When Jesus came to earth, He did so for a specific purpose. He came to fulfill the Law of Moses and to preach to the children of Israel. As He told the Canaanite woman,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24b ESV).
And
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17 ESV).
Yet, while on earth, even some Gentiles could not keep away from Him. They came, seeking His help and humbling themselves with even more faith than was found in all of Israel (Luke 7:9). Why is this such an amazing thing to consider?
First, you see Jesus’ love for all men and women. When He looked into the eyes of the Gentile, He didn’t see race. He saw the child He had created, looking into His eyes, needing help that only their Creator could give them.
And He loved them. While His mission was first to the children He had chosen as a sanctified people to Himself, He came bearing a mystery. When His disciples saw racial distinction, Jesus saw one humanity made from one blood; the blood He created for all men to share. He saw Jews and Gentiles alike whom He created in His own image.
And here was the mystery that He knew which no one else knew at the time:
“This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:6 ESV).
And even when Jesus came first to the Jews, He could not turn away His creation among the Gentiles when they humbly sought their Creator’s help.
From His beginning on earth, Gentile wise men sought Him at His birth (Matthew 2).
In Luke 7, we read about the Roman Centurion who humbled himself before this Jewish preacher so his servant might be healed. This is when Jesus said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
In Luke 8, Jesus travels to a Gentile region to cast demons out of a Gentile. Until Jesus came, everyone feared him. But when Jesus set him free, this man asked to go with Jesus. The Lord had different plans for him and sent him away proclaiming what He had done for this Gentile.
And then in Matthew 15, there was the Canaanite woman who had a daughter who was oppressed by demons. When everyone wanted to send her away, her persistence made her humble before the Lord. Jesus granted her request, saying, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.”
When all of Israel anticipated the coming of the Jewish Messiah, our Lord had a mystery that only He knew. He gave tidbits of this mystery, but it went right over the heads of the sons of Israel:
“I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 8:11 ESV).
I loved that Jesus loved the Gentiles. Even though He came to the sons of Abraham first, Gentiles were never forgotten by the Lord. They were never an afterthought. Gentiles were as much part of His plan as were the Jews.
How does this affect me? I’m a Gentile. I was part of the mystery that the Son of Man brought into the world with Him. When John and Jesus both told the Jews that God could raise up children of Abraham from the stones, He did one better. He raised up children of Abraham from Gentiles:
“Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Galatians 3:7-8 ESV).
My God came first to the Jews, but He always knew the Gentiles. And today, just like the Centurion, the demon-possessed man, and the Canaanite women, we Gentiles can receive grace from Him today.
Today, we can dine with Him at His table; we can be the children of Abraham by faith, and we can be a royal priesthood. What a magnificent, wonderful mystery our Lord brought with Him to earth!
So, one of my weaknesses is letting the news trigger me, making my tongue sharp and filling my heart with bitterness. But I have found a remedy... Turn off the TV, change the channel, or turn off the radio.
It’s amazing how well it works when you stay away from things that tempt or corrupt you.
Fleeing evil is much easier than fighting it. At least that’s my experience.
I hope we understand that we don’t have to like the way God expresses His sovereignty, but we must honor and respect it. And just like our Lord, in His most trying moment, we must say of God’s sovereignty, “Not My will, but Yours be done. “
I don’t think we can truly understand or appreciate God’s grace until we understand and appreciate God’s sovereignty.
God’s sovereignty shows us that He can require anything He wishes from us, and we have no grounds to challenge His requirements.
God’s sovereignty demonstrates His supremacy in our lives and demands consequences when we violate His will.
God’s sovereignty, by nature, means that we cannot choose our own way but we must abide in His way.
God’s grace shows us that even though we deserve death because we have rebelled against our sovereign God, He can choose to provide a way for us to avoid the wages of sin due us.
He didn’t have to do that.
We didn’t deserve it.
This is His gift to us.
You know, I really appreciate our elders at Campbell Road. They labor without drawing attention to themselves, serving us for the glory of King Jesus.
They bring our names before His throne.
They call, send letters, and ensure we don’t fall through the cracks.
They don’t approach us with accusations, but in sincerity, seek to see if we need anything.
They are supportive and sacrifice whatever time we need to help us through anything we may be going through.
I bet I’ll never know how many times Jesus has heard my name in prayers from their lips.
They are not perfect, but they are selfless.
They are men, but they serve with strength and wisdom given to them by the Spirit.
They deserve more than my love and sincere respect, but this is what I can offer.
I will give them grace when they watch over my soul, and believe all things, giving them the benefit of the doubt.
To my six pastors, thank you for your selfless service as you watch over my soul.
Mark White: “Is our service to God restricted to what we do within the church building a couple of times a week?
The church building is where we come to learn about God and worship Him. When we go home, we go home to serve Him.”
I was reading about the birth of Jesus. The learned men had been studying the Scriptures for signs of when the Messiah would come.
They knew He would be born in Bethlehem.
They knew He’d be a descendant of David.
They knew He’d be a great leader who would redeem the people of God.
These learned men fully expected to be the ones who would see the Messiah when He came.
But when Jesus was born, Angels didn’t appear to them to announce the wonderful message of peace on earth.
They appeared to simple shepherds and a star led Gentile wise men to the promised infant Messiah.
When the Father announced the birth of His only begotten Son, He didn’t throw a lavish party with a “Who’s Who” guest list of attendees.
He invited the very ones who would one day follow His Son and dine with Him at His table in the Kingdom.
He invited the poor and humble to celebrate His Son’s birth. He invited the Gentiles to see His only begotten Son.
Whoever we are, whatever our lot, no matter how poor or wretched we are, King Jesus still looks for people just like us.
He entered the world by celebrating with the same people He opens His Kingdom to today.
What a wonderful God who gives us a seat at His table by offering us such marvelous grace.