Unlimited Grace

Bryan Chapell: I love the word of God. And I love it because it's a reflection of the character of my God and of His heart for me and His people. And in the times of trial, when this world only shows its darkness, I need this word and its great light.

Guest (Male): So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. In today's episode, Pastor Bryan continues his message from Psalm 19. In this lesson, Dr. Chapell directs our attention to the glory that God intends for our lives as we seek to walk in His ways.

You can find this lesson and many others when you visit UnlimitedGrace.com. And while you're there, look for Pastor Bryan's book, *The Multi-Generational Church Crisis*. This compelling book asks the question of the church: what could be accomplished in the name of Christ if we could better understand each other? Let's hear now from Dr. Bryan Chapell as he shares the third part of the lesson from Psalm 19.

Bryan Chapell: I and a friend were climbing a mountain in Colorado that was approaching about 14,000 feet. We started out on a clear day. And as we reached the summit, the clouds came in behind and below us on the mountain. So as we started to descend, we descended into clouds that became the densest fog I have ever been in. All the landmarks that I knew so well, that I'd been through before, I could not see a one. I could hardly see my hand in front of my face.

Well, you say, "Well, no big problem. I mean, the way you get down is you just go down. I mean, it's a mountain, after all. You just go down." The trouble was when we just went down, we came to a cliff that seemed to be hundreds and hundreds of feet high. So we traversed the other way, and we came to a glacier that we could not cross.

We were stuck on a side of a mountain. And the only way that we could get down was by going back up to the summit in the thin oxygen. But now it was raining, as we were wearing summer clothes. And as we got close to the summit again, it wasn't raining, it was snowing. Thin oxygen, exhausted, we went back up, back down the other side, hoping it was the other side, because you can't see in that fog.

And then, after hours of walking, came across the path. And suddenly we say, "We so appreciate the character of the people who have laid a safe path. We so appreciate the care of people who long ago made a path for us. This is something that we deeply want to be on, this path to safety." When you recognize what God is saying in His word is, "I am providing for you a representation of my character and care that is the safe path for life."

We are not saying, "I'm going to stay on this path because I'm a goody-two-shoes and I don't want God to hurt me." I'm on the path because the God who has loved me enough to, out of all creation, give me the law and the way that is glorious and good, is the path that I want to be on. And the Psalmist knows that. After having described this path that reflects the character and care of God, he says in verse 10, "It is more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold. I will want it. It will even be sweet to me, sweeter than honey and drippings from the honeycomb."

Some of you know more about what I'm about to say than I know. That when you go in the trial places of life, there are times that nothing is more treasured or sweeter than the word of God. While I was in Australia, word came that my father had fallen a couple of times. No apparent reason, one time just actually falling out of a chair that he was in. Sent him to the hospital, and the discovery just past Friday that the lung cancer of four years ago has now spread to his brain.

And we are told that depending on the treatment, he has two weeks to six months to live. And suddenly the word of God means absolutely everything to my family. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. The word of God. You are my refuge. You are my fortress. You are my high tower. You are my hiding place. All things work together for good. I have loved you with an everlasting love and called you with lovingkindness. The sheep hear the voice of the shepherd.

He is my God. I am His child. I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I love the word of God. And I love it because it's a reflection of the character of my God and of His heart for me and His people.

And in the times of trial when this world only shows its darkness, I need this word and its great light. It is sweeter than honey. It is more precious than gold. And in the dark places and the hard paths, you know that. And so we want it. We want the word. And we walk in the word. The Psalmist goes on to say, verse 11, "Moreover by them," that is by these aspects of the word of God, "is your servant warned."

We begin to recognize that the Bible is telling us there are paths not to be on. And we are warned about them. And not only that, we learn that there's great reward in keeping on the path that God designs. Now, I can't always tell you what the reward will be. And if you're only thinking in terms of money and fame or health, you know that's not what the gospel is talking about. It's talking about a peace that passes understanding. About a joy that's not based on circumstances.

About trust through trials. About the world not making sense and still having confidence that God in His sovereign hand is still in control. And there is an eternity that's being preserved for His people even when we can't make sense of things here. Before I left for Australia, I read a letter to the elders of this church that I think you will appreciate as well. About someone who was just trying to walk in the reality of the word of God and believing that what it says is true despite what they may have to face.

This letter comes from someone who's never visited this church. They listen by the internet from a long way away. He writes, "Dr. Chapell, I hope that this very lengthy letter conveys to you how appreciative we are for the ministry that you and Grace Presbyterian Church have provided us. And for the hope and the joy that my wife and I are now feeling. The joy I feel is hard to describe, yet it feels like it's filling my heart, and I wanted to share with you as I have listened to the podcast from Grace Presbyterian Church."

"I'm now becoming constantly drawn to God's word. While I've been a Christian now for over 15 years, it feels as though God has been gradually shifting gears in my spiritual walk. This reawakening to the depth and the power of Christ has been life-changing. We now see the liberation that comes from knowing that our salvation is 100% the grace of God and not our works. We are truly being freed from the bondage of trying so hard to measure up. And we are being free to partake in a true, constant, and unshakable joy."

"This is not just hope for eternity, but empowering in this life. I'm just beginning to understand this, and my wife and I have never felt such immense, deep, and consistent joy, even through trials and the deaths of loved ones in our family. A few years back, I was made director of an architectural firm. I clearly see now that God was opening and guiding my life using experiences to mold my soul, such as 10 years of being together with my wife before we were able to have children."

"He was slowly teaching us about trusting in Him as the third, well, in fact, the first person in our marriage. He enabled us to buy a small, run-down cottage in a very constrained block of land in our city. And we renovated it. And later decided to help our firm that was having a difficult economic time by entering our house in the World Architecture Festival in Singapore. To our complete shock, we won the World House of the Year."

"We know that an architectural award is of no significance in itself unless God wants it for some other purpose. And we asked that He would use this whole experience for His glory. In that winning moment, we both felt like God was telling us, 'Trust me. I can give you this now. Trust me with what I want you to do next.'"

He had no idea what the next was. I wrote him back. He had written from Australia. So I wrote and said, "I'm coming to Australia." He said, "I'm sorry I can't meet with you due to business meetings." I said, "Fine." But I came out of one of the seminars that I was doing and there was a man who introduced himself to me. He was the man who had written this letter. "Why are you here?" He said, "I've just had yesterday the most difficult day of my career. What happened?"

"Because my firm won the World Home Architecture Award, we were asked to be the lead company to do the renovation of a major portion of our city. It was a billion, as in B as in boy, a billion-dollar contract. But as we began to examine the specifications, we recognized that the changing of the streets and the architecture and the parks and the apartment buildings were all designed to funnel people toward the casinos that are presumed to be the salvation of the city."

"And we know they're designed just to take money from helpless people. And we could not morally or ethically be involved. We walked away from a billion dollars." And the glory of God shines. "What am I calling you to do next?" I don't know. And the world will call this foolish, but the word of God makes wise the simple. The world will say, "This is going to be the end of your career." And God says, "No, I am reviving your soul because you will trust in me, and I will do more in you and through you than you ever imagined."

"Why? Because I'm the creator of the universe. I make the sun to shine and the stars to glow, and I've given you my word, which has as much wisdom and power and glory in it. Walk this path." And we do so because it is revelatory of the glory of God in His character and care. And it's not just externally; it's for the very reason that we recognize God is showing us His glory that we're willing to trust Him on the inside too.

After all, it's what the Psalmist said, verse 12, "Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Oh, Lord, there's things I know are not right in my life, and I don't even know them. They are hidden even from me." Do you recognize this word in the Hebrew is the reference to a type of sacrifice that the Jews had to make for sins they did not know they had committed? Did you know that there was a sacrifice for unknown sins as well as known sins?

And so the Psalmist is saying, "Lord, reveal to me the unknown sins, the things I don't even know about." Now, some of us know exactly how that works, right? You're just kind of cruising along in life and suddenly the Holy Spirit puts this spotlight on one area of your life and, "Have you thought about this? Oh, Lord, do I really have to think about that?" And then you work on that a while and then what does the Holy Spirit do? Moves the spotlight.

And you think, "Why? Why would I bother with such things?" Because the hidden things that we sometimes will not even face ourselves are denying us the greatness and the glory that God intends.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell.

It may seem hard for younger Christians to believe, but people over 50 were raised during an era when 90% of Americans identified as Christian. These older believers were once part of a majority group that understood the mission of the church was to take control of our culture, to halt its evils.

At the same time, Christians under 50 have lived their entire lives perceiving themselves as a minority that needs to make credible their faith to a secular pluralistic culture. These distinct experiences and perceptions have a profound impact on the priorities different generations have for church ministry. It's no wonder that younger and older believers don't always see eye to eye.

In his new book, *The Multi-Generational Church Crisis*, Dr. Bryan Chapell asks the question: what could be accomplished in the name of Christ if we could better understand each other? This practical and hopeful book is backed by thorough research, revealing how to open the lines of communication, appreciate the experiences that shaped each generation in your church, and unite in one mission to impact your community and the world.

You can request your copy of *The Multi-Generational Church Crisis* when you donate online at UnlimitedGrace.com or by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. And now, more from Bryan Chapell on today's Unlimited Grace.

Bryan Chapell: Verse 13, "Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me." Oh, friends, this is the harder one. There are things that we do know are wrong. And we keep going into them. Think of that, some of us, you know, there's a way we go home from work. And the very route we travel puts us in proximity of either a place or a person that we should not be near.

And the Psalmist is so bold as to say, "God, save me from the rebellion of my own heart. Keep me from what controls me." It's like in the Lord's prayer, "Lead me not into temptation." Keep me away from the things that control me. The book of Proverbs said, "Don't put your foot on the path of the wicked; don't even go near the path, but turn and go the other direction." We know this, we know the person, the place, the website, the business deal, whatever, that we have no business being near.

And so the Psalmist says, "Lord, keep me from that too. If you've got the safe and the good path, if I would trust you enough to put what is care before you, then, Lord, keep me from the path that would put me in the wrong place. Help me there too." And then says, "Then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression." But do you recognize that this is a prayer?

And so what the Psalmist is doing here is saying, "If I'm innocent, it's going to be a work of God. That God's got to do the work to keep me innocent." And when you recognize that, you recognize that here's the gospel starting to glimmer in the Old Testament. As the Psalmist is saying, "If I'm going to be innocent, it has to be a work of God. He's got to be the active one, revealing sin and keeping me from sin."

And that's why I think the Psalm ends as it does in verse 14. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight." Lord, make me your poem. The stars reflect your character and care; the word of God reflects your character. Now let the words of my mouth, the meditations of my heart, also reflect your character and care. Make me acceptable to you. Make me your testimony, make me your witness.

Because then you recognize we would have to have somebody to help us. And that is stated, the very end. "Lord, let the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer." Rock I get. It's the solid ground. He's the firm ground, He's the one that's dependable. He's given us the path to go on. You can bank on that. That's the rock.

But why does the Psalm end with the word redeemer? Did you ever think about that? "Oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer." It's almost as though the Psalmist has said this: we are surrounded every day by this general revelation of nature, which is showing us the glory of God. And in the church, we have the instruction from the word of God that is also revealing His glory.

But what is going to make that glorious revealing of His character and care actually make us get on the path that is good for us? It's going to be the love of God for us that will make us trust and want to be on the path. Some of you are farmers or in agribusiness, and you recognize that to make the herbicide or the fertilizer work well, you use a surfactant, something that will break down the tension so that the good stuff goes where it needs to go.

And what's happening is we have this great expression of the goodness and the glory of God, but we won't do it unless we have the love of God break down our resistance so that we'll actually trust Him enough to walk on the path. I heard it expressed well, though in very human terms, from a friend that I met in Australia. And he talked about the word coming into his life.

And he just said, "Only love makes the word of God penetrate your heart." He said, "Before I was a Christian, I thought the Bible was just a bunch of rules for scaredy goody-two-shoes." That's where I got the line to begin the sermon. He said, "Then the life that I was leading led to the destruction of my marriage and home. I have never known such pain. I used to be sad every day at the same time driving home, knowing I was going to be alone in just a few minutes from work."

"I would dread that moment of remembering, and it would crush me every day. Then a business friend told me that what I had confessed with my mouth years before was so true I had to really allow it to affect my heart. That when we put our faith in Christ, we have to actually believe that He's paid the penalty for our sin on the cross. That our sins, by God's grace, aren't even on the scoreboard."

"It was God's love for me on the cross that made me think that what He described for me to do in the Bible might actually be good for me too." He said, "I started living and trusting that God knew what was right. It took the questions and the doubts and the manipulation out of my life. I said to myself after a year of living by the Bible, 'How could I have been so stupid not to have lived this lovely life?'"

He said, "I just had to know how much Christ loved me before I would accept it and throw in the towel on my ways and start to live His way." What would make you throw in the towel and actually live His way, believing that His way is out of a heart of love for you that is as great as the universe and as near as your Bible?

Guest (Male): That's Pastor Bryan Chapell, and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by His unlimited grace. This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.