Growing in God’s Grace

Recap on Wesleyan Understanding of Grace

We are finishing up our four-part sermon series on grace. Today we will discuss how to continue growing in grace as a devoted follower of Jesus.

Let’s briefly recap the last three weeks of our grace sermon series.

Prevenient Grace: the grace that comes before salvation

First was prevenient grace, which is the grace that comes before salvation. Before you were even born, God's prevenient grace was extended to all humanity. This grace enabled all of us to choose to follow God with whatever prompting, motivations, or any divine light that we recognized, since we were born. Prevenient grace is what enables us to say yes to God. Prevenient grace awakens us to see that we are a sinner in need of a savior as our eyes are opened to go to something that is much holier than us.

Justifying Grace: Grace that reconciles with God

Then we progressed into justifying grace. Justifying grace reconciled us with God. This is where we have been made right with God in spite of all the sin that we chose to commit, or the sin that affected us due to other people's negative actions. Picture it this way, when Adam and Eve experienced the loss of their innocence and the guilt of sin, they tried to cover their sin with a leaf. When God came to walk with them in the midst of the garden, God symbolically justified them by the covering of an animal so that they would not have a sense of shame due to their nakedness. It’s as if their eyes no longer perceived their nakedness, their minds no longer focused the knowledge of good and evil, they now were covered yet always remembered their sin, hopefully not to commit it again.

Sanctifying grace: Grace that purifies in this life

Last week we discussed sanctifying grace, which is the grace that purifies us in this life. This grace set us apart as holy and John Wesley even believed that this sanctifying grace eradicated, what he viewed as original sin, so that humanity returned to a state of innocence. Sanctifying grace enables humanity to lead a life that is focused on love and not focused on selfishness. Due to sanctifying grace, we try to follow the will of God daily, which leads us to fulfill the two greatest commandments: love God with everything that we are and love our neighbor as ourselves. This grace is the process of moving on towards perfection in love in this life.

Grace progressively changes you

Now that we are aware of God to approach the throne, reconciled for better relationships, freed from the power of sin to walk a holy life, we continue to progress onward and upward with a life of love towards God and neighbor. We recognize our transformation from selfishness to self-less-ness. As we grow into the likeness of Christ, we grow in grace, mercy, purity of heart, peacefulness of life, righteousness in action, forgiveness towards self and others, and ultimately love. The desires we have are no longer solely ours but are conforming more into the desires of God. Let's look at our gospel reading.

Matthew 5:8–12 NRSVue

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

As we grow in grace, our hearts become pure as sin no longer has dominion over our desires. Not only will we see God with a clearer eye sight but others will get a better view of God in us. When we set aside the desires that focus on our gain and others lack, we set aside chaos and pick up a passion for peace. Knowing that a transformed life calls for walking the narrow path, those who have adopted a high opinion of themselves will persecute us for for doing the right thing, standing up for the oppressed, hurt, poor, outcast, lonely, orphaned, falsely imprisoned, and widowed. Our rejoicing comes from lovingly advocating for the less fortunate even if we never see the reward in this life.

Transformed through Jesus

The grace received through Jesus enables humanity to fully live out the love of God in relationship with him and with our neighbor. This transformation is real and is not simply lip service to make us feel better because of our beliefs. Our hearts gets transformed, desires transformed, emotions transformed, and even our knowledge of God and self gets transformed.

Knowledge of God’s abundant grace increases

We don't initially recognize all the change that is occurring in our lives as we intentionally lead our lives with love, and yet our knowledge of God increases ever so gradually. It's almost like a frog in a pot of water that doesn't feel the gradual rise in temperature until its too late and the frog dies from the heat exposure. Our selfish desires will gradually fade as our exposure to God's desire overtakes every aspect of who we are and we end up dying to self and living for God. 2nd Peter 1.2 says:

2 Peter 1:2 NRSVue

May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

My friends, we will not consider spending time with God as lack or a waste of time anymore as our life continues to gain abundant peace as we grow in the knowledge of whose we are in the grace of God and Jesus our Lord.

Grace: Faith working through love

Grace is ultimately faith working through love. Not money, not possessions, not power, not evil, not hate, not lust, but love.

St. Paul writes in Galatians 5.6

Galatians 5:6 NRSVue

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.

In Christ Jesus the only thing that counts is faith working through love. What we do to the body or don't do to the body ultimately doesn't hold weight to faith working through love. How much money we earn or don't earn, how much food we have or don't have, how much property we own or don't own, doesn't mean anything if you don't have faith working through love. It is only by the grace of God that we can set aside everything the world identifies as important and then seek after something that everyone can freely obtain. The grace of God is something you cannot buy, but everybody wants it.

Communal grace avoids chaos

Growing in the grace of God enables you to set aside petty arguments and quickly remember that we are all human, we all make mistakes, and we must live with each other in harmony and not hatred. The grace of God helps all of us, forgive as we have been forgiven. Listen to what Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians 2.10 - 11

2 Corinthians 2:10–11 NRSVue

Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. In fact, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs.

The grace of God is communal in forgiveness. I, like everybody else, want to support my friends and family when they are hurt by somebody else. I want to make sure that it never happens again and sometimes, we can hold a grudge against somebody else on the behalf of our friend or family. Sometimes we take that grudge on as if it happened to us personally, when our friend or family forgives, we also must let it go. For many people, this can only happen by the grace of God.

Grace changes the world

The grace of God not only changes us individually, but it also changes the world. Now, we need to understand that we first need to transform our lives by the help of God. Once our lives begin the transformation into the likeness of Christ, it is through our transformed actions that we, in turn, change the world. The goal of Christianity is not to be carted away into the sky at the end of time. The goal of Christianity is to welcome the kingdom of God on earth as it is already in heaven. You see, the grace of God helps us understand that life is not about us, but it is about receiving God where we are and that is right here on earth. The grace of God will change what we do one relationship at a time, one household at a time, one nation at a time through softening of one heart at a time.

Paul writes in Colossians 1.6

Colossians 1:6 (NRSVue)

…Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.

The hope of Jesus Christ is continuously growing in all of creation. The more fruit of the gospel that you see the more you understand it is growing by the grace of God.

Divine comfort and hope through grace

The grace of God also provides comfort and hope. In the year 2024, we still have hardships, tribulations, oppression, just like they did in the first century. What helped people persevere through these hardships was hope in Jesus Christ and his gospel message. Listen to the author of 2Thess2.16-17

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 NRSVue

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

The sufficiency of grace

Not only does the grace of God help keep us moving forward faithfully, but when we do mess up, fall back into sin, and may even get to the point of doubt overtaking our belief in a good God, the grace of God still remains sufficient for us.

2Pe.2.20 says

2 Peter 2:20 NRSVue

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

We can get into trouble and appear to fall away from this grace and re-enter into a contract with our former master. It can feel like we’ve fallen so far that nothing can bring us back. Yet, the grace of God, never disappoints, never abandons, never forsakes us, and never leaves us alone. Through the love of God, we have God constantly wooing us back into his presence. God uses people to be his hands and his feet, his words and his thoughts, his rebuke but also his welcoming committee.

The grace of God is strong, and it cannot be shaken, but the foundation of humanity crumbles by the slightest movement of a butterfly wing. No matter where we are no matter what we have done, we can always look towards the light that will direct us back in order to experience the grace of God once more.

Strong, eternal foundation of grace

We can rely upon the strong and eternal foundation of God’s grace. When Jesus looked towards Peter and told him that the gates of hell cannot prevail against us, he was demonstrating to Peter no matter how many times you deny me, no matter how many times anxiety gets the best of you, no matter how many times depression keeps you buried up to your neck, if you remain upon the foundation of God’s grace, you can enter the second act of life without punishment, without judgment, and the full assurance that God is on your side.

1 Peter 5:10 NRSVue

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.

Saint Peter wrote to his community that even after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. The grace of God from its prevenient beginnings to its glorifying fulfillment will keep you and hold you firm in Jesus Christ, the son of God, our Lord and Savior. Amen and Amen.