Untitled Sermon (9)

The word grace appears often in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, and is truly one of the profoundly significant words in the Scriptures.

Grace is the free and sovereign work of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, even though we don’t deserve it. Spiritual is the biblical word to describe what has been brought about by the Holy Spirit. “Spiritual” does not mean religious, or mystical, or new-age-like. It means: caused and shaped by God’s Spirit.

Although it is a familiar word to many, its actual meaning is not well understood. The most commonly held definition of grace is that it is some form of unmerited favor bestowed on us by God. Grace does have such a connotation, but this is not the highest definition of grace as revealed in the Bible.

The Highest Definition of Grace

Grace is a living person, the Triune God Himself, who is embodied in Christ and who passed through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection to become the life-giving Spirit that He might enter into us to be our life, our life supply, and our everything for our enjoyment:

Romans 5:2 1 Corinthians 15:10 Galatians 6:18 ; Ephesians 1:2Philippians 4:23

1Peter3:7;1Peter4:10

Grace came through Jesus Christ and is Jesus Christ Himself: John 1:14; Galatians. 5:4

12 Thessalonians 1:12 a; 2 Timothy 4:22

The Way to Receive Grace

1. Through God’s love and mercy and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit:

1 John 4:8 1 Timothy 1:13 ; Titus 3:5

Hebrews 4:16 a; Matthew 9:13 ; 2 Corinthians 13:14

2. By humbling ourselves before God:

3. By believing in the Lord Jesus Christ:

Romans 5:2 .

4. By loving the Lord Jesus: Ephesians 6:24

5. By exercising our human spirit: Hebrews 4:16 Hebrews 13:25

Galatians 6:18 Philippians 4:23

6. Through sufferings and trials arranged for us by God:

2 Corinthians 12:9 ; Romans 5:3

7. Through the words of grace contained in the Bible or spoken to us by the believers in Christ:

Acts 20:32; Ephesians 4:29 ; Colossians 4:6 .

The Results of Receiving Grace

1. We are justified by God: Romans 3:24 and note 242; Titus 3:7.

2. We are saved by grace: Ephesians 2:8 and note 8 ; Titus 2:11

We have peace: Romans 1:77 ; 1 Peter 5:14

We reign in God’s divine life over all negative things:

Romans 5:17, 21 .

We are empowered, made strong:

1 2 Timothy 2:1

We become members of the Body of Christ with spiritual gifts produced in us by grace for the building up of the Body:

Romans 12:6 ; Ephesians 4:7.