Grace Is An Ocean You Cannot Drink Empty

There are certain questions that only those who have truly understood the depths of their sin have asked. “Is there any more grace for me?” “Are my sins greater than the grace extended?” Nights full of lonely accusatory questions aimed at yourself. “Am I even a Christian, does God love me anymore?” Your sin, like a desert, drying up every bit of hopeful water you have. Where do we turn when this is where we find ourselves?

Psalm 103 says:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

This text is about the dimensions of grace. Like a cup of water, or a tank of gas, or an ocean. This Psalm is for those of us who have asked, “Have I exhausted the supply of grace?” In the fog of our own shame and guilt, we may struggle to define grace.

For us to get some mental handles on the vastness of the grace God extends, we have to find something we can get our mind around to compare the two. A cup will not do. Neither will a pool. —Have you ever been to the ocean? Its dimensions are so large that you can't see the other side. You can't dive deep enough to get to the bottom, nor can you jump out of the water. Because you cannot see the end of the ocean, or the depths of it, does that make it only as small as you can see? No. The same is true when we have a hard time comprehending how deeply the Father loves us. Our limited minds do not dictate the dimensions of His love, His heart does.

We must go to passages of Scripture like this Psalm, that teach us how vast His grace really is, so that we can retrain our souls and minds. Here are three promises to call to mind from Psalm 103:

One - God is Compassionate and Gracious.

Rest knowing that God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. In the depths of our guilt we feel as if we don’t deserve God’s compassion or grace. Instead of trying to deny that thought, we should own it. Our sins really are that bad! Our greatest evil isn’t moral sin, but a rebellious heart against God which is the root of all our sin. We are guilty before a holy God! And it is with this full reality that God decides to be compassionate and gracious. It is only when you see yourself as truly unworthy that the beauty of grace takes its full effect. Grace, simply put, is unmerited favor. That which you cannot earn. Nor do you deserve.

Two - Grace Is An Ocean You Cannot Drink Empty

In the height of our guilt and shame, most Christians don’t doubt that God is compassionate or gracious. We question how compassionate and gracious He is. Uncontrolled anger, that sin isn’t bigger than his love. Greed? Not a match for grace! We don’t even bat a moral eye to those sins. But what about porn? Adultery? Affairs? Of course culturally safe sins are covered by the ocean of grace. But what about the unsafe ones? The ones you dare not bring up in your small group?

What’s so beautiful about this Psalm is that it doesn’t talk about sin all that much. Its main focus is God’s love. It’s not that we should never look at our sin and examine it. There is a time for that and many scriptures that instruct us to do so. (James 5:16) But in the moment of hopelessness the last thing we need is another look at our sin. We need to look to God. As Robert Murray McCheyne says: “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” Look to the cross! Look to what Christ did for you! When you gaze at the cross, that Jesus gave His perfect life for you, you realize you can't drink to the bottom of this ocean of grace. For it was extended to you at your worst. God, in Jesus, extended this ocean to you with the full knowledge of all that you would be.

I promise you, the ocean doesn't even look any different after you've taken your sips. Imagine drinking the ocean. You seriously think you can exhaust its supply? But this is how we act when we think He can't save us, or doesn't want to. Or that maybe we've sinned one too many times. Sinner, the cross is the picture of just how much God loves your sinful self. (Romans 5:6) Look to Christ and less at yourself.

Three - We Are Not Repaid According to Our Sins

When the old refrain runs in your head, “He must hate me because of my sins”. Call to mind Psalm 103. Your sin is not greater than His love for you. His ability to save is greater than your ability to sin. He knew all that you would be. For on the cross, Jesus took all of your sins upon himself. (1 Peter 2:24) He died the death you should have died because of your sin against God. With that understanding, be amazed that God not only saves you from your sins, but removes them from you. We are not repaid according to our sin because Christ paid for our sins. He paid the price for our rebellion. As He took upon himself our sins and our punishment, He cried “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken me?” so that we would never have to.

He will not forsake or abandon you in your weakness. As you wrestle with sin, His grace remains. He reached deep into the reservoir of grace and went to the cross. He reaches far into it every morning that He gives your breath. You not only need grace, but God wants you to have it. No one is twisting His arm. He extends it because he delights to. (Zephaniah 3:17)

When our accusatory questions arise, imagine God steps up to you and says in a gentle voice, "Come, my son and daughter, to the ocean of Grace. And for all your sins, drink. Drink until they are gone and you are pure, until your guilt is gone, and you know you are loved by me. Until shame does not cover you. You are deeply loved. I will not treat you according to your sins. I will not forsake you in your weakness.I will not pay you what you are owed. I will remove your sins. I will lavish my love and grace on you. I know you have trouble understanding the dimensions of grace. But that’s why I gave you this Psalm. As an imperfect father has compassion on his kids, so I, a perfect father, will have compassion on you! My arms are open, come and rest. Rest in My grace."

Trust me, I know the pains of guilt and shame because of sin. But I know that my heart is full this morning because I drank from the ocean of grace. And when we drink and drink—until we are full. We find that sin looses its allure over us. Why? Because our souls are not empty anymore.

Drinking of Grace with you,

Josh.

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