P.O. Box 53055    
Los Angeles, CA 90053   

THE GRACIOUS GUARD AT THE GATE

I remember once reading a war story – the details are hazy now, but it might well have been during World War II – where soldiers were being billeted or forcibly quartered in the homes of civilians. You couldn’t say no; you couldn’t protest that you already had six kids and only one bathroom. When the Gestapo came along and said ten brown-shirted Nazi commandos were camping out in your living room, you snapped a salute and said jawolh! and that was the end of it.

So these men are just helping themselves to the place. They’re spreading out, taking couches and spare bedrooms, eating whatever’s in the icebox, pouring themselves one drink after another. And finally this family all retire to the one bedroom that’s still kind of theirs. Mom, dad, son, daughter, baby – whoever – all have to hide out in this one slender refuge.

And I don’t know if it was at three in the morning with a call of nature, or maybe just as the first gray light of dawn begins to peek through the window, but the son begins to stir. Mom is still sleeping; there’s his sister; in the corner is the baby in her tiny crib. But where’s his father? Did these enemy soldiers do something to harm the head of the household?

And as the boy goes to the door and gingerly nudges it open, lo and behold, he finds his father sleeping on the floor just outside that bedroom door. His cramped body is pressing right up to the doorjamb; it’s virtually impossible for anyone to pass through in either direction. And with a start, this kid realizes that Dad has spent the entire night out there in the cold hallway, just a few yards away from these sinister soldiers, these alien visitors with hostile intentions. Inside is his wife, his life partner, the woman he’s pledged to protect to the death. His virgin daughter is there as well; also his young son and his little baby. And without saying a word about it, without bluster or braggadocio or bravado, he has quietly put himself in harm’s way as the family sentinel. “Over my dead body will you ever touch my family” is what he says in this wordless, selfless act of protection.

Again, friend, I don’t know if that’s a true story, and if so, what era of history to assign it to. But what a marvelous picture it provides of our heavenly Father, and how He feels toward His sons and His daughters once we come to Him and receive His grace.

Earlier in this series, we explored the awesome SEARCHING power of grace – how God sends every heavenly agency to seek out His lost children. The Holy Spirit, the angels, the Word of God, the testimony of fellow believers, the prayers of a concerned parent . . . these are all mighty weapons as grace comes looking for the prodigal son, for the sheep that has gone astray. Some of Jesus’ parables describe the passion of this search in the wilderness for you or for me.

But now, what of the Christian who has at long last come into the fold? Unlimited grace is now in our hand; it is our eternal possession. But what next?

If you’ve been with us for any part of this great adventure – and, you know, this is actually Day #18 of our series – I hope you’ve come to also appreciate, as I have, these excellent articles and snippets we’ve borrowed from a recent issue of the Adventist Review, the church paper in my denomination. And here’s a thought-provoking paragraph from a Larry Pitcher, writing from Lincoln, Nebraska:

“God’s grace actively draws us into fellowship with Jesus,” he writes. “Grace actively searches for the hopeful, looks for the lost, seeks out those rejected, and hunts for ways to reach closed minds. Grace wants EVERYONE to meet Jesus.” Isn’t that good? “And when they do, Jesus has a special promise for those who join the fellowship of God’s family. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a NEW NAME written on it, known only to him who receives it.” That’s Revelation 2:17.

And then this Larry Pitcher concludes:

“Isn’t that wonderful? Just as Jesus claimed and renamed Peter, He promises to claim and rename us when we come to Him. Jesus pledges to include us in the fellowship of His grace.” And now please mark down this concluding sentence: “Once we belong to Jesus, no power on earth, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can prevent our God from keeping us in the fellowship.”

Now, we should say again what we expressed a couple of days ago. Friend, you and I are free moral agents. We can come to Jesus, or we can NOT come to Him. We can be a part of God’s family, or we can stay away. And I believe that even when we have already come to Him, we retain the power to choose to leave again if that’s our decision. That loving heavenly Father, lying in front of the door to protect His precious family, will reluctantly stand up and clear a way for you to walk out of His fellowship . . . if that’s what you want to do. It is the policy of the Gestapo soldiers out in the living room to hold hostages and brainwash victims; the loving Father protecting the bedroom doesn’t do that.

But I’m talking now about God’s plan, not our plan; His will, not ours. And from the perspective of Heaven, every agency God commands is going to do everything possible to safely hold you in the warmth of its loving and protective embrace.

Really, this promise in Revelation proves it! “I will give you ‘hidden manna,’” Jesus promises. Well, who received manna in the Old Testament times? People in the family! And why? To sustain and nourish them while IN that family. Who would go wandering off into the wilderness of starvation, when delicious heavenly food was right there on the ground every morning?

“I will give you a white stone,” is our Redeemer’s second promise. In Bible times, white stones were sometimes used as symbols of entrance into a relationship, admission to a coveted group or royal family. But let’s notice that Jesus doesn’t just give us the white stone, saying, “Come on in!” . . . He also gives us one more thing: a new name.

Now, let me ask you this. Who gets a new name: the foster child, who’s only staying for a few weeks, or the adopted son or daughter, who is now a forever part of the family? You know the answer and so do I.

Let’s be very practical here. Just how does grace KEEP us in the safety of heaven’s family? You parents out there can very easily answer me when I ask this: what makes a kid stick around? What sociological elements bring security to a child? Well, first of all, when they know they’re loved. And God’s grace is, more than anything, an expression of His love for us. Secondly, when they know they’re forgiven, that even their mistakes and faults and failures will not cause them to be expelled. How many runaway children leave in the cover of darkness because they’re sure some mistake of theirs can not be erased?

I have a friend who teaches a college class just three miles down the road from here. One evening a struggling student made a tragic confession. The doctor had just delivered the bad news that she was pregnant. Out of wedlock. Her dad was a preacher! The family was stunned and hurt. And this minister of the Christian faith had told his daughter that if she had the baby, she would have to leave the home. She would have to move away. She was, at that very moment, trying to negotiate with some relatives in a different state, hoping they might take her in.

Well, friend, that is the hard, sad world we live in . . . but that is not the kingdom of God’s grace. No way. Because grace expresses love. It expresses forgiveness. It broadcasts acceptance and a new beginning. It takes us through hard times and on into better ones. ‘Tis grace hath me brought me safe thus far . . . remember?

And most of all, it is an eloquent statement regarding parenthood. What do we think it means when we say, as Christians, that Jesus “redeemed” us on the Cross? He paid the price to get us back. Who does that? The loving parent! Forget Mel Gibson and that table stacked high with cash in Ransom. The death of Jesus at Calvary says powerfully to each of us: “I want you this much.”

If you want to really nail this down with Scripture, just read prayerfully through Romans chapter eight sometime today. Paul basically says: “If God is for us, who can be against us? If He didn’t spare His own Son, then He won’t certainly won’t spare the rest of His divine arsenal. ‘Won’t He graciously give us all things?’” is how Paul puts it. And then the famous “who shall separate us” line at the close.

Again, friend, WE can separate ourselves from God. Grace does meet its match when it comes to our liberty of conscience, our free will. But as long as we choose to stay with grace, with the God who gives grace, with the heavenly Father who stands at the door to keep out the fallen angels and the demons, the principalities and the powers that would pull us away . . . you and I can dwell in perfect safety. And so shall we be with the Lord forever.