Miracle Alloy Gives Promise

Modern technology gives us so many new materials which make our lives better.  From bronze to steel to the tiles of modern space crafts, what would our lives be without such?  Today I will tell you of a most modern “breakthrough” which will certainly change your life, if you haven’t already discovered it.   I say modern, but it has actually been around for thousands of years.   I call it modern because most of the known civilizations have never used it.  It is a most unusual alloy of velvet and iron.  This revolutionary material is soft and pleasant to the touch.  It has a most beautiful crimson shine about it.  It is tremendously malleable, and will fit every mold where its qualities are needed.  As daily clothing, it blends with every outfit, whether it is richly royalty or the sackcloth of the poor.  As a bedding material, it gives you the most peaceful sleep.  As a coat, it is so insulated the most severe cold cannot overtake you!  It can withstand the heat of a most fervent blaze.  It radiates light from its every strand.  Like a magnet it draws from the East, West, North and South.  There is an unusual quality to its attraction; the higher it is lifted the greater its attraction.  It has unusual effects on people.  It affects our thoughts and actions; it changes intents and outcomes; it converts human attitudes and emotions.  No other material has been found that does no harm to humans but changes them completely.

Like iron, it is strong.  It promises to never wear out.  It can glide like wet ice through the ages, or it can stop on a dime to move mountains.  It can be my crutch, my plow, my sword, my pin, my staff, my tower, my compass, and it’s free!

Where do I find this material?  I read about it in a most ancient document:

_{John 1:14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.}

There it is:  His name is Jesus; His title is Christ; His place is Son of God; His stature is Son of Man; His time is Alpha and Omega (Beginning and End); His role is my Savior; He is the One and the only One full of grace and truth; He is the alloy of velvet and steel.

Many folks have heard of Jesus, but have never seen Him this way.  He is the full “alloy” of grace and truth.  Think about it; as a pastor, when I operate with grace, folks tell me I need to stand for the truth.  If I take a firm resolve for truth, the others chide that I am without mercy.   What is a Christian to do?  My problems need a combination of velvet and steel.  Jesus, my Savior, is my answer! He fully embodies the grace and truth of God for all of humanity.

_{John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.}

Here we see Jesus “full of grace.” Now lest us move a few verses in John’s Gospel to 4.18.

_{John 4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.}

You see, the truth reveals the corrupt condition of the woman at the well who had been married five times and was now living with a man who was not her husband. But Jesus’ grace keeps her attention till she is saved and many other Samaritans also believed.

It is Jesus, “full of grace and truth”, alloy of velvet and steel who says to the paralyzed man brought by four friends,

“(Mark 2:5 ) When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”

It is Jesus, “full of grace and truth”, alloy of velvet and steel who says of the poor widow and her offering,

“(Luke 21:3 ) And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:”

It is Jesus, “full of grace and truth”, alloy of velvet and steel who said,

“(Mat 15:32) Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. "

A grandfather finds his grandson romping up and down in his playpen, howling at the top of his voice. When the child sees grandpa, he reaches his little chunky hands upward to get out. The old man stoops to further spoil his grandson, but mom says, “He can’t get out – he is being punished. The kid cries and grandfather is touched to the quick with compassion, but dare not disobey mom. Guess what! - Love found a way! The grandfather would not take the grandson out of the playpen, so he climbs in with him.”

Wow! Jesus climbs in with us. He combines velvet and steel for us! He becomes sin for us so that we might be free from sin! God is a God of truth. He cannot turn His head on our sin. He is terribly offended by it, and it offers more than enough reason for us to be punished. However, divine love and compassion causes Jesus to “climb into the playpen for us. Velvet meets Steel! “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”