Far As the Curse Is Found

Nehemiah 10:28, 29

The great hymn writer Isaac Watts penned the words to “Joy to the World”, nearly 300 years ago. I do not know if he intended for it to be used primarily as a Christmas song, but I do know that it is full of theology. The third verse in particular, emphasizes a point that I believe should be brought to light often:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

With the arrival of Jesus and His subsequent death on the cross, we now have the power to “no more let sins and sorrows grow”, but we do still have thorns infesting the ground. However, the price paid by Christ with His precious blood has given us a guarantee that someday all of the curse against this earth will be lifted (Revelation 22:3), and that His blessings will truly flow, “Far as the curse is found”.

Man has had the knowledge of the curse on the ground, and the sorrow of sin, since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, but he has not had the knowledge of the curse of the law forever. Until Moses gave the law, sin was not imputed (Romans 5:13), though it did exist. With the advent of the law, came the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20), and the oppressive weight of the curse of death.

Fourteen years after the return of Ezra to Jerusalem, Nehemiah led up a company of Israelites to restore the walls and civil authority. The book that bears his name is the record of those events, and its ninth chapter is the prayer of repentance by the people, while they observe the Feast of Tabernacles. The 10th chapter opens with the people and the priesthood signing a covenant, which they have written, basically, promising God that they will not sin again, and verse 29 describes what this covenant represented:

“They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.”

The moment that Israel entered into this covenant, they identify it as a curse! This covenant is not a blessing; it is a curse, which is exactly what breaking the law brings. It is viewed as a curse because the people were confident in only one thing when they entered into it: they could not keep it.

For the believer under the New Covenant, we have the assurance that God has removed the curse of the law from us, because Jesus took the curse upon himself (Galatians 3:13). The Father did not cut covenant with you and I, because we are notorious for not keeping our end of the deal, so He cut the covenant with His Son (Galatians 3:16). Now, you and I have no fear of the curse when we fail because Jesus has taken the curse for us.

May His blessings flow for you today, “far as the curse is found”.

I Am Not Ashamed of Good News

Romans 1:16, 17

The word “gospel” means, “good news”. When Paul speaks of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is speaking of the good news of Jesus’ finished work at the cross. What Christ did at Calvary was so awesome, so wonderful, so complete, that it must be considered not only good news, but the best news that the world could ever hear.

Paul was beginning to take criticism and false accusations because he was preaching so much good news (Romans 3:8), but he had become convinced that there was no other way of salvation for Gentile or Jew. Because of that he decides that he will not be ashamed to speak this truth again (Romans 1:16). If the great Apostle Paul was not ashamed to preach of a good God, who loves you unconditionally, then why would we fear this message?

The good news is the power of God to see people saved. Paul writes one chapter later, “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4). His goodness leads men to change their minds about God. When Peter falls on his face at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8), do you think this admission came after a hell, fire and brimstone message on the sinful condition of Peter’s heart? No! It came after Jesus blessed Peter’s fishing party with so many fish that their nets broke from the load. It was Jesus’ goodness that caused Peter to repent.

The word “salvation” implies “deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and wholeness”. The good news not only saves you from an eternity in hell, but it makes you whole while you are here. Jesus promised us not only eternal life but abundant life (John 10:10). We are to reign in this life, now! (Romans 5:17)

Some people fear the message of pure grace because they worry that grace preaching will not teach people to live right. Paul says in Romans 1:17 that when we are saved, God’s righteousness is revealed in us “from faith to faith”. As we continue our faith walk, He brings His holiness out of us. Holiness cannot be added on the outside, it must come out of the heart, and the grace that is in us will teach us how to produce the results that we have always wanted.

Paul concludes these two verses by quoting from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith”. As Christians, we are not living to pile up good marks with God, so that we can get into the pearly gates. Nor are we shunning the evil so that we are not tainted by the sin of the world. Our lives are wrapped up in Jesus Christ and His finished work. In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28), and we live our lives through Him (1 John 4:9). This is only possible by simple faith in Jesus, because we are near sin, and sometimes we commit it. We do not always do the good and shun the evil, though we desire to so fervently. It is for these reasons that our lives must be lived out through faith in Jesus.

Let grace bring wholeness and rest to your life today. Realize that as your faith continues in Christ, His righteousness will come out in the way that you live that life. Relax in Jesus, for He has saved your soul. Peace go with you today.

Know Jesus? You’re Never Ashamed

Romans 9:33

Jesus was the Rock that was in the wilderness which provided Israel with water when they were thirsty (1 Corinthians 10:4). As a crucified Savior, Christ is called a “stumbling block” (1 Corinthians 1:23), a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offence” (1 Peter 2:8). However, to those who will believe, the preaching of His glorious good news is “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). When Paul realized the great power of that good news (gospel), he declared, “I am not ashamed…” (1:16).

As Paul goes deeper into this great epistle to the Romans, he returns to that theme of not being ashamed. Here, Paul declares that “whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed” and then in 10:11 he quotes from Isaiah:

“They shall not be ashamed that wait for me” (Isaiah 49:23).

Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Paul is being led to address a topic that has caused unnecessary guilt and condemnation in many people. I am referring to a statement made by Jesus, which I heard preached and taught growing up as a motivator to get Christians to witness and evangelize:

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

I had heard that if you were too nervous to tell someone about Jesus or to take a stand against your friends cussing or lying, etc, then you were being ashamed of Jesus and when you stood before God, He would hang His head in shame at you and send you to hell. I spent so many prayers as a young person and even into adulthood, asking God to forgive me for not witnessing for fear that I had shown myself ashamed.

Pay attention to Jesus’ audience in that verse. He is addressing the “adulterous and sinful generation”. This cannot be you and I because we are married to Jesus alone and we are a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9, 10). The “ashamed” to which Jesus is referring is the refusal to accept Him as Savior. You have already said “Yes!” to Jesus, thus you are not viewed as “ashamed”.

Paul is stating emphatically that it is impossible to be considered ashamed of Him if you have accepted Him as Lord. The very act of acceptance is the denial of shame, and no one who is born again and knows the love of God could ever be ashamed neither of His salvation nor of His loving grace and favor.

I personally believe that Paul’s fanatical defense of the message of grace contained in the book of Romans is his response to a time period where he may have felt some shame and isolation in his preaching of grace. We know that he faced public opposition to the grace message by Alexander the coppersmith and that his first answer to him caused abandonment by all of his followers (2 Timothy 4:14,16). After having been strengthened by the Lord, Paul is never again ashamed, either in public or in private to “preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15).

Far As the Curse Is Found

Nehemiah 10:28, 29

The great hymn writer Isaac Watts penned the words to “Joy to the World”, nearly 300 years ago. I do not know if he intended for it to be used primarily as a Christmas song, but I do know that it is full of theology. The third verse in particular, emphasizes a point that I believe should be brought to light often:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

With the arrival of Jesus and His subsequent death on the cross, we now have the power to “no more let sins and sorrows grow”, but we do still have thorns infesting the ground. However, the price paid by Christ with His precious blood has given us a guarantee that someday all of the curse against this earth will be lifted (Revelation 22:3), and that His blessings will truly flow, “Far as the curse is found”.

Man has had the knowledge of the curse on the ground, and the sorrow of sin, since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, but he has not had the knowledge of the curse of the law forever. Until Moses gave the law, sin was not imputed (Romans 5:13), though it did exist. With the advent of the law, came the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20), and the oppressive weight of the curse of death.

Fourteen years after the return of Ezra to Jerusalem, Nehemiah led up a company of Israelites to restore the walls and civil authority. The book that bears his name is the record of those events, and its ninth chapter is the prayer of repentance by the people, while they observe the Feast of Tabernacles. The 10th chapter opens with the people and the priesthood signing a covenant, which they have written, basically, promising God that they will not sin again, and verse 29 describes what this covenant represented:

“They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.”

The moment that Israel entered into this covenant, they identify it as a curse! This covenant is not a blessing; it is a curse, which is exactly what breaking the law brings. It is viewed as a curse because the people were confident in only one thing when they entered into it: they could not keep it.

For the believer under the New Covenant, we have the assurance that God has removed the curse of the law from us, because Jesus took the curse upon himself (Galatians 3:13). The Father did not cut covenant with you and I, because we are notorious for not keeping our end of the deal, so He cut the covenant with His Son (Galatians 3:16). Now, you and I have no fear of the curse when we fail because Jesus has taken the curse for us.

May His blessings flow for you today, “far as the curse is found”.

I Am Not Ashamed of Good News

Romans 1:16, 17

The word “gospel” means, “good news”. When Paul speaks of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is speaking of the good news of Jesus’ finished work at the cross. What Christ did at Calvary was so awesome, so wonderful, so complete, that it must be considered not only good news, but the best news that the world could ever hear.

Paul was beginning to take criticism and false accusations because he was preaching so much good news (Romans 3:8), but he had become convinced that there was no other way of salvation for Gentile or Jew. Because of that he decides that he will not be ashamed to speak this truth again (Romans 1:16). If the great Apostle Paul was not ashamed to preach of a good God, who loves you unconditionally, then why would we fear this message?

The good news is the power of God to see people saved. Paul writes one chapter later, “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4). His goodness leads men to change their minds about God. When Peter falls on his face at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8), do you think this admission came after a hell, fire and brimstone message on the sinful condition of Peter’s heart? No! It came after Jesus blessed Peter’s fishing party with so many fish that their nets broke from the load. It was Jesus’ goodness that caused Peter to repent.

The word “salvation” implies “deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and wholeness”. The good news not only saves you from an eternity in hell, but it makes you whole while you are here. Jesus promised us not only eternal life but abundant life (John 10:10). We are to reign in this life, now! (Romans 5:17)

Some people fear the message of pure grace because they worry that grace preaching will not teach people to live right. Paul says in Romans 1:17 that when we are saved, God’s righteousness is revealed in us “from faith to faith”. As we continue our faith walk, He brings His holiness out of us. Holiness cannot be added on the outside, it must come out of the heart, and the grace that is in us will teach us how to produce the results that we have always wanted.

Paul concludes these two verses by quoting from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith”. As Christians, we are not living to pile up good marks with God, so that we can get into the pearly gates. Nor are we shunning the evil so that we are not tainted by the sin of the world. Our lives are wrapped up in Jesus Christ and His finished work. In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28), and we live our lives through Him (1 John 4:9). This is only possible by simple faith in Jesus, because we are near sin, and sometimes we commit it. We do not always do the good and shun the evil, though we desire to so fervently. It is for these reasons that our lives must be lived out through faith in Jesus.

Let grace bring wholeness and rest to your life today. Realize that as your faith continues in Christ, His righteousness will come out in the way that you live that life. Relax in Jesus, for He has saved your soul. Peace go with you today.

Know Jesus? You’re Never Ashamed

Romans 9:33

Jesus was the Rock that was in the wilderness which provided Israel with water when they were thirsty (1 Corinthians 10:4). As a crucified Savior, Christ is called a “stumbling block” (1 Corinthians 1:23), a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offence” (1 Peter 2:8). However, to those who will believe, the preaching of His glorious good news is “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). When Paul realized the great power of that good news (gospel), he declared, “I am not ashamed…” (1:16).

As Paul goes deeper into this great epistle to the Romans, he returns to that theme of not being ashamed. Here, Paul declares that “whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed” and then in 10:11 he quotes from Isaiah:

“They shall not be ashamed that wait for me” (Isaiah 49:23).

Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Paul is being led to address a topic that has caused unnecessary guilt and condemnation in many people. I am referring to a statement made by Jesus, which I heard preached and taught growing up as a motivator to get Christians to witness and evangelize:

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

I had heard that if you were too nervous to tell someone about Jesus or to take a stand against your friends cussing or lying, etc, then you were being ashamed of Jesus and when you stood before God, He would hang His head in shame at you and send you to hell. I spent so many prayers as a young person and even into adulthood, asking God to forgive me for not witnessing for fear that I had shown myself ashamed.

Pay attention to Jesus’ audience in that verse. He is addressing the “adulterous and sinful generation”. This cannot be you and I because we are married to Jesus alone and we are a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9, 10). The “ashamed” to which Jesus is referring is the refusal to accept Him as Savior. You have already said “Yes!” to Jesus, thus you are not viewed as “ashamed”.

Paul is stating emphatically that it is impossible to be considered ashamed of Him if you have accepted Him as Lord. The very act of acceptance is the denial of shame, and no one who is born again and knows the love of God could ever be ashamed neither of His salvation nor of His loving grace and favor.

I personally believe that Paul’s fanatical defense of the message of grace contained in the book of Romans is his response to a time period where he may have felt some shame and isolation in his preaching of grace. We know that he faced public opposition to the grace message by Alexander the coppersmith and that his first answer to him caused abandonment by all of his followers (2 Timothy 4:14,16). After having been strengthened by the Lord, Paul is never again ashamed, either in public or in private to “preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15).

Far As the Curse Is Found

Nehemiah 10:28, 29

The great hymn writer Isaac Watts penned the words to “Joy to the World”, nearly 300 years ago. I do not know if he intended for it to be used primarily as a Christmas song, but I do know that it is full of theology. The third verse in particular, emphasizes a point that I believe should be brought to light often:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

With the arrival of Jesus and His subsequent death on the cross, we now have the power to “no more let sins and sorrows grow”, but we do still have thorns infesting the ground. However, the price paid by Christ with His precious blood has given us a guarantee that someday all of the curse against this earth will be lifted (Revelation 22:3), and that His blessings will truly flow, “Far as the curse is found”.

Man has had the knowledge of the curse on the ground, and the sorrow of sin, since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, but he has not had the knowledge of the curse of the law forever. Until Moses gave the law, sin was not imputed (Romans 5:13), though it did exist. With the advent of the law, came the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20), and the oppressive weight of the curse of death.

Fourteen years after the return of Ezra to Jerusalem, Nehemiah led up a company of Israelites to restore the walls and civil authority. The book that bears his name is the record of those events, and its ninth chapter is the prayer of repentance by the people, while they observe the Feast of Tabernacles. The 10th chapter opens with the people and the priesthood signing a covenant, which they have written, basically, promising God that they will not sin again, and verse 29 describes what this covenant represented:

“They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes.”

The moment that Israel entered into this covenant, they identify it as a curse! This covenant is not a blessing; it is a curse, which is exactly what breaking the law brings. It is viewed as a curse because the people were confident in only one thing when they entered into it: they could not keep it.

For the believer under the New Covenant, we have the assurance that God has removed the curse of the law from us, because Jesus took the curse upon himself (Galatians 3:13). The Father did not cut covenant with you and I, because we are notorious for not keeping our end of the deal, so He cut the covenant with His Son (Galatians 3:16). Now, you and I have no fear of the curse when we fail because Jesus has taken the curse for us.

May His blessings flow for you today, “far as the curse is found”.

I Am Not Ashamed of Good News

Romans 1:16, 17

The word “gospel” means, “good news”. When Paul speaks of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is speaking of the good news of Jesus’ finished work at the cross. What Christ did at Calvary was so awesome, so wonderful, so complete, that it must be considered not only good news, but the best news that the world could ever hear.

Paul was beginning to take criticism and false accusations because he was preaching so much good news (Romans 3:8), but he had become convinced that there was no other way of salvation for Gentile or Jew. Because of that he decides that he will not be ashamed to speak this truth again (Romans 1:16). If the great Apostle Paul was not ashamed to preach of a good God, who loves you unconditionally, then why would we fear this message?

The good news is the power of God to see people saved. Paul writes one chapter later, “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4). His goodness leads men to change their minds about God. When Peter falls on his face at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8), do you think this admission came after a hell, fire and brimstone message on the sinful condition of Peter’s heart? No! It came after Jesus blessed Peter’s fishing party with so many fish that their nets broke from the load. It was Jesus’ goodness that caused Peter to repent.

The word “salvation” implies “deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and wholeness”. The good news not only saves you from an eternity in hell, but it makes you whole while you are here. Jesus promised us not only eternal life but abundant life (John 10:10). We are to reign in this life, now! (Romans 5:17)

Some people fear the message of pure grace because they worry that grace preaching will not teach people to live right. Paul says in Romans 1:17 that when we are saved, God’s righteousness is revealed in us “from faith to faith”. As we continue our faith walk, He brings His holiness out of us. Holiness cannot be added on the outside, it must come out of the heart, and the grace that is in us will teach us how to produce the results that we have always wanted.

Paul concludes these two verses by quoting from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith”. As Christians, we are not living to pile up good marks with God, so that we can get into the pearly gates. Nor are we shunning the evil so that we are not tainted by the sin of the world. Our lives are wrapped up in Jesus Christ and His finished work. In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28), and we live our lives through Him (1 John 4:9). This is only possible by simple faith in Jesus, because we are near sin, and sometimes we commit it. We do not always do the good and shun the evil, though we desire to so fervently. It is for these reasons that our lives must be lived out through faith in Jesus.

Let grace bring wholeness and rest to your life today. Realize that as your faith continues in Christ, His righteousness will come out in the way that you live that life. Relax in Jesus, for He has saved your soul. Peace go with you today.