The God of Abram Praise

The grace of God that calls us to be His own is also the grace of God that leads us in His particular way.  God called Abraham by grace while he was an idolater in Ur.  God called him to go where God would show Him, not where God told him in advance.  Abraham trusted the God of grace and followed.  Thomas Olivers in his great hymn “The God of Abraham Praise” reminds us that the God who both called and led Abraham will still lead us today. 

At my dad’s funeral I intertwined the majestic and hopeful words of this hymn with my sermon.  My dad died of Alzheimer’s disease.  He hardly knew anything at the time he died.  If he remembered the name of God he could not say it.  Verse 4 of this hymn declares, however, that by His great grace God remembers us and His promises to us.  “He by Himself has sworn; I on His oath depend, I shall, on eagle wings up borne to Heav’n ascend. I shall behold His face; I shall His power adore, and sing the wonders of His grace forevermore.”

We all are called to follow God to the end He has chosen for us.  For some, like my dad, that somewhere might be the emptiness of Alzheimer’s.  It might be a land of vacant mind and vague memories.  It might be the utter loneliness of being in a land where you don’t even know yourself.  But God knows.  God has led.  God will keep.  The end of Abraham’s journey was as much in the care and grace of God as the beginning.  All the mighty deeds along the way; all the practice of faith in times of trial; all the triumphant victories of God displayed before our eyes can fade into a blank of nothingness, but God has not done so.  He is still the God who led us out from the darkness of sin into His brilliant light of hope.  That light still shines.  Those promises still hold. The God of Abraham is still leading and caring until our earthly end.  Then the great God of Abraham, in the marvelous revelation of His grace, will reveal to us the Promised Land. 

We are not forsaken.  We are remembered by our God. We are remembered by the God who called Abraham.  Sing these words of Thomas Olivers with great hope. “The God of Abraham praise, whose all sufficient grace shall guide me all my happy days, in all my ways.
He calls a worm His friend, He calls Himself my God! And He shall save me to the end, thro’ Jesus’ blood.”

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A Rainbow on the Cloud

Eliza Hewitt, the prolific American hymnist (she wrote over 1700 hymns) penned a hymn little known or used anymore, “A Rainbow on the Cloud”.  The chorus goes, “There’s a rainbow on the cloud for you; there’s a promise that is sure and true; yes, the storm will pass away; there will dawn a brighter day—there’s a rainbow on the cloud for you.”  With these words we find the grace of God given to Noah after he came off the ark.  God gave a promise and a sign for that promise.  God gave the rainbow. 

The rainbow was a covenental sign that God would never again flood the earth.  But it is also a sign that can be taken as a visual promise from God.  God was concerned enough about man and man’s fears and weaknesses to make a grand promise to us.  God makes many grand promises and God keeps them all.  When we see the rainbow in the clouds we can know that God is above the clouds of our life.  He is over us in His protective care.  He does not prevent the rain or the storm, but He is behind every cloud with His wonderful promises.

In the storms of life we might often be tempted to believe that God has somehow turned His back from us, even if it is just for a moment.  But God’s promise is to the contrary.  He has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  That means that He won’t leave us for even a moment.  We need to look up in our times of distress and see the rainbow in the clouds.  We need to make it a very special reality for our lives that God has given a constant sign of His grace. 

By grace He saved Noah and in grace He gave Him a symbol of His care.  That symbol He placed in the heavens so that we might look up to Him in every storm that comes our way.  Today we have another great symbol of His grace.  We have the cross.  As we behold the cross our eyes are drawn upward to heaven.  From there we know that we receive His constant grace and care for all our life.   We can gladly sing with Eliza Hewitt the final stanza of her hymn, “There’s a rainbow on the cloud! tho’ your soul is sorrow-bowed, lift your voice to praise the Lord today; there’s a rainbow ’round the throne; In its glory we will own that He led us in His perfect way.”  The way of grace is full of hope and promise.  Claim it today. 

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Scenes of Grace 5

A great hymn of assurance, “A Shelter in the Time of Storm”, is given to us by Vernon Charlesworth.  Picture Noah and his family singing this hymn during the 40 days and nights of the deluge.  Verse three of the hymn begins, “The raging storms may round us beat”.  Think of being in that ark when outside all was dark except for the streaks of lightning.  The thunder beat a steady bass drum of dread.  Rain cascaded on the roof of the pitching vessel while the winds howled out God’s fury against the wickedness of man.  Inside that fragile retreat of the ark sat the surviving members of the human race along with all the animals to repopulate the earth. In this picture we find a great scene of grace.

We have two cats and a dog at our house.  Cleaning up after them helps me understand why our landfills are so full.  Noah had two of everything and at least seven of all clean animals. Every farmer knows how much work it is to clean the stables and barns.  There were only eight people on the ark to take care of the vast needs.  How did they do it?  They did it by grace.  God had to have done something miraculous to make it possible.  He had given them a great load to bear and His grace must have intervened to make them succeed in bearing it.  The ark was their means of safety.  God would care for them in it. 

The cross is our means of safety.  Jesus asks us to bear that cross.  It is a weight that we cannot bear on our own.  It is too heavy for us.  Jesus said that He would bear it with us.  His word tells us that His grace is sufficient for us in doing His will.  We could not survive the storms of this life bearing the cross of Jesus Christ without grace.  God’s grace preserved Noah and his family.  The miracle of His grace superseded the impossibility of their position.  Today it is the same.  God’s preserving grace carries us every day.  His manifest grace overcomes what cannot be done by human means.   

Knowing and understanding this great grace helps us confidently sing, “The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide – a shelter in the time of storm; secure whatever ill betide – a shelter in the time of storm.”  Praise the Rock today.  Thank Him for His great preserving grace. 

  The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

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Scenes of Grace 4

Today we move on to Genesis chapter 6.  It is not that there are no scenes of grace in chapters 4 and 5, but we could never record all the scenes of grace in the Scriptures.  Chapter 6 reveals a situation of great need and a provision of great grace.  Genesis 6:5 says, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth.”  Philip Bliss’s great Gospel song “The Light of the World is Jesus” describes the scene in Genesis 6.  He wrote, “The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin.” Chapter 6 also records God’s great grace in the face of this great darkness.  In chapter 6 we find this wonderful verse, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”  

Humanity was corrupt before God.  God said of mankind, “that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  In consequence of this great sinful condition God was about to destroy humanity.  The wages of sin is indeed death.  “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”  When judgment was determined, God provided an escape from judgment through grace.  Grace is unmerited, so there is no means by human reasoning why God gave grace to Noah.  Noah responded to God’s grace with faith.  He said yes to God’s offer of grace and then obeyed God in building the ark.  The result was that Noah and all of his family was saved from destruction. 

Noah’s Ark became the means of their salvation.  They got inside of it and were spared from the wrath of God.  In the same way Jesus Christ is our ark of salvation.  We believe in Him and are placed “in” Him by God the Father.  Now all those who have placed their faith in Him are safe from the anger of God against sin.  It is still the work of grace which is responded to with faith.  God’s system has not changed.  God gives grace which brings us to faith and leads us to safety in the ark of God’s preservation. 

Philip Bliss told of the darkness of the world in sin.  That darkness led to man’s judgment and death.  But God sent Light to shine into our darkness so that we could see His grace and be saved.  As Noah in obedience built the ark, today we are come to the Light for our salvation.  “Come to the Light, ‘tis shining for thee; sweetly the Light has dawned upon me.  Once I was blind, but now I can see; the Light of the world is Jesus.”  Rejoice in God’s grace of Light and life, Jesus Christ.  

Scenes of Grace 3

How do a beloved Christmas carol and the fall of man converge?  In the 4^th stanza of Charles Wesley’s “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” we find the musical version of the scene of grace that played out in the Garden of Eden in Genesis three.  Eve had been deceived by Satan and ate of the forbidden fruit.  Adam chose Eve over God and ate it with her.  God pronounced His judgment on Satan and man.  But then God demonstrated the wonders of His grace.

 Along with the curse to the serpent God gave a promise of hope for all mankind.  He said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed: He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”  This is the first promise of the Messiah given in Scripture and also the first promise of the Virgin birth.  Man had sinned and broken fellowship with God. God in grace would send a Champion for man, a Redeemer, a Conquering Seed to overcome the curse and set things right. 

Charles Wesley picks up this great doctrinal truth in “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”.  In stanza 4 of the carol he wrote, “Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed, bruise in us the serpent’s head. Now display Thy saving power; ruined nature now restore.”  This verse is missing in many hymnals today.  When it is inserted it omits the last part of Wesley’s 4^th stanza and mixes it with his 5^th stanza which reads, “Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface; stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above, reinstate us in Thy love.”

Wesley set forth the great doctrine of grace as demonstrated by God in Genesis 3.  Man had sinned and deserved death.  That was the penalty that had been forewarned.  Man did indeed die, or at least entered into the process of death.  But God in grace killed an animal instead of man and clothed them with garments of animal skin.  He made a substitute for them.  He also gave them the promise of One who would come and win their war with death and restore their original nature and fellowship with God.  Such great grace cannot be fathomed.  The pure and holy would die (have His heel bruised) for the impure and rebellious.  Not only that, but man could live in the constant hope of it happening.  God’s grace gave them both life and hope.  Surely we set our joyful hearts singing along with Charles Wesley, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”.  

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Scenes of Grace 2

We turn today to another beautiful hymn by Civilla Martin, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow”.  As we found God’s great and marvelous grace in Psalm 90 “from everlasting”, picturing Genesis 1 “In the beginning”, we find a new scene of grace in Genesis 2.  God had made the sparrows and all the other creatures.  He had also made man.  For all the creatures God had created a mate.  For man He had not yet done so.  In Genesis 2 we find God saying, “It is not good that man should be alone.”  God was concerned with the sparrows and God was concerned with Adam.  

Civilla Martin asks, “Why should I be discouraged? Why should my heart be lonely?”  She answers her question emphatically that she need not be because “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”  I feed the birds in my yard year around.  More sparrows come to my feeder than any other type of bird.  It reminds me that there are a lot of sparrows.  They seem to be the most prolific birds around.  Yet, God cares for each of them.  Not one falls to the ground without the Father taking notice.  If He notices the sparrows and cares for them, how much more does He care for His own dear children?

In His marvelous grace God saw that Adam was incomplete by himself.  God had given him all the animals as companions, but it wasn’t enough.  He had given him a job to do, but it wasn’t enough.  He had given all the good food and living environment that he needed, but it wasn’t enough.  God didn’t chastise Adam for being incomplete.  He loved Adam and he wanted what was best for His special creation, so God gave Adam a wife.  His grace was concerned for the need of Adam and His power satisfied that need.

God is still concerned for the sons of Adam.  Although we have sinned and offended Him in every way imaginable, He still sees our need and desires to help. This time a wife won’t do.  This time we need a Savior so He sent us His Son.  In grace He hung on the cross and died for us.  In power He was raised from the dead.  Now He takes us as His bride, his special new creation for the perfect Adam.  From the Garden to the Cross to Eternity God’s grace is revealed to us.  We can joyfully sing with Civilla, “I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free; for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”  The grace of God never rests.  

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Scenes of Grace

The oldest hymn still sung by the church was probably written by Moses.  It is Psalm 90.  The father of modern hymnody, Isaac Watts, paraphrased that psalm in his hymn “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”.  The third stanza of Watts’ hymn is from the second verse of the psalm.  “Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame; from everlasting Thou art God, to endless years the same.”  It is in this point of “everlasting” past that we see our first scene of grace in the Scriptures.

In First Peter 1:18-20 we discover a scene that took place “Before the hills in order stood”.  Peter tells us that we are saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ that was “ordained” to be shed for our sins BEFORE the foundation of the world.  Before we were, God had prepared grace for our needs.  This God who was from everlasting and will be the same to everlasting is the God of grace.  It was His nature before He made a single atom of all of creation.  It is His nature to oversee with grace all the atoms of His creation.  It will be by His grace that all the atoms are recreated in perfection for eternity. 

Isaac Watts wrote, “To endless years the same”.  Malachi recorded God’s word to the returned remnant of Israel in chapter 3 of his book.  Here God said, “For I am the Lord; I do not change.”  The author of Hebrews said of Jesus Christ, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”  The God of grace, who would plan before He made man or any other creation to sacrifice His own Son for our offenses against Him, is the same God of grace who cares for His flock every day.  He changes not.  The power He displayed in creating the heavens and the earth is the same power He uses today to care for His church.  In Matthew 28 Jesus said to His disciples, “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye.”  The power of Christ goes with His church every day.

It is easy to see why we can title Isaac Watts’ hymn, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”.   The God of power and grace is the God who has helped us even before time began.  Reflect on these rich words, “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home!”  

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