GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

GRACE FOR TODAY

Daily Devotional Readings

Don Fortner

God, who 'looketh on the heart', looked on David's heart and declared, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart' (Acts 13:22). When I read that statement of our God about his servant David, my heart cries, 'Father, give me that kind of heart.' But a question immediately arises: 'When the Lord looked upon David's heart, what did he see?'

He saw a broken and contrite heart (Ps. 51:1-17). David's heart was broken, not because he had been caught in his sin, but because he had committed the sin. It was brought down with contrition not only because of what he had done, but also because of what he was. He saw his sin in the light of God's holiness and in the light of God's mercy in blood redemption through Christ, and his heart was broken before the Lord.

The Lord saw in David a believing heart (Ps. 31:5, 14). David believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness. He trusted God for the forgiveness of sin, through a Substitute (Ps. 32:1-5; 130:1-8). He trusted God's rule of all things in providence, declaring, 'My times are in thy hand', and 'What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.' And David confidently trusted the Lord's immutable faithfulness. He said, 'When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take up.'

When God looked upon David's heart, he saw a heart of submission to the will and the rule of his Lord, This is beautifully exemplified in the. death of his son (2 Sam. 12:20). Every believing heart is a submissive heart. There are no exceptions. Submission to God's providence is not a prayerless, effortless, lazy, indifferent fatalism. It is bowing to the will of God with willingness and confidence.

As the Lord looked upon David, he saw a man with a loving and devoted heart (Ps. 116: 1). His heart was full of love, devotion, adoration and praise to God. He loved all that God is and all that God had done. He was devoted to the Word, the will, the worship and the work of God. And David's heart was full of love to men as well. Who was ever more loving, kind and generous to men than David was to Mephibosheth?

There are but two offices in the New Testament church: elders and deacons.

The word 'elders' refers to those who are the spiritual leaders and teachers of the congregation. The pastor of a church is the presiding elder, or overseer of the congregation. Where there is need for more than one elder in a large assembly, those elders who serve with the pastor must serve in submission to him, as his assistants in the ministry. While it is evident that in the New Testament most of the churches, if not all of them, had more than one elder, it is also evident that only one elder stood as the overseer and spiritual ruler of the congregation. It is not possible for a church to have peace and harmony under the government of a board of elders, or a board of deacons. There can only be one captain on a ship. And there can only be one overseer in a congregation. The spiritual overseer of the church is God's messenger in that congregation, the pastor. He is not a dictator, lording over God's people. But a faithful pastor must rule the church of God. He rules the house of God just as a husband rules his household. He rules with love, tenderness and understanding. But he rules firmly for the glory of God and the welfare of God's people (I Tim. 3:5; Heb. 13:7,17).

Deacons are those men whose responsibility it is to take care of the physical, financial affairs of the congregation. They are to be spiritual men, willing to serve their pastor and church for the glory of Christ. Deacons are to relieve their pastor of all mundane affairs, so that he can give himself exclusively to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:2-4). The service of a deacon is most honourable and helpful. Faithful deacons take care of the church property, visit the sick, care for the needy and see to it that the needs of the pastor and his family are met. By relieving their pastor of all these cares, the deacons enable him to give his time and attention to study, prayer and the preaching of the gospel of Christ. There are few men so spiritually minded that they are willing to serve as faithful deacons for the gospel's sake.

'Without Christ!' A more miserable condition cannot be conceived! It is bad enough to be without money, without health, without a home, or without friends. But it is far worse to be without Christ! No tongue can tell the depth of wretchedness and misery that lie in those two words. There is no poverty like this, no need like this, Yet this is the condition that we were all in, when God laid hold of us by his mighty grace: 'At that time ye were without Christ.'

When must we say that a person is without Christ? To be sure, all men are without Christ by nature. Sin has separated us from God. A man is without Christ when he has no knowledge of who Christ is, what he has done and where he is now. The purpose of preaching the gospel is to inform men of the person and work of Christ. Yet it is not enough simply to know the historical facts concerning the person and work of Christ. You may know all that is to be known about Christ and still be without Christ. A man is without Christ when he has no heart faith in Christ.

What does it mean to be without Christ? Paul points out four solemn deprivals of the soul without Christ. Without Christ you are 'aliens from the commonwealth of Israel', separated from the people of God. Without Christ, you are 'strangers from the covenants of promise'. All the promises of God are in Christ Jesus, yea and amen. The covenant promises of forgiveness, guidance, protection and providence are for those who are in Christ. Without Christ you have no promise from God, except that of judgement. Without Christ, you have 'no hope'. There is no hope of redemption, no hope of righteousness, no hope of acceptance with God, no hope of mercy, no hope of heaven. Without Christ, you are without God, perishing without the knowledge of God. Without Christ, you are among the lost, ruined, condemned sons of Adam in the world.

How can you be in Christ? You must be born again in Christ. You must be in Christ by faith. As soon as you trust Christ, you are in Christ.

The believer's acceptance before God is in Christ and only in Christ. God never has accepted, and he never will accept, any man, or anything done by any man, except in Christ and upon the merits of his righteousness and shed blood. And all who believe in Christ always have been, and always will be, accepted in Christ, our Substitute. We were accepted in Christ in eternity, before the world was, before we were created, before we had done any good or evil, before we fell in our father Adam.Our acceptance before God in Christ is an eternal acceptance. Though we sinned in Adam, though we came forth from our mothers' wombs speaking lies, though we stubbornly rebelled against the Lord our God for many, many years, we were still accepted in the beloved'.

Our acceptance with God in Christ is an immutable acceptance. Since we first came to Christ in faith and repentance, our lives have been a constant struggle with sin. Everything that we are and everything that we do is marred by sin. But still God declares that we are 'accepted in the beloved'.

Our acceptance before God in Christ is an absolute, perfect and unconditional acceptance. I wish that every child of God could enter into the sweetness, the comfort and the joy of what I am saying. Our acceptance before God is altogether in Christ. It is altogether a matter of pure, free, sovereign grace. Therefore it never changes. Our acceptance with God is in no way whatsoever dependent upon what we do. We are not more pleasing and acceptable to God when we do good, and we are not less pleasing and acceptable to God when we do evil. Our acceptance is in Christ! It depends not upon what we do, but upon what he has done.

I know that the legalist will say, 'That's antinomianism; it will give men a licence to sin!' But the children of God will find this matter of our acceptance in Christ a source of great comfort, a cause for great joy and a motive to love Christ and seek his glory. If God's children are comforted, I rejoice.

This religious generation in which we are living has been tricked, deceived and lied to by their leaders. The time has come for the servants of God to speak in plain English and tell men the truth. 'If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to battle?' If the gospel is to be preached and understood by men, these three questions must be answered.

What happened in the garden? Was man totally ruined by the Fall, or was he just partially handicapped? The Scripture says, 'In Adam all died.' The sin of Adam brought about the total ruin and spiritual death of our race, so that the natural man has no ability or desire to bring himself back into fellowship with God.

What happened at Calvary? Did Christ, by his substitutionary sacrifice and atonement, make redemption a possibility, or did he actually accomplish the redemption of his people? The Scripture says that he 'obtained eternal redemption for us'. He did not just make it possible for sin to be put away, but he 'put away sin by the sacrifice of himself'.

How is salvation accomplished? Is it the gift of God, or is it of man? The Scripture says, 'Salvation is of the Lord.' Is salvation by works, or by grace? The Scripture says, 'By grace ye are saved.' Is eternal life an offer of grace, or an operation of grace; an invitation, or a gift? The Scripture says, 'The gift of God is eternal life.' Is the gospel a generous proposal, or a proclamation? Is it good advice, or good news? It is the proclamation of good news: 'It is finished!' Is salvation by choice, or by revelation? It is a revelation: 'Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.' 'When it pleased God... he called me, by his grace to reveal his Son in me.' Is salvation the result of man's will, or the result of God's will; is it accomplished by God's choice or by man's choice? The Scripture says, 'It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.' Are repentance and faith moral persuasions, accomplished by the gifted preacher, or are they holy dispositions created in the heart by God Almighty? The Scripture says these are gifts of God (Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:8).

Can you rejoice in electing love? Paul did. He said, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world' (Eph. 1:3-4).'We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth' (2 Thess. 2:13).

Can you rejoice in electing love? Peter did. He said, 'Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.' 'Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father' (I Peter 2:9; 1:2).

Can you rejoice in electing love? David did. He leaped and danced before the ark of God, because God had chosen him above Saul. He said, 'Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure: for this is all my salvation and all my desire' (2 Sam. 23:5).

Can you rejoice in electing love? Our Lord did. On the night before his crucifixion he taught his disciples the doctrine of election in very plain and clear terms, in order to comfort and encourage their hearts. He said, 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of my Father in my name, he may give it you' (John 15:16). Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ gave thanks and rejoiced before God the Father for his gracious election of our souls to eternal salvation. He said, 'I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight' (Matt. 11:25-26).

Surely, every true believer should be filled with praise and joy towards God when he hears the good news of God's electing love.

For some people the answer to that question is not hard to find. Hear the Word of God: 'He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God... He that believeth not shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.' You are condemned already because of your sin. You must be pardoned, or for ever die! Awake now and flee to Christ! He alone can pardon you and free you from condemnation.

There are many who would condemn the true believer if they could. God's people often meet with their enemies in this world and those wicked men would delight to sentence us to condemnation. Satan, that arch-enemy of our souls, would condemn us, it if were in his power. Sometimes our own consciences condemn us. But, blessed be God, 'If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things!'

God alone has the power to condemn us, but he will not. He has declared that he will never condemn any who trust in his Son. He who has the power of condemnation is our Saviour. He knows that we are so perfectly justified that we cannot be condemned.

We raise the bold challenge: 'Who is he that condemneth?' With confident joy we reply, 'Nobody can condemn us!' With unshaken faith we declare, 'There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.' Does anyone ask, 'What is the grounds of this confidence?' Paul states it plainly: 'It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of the Father, who also maketh intercession for us.'

1. Christ died as our Substitute; we cannot die.
2. Christ has risen for our justification; we are justified.
3. Christ is seated at the right hand of God; the work of our redemption is finished and accepted.
4. Christ makes intercession for us; he must prevail, we must be saved.

This is a question which I frequently ask myself.

When any turn from Zion's way,
(Alas, that numbers do!)
Methinks I hear my Saviour say,
'Wilt thou forsake me too?'

And now I put this question to you. Do not put it off as insignificant and meaningless. There are three very important lessons for us to learn from this event in the ministry of our Lord.

1. Many who seem to be the disciples of Christ go back and walk no more with him (v. 66). Throughout the history of the church, there have been many who seemed to be true and sincere Christians, who finally fell away and perished. For various reasons, such people make a profession of faith and join the church. But after a while, they are offended at the Word and they leave us. Why? 'Because they were not of us.' They had no true saving union with Christ. This is a painful, but necessary thing. When we see others fall away, we are made to realize that we stand only by the grace of God.

2. The Lord Jesus Christ takes very great care to protect his true disciples from falling away. Our Lord puts this question to us, not because of any ignorance (he knows what is in the heart of men) but because of his great love to his own. At the first sign of decay from our first love, he knocks at our hearts with this question: 'Will ye also go away?' Thus he would keep us to himself with the cords of love. 'Have I not loved you, redeemed you, chosen you, called you and sanctified you? Will you now forsake me?' And by this our Lord teaches us that all of his disciples follow him with a willing heart.

3. The true believer realizes that he has none to turn to but Christ. 'Lord, to whom shall we go?' Brethren, we must cling to Christ. Christ alone satisfies our hearts. He is our God, our Saviour, our life, our hope. Relying upon his grace, we say, 'No, we cannot go away. We must have Christ.'

Once one of our Lord's disciples said unto him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.' In answer to that request, our Saviour gave us an example of prayer which instructs us in those things which ought to be of greatest concern in the life of every believer. In Luke 11:2, Christ identifies those things which should be uppermost in the hearts and minds of God's elect at all times.

'Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.' Brethren, it should be our soul's desire to seek the honour of our God in all things. God's name stands for himself and we who know the glorious excellency and majesty of God should seek to extol and magnify the name of God. It is the preacher's pleasant duty to exalt the name of God in his message, and it is the heart's desire of every true believer to magnify his God in his attitude and conduct in all things. Beloved, let this be the principle by which our lives are governed - that God's name may be reverenced and honoured in our lives.

'Thy kingdom come.' We do not live unto ourselves. We live upon this earth for the glory of God and for the increase of his kingdom. We should spend out out lives for the conversion of sinners to Christ. Our Lord was consumed with this zeal, even unto death. Surely we should love the souls of men enough to carry to them the message of salvation by Christ. We know that there is a kingdom of men which Christ purchased at Calvary. Let us seek to bring those men to the Saviour by the preaching of the gospel.

'Thy will be done.' We recognize that God's sovereign purpose will be accomplished, Yet, it is possible for us to miss the will of God in a given area. In order to know his will, we must seek his face, his wisdom, his guidance and his strength. I do not want to miss the will of God. How pleasant it is to walk with God - seeking his honour, seeking his kingdom, seeking his will. Is this your great concern?

This is not some far-fetched, fanatical notion. It is a fact. God the Holy Spirit has caused it to be written in the volume of inspiration as the truth of God. It is confirmed by the history of the church from Abel to Malachi, from John the Baptist to John the beloved. It is confirmed by those martyrs who suffered imprisonment and death from Stephen to Polycarp, from Latimer and, Ridley to Bunyan. The blood of God's saints cries out from the ground, from the dungeons of Rome and from the torture chambers of the pope's Inquisition: 'Christ is precious.' And it is confirmed by the experience of all who truly believe. From their inmost soul, God's elect all agree: 'He is precious.' This is faith's estimation of Christ.

When we think of our Saviour's glorious person, we say, 'He is precious.' He is the God-man. Jesus Christ is himself God Almighty, the eternal son of the eternal Father. The brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person is Christ. And he is man, the perfect man, 'holy harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners'. He is precious in himself, intrinsically precious. He is the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley, the fairest among ten thousand. He is altogether lovely. Who can compare with this glorious person? He is precious.

And when I recall what he has done for my soul, I am overwhelmed with his love and grace. Beholding Christ as my redeeming Substitute, my heart is constrained to say, 'He is precious.' In love he chose us and became our Surety in the covenant of grace. He lived upon the earth, in conformity to the law of God, to accomplish our righteousness. And he died in our stead upon the cursed tree, putting away all our sin. For us, he arose and assumed the throne of universal dominion. Behold, your crucified, risen, exalted, reigning Redeemer and know this: 'He is precious!'

Is Christ precious to you? If he is you are a true believer. If he is not, you do not have the faith of God's elect.

Here is the good news of the gospel: sinners though we are, deserving of God's eternal wrath, we may yet obtain the forgiveness of sins! Though the God of heaven is glorious in holiness, righteousness, justice and truth, he delights to show mercy. It is the glory of God to forgive sinners!

This matter of forgiveness is an absolute certainty. David does not speak with hesitation. He says, 'There is forgiveness.' I know that God forgives sin, because it is his nature to do so. I know that God forgives sin, because all the prophets and ceremonial sacrifices of the Old Testament proclaimed that he would. I know that God forgives sin, because he sent his Son into this world to die, the just for the unjust, that we might receive the remission of sins. I know that there is forgiveness with God, because he proclaims it in the gospel. And I know that the God of heaven forgives sin, because he has forgiven my sin!

Not only is the forgiveness of sin certain, it is also a matter of strict justice. God, in his holiness, truth and justice, cannot simply, arbitrarily pronounce the sinner forgiven. His law must be satisfied. 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die!' Therefore the Son of God took upon himself human flesh. Living in perfect obedience to the law of God, Christ accomplished for us that perfect righteousness which God required of man. The law was obeyed by our legal Representative. Still our sins had to be paid for. So our loving Redeemer voluntarily gave himself up into the hands of the law, to suffer and die as our Substitute. Having endured the utmost extremity of God's infinite wrath and justice, Christ declared, 'It is finished!' He made an end of sin. He brought in an everlasting righteousness, He obtained eternal redemption for us! Now God injustice cannot charge those for whom Christ died with sin. He is faithful and just to forgive us.

And, blessed be God, this forgiveness is entirely free. Faith cannot put away sin. Only Christ can do that. But faith receives the forgiveness of sin, trusting the merits of Christ alone. Believe on Christ this day and receive the forgiveness of sins.

Paul knew nothing of human merit. He knew that he did not even deserve to be considered by God. He had been before a blasphemer, a persecutor and injurious. 'But', he wrote, 'I obtained mercy... and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was exceeding abundant.' For the apostle Paul there was no confession more suitable to his own experience than this: 'By the grace of God I am what I am.' And it is equally appropriate to each one of us who have experienced the grace of God.

1. This is our doctrinal confession: 'By the grace of God I am what I am.' If you are saved you do not owe your salvation to anything you have done. And for those of you who are not converted, if ever you are to be saved, it will not be because of any goodness in you. We must deny our own merits, or we cannot have the merits of Christ. The source of God's goodness to us lies altogether in his sovereign mercy. Everything in salvation was accomplished for us and in us by Christ alone. He chose us, redeemed us, justified us and called us. And it is Christ alone who preserves us unto eternal glory.

2. This is our constant experience: 'By the grace of God I am what I am.' Being made to know something of the depravity of our own hearts, we do with weeping eyes testify that we are what we are by the grace of God. When we feel the power of lusts within us, or temptations from without, when we see others whom we esteemed highly for their profession fall and turn from the faith, when we have ourselves been restored to fellowship with Christ after a fall and when we are made to rejoice in the fulness of God's blessings in Christ, we rejoice to say, 'By the grace of God I am what I am.'

3. This is our grateful acknowledgement. We realize that the only distinction between us and all other men is the distinguishing grace of God. As you read the black catalogue of human sin, do not forget these words: 'And such were some of you.' But now, by the grace of God, we are washed, justified and sanctified. Realizing what we were, we rejoice to say, 'By the grace of God I am what I am.'

God 'hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began'. It may seem strange to some, but Paul's method of establishing Timothy in confidence and boldness was not to assure him of the rewards of the faithful, or the morality of suffering for a noble cause. Instead, in order to excite Timothy to boldness and to keep him constant in the faith, Paul instructs him in the great doctrine that the grace of God reigns in the salvation of sinners. Many suggest that the doctrines of grace will kill a church, destroying evangelistic zeal and the motive for personal holiness. Paul was not of this opinion. When he was concerned for the future life and ministry of his beloved friend, Timothy, he felt that the surest way to secure his faithfulness was to instruct him in the doctrine of God's free and sovereign grace.

We should never doubt the power and usefulness of truth. Usually men look upon doctrinal truth as nothing more than unpractical theory. We sometimes think that legal precepts are more effective than gospel truth to produce obedience in the saints. I am persuaded that the very root and vital energy of practical holiness is the truth of the gospel. To teach people the truth that God has revealed in his Son is the surest way of leading them to obedience and perseverance in love, faith and holiness.

In this verse we are plainly taught that salvation is of the Lord. Human merit has nothing to do with it! God chose us in Christ, redeemed us in Christ, regenerated us and called us in Christ. And the grace that we now enjoy was given to us according to his own gloriously sovereign purpose in Christ before the world began. There is no doctrine more practical than this. It strips away human pride. It gives a sure ground of confidence and assurance to our faith. It most highly exalts and honours the name, person and work of Christ. This doctrine alone gives hope to sinners and encourages evangelism.

Most people go to hell asking questions about religious matters. One of Satan's most deceptive snares, whereby the souls of men are blinded to the glory of Christ, is religious curiosity. The Herodians asked, 'Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar?' The Sadducees were Curious about the resurrection body. The Pharisees asked, 'Which is the great commandment in the law?' The point is this: most people avoid dealing with the real soul-searching issues of the gospel by giving themselves up to vain questions about religion. Religious people are still asking the same questions as the Herodians, Sadducees and Pharisees. Who will be the greatest in heaven? What kind of body will we have in the resurrection? Who are the guests at the marriage feasts? What does the law say? And they are, like their predecessors, going to hell, because they miss the one issue which is of eternal consequence: 'What think ye of Christ?'

We must have a biblical answer to that question. We think that Jesus Christ is the perfect and eternal God. We think he is the perfect representative man. He came to this earth with a mission to accomplish. He came here to save his people. The God-man was born at Bethlehem to die at Calvary. We think that Jesus Christ actually accomplished the redemption of his people, through his one sacrifice for sin. We think, according to the Scriptures, that he now sits upon the throne of glory as the sovereign Lord of all things. To think anything less than this of Christ is to think contrary to God's revelation.

But our text speaks of more than mere doctrinal knowledge. We must have an experimental answer to this question. How do you think of Christ? Those who are truly born again have been taught of God and learned to think properly of Christ. We think that Christ alone is precious. Christ is our only hope of acceptance with God. We think of Christ with all confidence, expectation and desire. He is all. Christ is all to be trusted, all to be loved, all to be preached, all to be hoped for. He is all in earth and all in heaven, all in time and all in eternity.

'Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.' My friend, the God of the Bible is an absolute sovereign, and anything less than an absolute Sovereign is not God. This is the one characteristic of God which men rebel against universally. Therefore we must insist upon it continually. God can do what he pleases. What has it pleased God to do?

1. It pleased God to make us his people (I Sam. 12:22; Eph. 1:4). The Lord did not have to make us his people and he did not need us. But it pleased the Lord to make us his own - by covenant election, by special adoption, by sovereign regeneration and by faith in Christ. If we are God's people, it is only because it pleased God to make us such.

2. It pleased God that all fulness dwell in Christ (Col. 1: 18-19). God the Father resolved in eternity to reveal himself unto men by Christ, the Mediator. And every revelation that God makes to men is in Christ. All the promises, blessings and mercies of God are in Christ. Jesus Christ is the fulness of divine grace and is the fulness of divine glory. He is the glory of creation, being the firstborn of every creature. He is the glory of the church, for he is the Head of the body. And he is the glory of eternity, for in heaven we shall see his face.

3. It pleased God to bruise Christ in the place of sinners (Isa. 53:10). It was foretold in Genesis 3:15 that Satan would bruise the Saviour's heel. But here it is God, the Father, bruising his Son for us. Like grain is bruised and crushed under the millstone, Jesus Christ was bruised in body and crushed in soul, when he was made to be sin for us. And it pleased God to bruise him! What was God's pleasure? It was not the suffering of his Son that pleased him, but the result of that suffering. By bruising Christ in our place, his people are redeemed!

4. It pleased God to reveal his Son in us (Gal. 1:15-16). In the fulness of time, God reveals his Son in all of those for whom he was bruised. This is God's effectual call. When Christ is revealed in a man, faith is begotten in him.

'Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.' The cleansing of Naaman was a famous story of the Old Testament Scriptures, with which the Jews of our Lord's day were very familiar. But when our Lord recalled it to their attention, 'they were filled with wrath'. Those men understood perfectly well what Christ was saying and they greatly resented it. That which our Lord was teaching is just as violently opposed by modern religious people as it was by the Jews. But for those who are taught of the Spirit, this is a most delightful and comforting doctrine: salvation is accomplished by the sovereign prerogative of God. This little story plainly sets forth God's method of grace.

The sovereignty of God's grace was clearly displayed in the cleansing of Naaman. It is evident that Naaman was the object of sovereign grace, because he was the most unlikely candidate for mercy. Naaman was a heathen, Gentile idolater. He was a sworn enemy of Israel, the people of God. Besides, Naaman lived a long way from the prophet's home. Yet the grace of God passed by many lepers in Israel. Going far afield, it found this Syrian soldier. Blessed be God, he still operates in this same sovereign manner! Those whom men consider the least likely candidates for mercy are the objects of God's free grace. Many others were passed by, more noble, more excellent than he, but God chose Naaman.

But mark this also: the grace of God always operates in a definite manner. God has not only ordained who will be saved. He has ordained the method by which they will be saved as well. First, Naaman had to hear the good news that healing was possible. Whenever God intends to save a sinner, he will send someone to tell him the gospel. It may be a little Hebrew maid, or it may be an old man. But always, 'Faith cometh by hearing.' For another thing, it was imperative for Naaman to heed the message and obey the command. Even so, men must hear the gospel and in humble faith wash in the blood of Christ.

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