The Amazing Depth of God's Saving Grace

The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?” (John 7:32-36).

Jesus had just explained to the crowd of followers that the key to understanding His words and knowing Him as the Savior was within the heart. To mature from Christ follower into Christ’s disciple one had to have a wholehearted desire to know the truth. He confronted the crowd with the truths that He was both Son of God and Son of Man. Everyone knew He was the son of Mary and Joseph and hailed from Nazareth. He was also the Son of God who sent Him from heaven into the world. The crowd of followers had two reactions to His words. Many believed Him and became disciples… “Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, ‘When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?’” (John 7:31). Others rejected Him… “The chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him”. Jesus demonstrated His sovereignty over this situation as well as the entire mission He came to fulfill… “So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come” (John 7:30). He showed compassion even on those who sought to arrest Him. He paused and addressed them. He confronted even His enemies with truth that could make them disciples. In reaching out to those who came against Him Jesus revealed the amazing depth of God’s saving grace!

We all know someone like the Jews that resisted Jesus. We all have chief priests and Pharisees in our lives. They test our faith. They challenge our witness. They rejoice whenever we slip up in our walk with Jesus. They resist and thwart our efforts to share the gospel with others. We may unconsciously avoid contact with them and the thought of spending time with them repulses us. We often purposely avoid speaking about our faith in their presence just to keep the peace. If we’re honest, we have to admit that we may have given up hope of ever bringing them to faith in Christ. But deep in our hearts we know, God has not given up on them.

The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to teach that in His sovereignty God has chosen those He intends to spend eternity with… “Even as He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:4). God reveals His glory when He exercises His mercy and grace in saving anyone… “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:4-6). The same Spirit moved the same apostle to teach that God wants everyone to know the truth… “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). God does not use the standards for saving people that we might expect… “The LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). When we get to heaven we may be very surprised by whom God has saved and brought into eternity… “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Here on earth it is our great privilege and responsibility to be part of God’s soul saving and disciple making work… “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). But because we don’t know who God has chosen, we must be courageous and diligent to share the gospel with everyone… “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). Whether they appear to us to be friend or foe of Jesus, God’s love should compel us to share His good news with them… “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

As we grow up into Christ we become more earnest in sharing His gospel with everyone because we are blessed and compelled by…

The Amazing Depth of God’s Saving Grace.