I often hear the cry “That is not fair!” It is normally from children complaining about the treatment of one of their siblings. Yet if the truth be known I am hearing more and more adults complaining about one thing or another and normally it revolves around the theme of how they are being treated unfairly. Someone else is always better off than they are for some reason it is always someone else’s fault! It seems that in this time in history it is our birth right to have whatever we want – regardless!
Today, we continue on in our little teaching series on ‘The Essentials’ we come to a most wonderful truth – the truth of God’s grace. Yet this truth also causes people to feel upset because God chooses to show His grace to some and not all. Pastor Ernest will share with us one of Jesus’ parables that can cause angst among us as we look at it closely. On first reading (and to be honest even the second) it seems so unfair! How can someone be paid the same amount of money for doing a job where they only worked a tenth of the time as workers? It seems ….well … so unfair! What would the union movement have to say about this? Where is the fairness in this when it comes to the worker’s take home pay? Once again we come face to face with a God who thinks and behaves very differently to us! Perhaps this is why we need a constant reminder of Isaiah 55: 8-9 when the Lord says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”. Who God displays His grace to is His business, just as it is our business when we want to show acts of kindness to people we choose.
And what about God’s grace? Words cannot describe the joy the recipient encounters when God’s grace is bestowed on them! Paul Enns defines grace with these words, “the undeserving and unmerited favor of God to those who are under condemnation”. As the Bible teaches, all humanity is under God’s judgement because of the sin every one of us has committed. We all stand condemned! “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory” says Paul! Yet amazingly, God graciously pardons the worst of sinners because of His incredible love and mercy! He does this through the sacrifice of His own Son who became the object of His punishment. It is through Jesus that grace is shown to people like us! I hope and pray that you will marvel at the grace that has been bestowed on you!