God Saves Series

He bared His Holy Arm.

Now, in Psalm 8:3-4 we’re told “When I consider your heavens, the WORK OF YOUR FINGERS, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

When God created the heavens it was mere FINGERPLAY for Him. It was effortless and was something like a game for Him. But when Jesus came down to die for us, God bared His holy arm. He rolled up His sleeves and He prepared for WAR. He put on His armor of righteousness and salvation and vengeance and zeal.

Why would He do that??? Because He loves us!

ILLUS: A little over 60 years ago there was a doctor in my home town who was a very competent surgeon. But there was a rumor floating around that he would occasionally do surgeries that weren’t necessary, so he could make a little extra money. Now granted… it was just a rumor, but it did make you think a little.

Well, the day came when my sister, Donna Mae, experienced serious stomach pains and my folks took her to the hospital… and this surgeon was on call. He examined her and said she needed surgery… almost immediately. Well, my dad had “private meeting” with this Doctor and he said “You’re the doctor, and my daughter has a problem you say you can fix. But let me tell you - if it turns out that this surgery wasn’t necessary, or that you hurt my daughter in any way… I’ll be coming for you, and no one will be able to stop me.”

Now I’m not sure… it might have been something in my daddy’s tone of voice or something… but suddenly that surgery wasn’t necessary. And she survived the crisis. In fact my sister is still alive and healthy to this day.

What dad was saying to that doctor was this: “I love my child… and I’m prepared to go to war to her. I’m rolling up my sleeves and I’ll do what I have to, to protect my child. So you make sure you don’t hurt her, because if you hurt her, I’ll hurt you.”

That’s the imagery we see in scripture. God loved us so much that He went to war. He loved us so much that He rolled up his sleeves and bared holy arm. He loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son. He did all that … for us!!!

THAT’S GOOD NEWS!!!!

But now, the question is this: What difference does that make? What difference does it make that God loved us that much? Well, it comes down to this. Ephesians 2:3-5 tells us that (before we became Christians) we “were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.”

We were still dead in our sins when God decided to save us. You and I weren’t worth saving and there was nothing you or I could do earn a place in heaven. Did you catch that part in Isaiah where it said “He could find no one to intervene”? Nobody who could fix what was wrong in our lives? He couldn’t find anyone to save us… so He did it Himself.

So, not only could you or I not earn our salvation, no one else could do it for us either. It’s by grace you have been saved. You and I were saved ONLY because of the great love with which God loved us.