GRACE

Many of us are like the poet Heinrich Heine who said, “My nature is the most peaceful in the world. All I ask is a simple cottage, a decent bed, good food, some flowers in front of my window, and a few trees beside my door. Then, if God wanted to make me completely happy, he would let me enjoy the spectacle of six or seven of my enemies dangling from those trees. I would forgive them all the wrongs they have done me from the bottom of my heart, for we must forgive our enemies. But not until they are hanged.”

In the secular world, we are taught mottos such as: the early bird gets the worm, no pain no gain, there is no such thing as a free lunch, demand your rights, you get what you pay for. These are all merit-based virtues. We are brought in a world where you get things done by your might and power. Then you read what God spoke to Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4:6-7, “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it”. Then we came to know Christ, the antithesis of merit.

Grace: God’s favor that is unearned, undeserved and unrepayable.

Grace is a gift that costs everything to the giver and nothing to the receiver. It is given to those who don’t deserve it, barely recognize it, and hardly appreciate it. God sought us out when we had our backs turned on Him. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Romans 5:6-8

It is important to understand grace because God does not use men based on merit. The grace of God is demonstrated in the kinds of people He used in the Bible. Such persons include:
Rahab, a harlot
David, the murderer and adulterer
Jacob, the cheat and liar
Noah, who got drunk after the flood
Moses, the murderer with a hot temper
Jonah, who disobeyed because he did not understand grace of God
Peter, who denied the Lord
James & John, who piously thought they were the greatest
Paul, who killed Christians in the name of religion

Grace teaches us that there is nothing you can do to make God love you more. There is nothing you can do to make God love you less. In Jesus Christ, our value in God’s Kingdom is set from the very beginning. Our value does not depend on our position, status or ability but upon the person of Jesus Christ.

The example of Christ
The Lord Jesus had God’s grace upon Him. “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him”. Luke 2:40, John1:14
The Lord Jesus accomplished all he did by the grace of God. “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”. John 1:16-17. Even the death on the cross was by the grace of God.
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone”. Hebrews 2:9
The Lord Jesus was grace personified. 2 Corinthians 13:14. None of us can relate with Christ without grace. Even the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of grace in Hebrews 10:29.

No Christianity without grace
1. No one can be saved without grace. According to Ephesians 2:8–9
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. Our gospel is the gospel of grace. The good news is good only because of grace. Acts 20:24, Titus 2:11.
We are justified by the grace of God and our redemption from the sin market is by grace also. Romans 3:24, Eph 1:6-7.
2. Our calling is by grace. Gal 1:15.
3. Grace is a gift from God to us. “Who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time 2 Tim 1:9
4. Believers in Jesus are under grace, not under the law. Romans 6:14
5. The Word of God is the Word of His grace. The impact of the Word in your life is based on grace. Acts 20:32
6. Our faith works by grace. Romans 4:16
7. Spiritual gifts come to us by grace. Romans 12:6, Eph 4:7
8. You are who you are in Christ by the grace of God with each of us receiving unique parcel of grace from our Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:10, Ephesians 4:7.
You can only serve the Lord by grace. Your success in the ministry depends on the grace of God. Ephesians 3:7, 1 Peter 4:10.
9. Our ability and desire to give are grace-driven. 2 Corinthians 8:1-7, 2 Corinthians 9:8.
10. In prayer, we approach our Father who sits on the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16
11. The last verse in the Bible speaks of grace. Without grace, the Bible has no meaning. Revelation 22:21

Grace Multipliers
There are 3 things that increase the grace of God in our lives: the knowledge of God, humility and holiness. You grow in grace as your knowledge of the Lord increases. 2 Peter 3:18, 2 Tim 2:1, 2 Peter 1:2. As we draw closer to God, we become more aware of our inadequacies versus God’s awesomeness. We come to understand the importance of grace for such a God to choose to work in and through our lives.

Humility before the Lord is a grace multiplier. James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5-6. Humility is attractive to God and brings His grace to us. Holiness unto the Lord is another grace multiplier. Heb 12:14-16.