The Amazing Grace of God
Notes
Transcript
“Grace” is a beautiful word. It prompts evokes images of things that are pleasant, that bring us a sense of pleasure.
IMAGE: Grace font
IMAGE: Ballerina
IMAGE: Dolphins
IMAGE: Bird in flight
We speak of a graceful bird in flight
or the grace of a ballerina gliding across the floor in harmony with the music.
“Grace” is a concept, an ideal that we all seem to know intrinsically. We recognize it when we see it and are always impressed by it. Being gracious is something that universally recognized with admiration. I have never heard of anyone being criticized for being gracious, have you?
Grace frequently includes the elements of motion and beauty. We don’t usually think of something as graceful that is static. A sunset may be beautiful but we don’t usually think of sunsets as graceful. So we might speak of a graceful woman, who dresses and acts and carries herself and talks in a way that is beautiful separate from her physical beauty.
When we see something that is graceful, such as the flight of a bird a wonderful thing happens. We share a feeling of awe or admiration and in a small way experience the grace that we see and it gives us pleasure.
IMAGE: Common Starling
I saw a video of the most amazing flight of birds I have ever seen. There is a little bird called the Common Starling that flies in flocks with synchronized movements that is so beautify and graceful. There is a place in England where every evening throughout the winter tens of thousands of these birds put on the most awesome show just before they settle down for the night. How many of you have seen the video? Have any of you ever seen this in person? I would love to. Look it up on YouTube and be prepared to be amazed.
Today I would like for us to think about grace as a personal quality or characteristic. What does it look like for a person to always be graceful? Does it mean that a person has to pirouette instead of walk? No, a graceful person is one who is always characterized by an attitude or a mind-set that is a blend of favor and kindness. What does grace look like in an attitude? Today we are going to explore this as it relates to God. Let me give you definition to start with.
“Grace is a favorable disposition that prompts one to always think and act in a way that benefits another regardless of the words, attitudes or actions of that other person.”
The truth is grace is something that is foreign to us. I think that’s one of the reasons why we so appreciate it when we see it and experience it. We all know what it is to deal with people who have unfavorable attitudes, don’t we? No pointing please!
Is there anyone you can think of, even just one person in your life who always, 100 % of the time, thinks and acts in a favorable way toward others regardless as to the others attitudes or actions? I don’t so.
This is where it gets interesting because as amazing as it may seem, God is always gracious toward you and me. God has a favorable disposition toward us that prompts Him to think and act in a way that benefits us regardless as to our words, actions and attitudes toward Him.
Let’s consider what the Bible has to say about the amazing grace of God. I have to main points, first, God’s grace toward us and second, God’s grace in us.
1. God’s grace toward us
1. God’s grace toward us
There are manifestations of God’s grace not just around us but that touch us.
A. Common grace Matthew 5:44-45
A. Common grace Matthew 5:44-45
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
The grace of God given to the creation as a whole. God allows the sun to shine upon the unsaved. He feeds them, allows them to work, and have joy. It is common grace that "restrains" the wrath of God ‘til a later time.
God’s grace, His favor and kindness is so great that it spills forth from Him like when you carry water from a bucket filled to the very top. Did you notice the beauty of the leaves this fall season? That was a gracious gift from our Father not just to his children but to everyone! Even a farmer who doesn’t acknowledge the existence of God benefits from the favor of God when he causes the rain to fall and nourish the crops. That is the grace of God that is common to all.
There is another aspect of God’s favor and kindness to us and that we read about in Titus and Ephesians
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
These passages describe saving grace.
B. Saving grace Ephesians 2:1-9, Titus 2:11
B. Saving grace Ephesians 2:1-9, Titus 2:11
Jesus’ life is called the appearance of grace, which brings salvation to all Titus 2:11.
God’s disposition of favor towards us manifests itself specifically in our primary area of need, the need to be saved from eternal death. Eph 2:1-9
Have you come to the point of believing that God cares so much for you that He sent his Son Jesus to die for you on the cross even though you don’t care about God, even though you are a sinner destined for an eternal death? God doesn’t save anyone who deserves it! We all deserve death. But the immeasurable riches of His grace prompts Him to offer you salvation, through faith. Will you believe today?
Another kind of grace is described in 1 Peter 4:10-11.
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
C. Equipping grace 1 Peter 4:10-11
C. Equipping grace 1 Peter 4:10-11
God has graciously given us what we need so that we might be able to serve Him. We are stewards of the grace of God. These are spiritual gifts. 1 Peter 4:10-11
One of the gracious, favorable things that God does is that He gives every one of us who are his children a special enablement to do things that benefit others. We call those enablements spiritual gifts. They include things like the two mentioned here, speaking and service, but include other gifts such as mercy, evangelizing, , leading, giving and helping. These aren’t talents or skills, although we can learn to use them better, they are ways we build up the body of Christ. God’s grace has equipped you to be a productive part of the Church.
It is a wonderful mystery that you can build up, strengthen, encourage, help, serve others because of a divine enablement given to you at the moment of salvation. Are you using your spiritual gift here in the body? Please don’t hide it in a box under your bed. Use it today. You have it because God graciously has equipped you to help others!
We find another type of God’s grace toward us in 2 Thessalonians.
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
D. Helping grace 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, 2 Corinthians 12:9
D. Helping grace 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, 2 Corinthians 12:9
Now we are talking about God helping us, not us helping others. God knows what we need and by his grace comforts us. 2 Thess. 2:16-17
It is hard to do anything when we are worried and stressed out. Before you can use that gift we just talked about your heart has to be full of God’s peace and comfort and hope. What is your heart filled with today? If your heart is not filled with hope and comfort, spend some time with God today. God aside by yourself, read the Word, pray, think, meditate on it and the most amazing thing will happen. You will experience this aspect of grace that is somewhat hard to describe but is so real that when it happens you know it with certainty.
Knowing God’s is a God of grace can by itself be sufficient to help us through weakness. 2 Cor. 12:9
The apostle Paul said that knowing God’s grace, that God loved him, cared for him, favored him, benefitted him enable him to endure a significant physical disability, probably poor eyesight.
2. God grace in us
2. God grace in us
Now that we know that God is gracious toward us, what do we do, how do we act, having received His grace? Does God’ grace affect us? It can and in fact it should. Grace is not your personal bag of Halloween candy that you horde for yourself. It is something that becomes a part of us and changes us.
43 And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
A. Choosing grace Acts 13:43
A. Choosing grace Acts 13:43
We have a choice. Are you going to choose to allow grace as an attitude of favor and benefit to permeate your heart and life?
It is possible to choose whether or not to continue with the grace of God being a dominant part of our lives. Acts 13:43
This is a simple acknowledgement of the importance of grace as a part of your life and being. We already said that grace is foreign to us, it doesn’t come naturally, but we can choose to make grace a priority. cf. Romans 5:1-2; Hebrews 13:9. We see another way of grace is in Luke talking about Jesus.
22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”
B. Speaking with grace Luke 4:22, Colossians 4:6, Ephesians 4:29
B. Speaking with grace Luke 4:22, Colossians 4:6, Ephesians 4:29
One of the most visible signs of God’s grace in our lives is how we speak. Jesus spoke with gracious words Luke 4:22. Our speech needs to be always with grace.
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
It is possible that our words can give grace to others. I decided to sign my letters and emails with the words, “In His grace”. It is amazing how many letters and emails I have had to rewrite when I started to write those words!
Paul speaks of another aspect of grace in 2 Corinthians.
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
C. Acting with grace 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
C. Acting with grace 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
Speaking isn’t the only way to show that grace is part of our lives. It is also visible in the way we act.
The grace of God, working in the lives of the Macedonians cause them to give financially to the church at Jerusalem. This was following the pattern set by Jesus who gave himself for us. 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
Using our spiritual gift is acting upon the grace which God has given us. Romans 12:6 e.g. visiting someone in the hospital is an act of grace, a gift to that person of your presence.
Do you want more grace?
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
D. Growing in grace 2 Peter 3:18, 2 Timothy 2:1
D. Growing in grace 2 Peter 3:18, 2 Timothy 2:1
The good news is, if you don’t think you are gracious is that you can grow in grace! We can grow in grace, and in fact should be growing in grace. 2 Peter 3:18
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
It is possible to be strong in grace. 2 Timothy 2:1
Conclusion: Bruce Wilkinson taught at Multnomah Bible College. One year he was told he was going to be given the brightest students. He talks about that as one of the best classes and semesters he ever had. Everyone did amazing. At the end of semester he learned that the administration changed his class and he had not been given that group.
He treated them like they were the brightest, best and they responded. God always treats us like his best kids, always! Do you see that is how He treats you? Have you responded to it?