Glory, Fear and Grace

thanks to  Tim Counts

for his contribution

 

Luke 2:9-11 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

 

Christmas Eve I was encouraged as I listened to my nephew preach in church.  It is so amazing to me how God will impress on me the same message in a variety of unrelated ways.  On Sunday nights in my own church, we have been listening to R.C Sproul on video tape as he speaks on the holiness of God.  He emphasized how in the Bible you see holy men falling down on their faces and saying they are unclean when confronted with the holiness and glory of God.  Sunday my nephew brought out another dimension of this.  He pointed out that there is always a pattern in the Bible when one is confronted with the awesome holiness and glory of God.  The pattern is this: 1) God's glory

2) fear 3) grace.  The shepherds were confronted with God's glory, they were fearful and then God offered them grace..."a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord".

 

Isaiah, in Isaiah 6, said, when confronted with God's holiness, "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."  He realized that he was unclean before a holy God.  Then in verses 6-7 God offers him grace, "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."

 

In Job 40:2-4, Job is confronted with God's holiness and responds in verse 4 with, "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth."  Later in Job 42, God offers grace.

 

Job 42:8-10 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.  So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.  And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

 

God continues to work in this way today.  When God reveals His holiness to people to day, they are fearful as they realize how sinful they are and it's at that point that God offers His grace.  Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 

I pray with my nephew that you too have been confronted with the holiness of God, the fear of your own sinfulness and experienced the grace that God offers in Jesus Christ.

 

Dear Father, I am grateful for the way that You confirm Your Word to me in a variety of unrelated ways.  It is just one more way you show You grace to me and I thank You for that.  In Jesus Name, Amen.