July 11:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS CLOTHING.
He [the king] said to him, "Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?"  And the man was speechless.--Matthew 22:12

In my teens, I went to a boarding school and lived in the dormitory there, far away from home.  I decided to join a sewing class but didn't have money to buy the materials.  I wanted to make a dress, so I used a pretty set of bed sheets that my mother had given me.  I was sure that no one would notice, because the print and color of the fabric were perfect for a summer dress.  I was proud to wear it when my parents arrived to visit me.  Then I heard my mother's voice from a distance: "Are those your bed sheets?"  I could fool everybody except my mom!

The parable of the marriage feast is the last of three parables that portray the unwillingness of God's chosen people to accept Jesus.  "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son" (Matthew 22:2).  All of the original guests pay no attention to the invitation, making excuses and even mistreating and killing the messengers.  Then the king chooses to replace the unworthy guests and orders his slaves to go out to the roadways to bring invitees for the feast.  "Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests" (verse 10).  Even though some scholars disagree, the fact is that the custom of the host supplying the festal robes for the guests is implied, and it would have been necessary in light of the preceding context, where the guests came from the streets (verse 10).  When the king finds a man without wedding clothes, he asks why (verses 11, 12).  The rejection of the robe that was provided leaves this man without excuse.  Perhaps he thought that his own clothing was good enough, but it wasn't.  From Genesis to Revelation, humankind is in a clothing crisis.  Adam and Eve chose fig leaves (Genesis 3:7), and the members of the Laodicean church didn't realize their need for the white robes offered (Revelation 3:17).  The robe of righteousness of Jesus, given to us as a gift through His grace, is the only clothing that will be acceptable at the wedding feast of the Lamb.  Let's start wearing it now!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

July 9:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS PROCLAMATION.
"This son of mine was dead and has come to life again."--Luke 15:24

In his book What's So Amazing about Grace? * Philip Yancey tells the story of a young woman who had run away from home to a big city.  Things didn't work out, and she gradually started to spiral down.  Now she is broke, sick, and lives on the street.  In desperation, she calls her parents but nobody picks up the phone, so she leaves a message that she will be on the bus to her hometown the next day; if they are waiting for her at the terminal, she will get off the bus, but if not, she will ride on.  She did not know what to expect, yet she could have never imagined what she saw: her parents, grandparents, uncles, and cousins were all at the terminal, wearing party hats and holding a banner that read, "Welcome home!"

Throughout the Gospel of Luke, we see God declaring that Jesus is His Son: "You are My beloved Son;" "This is My Son (Luke 3:22; 9:35).  A similar statement is also found in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), except that this time the son is utterly unworthy.  This is the son who demanded the inheritance before the death of his parents, in effect rejecting his father and family.  Knowing that love cannot exist without freedom, the father "divided his wealth" (verse 12) and gave the younger son his part.  Then the young man embarks on a destructive journey; squandering his father's fortune with loose living (verse 13) and prostitutes (verse 30), spiraling down.  Later the land experiences a severe famine (verse 14), and he hits bottom.  Being hungry, he finds himself a job to feed swine and craves for the pods he is feeding to pigs but is not allowed even that.  Have you ever hit bottom?  Have you ever felt so lost or know someone who has?  Well, you are in for a surprise!  When the young man comes back home, he is embraced by a passionate father, wearing a party hat and holding a large "Welcome home" banner!  And, most amazingly, the father makes an amazing public proclamation: "this son of mine" (verse 24).  Yes, this is my son!  Our Father is not ashamed to call us His children!  You never stop being your father's child, no matter how lost or undeserving you may be!  Come Home!  God will embrace you, saying: "You and Mine!" (Isaiah 43:1).

My Response:_________________________________________________________
* Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing about Grace? (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997)

July 8:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS CELEBRATION.
"Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate."--Luke 15:23

Allan Collins is the talented creator of the "silent sermon" sculptures.  One of these amazing sculptures is found at La Sierra University in California, entitled The Glory of God's Grace.  In this sculpture, we see the prodigal son returning home and his father running to meet him.  When a contractor was called to adjust the sculpture's base, he wondered what it meant.  Once this parable was explained to him, tears filled his eyes, because he had just made his son leave home because of his bad behavior.  He was convicted now to go and look for his son and bring him back home.

When the prodigal son had squandered his father's wealth, with loose living (Luke 15:13), he wanted to come home.  Since he was no longer worthy to be called a son, he planned to work as a servant (verse 19).  But his father saw him from afar and ran to him!  The sculpture at La Sierra University depicts vividly the passion of the father, running towards his son, as the father's garments seem to be lifted by the wind, exposing his legs, which would have created a shameful situation for an elderly gentleman.  Yet the father did not care about his honor; instead he ran, embraced, and kissed the prodigal, restoring him to sonship (verses 20-23).  But that's not all.  He also called for a big celebration: "Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'  And they began to celebrate." (verses 23, 24).  Then we see the older brother, grumbling just like the Pharisees and scribes (verses 28-30, compare with verses 1, 2).  The father pleads with him to join the celebration; after all, he is as undeserving as the younger son, yet he is in denial.  Take a moment to read this fascinating story to the end (Luke 15:11-32).  It's packed with celebration and filled with rejoicing and happiness because that which was lost has been found.  Heaven is a place of rejoicing (see verse 7, 10).  We will worship Him with exuberant joy when we realize that we are the ones who were lost but are now found!  Let's joyfully accept and declare His grace from this day forward!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

July 7:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS RECEPTION.
"While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him."--Luke 15:20

Many years ago, I was in an antique store, admiring the display of several small items from the first century of the Christian era, when something caught my attention.  I came upon a whole section of signet rings, instruments of choice to stamp the family's name on important documents.  I bought one to use as a visual aid in my talks.  The signet ring always reminds me of the grace of God, which is bigger than all of our failures.  Let me tell you why.

Jesus was being friendly with sinners, and the religious leaders of the people did not like it.  So, they grumbled about it (Luke 15:2).  In response to this complaint, Jesus told three parables about lostness: one out of a hundred sheep (verses 4-7), one out of ten coins (verses 8-10), and one out of two sons (verses 11-32) all get lost.  This is how the third story starts: "A man had two sons.  The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.'  So he divided his wealth between them" (verses 11, 12).  And just like that, the younger son left his father, and squandered his estate, becoming impoverished and hungry.  "But when he came to his senses" (verse 17), he decided to go back home and work for his father as a hired man.  Little did he imagine the reception that awaited him!  When he was still far away, his father saw him, ran to him, embraced and kissed him, and said to his servant: "Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet" (verse 22).  These three commands that are recorded are symbolic acts of restoration.  The best robe, usually the father's, would immediately cover the son's shamefulness.  The ring would once again identify him as part of the family, and if it were a signet ring, it would even give him the authority to attach the family's name to business transactions.  The third order is a statement that he was being received as a son, because laborers were not given sandals.  If you, or a loved one, have wandered far away from God and decide to come back to Him, you will encounter the same reception!

My Response:_________________________________________________________

July 6:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS PATIENCE.
"The younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distance country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living."--Luke 15:13

There is something really exciting about the anticipation of a journey we are about to embark on.  My friend remembers when he was a teenager living in a rural area, how he always wanted to go to the capital city.  And when he did get a chance, he was so excited as he rode the train thinking about all the fun things he was planning to do.  And naturally, the level of his excitement was directly related to the amount of dispensable money he carried that day.

The younger son, in the story of Jesus, is in that situation (Luke 15:13).  He is heading to a country far away; he is young, filled with the anticipation of fun, and he has money, lots of it!  Strangely, his father seems to be passive in all of this.  Once the inheritance was divided, he does not attempt to prevent his son from going to the far country; he does not interfere in his son's life nor object to the way he is squandering his money.  The father is patient.  Why patient, we wonder?  If there is ever a time to act, it is now!  But the father knows that the only way his son can find his way back home is to realize that he has wandered away from home.  In order to be found, he has to recognize that he has been lost.  Have you ever gone to a distant country?  Perhaps right now you may be wandering away from God, your Heavenly Father.  And it can happen in little and big things, inside and outside of religious circles.  If so, remember: God is a patient Father.  Whenever we realize how lost we are, and turn back to Him, we will surely experience the joy of His embrace! (see Luke 15:20-23).  The original word used for far away/distant (verse 13), is the same word used in the good news shared by Paul: "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ....He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near" (Ephesians 2:13-17).  "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost, but now I'm found..." *

My Response:_________________________________________________________
* John Newton, "Amazing Grace," 1779, public domain.

July 5:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS LAVISHNESS.
"Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me."  So he divided his wealth between them.--Luke 15:12

"My lord, my daughter is getting married and I don't have money for the wedding.  Could you help me, sire, with the expenses?"  The king asked, "How much do you need?"  The official named what seemed like an astronomical amount.  The king granted the request on the spot.  Later a confidant of the king asked: "My king, why did you grant this outrageous request?"  "This man honored me in two ways: he believed that I am incredibly wealthy and astoundingly generous," was the king's response.

When Jesus was being friendly with sinners, the Pharisees objected.  In response, Jesus told them a story.  A wealthy father had two sons; one of them was very good but the other was very bad.  The good son was working hard, while the bad one was dreaming about running away.  He did not care much about the farm nor the harvest that needed to be gathered.  Outrageously, he demanded his inheritance.  No doubt, this was extremely insulting to the father because the inheritance was given only after the father had passed away.  In effect, he was saying, "Dad, I want you dead."  The father, however, displayed amazing patience and generosity.  Completely overlooking the insult, he "divided his wealth [From the Greek bios: livelihood, property, possessiona]" (Luke 15:12).  The father in the story represents God.  And, thus, we learn from the opening part of the story that our God is incredibly wealthy and astoundingly generous.  He lavishes His wealth of grace upon all of us, sharing His possessions, even when we run away from Him and squander it as we see further in the story.  Jesus died for us to secure our part of the inheritance, even though we do not deserve it.  In Christ, we find indescribable riches: love, grace, acceptance, patience, salvation, et cetera.  Our incredibly wealthy God, Jesus Christ, laid down his life for us, and lavishes us with His grace today.  "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us" (Ephesians 1:7, 8).

July 4:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS SCEPTER.
Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion.--Revelation 14:1

There are no celebrations like the celebration of freedom and deliverance.  In the United States, the Fourth of July, Independence Day, is an occasion of great festivities.  But I was amazed when I saw century-old photos of a massive crowd celebrating the Fourth of July, 1918 in Paris.  The French were celebrating the official end of the war, expecting a victorious outcome that was still four months away.  Thousands of Parisians took to the streets to watch the parade of the American soldiers.

Yet nothing we have experienced on this earth can compare with the joyful celebration of the victory of the Lamb described in Revelation 14.  John looks and catches a vivid scene, unparalleled in the final book of the Bible: "Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads" (Revelation 14:1).  The number of the complete spiritual Israel that was introduced in Revelation 7:4 is the same number as the group that is now standing with the Lamb on Mount Zion; not one has been lost in the final tribulations.  Revelation 14:1 is the only time that Mount Zion is mentioned in the book of Revelation.  Throughout the Bible, Mount Zion was the center of the rule of the kingdom of God (see Psalm 2:6, 48:1, 2), and was the place that pointed to the ultimate delivery of His people (Isaiah 52:7; 59:20).  Also, in the New Testament Zion represents the final victory of Jesus and those who trust in Him (Romans 9:33; Hebrews 12:22; 1 Peter 2:6).  Now the Lamb is standing victorious as the triumphant King in Zion, and His very own are with Him forever.  The Lamb is triumphant over evil, and we, the redeemed, gather around Him to celebrate, because His victory has purchased our freedom!  This portrait of Jesus comforted and sustained the people of the first century and it still comforts us more than two thousand years later when we face difficulties.  We know how the story ends: Jesus wins!  Start celebrating now!

My Response:________________________________________________________

July 3:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS FREEDOM.
"To set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."--Luke 4:18, 19

My heart was racing excitedly as I was walking the few blocks from my hotel to the Liberty Bell.  I was attending some academic meetings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and this was my chance to see what I had heard, and even taught, for years.  Let me explain.

When I studied the public discourse of Jesus, recorded in Luke 61:1, 2 on that occasion, I learned that this quotation of Isaiah alluded to the year of jubilee (see Leviticus 25:8-55).  This was the favorable year of the Lord, when once every fifty years all slaves were to be set free, all debts were cancelled, and all property returned to the original owners.  On that momentous Sabbath in Nazareth, Jesus was proclaiming that He was fulfilling His role as the real jubilee and ushering in the age of salvation.  He was the agent through which the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed were to receive really good news, release, and freedom. 

When the United States was founded, the dream was that it would be the land of the free.  I had been told that Leviticus 25:10 was engraved on the Liberty Bell as a reminder of this fact: "Proclaim a release (or liberty) through the land to all its inhabitants."  That's why it is called the Liberty Bell.  I could barely contain myself as I finally stood in front of the impressive cracked bell, examining every inch of that piece of history.  And there it was: "Lev. XXV:X."  It was true!  Liberty for all was the dream, the promise, and the hope.

If you are carrying a load of guilt and shame from the past, pause now and accept Christ's freedom!  Burdens can paralyze us and prevent us from living a life of purpose for the glory of God.  Jesus carried our burdens to the cross so that we may live an abundant life!  You are one choice away from freedom.  The favor of God through Jesus Christ, our jubilee, is ours, even though we don't deserve it!

Accept it today!  It is true. We are free!  Jesus is our jubilee.

My Response:________________________________________________________

July 2:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS RESCUE.
"He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.  He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives."--Luke 4:18

The aftermath of the epic accident of August 5, 2010, when a Chilean mine collapsed, dragged on for sixty-days, while the rescuers relentlessly continued their efforts.  The thirty-three miners trapped under seven hundred thousand tons of rock could do absolutely nothing to save themselves.  Help could only come from above, and it did.  On October 12, global audiences in the hundreds of millions, including myself, watched the live TV coverage of the first rescuer arriving at the spot where the miners were trapped.  Twenty-four hours later, all thirty-three miners and all the rescuers were on the surface. *  Two words kept coming up in the interviews that followed: all and joy.  All had been rescued, the healthy and the sick, the strong and the weak.  All had been saved through the plan designed from above.  And at the end, only pure joy remained.  

The Gospel of Luke was written to announce a rescue of even greater magnitude!  The Savior of the world came down to fulfill Heaven's plan to rescue the world!  As you can imagine, Luke's Gospel is filled with joy and excitement as a response to such great news of salvation.  Luke narrates his Gospel in a way that makes his point loud and clear: salvation was achieved, for ALL who would accept it: the fearful, the anxious, the poor, the enslaved, the marginalized, and the destitute.  Luke intercalates stories of men and women, Jews and Gentiles, religious people and public sinners.  He excitedly announces that Jesus offers salvation for all.  If someone says that you don't qualify for salvation because of the color of your skin, your gender, your failures, your past, your family circumstances, or anything else, tell them:  "You are right...none of us do, that's why the Savior came down to rescue us."  If you are buried under an overwhelming burden of sin, anxiety, or fear, remember how Jesus started His Sabbath sermon in His hometown of Nazareth: He reminded us that He came for "the poor" the "captives," "the blind,: and "the oppressed" (Luke 4:18).  In other words, He came for you and me!

My Response:________________________________________________________
* Richard Pallardy, Encyclopedia Britannica, "Chile mine rescue 2010," modified April 11, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/chile-mine-rescue-of-2010.

July 1:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS MISSION.
"It is expedient for you that one man die for the people."--John 11:50

A close relative told me of the impact a particular lecture had on him many decades ago.  In order to visually illustrate the inclusivity of God's grace, the professor took a piece of chalk and started walking  all around the room, drawing a straight horizontal line on the walls, doors, windows, the complete circumference of the venue, until everyone in that audience found themselves sitting inside the parameters of the line.  "All are included in God's grace" the professor said.

So what, exactly, qualifies us as recipients of God's grace?  After the resurrection of Lazarus, the chief priests and Pharisees got together and planned to kill Jesus (see John 11:47-53).  The chief priest, Caiaphas, said to them, "You know nothing at all nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people" (verse 49, 50).  John adds an extremely important note: "Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (verses 51, 52).  Caiaphas, unknowingly, had just prophesied what the mission of Jesus was!  To die for the people!  His statement is repeated after Jesus' betrayal: "It was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people" (John 18:14).  Jesus died for the human race to undo what Adan and Eve had done.  Jesus is the Second Adam, whose victorious death on behalf of the human race was even more complete than Adam's utter failure as representative of the race.  Paul explains: "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.  For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:18, 19).  It's not about what qualifies us, but who qualified for us!  He died for the people.  And that, my friend, includes you!

My Response:________________________________________________________