Unfathomable Grace

What would you find if you could glance directly into the eyes of the Lord?

You would find love. The one who creates man and woman in his own image, he would have a gleam in his eye as he pours out his various blessing upon his image-bearers.

You would find wisdom. He is the most-truthful God, and if you could look in his eyes, you would see an infinite sagacity in his glance. Truth would exude from his pupils.

You would find seriousness. God says means what he means, and he means what he says. Therefore, gazing upon him as he gazes upon you, you would see a divine seriousness in his eyes. His laws are not suggestions. His commands are not up for consideration. With gravitas he reveals his sovereign desires, and with heavy and holy seriousness he reviews every thought, word, and deed of every man. If you could see the seriousness in his eyes, you would be filled with greater reverence.

You would find justice. He makes no mistakes. He provides no loop-holes. He is never bribed or manipulated. No, perfectly and without degree, he is the Heavenly Judge who discerns that which evil from that which is holy. With an impartial and all-seeing eye, he gazes with justice upon all men and women.

You would find regret, grief, and anger. Every single day, God is angry with the wicked. (Ps. 7:11) Indeed, he does have intense hatred for Lucifer, his ways, and his insolent followers. All of them will be eternally separated from himself and his loved ones. God also has intense regret and grief. This is revealed through Moses in the sixth chapter of Genesis:

And Yahweh regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart_. And Yahweh said, “I will destroy humankind whom I created from upon the face of the earth, from humankind, to animals, to creeping things, and to the birds of heaven, for I regret that I have made them.     (6:5-7)

However, if you could look into the eyes of God, you would also find grace, for:

 Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.     (6:8)

Yes, all would find common grace. But some, like Noah and his family, would also find saving, uncommon grace.

Christian friends, it is Saturday, and I long to give you a reason to celebrate. You, like Noah, have received a constant and heavy dose of God’s blessings. One of these blessings is his Law; from his Spirit you have received ample truth for living. However, like Lucifer and Noah, you have received God’s Law and spurned his counsel. In your thoughts, words, and deeds, you have willingly sinned against your Sovereign, and your sins have not gone unnoticed. You are rank. You are guilty. You are vile. You are odious to the Lord’s nostrils and offensive in his sight. Towards your conduct, he is hot with anger. He is also filled with divine regret and grief. However, based only upon his divine decision, he is not satisfied to damn all in his just flood. Because he is gracious:

• He reveals his plans to save us by his Gospel-boat. (Atonement)
• He transforms our hearts and makes us hungry to pursue his means of salvation. (Regeneration)
• He declares us “righteous” even though we really are not the exception. This is because he proclaims Jesus “unrighteous” even though he is not. You see, a divine swap occurs where we are treated as Jesus, and Jesus is treated as us. (Justification)
• He sovereignly and powerfully moves us to live righteously. (Sanctification)
• He gloriously allows us to celebrate, gather as his church, expand his church, and improve his world. (Worship)

Oh friends, on this Saturday, let us rejoice in the favorable or gracious glance of our God. He has not treated us as our sins deserve. He has plans to prosper and not punish us. We are the apple of his eye. We are the ones bought with a price. We are his favorites — his preferred and peculiar people. We are the ones set apart by him to praise him amongst the nations. Today, let us enjoy the particular favor of our Lord. We do not deserve this favorable glance, but we have it. Look in his eyes again and be refreshed. He loves us!

And tomorrow, on Sunday, let us especially rest in him as we gather with your friends in one of the arks of God. As his favorites, we are to not forsake assembling and giving his praise. He wants to meet with us; communion is on his mind; compassion is in his eyes. With joy, he is looking forward to meeting us on the Day of the Lord in the House of the Lord. He is excited to see us; just look in his eyes and see his favor and grace. So make plans today to come tomorrow. It is the place of grace, where through the means of grace, the God of grace, plans on looking at us with grace … one more time.