God’s Love Without Limits

This passage deals with an episode between the prophet Elisha, as he neared death, and Joash, king of the northern kingdom of Israel. Following Elisha's instructions, Joash is told to shoot an arrow toward the east and to strike the ground, but he strikes only three times and stops. Because of this, Joash does not fully destroy Aram but wins only three victories, and Elisha shows sorrow and anger at his half-hearted attitude.

The sermon points out that Joash's actions mirror the way we treat Christ's salvation on the cross. Though we already hold the answer of salvation in our hands, we often cling to our own standard of ‘this is enough’ and offer God a hesitant obedience. It emphasizes that God gives grace in proportion to how much we have prepared and to our faith, and that to win a complete victory, we must throw away the standard of ‘that will do’ before God.

The work of God's love and grace goes on beyond human limits and the boundary of life itself. Despite our own shortcomings and weakness, we must have a faith that relies on God to the end and obeys the Word. If God did not spare his own Son but delivered him up for us all, how should we believe in and follow his endless love?