Grace is Not Popular. . .With Religious People

Jesus Christ faced the greatest opposition from church people, from religious authorities and sanctimonious types who prized ceremony over spirituality.

Some more telling verses which illustrate the Lord's opposition with the hardness of the religious heart. When confronting self-righteous Pharisees who disapproved of healing on the Sabbath day, Jesus stunned them:

"And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

"And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts," (Mark 3: 4-5)

When the religious authorities feared a threat to their power over their control/access to God, they conspired against Jesus (Matthew 12: 14)

Another scripture in the Old Testament describes Jesus as a Sun, a rare example:

"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up like calves of the stall." (Malachi 4: 2)

We fear God's name because there is forgiveness with God (Psalm 130: 6) Of course, because of the forgiveness of all our sins, we can receive healing and all other blessings with it (Romans 8: 31-32)

The Sun of righteousness can melt wax or soften clay, depending on the heart within the man. Pharaoh had a heart that waxed harder:

"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so." (Exodus 14: 4)

But God promises to give to every believer a new, soft heart:

"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11: 19)

This prophecy is fulfilled in Christ and Him Crucified, for He has given us the Promise of His Spirit (Acts 2: 33)

I have encountered a number of people who are saved, who believe that Jesus died for their sins, yet they were convinced that they could, or that they had to, earn God's blessings in their lives.

The first man had long, white hair, he looked as if he had been drinking heavily the previous evening. I was in a local restaurant eating breakfast when he approached me. He wanted to over at length about something that he had read in the Bible, but I told him that I was not interested in whatever he was interested in sharing with me at the time (I was about to finish reading up on something). He just flew into a cold rage, claiming at first that I did not know the Lord, then he menaced me with a clenched fist and nasty names, so offended was he that I did not want to spend any time listening to how much Bible knowledge he had.