Doctrine Talk- Grace

Grace

Grace. An undeserved favor.

We cannot earn God’s grace- if we could earn it- then by definition it would not be grace.

In our scripture this week we see God’s gracious authority at work as he forgives the sins of the paralytic.

Jesus uses his authority to forgive- this forgiveness of sins is completely undeserved- it is God’s grace towards us.

The grace Jesus offers literally breaks the chains of past sin. It frees us from trying to live up to an impossible standard.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus just finished telling us that we cannot accomplish righteousness on our own. That we are not good enough. That we are all in need of forgiveness. We all need grace. We all need Jesus.

Matthew purposefully places the miracles of Jesus right after the Sermon on the Mount because we are perfectly set up to receive the grace of God. b/c any notion that we are good enough on our own was just squashed in Matthew 5-7.

Most people don't realize how much they need God’s gift of grace.

Human pride and arrogance, leads them to believe God owes them something, but the truth is that without God’s grace, we stand before God with only inadequate human contributions that will never meet His righteous standards.

If there is no Jesus there is no grace because he is the only one with the authority to offer forgiveness of sins.

God’s word tell us that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

We are saved by the blood of Jesus that he CHOSE to give away.

See, Grace is so much more than some gift Jesus leaves on your doorstep, it is literally the gift of himself.

You cannot achieve grace apart from Christ.

In scripture, grace and Jesus are intertwined so much so that Paul literally refers to Jesus as grace saying Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,”

When we begin to realize that Jesus is the gift of grace- then we begin to see evidences of God’s grace all around us.

This grace is distinct to the Christian faith. No other religion emphasizes divine grace the way the Bible does.

Everything that God allows in your life exhibits his grace...

When trials and hardships come our way it’s easy to miss it, to miss him-

God’s active presence in our life-the gift of himself through Jesus is an act of grace because the God of the universe individually cares about you. The fact that God has forgiven our sins and continuously walks with us in life is an evidence of his grace towards us. We don’t deserve that. We don’t deserve him.

In our scripture, Jesus could have just healed the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years and kept on walking…but instead he did so much more than that, he graciously offered himself to her- calling her daughter- letting her know that he saw her pain and that she mattered.

God doesn’t always choose to fix our difficult circumstances in the way we want, but his grace sustains us through the storms...

So, how has God shown you grace in both joy and hardship?

When we recognize God’s grace in our lives, it changes our outlook..it changes the way we see things.

Where do you need to shift your perspective to focus on God’s grace in your life?

Where do you see evidence of God’s grace in your role here at BSF?

As we recognize God’s grace in our lives it should lead us to worship and gratitude…so, as you think about God’s grace to you- this week, a week dedicated to giving thanks, take the time to thank God for his amazing grace offered to you in Christ.

Let’s pray.