time to understand something about God. I then told her how that God doesn’t give us what we deserve-and I proceeded to preach the children’s condensed version of what I’m doing for you today.
At the end of my mini-sermon (and she was hanging on every word) I said “Honey, I really think God wants me to show you grace this time. I think you’ve learned your lesson already. Her eyes got big and you could feel RELIEF sweep through that kid’s room like the wind! I hugged and kissed her and we prayed as we did every night, and the matter was closed. She was asleep before I could make it to the other end of the house.
A few weeks later, something similar arose. She had really tested me again, and it was time for another counseling session. I proceeded to her room that evening in the same fashion, paint stick in hand. I wondered if she remembered the last talk we had. After some introduction and explanation of what was about to happen, I said “Sweetheart, what do you think Daddy should do with something like this?”
“Well, Daddy-do you think we could try the grace again?”
It was all I could do to choke back laughter. She was so cute and so sincere. I loved this kid so much I would die for her and never bat an eye or even have to think about it. But I loved her too much to give her a warped view of reality and the principle of sowing and reaping. This was actually as much a holy moment as the first. It gave me an opening to present the other side of the coin-that we cannot presume upon Grace. If we do that with God-He will know and really it’s just making God’s grace seem like it’s our idea, or our toy to play with and use as we need it. I saw the lights come on just like before.
The larger word I’ll use with you –PRESUMING upon God’s grace. Hey, it’s always there, it will always be there. I know I shouldn’t but I’m covered…God will understand and he’ll be ok with it because hey GRACE…right?
I also saw that she really had listened the last time. I went into another brief mini-sermon that ended with an altar call that sounded like WHACK! Three swats right across the buttocks. The ending was –see above. Hugs and kisses and prayer, wipe away the tears and the slate is clean.
It’s one of my favorite stories of raising my kids! But you know I don’t think the story or the lesson would have been complete without both segments and both outcomes.
From the moment you accept Christ you enter into eternal life. It begins now, not “in the bye and bye” as the old songs go. In a very real and literal sense, from the moment you bow at the Cross and repent of your sin, you are even now “seated with Christ in the heavenly places.” Jesus Christ will not just rule and reign in the future, He sits on the throne here and now. You live in his realm, where He is king, has his own economy and you live under His authority.
Yes, things will change-one day. Sin will be no more, the King Jesus will physically rule and reign. He will return to this earth and forever put away sin from our presence and purge it from our mortal bodies. It will be easy then. But right now-it’s not even close to being easy. We can’t even really understand it. But today: I see children with cancer. I see people starving across the world. I see gross injustice and incomprehensible human suffering.
I go to work to feed a family and often feel I am battering a concrete wall with my forehead. I hear back-biting and mean, nasty gossip that will curl your hair. People are mean to me! I’m not always the sweetest fellow to deal with either (I know that shocks you!) Me? Oh yeah- I am a Christian for sure. Hey, I’m a preacher! Some folks equate that with “Super-Christian.” I know that I’m the only preacher in here because you all aren’t doubled over laughing right now!
But I still fight with my wife. I still get aggravated with my kids when they don’t do right. I still lose my temper and throw fits sometimes. I mostly don’t like my job but I like to eat. I have to be very careful when a pretty woman shows me skin and flashes a smile. I take high blood pressure medicine and my stress is part of the reason. I’ve even been known to let a bad word or two slip from my preacher- lips. I could go on but if I did y’all might not let me preach here again!
But through all this, in all that I see and what I do, I hear things like:
“ Be holy as I am holy”,
Without holiness, no one will see the Lord, Sin not, Be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect…”
The frustration begins to build-I am called to this standard which for all practical purposes is-unattainable. If I don’t make it, God will not just be disappointed in me, He could well turn His face from me. My sin is terrible offense to Him. I don’t really understand it but I do love God and a long time ago I realized that I need Him to the point that I can’t make it if I don’t have him. There’s really nothing more that I want than His approval…but OH MY GOD! How can I do this? I lay down at night and realize how far short I fall. I wake up in the morning knowing I am about to face a situation that will be gut-wrenching and I can’t be sure I’ll handle it right at all…
I look to the Scriptures and I find that Paul had the same issues I do! And God had him write the scriptures that will help us learn how HE will fill-this huge gap that exists between what I want to do versus what I do.
My dear folks-this is what I will take to work with me in the morning. This is what I believe God wants us to know today from His Word that will make our lives better. It won’t keep the conflict away and it won’t completely resolve it for us. But just understanding this will help us to really hook up with God and what HE wants in our lives. And that only means GOOD THINGS lie ahead-because God wants the VERY BEST LIFE for His children-you!
Desire Versus Ability
It always gets to me when I hear Paul call himself a “wretched man” and tell everyone who would ever read the Bible that he had this huge conflict going in him. He didn’t always want to do the right thing, and a good portion of the time he messed up!
In the world we live in, it often seems that there are no checks, no parameters. Truth is whatever I believe, right is whatever I decide. My standard is THE standard; I’m a good person ultimately so I can do whatever I want and never feel anything but gratification or the lack of it. My actions will be determined by that which gratifies me.
I am in charge of my own life, my whole life. I answer to no one but ME!
It’s the natural man, in his natural state-far from God and oblivious to God’s standard. Now let’s look at another person-it’s the one who is close to God, who has checks and parameters and knows and respects God’s law, but he rationalizes it and makes his own allowances just to deal with his burning conscience-because the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in his life. That person knows for a fact he or she will deal with God one day, and on some level they need to “cut a deal” for now.
“But it’s just too hard. God knows I’m a sinner, I just can’t help it. Everyone around me is doing this is it really so bad? I know I need to change but I will, as soon as I’m done with this part of my life. I know God will forgive me, I really do love God and all, but…”
In day to day life, there’s really not a lot of difference in the two. At least the first one is not even hearing God’s voice and has no respect for His law. The second person does know it and ultimately knows it’s true-but they just trample right over it.
The real difference comes in desire vs. ability. My purpose today is not to condemn anyone-we ALL struggle, yes including preachers. But where does our desire reside? How loudly do we hear that voice calling to us when we fall into our flesh? Do we realize that’s the Holy Spirit laying down God’s law in our hearts, and that we should listen?
Today’s real point is from Paul-this conflict is not going to stop until the day you see Jesus face to face and his eyes pierce your soul and sin is forever purged from your being. The consequences of sin are dealt with now-we can be free spiritually. But we will struggle with this thing called perfection daily, for the rest of our days!
We have the desire, we’re just not able to do it. That’s what made Paul a wretched man! It’s what makes Mark a wretched man too, and keeps me awake at night sometimes.
Look at your desire today friends. Do you really want to do right? Do you have that check in your innermost being when you know you get over in that flesh? I’m not talking about little nuances that are debatable. I’m talking when you clearly sin, in the heat of a moment or passion. Do you have parameters that you didn’t make a conscious effort to install-they’re “just there?”
My Mind Versus My Flesh
The way this translates-the “law of my mind” can sound a bit like a pre-recorded robotic response. A huge hard drive that is filled with a legal library of regulations! A bit of research shows me that the Greek word nous (law of my mind) speaks of my understanding, my inner man, my rational being that is capable of making decisions.
Looking at our Scripture- I find that this mysterious “other law” is waging a war against the law of my mind-which is what causes Paul to “delight in the law of God.” In other words, someone or something has changed his natural bent, the way that his mind is programmed to think. He now desires something that is unnatural. No one in their “right” mind would delight themselves in God’s law, or would they?
Who in the world would delight themselves because of Ten Commandments that lay out God’s uncompromising, unrelenting, perfect standard? Especially when they also understand that they have broken it over and over, and that they are hopeless to every follow it; they realize it is a train wreck in motion? What person would delight in that kind of frustration.
The person who understands the rest of the story: GRACE
God’s Law Versus Another Law
It’s that law that says I am in charge. It’s that law that says
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul. (Ernest Henley, Invictus).
Therefore, whatever I do is right. Whatever brings me the most gratification, is by definition, the law of my days.
It is in direct conflict with the law that God has written on our hearts where He is in charge. There is a holy standard, and it is far beyond my own ability. It’s written on my heart and I know when I miss it.
It’s the conflict, the turmoil-that will be the order of my days.
And the only answer is GRACE. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
So How Do We Move Forward?
Learn to celebrate that conflict.
It sounds weird but that conflict that made Paul wretched is a good thing. It’s good in the same way that when you break your ankle, your body screams at you to stop walking on it and go to the doctor. It’s the same conflict that you have when you cut your finger with a butcher knife and even though it doesn’t hurt, blood starts spurting and you can see the bone. You want don’t want to go to the hospital because it costs a lot of money and it’s a hassle and it will take hours and hours in the emergency room, but you also know that if you don’t do something this thing could get far worse.
Thank God that you hear that conflict. It’s a precious gift from Him. Yes it hurts and yes it’s confusing but it’s so much better to hear it; it could get far worse. Sin will kill you, some faster than others.
Fight The Battle In The Good Times
If you think about that conflict, and know that it’s coming, doesn’t it make sense to prepare for it?
When you do cut your finger-don’t you hate it when you have no first aid supplies? You grab newspaper or a washcloth to try and catch the blood. You have no peroxide to clean it with and no Neosporin to dress it with. It makes things a lot worse!
Taking a little closer look-when you get out there in temptations way-and you see something that your heart-check goes DANGER…WARNING. You see eye-candy and you want it more than you’ve wanted anything in a long time. In this moment that very thing looks like the ultimate in satisfaction and gratification…aren’t you better off if you’ve read about what Paul says and done some praying-asking God that when that time comes if he will make you strong?
The Grace Gap is free, the Grace Gap is unearned. It makes a bridge between where we live and where God is. It connects the dots between His standard and my performance as a Christian. It holds up His standard as our IDEAL yet recognizes our inability to perform.
It is a HOLY thing! Celebrate it and know that it is there. Remember it, know that it will be there when you need it and sleep well and rest in confidence that God himself is in charge of your destiny and that He has hope and a future for you. He is not arbitrary or whimsical and your success is His holy desire!
It is NOT a secret weapon or a fail-safe. It is NOT a get out of jail (or hell) free card to be used at your discretion.
That places you in the pilot’s chair, in the captain’s seat. This is presumption, it’s arrogance and it makes a mockery of the great price that purchased this wonderful grace for your life.
Think on these things.
And finally-
Walk In Your Freedom! I’ll end with a scripture:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
(Eph 2:1-9)
