THE “CHARIS”

Time with Jesus - 20 Sept 2013

Hi all,

Paul was in Macedonia, a long way from Jerusalem and had just received news of a famine in that part of the world. What was he to do? The Macedonians were poor people. Today we would say they didn’t have two cents to rub together! 

But these self-same Macedonians heard about the desperate straits of their brothers and sisters in Judea. They had nothing. Well, almost nothing! In spite of their extreme poverty the grace of Jesus Christ touched their hearts. 

Writing to the Corinthians, Paul stated,

¹ Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. ² They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. ³ For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. ⁴ They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. ⁵ They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 2 Cor. 8:1-5 

NLT Paul was writing to the Corinthians telling them how the grace of God had touched the hearts of the Macedonians.

What exactly is grace? Do we really understand grace? I’m not sure that anyone has ever plumbed the depth of God’s grace. Many have known a measure of this attribute of God; some, more than others.

John Newton

John Henry Newton - 24 July 1725 – 21 December 1807

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.”

An Anglican clergyman, John Newton, penned these well-loved words. As a young man, before his conversion to Jesus Christ, he had been the captain of a slave trading ship. His past life had a profound effect on him. So much so, he became one of the heroes of the slave abolition movement.

Did he understand grace? I think that if you were able to ask him he would just shake his head. Tears would well up in his eyes and he would add that grace is utterly alien to the hearts and minds of unregenerate man. Then he would say that grace isn’t something to be understood, but to be experienced.

Did Paul understand grace? I don’t think so. How could he understand? Once he had been the great destroyer and persecutor of the church. Then he had met Jesus and his life had been transformed. Did he understand? Certainly he could speak and write about it.

Paul

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, ¹³ even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴ Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them all. 1 Tim 1:12-15 NLT

Do I understand grace? No! But, when I think of God’s working in my life, my eyes also fill with tears. I feel overwhelmed by the abounding and abiding grace, that God has lavished on me and on others, whom He has redeemed.

Acronym for Grace

Grace does strange things to a man. It changes his sense of values. He becomes aware of what is happening around him. He starts to see things in a new light and in ways he has never seen before. Suddenly, the plight of others begins to take on a new meaning and he purposes in his heart, to reach out and touch their lives. He longs to somehow try and bring to them a small measure of that which he has received.

Grace softens hearts that have been hardened by years of selfishness and greed. Grace makes weak men strong; strong in the Lord; strong in the love and power of the God of all Creation.

Grace causes a man to want to open his wallet and give. Grace causes a man to want to be like the Lord who loves him. It causes him to want to sit down and write out a cheque; a large cheque; one that he can hardly afford. Grace causes men to be generous beyond the bounds of reason. Grace causes a man to give to others even from the depths of his own poverty.

Paul Preaching at the Areopagus

You may ask, “What happened to the Macedonian churches that the people gave so liberally and abundantly, even beyond their own ability?” John Newton gave the answer in the hymn quoted above. The answer is in the very first verse. It’s a one-word answer. The word “grace”.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 20 September 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	These devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it is for non-commercial Christian purposes					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	THE “CHARIS”
I know a little Greek. He’s about 5ft 2ins and owns the delicatessens on the corner! As for the Greek language, I’ve come across a couple of words over the past 50 years. One of them is the word “Charis”. I understand it was something given to you for the very opposite of what you’ve done. For example, if tomorrow is my birthday, (it isn’t) and you decide to give me R1 000 000, that’s great. You may think, “Jim is a funny old bloke, but he’s been something of a friend, so let’s give him a R1 000 000”. (If you feel that way, don’t let me dissuade you!). Now suppose you went out one evening and left your family at home in your house. Then I break in, kill your children, rape your wife and leave her half dead then set fire to your house so that it burns down in ten minutes. What would you think then? How would you feel about the R1 000 000? If I were you in that situation, you would only get the money from me when hell freezes over! But if in spite of all this, you still give me the R1 000 000, you have given me the “charis”. This is one of the best illustrations of the meaning of God’s grace that anyone will describe. It’s receiving the very opposite of what I deserve. As a sinner, I have earned and deserve to get at least a million eternities in the lowest pit of hell. Fortunately, God isn’t like me! He is grossly unfair. (Fairness is a human term) He decides to give me His “Charis”, His Grace. Note that I deserve His judgement. Instead He decides to forgive me and adopt me as a son because Jesus paid the penalty in full! Remember, two men could have gone to Calvary that day. They were both ‘”son of the father”. Bar Abbas means “son of the Father”. Jesus claimed to be (and was) the Son of His Heavenly Father. The people were offered a choice by Pilate. Which “son of the father” do you want me to release? We know the outcome. In a sense, Jesus was Barabbas’ substitute. He is my substitute. Grossly unfair. But it was His idea. He gives me His righteousness in exchange for all my junk. How will I ever be able to thank Him? None of us can even begin to imagine what it was like for Him to carry all the sin that is, was or ever will be committed, on that cross at Calvary. All the accumulated sickness, disease, death and wickedness that this creation has ever known and ever will know. He took it all. Nothing was overlooked or missing. Suddenly we get a glimpse of what was meant by the David in Psalm 22 when he wrote, 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? Psalms 22:1 NIV The absolute desolation of this soul-piercing cry is overwhelming. Theologically we know that His Father turned away from Him when He was made to be sin for us. Paul put it as follows; 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21 TNIV We may know it theologically. But my head can’t catch up with the theology! Something within me cries out “Unjust! Unfair! Impossible”! It’s then I’m reminded that He makes the rules. All I have to do is say, “Thank You Lord!” It’s not my place to sit in judgement on what He has done. The fairness and justice is His to decide anyway. I don’t make the rules. Our part (you and me) is to keep them! The fact is no other way was possible! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. 2 Corinthians 6:10 NLT	The Lord gave us His “charis”. To us, the word is “Grace”, Not because of what we’ve done, or anything we face. In fact it is a concept, we just don’t understand. This world is geared for earning. It’s how our lives are planned. We get rewards for working. We earn our daily bread. It doesn’t come for nothing. “Work hard” until you’re dead. You have a sort of contract, whereby you get your pay. Your part is to turn up for work on every working day. If you forget to do it, your boss will not be pleased. Unless a Doctor’s “sick note” states you are diseased. Sometimes the boss is generous. A bonus comes along. But you will only get it, if you’ve done nothing wrong. You’re legally entitled to what the contract says. And if you are not satisfied, you both go separate ways. We understand this system; it’s how it’s always been. We talk about it being “fair” and know just what we mean. But God is never like that; and God is never “fair”! The rules the Father uses, we don’t find anywhere. The fact is I’m a sinner. I’ve worked hard for my wage. I really do deserve them. My sins run off the page! This means, I am entitled to go direct to hell. And be like all the sinners, who’ll end up there as well! It seems God has a problem. At least that’s how it looks. The people He created, are wiped out of His books. In fact there’s not a person who isn’t stained by sin. And if we all go off to hell, how can He ever win? But God knew all about it. It didn’t have Him fazed. He had the perfect answer. Oh let His name be praised! He said, I’ll take their punishment and lay it on My Son. He’ll die and pay the penalty for all that they have done. And then they will change places. They’ll have His righteousness. And He will bear the total cost of all their sinfulness. It isn’t a “fair” system. Why should He die for me? He gives me what I don’t deserve. In fact, I get it free! Of course I’m not complaining. But I must not forget, I never could deserve it. I couldn’t pay that debt. Instead, I get His “charis”; His grace that’s underserved. Instead it’s just the opposite; it’s sin that I have served. His “charis” I can never earn; but Jesus bled and died. His love has made the difference; and He was crucified, So I can live forever as God’s adopted son. The converse of what I deserve, for all that I have done. Jim Strickland Written 20th Sept 2012
			9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 ESV
			16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. John 1:16 NASB
			19 My God will meet all your needs. He will meet them in keeping with his wonderful riches that come to you because you belong to Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NIrV
			8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT
			5 Listen, dear friends. Isn't it clear by now that God operates quite differently? He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens, with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves God. James 2:5 MSG
			26 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. 27 Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, 28 chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 MSG
			7 Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them. This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn't come from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 GW