Grace, Truth, and Time

Mark Gardner

A Healing Body • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Healing takes place when grace, truth, and time operate together

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A Healing Body

For some time now I have been really thinking and praying about how I could share True Life to our church in the area of our difficulties and hurts. I’ve been concerned with the growing numbers of Christian people who are struggling with all kinds of problems to include addictions (alcohol, prescription and illegal drugs, and pornography), anxiety, loneliness, grief, unforgiveness, insecurity, and stagnation. I firmly believe that healing is in Jesus Christ, but I think that we can have a misunderstanding about healing. This series is designed to show that when we apply the Word of God to our lives and live by Spirit and Truth, we can be healthy.

Doctors have come to expect that most of us will do a WebMD internet search. We take our symptoms and search until we find what seems to match. Then, we take it to the doctor, and he peals us off the ceiling and calms us down!

Here are some of the symptoms of the church right now:

1. The hurting person incorrectly believes that their problem is a direct result of sin

2. The hurting person “doesn’t have enough faith”

3. The hurting person “doesn’t spend enough time in the Word”

4. The hurting person becomes reclusive – silent, angry, and alienated

5. The hurting person feels GUILTY

6. The hurting person is living in immorality

7. The hurting person is living in spiritual poverty and shame

When we are not living in a balance of Grace, Truth, and Time, we end up with these feelings. The Good News is – Jesus, our Healer, is able to peal us off the ceiling.

This series is a little unusual for me because I am really relying on the work of Dr. Henry Cloud, the author of Changes that Heal. My question was apparently the same question he asked God. Here it is in his words,

Several years ago, I found myself saying to God, “I quit. I really don’t know what helps. God, if there is something that does, you will have to show it to me.” Over the next few years, God led me on a spiritual journey in which he graciously answered that simple but desperate prayer.

My purpose in this book is not to get enmeshed in the church’s debate between psychology and theology. I have a different goal in mind. I want to show you that there are biblical solutions for your struggles with depression, anxiety, panic, addictions, and guilt, …”

This is my heart as well. I hope that you and I will take away an understanding of “A Healing Body” as a result of each of these sermons. I want to Dr. Cloud himself to introduce today’s topic.

Dr. Henry Cloud

(10 min video off of RightNowMedia)

3 Ingredients to a Healing Body - Grace, Truth, and Time

I never had to go to sick call in the Army, but soldiers told me that the solution was always the same – ibuprofen and water. Headache? Take ibuprofen and drink water. Flesh-eating bacteria? Take ibuprofen and drink water. Leg missing? Take ibuprofen and drink water. You're on death's bed? Take ibuprofen and drink water. By the way, if symptoms persist, change your socks.

Of course, Ibuprofen and water are too simple a solution to cover all the different types of sicknesses we can get. Fortunately, the Bible provides all kinds of prescriptions for us. I appreciate Dr. Cloud pointing out to us the power of Grace, Truth, and Time when used together.

is a powerful illustration of the results of these 3 ingredients working together:

Luke 13:6–9 NIV

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”

There are three things at work here and all of them are dependent on the others:

(NIV) Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.

7So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’

8“ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”

There three things at work here and all of them are dependent on the others:

Expectation of fruit – this can be compared to Truth

Aerating and fertilizing – this can be compared to Grace

One year – represents time

When all of these elements are applied, wonderful results that place. Let’s look at each of these elements.

Grace

Grace is unbroken, uninterrupted, unearned, accepting relationship.

Jesus is chocked full of it.

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Grace can be expressed as God’s love.

(NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 John 4:8 NIV

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Grace can be expressed as God’s love.

When we experience grace from another, we feel that we can be exactly who we are. We are free to express our thoughts and feelings. You don’t need to do anything; someone knows the real you and loves you anyway.

(NIV) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Grace is wonderful, but by itself it becomes a problem.

Grace without Truth

Truth without Grace can be called Judgment. Grace without Truth can be called License. Maybe 10 years ago it seemed to be popular for people to say, “Don’t judge me!” This implied that no one is in the position to judge another. Besides this not being Biblical (Jesus judged lots of people and we are commanded to judge with grace), these people tended to live lives of License. They were doing whatever they wanted because their understanding of the Christian life was unbalanced. They wanted to live exclusively in Grace.

Think to yourselves, people you and I know who live lives of License end up destroying themselves. Listen to these verses:

Galatians 5:13 NIV

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

Romans 6:15–16 NIV

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Proverbs 13:18 NIV

18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.

In our relationships and struggles, we are healthiest when we operate in both grace and truth. The man in Dr. Cloud’s illustration needed to lose an unhealthy amount of weight. He is not helping himself by constantly eating unhealthily and living a sedentary lifestyle. Those who are around him are not helping him by just “loving him” and not speaking truth into his life. Grace without Truth ends up indulging the flesh, slipping into sinfulness, and leading a life of poverty and shame. Let me also add, a life of poverty and shame can manifest as making foolish (less than wise) choices.

(NIV) You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

(NIV) What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!

16Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

(NIV) Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.

Truth

Truth is what is real. Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth” and then turned away. The world is asking the same question and turning away just as Pilate did. Truth is necessary for growing up in the image of God. Dr. Cloud says,

Truth is the second ingredient necessary for growing up in the image of God.

Truth is what is real; it describes how things really are. Just as grace is the relational aspect of God’s character, truth is the structural aspect of his character. Truth is the skeleton life hangs upon;

Truth is also wonderful. The Bible is filled with common sense. You have the honest stories of failures throughout the Bible that teach us. The wisdom literature of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The 10 Commandments and Sermon on the Mount are grounded in morality. It addresses marriage, friendship, finances, time, eternity, origin, purpose, and on and on. It provides structure, reason, and focus. But Truth by itself is destructive.

Truth without Grace

The Apostle Paul points out the problem in the book of Romans:

Romans 3:19–20 NIV

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Romans 4:15 NIV

15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

Galatians

(NIV) Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

Galatians 5:4 NIV

4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

Both Jesus and Paul tell us that the Law was good. The problem is that when we try to live as Christians by the Law without Grace, we destroy ourselves and others. We make mistakes with ourselves and loved ones by saying things like, “I’ll love you only if you do what is true or right”. As a result, the fruit of Truth without Grace is – destruction, guilt, anxiety, anger, and more.

(NIV) because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.

(NIV) You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Again, in Dr. Cloud’s illustration of the CEO needing to lose weight, it didn’t help him to have someone “hold him accountable” by simply showing his new weight once a week. People who are struggling with depression, addictions, and destructive behaviors, yes, need to know the truth but they also need grace to begin to change.

Truth without Grace will make no one, in a spiritual sense righteous, but in a physical and emotional sense will make no one well.

It will simply destroy, create wrath, and make your loved one feel guiltier than before.

When Truth and Grace are mixed together we are in agreement with the plan of God:

(NIV) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(NIV) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.

17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of grace and truth.

There is another element of a healing body – Time.

Time

In our parable, time is added to truth and grace:

Luke 13:8 NIV

8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.

Time is not a fall back position, it is a needed element to growth. Jesus gave his disciples a lot of grace, lots of truth, and a period of time to grow to know Him. In the same way, healing takes time. Restored relationships take time.

8“ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.

We can use time to help us or we can waste time. Paul advised that we use time well:

Ephesians 5:15–16 NIV

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Time needs to be redemptive.

(NIV) Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,

16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

We live in a redemptive time, the church age, awaiting the redemption and resurrection of the saints. Our healing needs to be with the assistance of redemptive time – allowing the Holy Spirit to use Grace, Truth, and Time but we have to make ourselves available. I’ve heard of hurting people avoiding those who love them and even avoiding the church because of the hurt. There is no better place to be when you are hurting – among the saints and in the Presence of the Lord. This is simply the Truth… Dr. Cloud puts it this way:

Time needs to be redemptive. We live in a redemptive time, the church age, awaiting the redemption and resurrection of the saints. Our healing needs to be with the assistance of redemptive time – allowing the Holy Spirit to use Grace, Truth, and Time but we have to make ourselves available. I’ve heard of hurting people avoiding those who love them and even avoiding the church because of the hurt. There is no better place to be when you are hurting – among the saints and in the Presence of the Lord. This is simply the Truth… Dr. Cloud puts it this way:

Change takes place only in “good time.” Good time is time in which we are our experiences can be affected by grace and truth. If we have removed some aspect of ourselves from time, grace and truth cannot transform it. Whatever aspect of ourselves that we leave outside of experience, that we leave in “bad time,” goes unchanged.

When we choose to leave good time we end up stagnating. We will not grow when we no longer participate in life.

Grace, Truth, and Time create healthy bodies.

Why would I preach a message like this? – because I love you and because everyone of us need to hear this message.

Every one of us is tempted to operate in Grace without Truth

Every one of us is tempted to exercise Truth without Grace

Every one of us is tempted to ignore or waste time instead of redeeming it.

And, every one of us knows that the result will be disastrous.

It is time to heal!

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