“The Reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they discovered, in the dusty basement of late medievalism, a whole cellar full of fifteen-hundred-year-old, two-hundred proof Grace – bottle after bottle of pure distillate of Scripture, one sip of which would convince anyone that God saves us single-handedly. The word of the Gospel – after all those centuries of trying to lift yourself into heaven by worrying about the perfection of your bootstraps – suddenly turned out to be a flat announcement that the saved were home before they started.” (Robert Capon) From p.24, “One Way Love, Inexhaustible Grace for An Exhausted World” by Tullian Tchividjian (grandson of Billy Graham).
I totally relate with the above. My reformation/revival started a little over 8 years ago in the 8th month of 2006. Taking that month of August off – feeling that I had come to the end of myself, I cried out to God…and He heard me and answered. He began to show me His endless love, mercy and grace from the pages of the Bible, like I had never seen before. I was bowed over, set free, on fire all by my little ole’ self at home! And it hasn’t ended, He just keeps on showing me more and more of his amazing grace and I often find my self staggering drunk on his love! “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth – for your love is more delightful than wine.” Song of Solomon 1:2 (NIV). To find out more about God’s inexhaustible grace – I highly recommend Tullian Tchividjian’s latest book: ONE WAY LOVE.
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A Grace-Filled Love
The voices yanked her out of bed.
“Get up you harlot.”
Priests slammed opened the bedroom door, threw back the window curtains, and pulled off the covers. Before she felt the warmth of the morning sun, she felt the heat of their scorn.
“Shame on you.”
She scarcely had time to cover her body before they marched her through the narrow streets. Dogs yelped. Roosters ran. Women leaned out their windows. Mothers snatched children off the path….
And as if the bedroom raid and parade of shame were inadequate, the men thrust her into the middle of a morning Bible class.
Early the next morning [Jesus] was back
again at the Temple….As he was speaking,
the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees
brought a woman who had been caught in the act
of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” (John 8:2-5 NLT).
Stunned students stood on one side of her. Pious plaintiffs on the other. They had their questions and convictions; she had her dangling negligee and smeared lipstick. “This woman was caught in the act of adultery,” her accusers crowed….”The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
The woman had no exit. Deny the accusation? She had been caught. Plead for mercy? From whom? From God? His spokesmen were squeezing stones and snarling their lips. No one would speak for her.
But someone would stoop for her.
Jesus “stooped down and wrote in the dust” (v.6 NLT). We would expect him to stand up, step forward, or even ascend a stair and speak. But instead he leaned over. He descended lower than anyone else – beneath the priests, the people, even beneath the woman….
He’s prone to stoop….He stooped before the Roman whipping post. Stooped to carry the cross. Grace is a God who stoops. Here he stooped to write in the sand….
The posse grew impatient with the silent, stooping Jesus. “They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up” (v.7 NLT).
He lifted himself erect until his shoulders were straight and his head was high….He stood on behalf of the woman. He placed himself between her and the lynch mob and said, “All right, [stone her,] but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’ Then he wrote in the dust” (vv.7-8 NLT).
Name-callers shut their mouths. Rocks fell to the ground. Jesus resumed his scribbling. “When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman” (v.9 NLT).
Jesus wasn’t finished. He stood one final time and asked the woman,…”Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:10-11 NLT).
Within a few moments the courtyard was empty. Jesus, the woman, her critics – they all left. But let’s linger. Look at the rocks on the ground, abandoned and unused. And look at the scribbling in the sand. It’s the only sermon Jesus ever wrote. While we don’t know the words, I’m wondering if they read like this:
Grace happens here.
(from the book: Grace Happens Here, by Max Lucado 2012)
Brian Houston ~ Sermon Notes ~ New Creation Church ~ Singapore ~ from Tycm’s Blog
2013-06-02 Brian Houston was preaching on Key Of David and he probably did not realise it !!!
by tycm
2013-06-02 Brian Houston was preaching on Key Of David and he probably did not realise it !!!
Hillsongs’ Pastor Brian Houston opens with Ezra 9:8 at New Creation Church today !
“… And now for a little space grace hath been [shewed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage…”
Houston goes on preach on some other very good stuff but I noticed something about the “nail” in Ezra 9:8 .
The nail in Ezra 9:8 is the same Hebrew word for nail in Isaiah 22:22 – 23 !!!
Isaiah 22:22 is the Key of David OT verse !!!!
Key of David – Open Doors is the Ncc theme for 2013 !!!
Isaiah 22
22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
23 And I will fasten him [as] a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.
Hallelujah ! Divine timings !
ALEV – TAV SIGNATURES
Have a look also Ezra 9:9 . There is a clear ALEV TAV signature in this verse. There is also one less obvious one in Ezra 9:8 !
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/ezr9.pdf
See the ALEV TAV (Jesus) signatures for yourself in the above interlinear Hebrew – English Bible link !
WOW ! THERE’S MORE : CHILDREN — GRACE GIFT
The word translated into “grace” in Ezra 9:8 has a Hebrew root word also meaning grace – channan חָנַן. First reference is Gen 33:5 “And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who [are] those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.”
Children – grace gift – open wombs IS part of Key OF David theme for 2013 !!!
THIS IS SO PRECIOUS – first mention of God’s Grace in OT is LINKED up with CHILDREN as God’s gift !!!!
Hallelujah – Pastor Brian was preaching the KEY OF DAVID message and he did not even realize that he was doing so !!!
Diamond Girl
Diamond girl, you sure do shine
Glad I found you, glad you’re mine
Oh my love, you’re like a precious stone
Part of earth where heaven has rained on
Makes no difference where you are
Day or night time, you’re like a shinin’ star
How could I shine without you
When it’s about you that I am?
Diamond girl, roamin’ wild
Such a rare thing, radiant child
I could never find, another one like you
Part of me is deep down inside you
And can’t you feel the whole world is turnin’
We are real, and we are burnin’, hey
Diamond girl, now that I’ve found you
Well it’s about you that I am
Diamond girl, you sure do shine
Diamond girl, you sure do shine
Diamond girl, you sure do shine
Diamond girl, you sure do shine
songwriters: Seals & Crofts
He Knows My Name
I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in hands
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
I have a Father
He calls me His own
He’ll never leave me
No matter where I go
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
He hears me when I call
He hears me when I call
He hears me when I call
(You are my Father and I love You)
He hears me when I call
(You are my Father and I love You)
He hears me when I call
(You are my Father and I love You)
He hears me when I call
(You are my Father and I love You)
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call
Songwriter: Thomas Lee Walker