Grace The Untold Story

Let us turn to our Bible’s to the Gospel of John 1:14.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

In verse 16 and 17 John confirms his thoughts this way.

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

In Ephesians 2:4-10, Paul writes to the church:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

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.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Let me tell you a story about God’s wholeness in grace.

I was fourteen years old I thought that I was in control of everything. You might say I was a little rebellious.

The Fourth of July weekend was approaching, and I decided with a friend that since everyone was out of the house. We could raid my father’s liquor cabinet and get drunk.

Charlie’s Plan: Disregard the welfare of others, getting wasted, having fun, hiding everything from my family.

God’s plan of Grace: Drinking glass thrown at me, Homeowner finds me in gutter, Paramedics just assigned to the area a few months early, Deputy Sherriff saves me from my dad, and finally my dad who grounded me and required that I weed the community center slopes without being able to speak to anyone except adults and that was only when they spoke first.

It was only by the grace of God that I survived. I must tell you if I would have not been found, 30 minutes later I would be dead. My heart rate was down to three beats a minute.

It was also by His grace that I suffered the consequences of my actions. A grace that helped me to remember “who is who” in today’s world and my life.

What is grace? How does God’s Word demonstrate the very essence of grace?

The concept of grace is a central theological theme throughout the Bible.

The language of grace is found 151 times in 140 verses within scripture. Most being found in the New Testament and with that, two-thirds being used within the Pauline Epistles.

Grace within scripture is used to describe God’s crucial interest toward Israel in the OT and God’s decisive act of redemption through the death of Jesus in the NT. This is especially true in the letters of Paul.

In Hebrew, grace is expressed through a family of words built on the root ḥnn, including the verb ḥānan, “to show favor to”; Gen 33:11, the noun ḥēn, “favor”; Psa 84:11, and the adjective ḥannûn, “gracious”; Psa 112:4.

In the New Testament, the idea of grace is expressed with the Greek noun charis, “grace”; Luke 2:40. The verbs charizomai, “to give graciously”; Phil 2:9and charitoō, “to bestow favor”; Eph 1:6 are related to charis and express additional aspects of the concept.

The New Testament also has a related word for gift, charisma; 1 Cor 12:4, which denotes something that is graciously given.

Yet, for so many Christians, Grace is looked at as something related to salvation. A onetime gift in how God provides forgiveness for sin. Then thoughts regarding Grace seems to relax or stop in the Christian’s mindset. For many it feels like there is a troubling formula within that changes our attitudes once we leave the alter for the parking lot.

Why do so many forget that every day we live or die according to God’s grace.

As we talked about Peter stepping out of the boat last week. Are Christians so worried about the Sea of Galilee and its storming conditions they forget about God’s love for them. These children of God look everywhere for hope, instead of looking forward for the face of grace, that is Jesus!

It is there that we find liberty to live in freedom and joy.

I believe Christian author Jerry Bridges describes God’s grace best.

The realization that my daily relationship with God is based on the infinite merit of Christ instead of on my own performance is a very freeing and joyous experience. But it is not meant to be a one-time experience; the truth needs to be reaffirmed daily.

2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

2 Timothy 2:1 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.