Genesis, Message 21: Living a Grace-enjoying Life for God's Good Pleasure

My Great Delight in God's Word

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 21

Living a Grace-enjoying Life for God's Good Pleasure

Experience of Isaac represents experience of grace

The experience of Abraham represents the experience of God as our heavenly Father, who is the source of everything. However, experience of Abraham is not complete. We also need to see the experiences of Isaac and Jacob. Even though they were 3 distinct persons, the collective experiences all these 3 forefathers demonstrate a complete experience with God that everyone should see.

Now we are going to focus on the experience of Isaac, which represents the experience of God of Grace and teaches us that everything we have is received from God. All we need to do is enjoy grace.

What is grace? This word is a very big word. Many theologians have beautifully described it as "undeserved love," "unmerited favour," and "God's Riches At Christ Expenses." All these definitions are absolutely correct. However, if we consider the bible carefully, we will see that "Grace" is much more than that. Grace is nothing less than Christ Himself given to us for the fulfilment of God's eternal purpose. Christ is grace personified. 

In the Old Testament, the best thing man could ever experience was God's blessing, which had to do with outward things. The purpose of the blessing was for his existence. But praise the Lord that now we, the New Testament believers, can enjoy not only blessing from God for our existence, but also grace of God for the fulfilment of His eternal purpose.

Unlike God's blessing, grace has nothing to do with outward things. It is not about what we have or what we can do. It has to do with our inward being. It is the matter of what we are! As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:10. By the grace of God, we are what we are!

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10 NKJV)

Putting this verse together with Galatians 2:20, we can clearly see the principle of Christian living. After being saved, we still live this new life, yet not we, but the grace of God is with us / Christ lives in us.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 KJV)

Therefore grace is Christ Himself wrought into our being for our enjoyment and for the fulfilment of God's eternal purpose. It is not something outside us, but Someone who lives in us, works in us and do things for us. Grace is nothing less than Christ Himself living in us as our life and our everything.

Experience of Isaac exemplifies a life of grace enjoyer

Isaac's life is so amazing. He did not have to do hard works. He did not have to cross the river. He did not have to dig the wells by himself. He did not have to fight against enemies. Everything he had was inherited from Abraham his father. Therefore the experience of Isaac is the experience of receiving. Everything he had was received from his father.

Furthermore, we don't see much suffering in his life either. He did not have to go through many dealings from God as Abraham did. Even in time of troubles, Isaac did not seem to suffer a lot. Even when his mother Sarah died, while Abraham was in great sorrow, we don't have a record of Isaac's weeping. The next scene in which he appears in the bible is in Genesis 24.

And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening. (Genesis 24:63 NKJV)

Yes, in time of sorrow when he lost his mother, Isaac still enjoyed the fellowship with the Lord. He is a perfect example of a grace enjoyer.

Like Isaac, we are predestined to live a life of grace enjoyer

Interestingly, there is no any indication that Isaac was a spiritual person. He seemed not to deserve being listed as a hero of faith. But grace came to him regardless of his spirituality or religiousness. God's grace is for everyone, both spiritual and unspiritual, both religious and unreligious. Everyone needs grace.

It is God's preordained way that all His people enjoy grace. When we have right standing before God, we must enjoy grace. But even when we do not have right standing before God, we can also enjoy grace. God's grace is unconditional. It is so available to us however our spiritual status is. Grace comes upon us regardless of our standing. Nevertheless, this unconditional grace by no means endorses our improper standing before God. The more we enjoy grace, the more Christ grows in us and the more our life will be transformed. This will eventually bring us to the right standing before God. We will then arrive at the proper place in which we worship God, call upon His name and become His testimony on the earth.

It is a great misunderstanding that after one has been saved by grace through faith, he must live a suffering life and must be religious or self-spiritual, trying to keep all the Lord's commandments using his own effort. Even after we have been saved by grace, we still must live a life of grace enjoyer. Enjoying grace is the means whereby our life is transformed and God's eternal purpose is fulfilled in us and through us.

Brothers and sisters, God does not call us to be a religious person, but to be an enjoyer of grace, which is Christ Himself wrought into us for our enjoyment. We don't have to be religious to enjoy grace. Ironically, the more religious we are, the less likely we will enjoy grace. When we try to please God using our own effort, we exercise our fleshly endeavour, resulting in pride, the very cause of Lucifer's fall. Nothing can frustrate grace more than our self or our flesh can. Being religious is not what God wants from us. It is not the means whereby God is pleased and His eternal purpose is fulfilled. He just needs us to have the experience of Isaac by enjoying Christ day by day.

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 21.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)