A Masterpiece of His Grace

Welcome to living in the light with and Graham Watts God who take ugly brown stains and transform them into masterpieces of his grain.

Thank you for joining us today and welcome to this week's edition of living in the Bible teaching ministry of and grandma Anne's message isn't an easy one to hear because it reminds us of the consequences of our sin and our need to confront our sin and then let God transform us by his grace hears and know that some of you living in a consequence of your sin. Every time you get up in the morning you see your face in the mirror, you see the consequence of your sin and reminded of it and you're bound by and you live in those if only only had such and such.

I think the first way to get out of it. If only just to confess it before got a name for what God is my fault I didn't do what you told me I didn't do what I should have and have sinned against you have sinned against my brothers and against my family and I'm not going to point a finger at anybody else.

It's me and me oh Lord, send you just name it, but I think another thing that encourages us is to know how God can use as a story true story years ago in the Highlands of Scotland.

These fishermen are going out fishing all day in a commendable pub at night in order their drinks and while the maid was getting a drinks.

One of the fishermen was describing the fish that got away his arms like this and justly thought his arms to describe the fish that got away. The maid was coming with a tray of drinks and his arm kept that tray and all his drinks smashed up against the whitewashed wall and everybody just follows in the pub as he heard the sound of crashing glass and all the brown ugly stain on this whitewashed wrong just staring at the Madison before you and I could do anything. A man in the corner jumped up and pulled a piece of charcoal out of his pocket. He began to sketch around ugly brown stain is a sketch that ugly brown stain was transformed into a magnificent stag was running across the Holland matter and that he signed it. His name was Sir Lanphier and he was Great Britain's foremost wildlife artist.

Some of his work, hang in the Biltmore estate in Nashville and idea being that was just an ugly brown stain until the master artist took hold of it and transformed it into something beautiful, something that was a masterpiece of arts, listen to me what is ugly brown stain in your life. The consequence the sin that you live with.

You just name it for what it is when you bring it to God and you ask him to start sketching and God will allow us to take ugly brown stains and transform them into masterpieces of his gray, but you have to give it to him, you have to acknowledge that's what it is the consequence of your sin is not your mother's fault is not your spouse's fault is not your employer's fault is not the way you are racist, whatever you are an adult now you responsible for your decision. Maybe something that was done to you in childhood, you responsible for your response to what was done to you and you just bring it to the cross name it for what it is take responsibility give the stain to the Lord asking to sketch something beautiful. He can do so would you be objective about the problem that you're immersed in and would you be submissive what your attitude towards a discipline. God brings in your life and you go through a consequence you complain, you grow resentful. Are you angry with God because you know we can get you out, you know, he could heal that disease. You know, we can solve the financial problem. You know, we could reconcile that relationship. He doesn't so you angry are you wrestling with them or you're offended or would you be submissive and the Hebrews is telling you and me that when our father allows us to go through a consequence, he is using it as discipline and we need to submit to our father's hand and you can do so knowing that he loves you.

In verse six the Lord disciplines those he loves. God loves you and the fact that he discipline June is involved in your life like that is evidence of his love for you that your legitimate child and he's your father. You're his child. Verse seven endure hardship as discipline God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father.

If you're not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline. You are illegitimate children and not true son in other words, what evidence that God loves you, that you belong to him is that he does not.

You get by with the thing and currently we sense his involvement are likely carries is the never mind the planets nevermind you know, the kingdoms are coming and going in the war that's going on.

He's leaning out of heaven and is getting involved in your life. The discipline you, because he wants to make you over into the image of his dear son he's your father, and he's teaching you.

Verse nine. Moreover, with all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for how much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live our father's discipline this for a little while as they thought best. But God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.

So would you submit to the discipline.

Whatever it is I think the more we struggle against the more painful it is. And yes, we can ask to be released. But if God doesn't release us and we just submit to it and ask him to use it to teach us not to do that again. The teach us about holiness and doing the right thing.

The next time the conform us into his image.

You and I need to be submissive to our father's hand. Jeremiah chapter 18 Jeremiah went down to the potter's house to remember and he saw the potter making a pot and it was broken and cracked in the potter had to break it down and re-mold and reshape until it was a vessel that was fit for the potter's use. Never friend loves to do ceramics and he takes ugly bill collards week piece of clay and he puts on the potter's wheel and he begins the spin and you have the do the pressure with her fingers and in a way puts the pressure on that lump of clay determines whether it becomes a vase or bowl or jar and when he finishes it he paints it is all finished is still dull colored and soft and not usable, and he puts in the kill heats up to about 1700°F and then at the proper time. He takes it out of the kiln and it's brilliantly colored and is strong and is something that would be useful sometimes God puts us in the kiln is in the and he shaped this and is molded as needs use the circumstances in our life and he put this in the fire and turned the heat up and he allows us to go through the consequences not tell you something. Malachi tells us that when the refiner is leaning near the fire to purify the gold. That's when he's the closest is when the fire is the hottest member. The three Hebrew children when they were in the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar said wait a minute through three and there, but I see for, and the fourth is like the son of God, because the son of God came to be with his children when they were in the five so if you are in the fire, even if it's a fire of your own making. Jesus draws near to you. And he won't let you be subjected to any more heat than he knows you can stand and you may think it's more than you can stand but he knows he's the master potter is going to transform you into a vessel in which you can pour his glory.

Paul said in Corinthians we have this treasure. This knowledge of God and the glory of God in earthen vessels of clay, so people look at you and me just these clay pots are being molded made by the potter. They don't say yes they see the glory of God in us may see Jesus sticking out all over, so would you submit to the potter's hands. He knows the pressure to bring. He knows the circumstances to allow he knows the heat to turn up until he just molds and makes you after his well until you're just exactly the shape and the size and the color and the strength so he can pour his glory into you and other people will see Jesus you and are to be objective about the problems we face were to be submissive and were to be responsive.

Verse 12 therefore, strengthen your feeble arms in your weak knees as the picture of a runner who was just about to drop out of the running, and I think he's saying if you're going to the consequences of your sin you're facing these problems and it's gotten hard, they just shape strengthen your weak knees and don't quit, don't collapse stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop complaining something is somebody else's will just shape up and keep running a race of the things that struck me as I was doing this passage was God doesn't let me get by with the thing and I understand the chastening disciplining hand of God in my life and I thank him for its and I'm grateful for it but you know it's hard for me is when I see his hand of discipline in the lives of one of my children and I see my father allowing my children to experience the consequences of their stand in the wrong choice and live in that and nothing is more heartbreaking as a parents, and maybe that's also part of God's discipline in my life because I haven't been the perfect parent, that's for sure and I need to confess my sin as a parent and then I just need like Abraham to take my child lamb on the altar is a God, you can have my most precious possession you can have my child I'm going to trust my child the potter's hand, not the potter have his way in my child's life because more than anything I want my child to be in earthen vessel into which God can pour his glory that other people can see Jesus in the life of child that doesn't come without costs.

So one of the problems that you're facing in your long, so whatever the problem is, would you be objective. Is it the consequence of sin and therefore is God using his discipline in your life would you be submissive than just that the potter have his way in the responsive stop complaining, feeling sorry, griping, complaining, be offended with God and just yield what he would have in your life and don't quit. So would you readjust your attitude toward your problems and would you readjust your attitude towards people.

Verse 14 make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy without holiness no one will see the Lord and I think that means without holiness that you received the cross when your sins are forgiven you never going to go to heaven and see the Lord but I think it also means that holiness in your life and mine. Nobody else is going to see Jesus in us.

Is there any bitterness.

Verse 15 see to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no Bitterroot goes up to cause trouble in the file.

Many is some bitterness in her life because a spouse dumped you because a parent rejected you because a church three routes because a boss fired you. There's something in your life and your depot better. Nobody here knows it's is just deep down in your life and is rooted in your life and you know the thing about a root of bitterness is if you came to me and explained to me what the situation was. I would say you know you deserve to be better. Bitterness is justified because others are hard to "because something that was done to you or something that happened wasn't right is an injustice in your better about it but listen to your bareness is not going to affect the other person.

The bareness will destroy you and it says it's going to live up and file your whole life and listen to me. In the Old Testament. When was defiled, it was unacceptable and could mean at the end of your life.

You made the decision to know God to pursue him and all of his blessings to bring in and praise and glory at the end of your life is on the whole thing was defiled because of this root of bitterness, deep listen to me.

Don't waste your life because you rooted in bitterness: outs bring it to the cross.

Crucify not know the other person doesn't deserve your forgiveness but you know we forgive other people, not because they deserve it.

We forgive other people, because God for Jesus sake is forgiven and you didn't deserve his forgiveness either. Think about that.

Please forgive any longer sin.

And who knows how repulsive your sin is in his sight, not just one sin, but I'm in a whole lifetime of sin and he's forgiven you, and you say will often festers in all, listen to me you have an confess that all you don't even know all you confesses and that comes your mind but how many sins you and I commit that were not even consciously aware of and therefore they know confess whenever they got I'm sorry for this person to come. You say you're sorry. You just forgive them anyway and you forgive them, because God for Christ's sake is forgiven you. And you know something, it's an act of worship.

You not doing it for the other person you doing it because you love Jesus and he's forgiven you in your response to him. Your gratitude for the cross is that you extend forgiveness that other person in the newly that other person, the God back in verse 14. Make every effort to live in peace with all men, but I wanted to point out your relationship with yourself is a somebody here who is not at peace with yourself and your something that you've done in your life and you just can't forgive yourself and God comes to you and says listen I sent Jesus to die for you, and you've claimed him by faith as your Savior. I forgive you, and you say, God, thank you but I can't forgive myself.

You know what you're saying that you're more righteous than God but your standards are higher than you. When God says I forgive you when you say God, thank you and I don't deserve it and am not worthy, but if you forgive me that I choose the forgiveness would you do that make peace with yourself. Verse 16 say that no one is sexually immoral is any sinfulness in her life involving another person any sexual immorality anybody here having an affair anybody here wishing you could have an affair anybody here with your own somebody else. It doesn't belong to you. It's repent of your sin, you know, for an affair begins Wednesday and I would never commit adultery but I enjoy watching those things on TV here. I enjoy those programs are no adultery in sin just begins with a thought. Doesn't just one little spot that we don't crucify you we have a second thought in the and just the heart is so desperately wicked. You have no idea where those thoughts are going to lead to just bring them to the cross sexual immorality as I've been bumping into it lately is taking place on the Internet pornography that so readily available. Somebody is given not just the somebody new addresses, but I just hit that spam button every time have never gone into one would scare me to death to be locked in the one of those things I've read about them. I heard about them and I know there are people within the church and know their people within the pulpits of the church in who are totally addicted to pornography on the Internet can affect you go home, take your computer and throw it away. Jesus said if your friends you gouge it out. If your arm offends you, cut it off. He didn't mean that you domain yourself. You just met that whatever is leading into temptation, cut it out of your life and be better to lose at $1500 computer. Whatever it is and it is the stand before a holy God, and know you live in immorality and would you also re-examine your attitude towards God's verse 16 see to it that no one is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son afterward. As you know, when you wanted to inherit this blessing.

He was rejected he could bring about no change of mind. We sought the blessing with tears and peace all traded the spiritual for the material. Any trade of the tunnel for the temporal lens he loved to Rugrats.

Make sure there's no casualness in your attitude towards God's and that you put effort and energy into pursuing knowledge of him that you would know him exactly and personally and experientially and that you would make that decision. A decision that you follow through and a commitment for the rest of your life to make sure there's no casualness and would you put God first in your life making your priority. Would you choose after the Challenger pad from Hebrews and with been challenged and now God exactly and person and experientially would you choose to get to know God. Now are recommitting your life re-focusing on Jesus and readjusting your attitude and reclaiming the privilege of knowing God in a personal relationship look at this verse 18. You're not come to a mountain that can be touched and is burning with fire. Now this is going to describe the Old Testament approach to God. So this is in the way you and I come today, you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and is burning with fire to darkness, gloom and storm to trumpet blaster to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged the no further word be spoken to them because they could not bear what was commanded, even an animal touches the mountain. It must be stoned. The site was so terrifying that Moses am trembling with fear. It was terrifying to draw near to God in the Old Testament, but that's not you and me. Praise God we live on the side of the cross verse 22 but you have come to Mount Zion and to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. All lesson when you come to God you're coming home. This is where you belong.

You come to thousands upon thousands of angels and joyful assembly who have gathered this love you to the charge of the firstborn's names are written in heaven that you you have come to God so loved you, that he gave his own son for you. The judge of all men, to the spirits of the righteous men made perfect in Jesus who loved you so much. He went to the cross and mediates the new covenant, the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. The cost of the blood of Jesus. You can enter right in the most holy place and I think this is an awesome picture of prayer that through the blood of Jesus. You can reclaim the privilege of entering into the most holy place.

Listen when you go home would you make a commitment every day to get on your knees and reclaim the privilege of entering the presence of God in prayer.

Would you start praying on a daily basis consistent just talking to God about what to be fancy enough to be in King James English is just talking to God's approval is Jesus walk you through his blood. How grateful he would be if you didn't claim that privilege because you are afraid you can pray right, just pray just talk doing reclaim the privilege that sure is through the Scriptures see to it that you don't refuse him to speak to. Now you refuse him a speaks but just not reading your Bible going home and not opening up the word not spending time meditating on asking what does it say what does it mean what does it mean to me and you just refuse him a speaks I'll tell you something about daddy called me and he call me on the phone and halfway through the conversation I just said that I can talk to Nana hung up.

I can't and I would never do that when your heavenly father has a word for you and he wants to speak to you and he speaks here. This is very call issue.

This is where he talks to you and when he speaks to you. You give them time and you give them attention. Let them say what's on his heart, you open up your ears and listen by reading that passage and meditating on it and see how it applied to your life and asking yourself those questions and you going to find the living God speaking to you, don't refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused and warned them on earth, how much Alaska way.

If we turn away from him who warns us from heaven, and I think the warning is if you don't spend time with God, you're never going to get the knowing your relationship takes time does not. We know that just if were married, you can have a relationship, your husband or wife you don't make the time to be with them and just enjoy them the same thing is true with God you talk to him in prayer. He talks to through the word, and you develop a personal live in relationship with God. So would you do that when you go home would you make the time every day to read your Bible and just spend time in the word, don't refuse him who speaks and he speaks through his word would you reclaim the privilege on through prayer and Bible reading, but reclaim it through worship.

Verse 28 therefore since were receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire and loneliness. 12 one tells us how we are to worship God acceptably next offering ourselves as a living sacrifice and we all forgot her eyes and the things we look at and see all forgot our ears the things we listen to in here and we offer God our hands and the things we do in our feet and where we go in our heart and our motion so we feel in our mind and what we think and our lips than what we say and we just given our lives and our lives are living sacrifice and we lay them down before him, and for God, you can just help yourself that's the only reasonable worship. I know in response to the fact that he's given for you. And he laid himself down the hall for you withheld nothing from you. How can you withhold anything from him is not reasonable is not acceptable. So would you reclaim the privilege of knowing exactly and pursing experientially. Right now by claiming the privilege of prayer and battle prayer. We talked improbably to where he talks to you and worship you as you live your life as a living sacrifice living your life for what to bring glory to bring to bring a blessing and to get to know we in the process you do that Jesus is enough. You don't have to look any farther anywhere else.

You just look at Jesus. He's enough to know God now hears and with this final word. Are you thinking that you'd really like to come in out of the cold that you long to have a closer relationship with God.

But you don't feel worthy are you so conscious of sin and failure in your life that you feel totally inferior and unable to have fellowship with him. Are you convinced you're nobody, and therefore would never be accepted, much less welcomed into his presence.

Praise God our entrance into his presence isn't based on our own worthiness but on the worthiness of Jesus Christ.

When we enter God's presence in Jesus name. Where is accepted by God as Jesus is because God counts us as his own dear children for child.

There is no place quite so safe and secure is within the father's arms. Jesus invites you and me in his name to come into his father's presence through prayer roll up into his lap by faith put our head on his shoulder of strength feel his loving arms of protection around us call him daddy and pour out our hearts to him. Listen to me. Jesus is enough to find out come to him then fix the eyes of your faith on him. You been listening to living in the light and when you go to Engram lots.org there are free resources to help you in your study of God's word and his desire is that you embrace of God filled life step-by-step choice by choice living in the light