Room for Grace
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If you hang around Christians very long you will hear the word grace come up.
Trying to comprehend grace in the whole is like staring directly into a thousand suns.
What is grace. In Christian terms, grace can be generally defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.” In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, despite the fact that we fall short of living righteously.
A. W. Tozer expanded on that: "Grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines him to bestow benefits on the undeserving.
$25 gift card. Gabriel new friend. Why him. What did he do to earn it. Nothing.
There are 131 uses of grace in the ESV — 124 in the New Testament, 86 of which are from the apostle Paul, which means two-thirds of all the uses of the word grace in the Bible are in one author: Paul. No wonder he’s called “the apostle of grace.”
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
I have encountered many committed followers of Christ who have allowed a past sin, mistake, choice, or lifestyle to rob them of their opportunity to be fully engaged in loving and serving the Lord. They think: “I once had the opportunity to serve Christ, but when I (name that sin), I lost my opportunity.
Our brains know that God forgives and restores, “shows grace” but our hearts just can’t seem to get the message.”
Do you feel that way? I believe the sense of lost opportunity is rooted in a faulty understanding of God’s grace. Likewise, when grace is grasped and embraced, it changes everything.
Have you ever thought, I have sinned to much or too big for God’s grace. - To much for God to forgive?
Great Men and Women of God fall from time to time.
22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
David’s Bio:
Youngest of 8 brothers which made him the least likely to be something.
God chooses David to be the next King of Israel and he is anointed by Samuel the prophet
Goes one on one with a philistine warrior named Goliath - strikes him down
Becomes a prolific warrior
Becomes King of Judah then all of Isreal
David plans to build a temple for God
God had his hand of blessing on his life. Then this happens.
1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
Normally he would have been with his troops.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,
3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”
4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home.
5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”
Then David goes into full blow cover up mode.
6 So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David.
7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.
Starts small talk. How is the boss how are the other soldiers? Hows it going?
Vs. 8 - Go home and wash your feet. - They would wash their feet before going to bed. It is said to soldiers coming from the battle field - go home and enjoy your wife physically.
Vs. 8 - gift “some theologians believe it was food. - Guilty gift.
10 David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?” 11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”
Vs. 10 - Why did you not do what we always when we are home form battle? - You are messing with my cover up.
12 Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.
Vs. 13 - David got Uriah drunk. This should do it. But nope.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”
Sends Uriah with his sealed death warrant.
16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died. 18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle.
25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.” 26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.
Vs. 25 - Don’t worry about it. No remorse, no regret. Not only did Uriah die put other me too.
Recap: King David
Did not go to battle like he normally would.
Lusted and coveted another man’s wife.
Slept with her and got her pregnant.
Tried to cover up his sin by having her husband come home from battle and sleep with her. (Failed cover up)
Tried to get him drunk to once again cover up his sin. (Failed a second time)
Had him murdered and other soldiers died as well. (Now my sin is hidden)
Nope, God revealed it to the Prophet Nathan and he confronts David with a parable.
I am so glad God let’s us know that even our hero’s from biblical times failed.
Like I mentioned before Great Men and Women of God fall from time to time.
When you fail and mess up, how fast do you get back up?
One thing King David did do right is that he repents to God(admits what he did and ask for forgiveness)
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
Acknowledge God is able and willing to give you grace.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
David owns up to what he did not blame anyone but himself.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
2. Receive grace teach grace.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.
Man admitting your sins to God is hard enough. But writing it down for generations to read?
3. Grace generates praise.
That is why some of us cry during worship. We can’t believe how marvelous God’s grace is.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Vs. 17 - Broken and crushed “contrite” heart. True repentance.
4. God grace and forgiveness leads to true repentance.
Teach this after
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.
Why does God want to show you grace?
Because He is the lover of your soul.