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Foundations of Grace
Each week I will be posting a blog on the new series we are doing at youth group. I would love to hear your comments! Just click on "Submit your comment" below this article. Let us know if you have been encouraged by these posts. ~Blessings!What is Grace? A good way to begin to describe grace is to describe mercy. Mercy is not getting what I justly deserve. Grace is receiving something that I do not deserve. In other words, Grace is unmerited favor and kindness. For example, I stole a Ford Fiesta and was caught. I was brought before the judge to be sentenced. But because someone else already paid the fine, I was justified and shown mercy…no judgment was passed onto me. That's mercy! And then the judge gave me a brand new Porsche!! That’s grace!! That's undeserved favor and kindness!! Spiritually, grace is the unmerited, undeserved favor and kindness of God in our lives that empowers us to do His will. The power and desire to do God’s will is nothing of us but solely of grace.So why is grace important for my life? Why is this an important part of my foundation? Let’s look at a few reasons why.
- Our Salvation is by God’s grace alone - God lavished (dumped) tons of grace upon us!! Not only did he place our punishment on Jesus Christ but he also welcomes us home to dwell in His presence! “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight” (Ephesians 1:7-8). (also see Eph 2:4-9).
- Our Power is by God’s grace alone - Our ability, our power to live and share Christ with others comes by God’s grace. “And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Also we see that the apostles were given power to share Christ by the grace of God (see Acts 4:33 and 6:8).
- Our Sufficiency is by God’s grace alone - The space shuttle has no sufficiency on its own. It can do nothing just because it wants to. It takes the launch pad to hold it and hundreds of technicians and workers to get it ready for launch. It is the same with us. We can do nothing of ourselves. It is only by grace we stand. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” (2 Corinthians 9:8). We have all sufficiency, all that we need, to live according to God’s will - by His grace (see also Rom 5:2; 1 Cor 15:10).
- Our Gifts are by God’s grace alone - Did you know that God has granted each and every true believer gifts? These gifts are to equip and empower us to do God’s will and to serve one another and share the gospel! “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift… “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;” (Ephesians 4:7, 11-12) “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly…" (Romans 12:6)
So what am I to do with God’s grace? If my very salvation, my power, my sufficiency, and my gifts are by God’s grace, a gift from God, what does he want me to do with it? There are two specific things Scriptures tell us to do with God’s grace.
- Grow in it - “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18). We are to grow in the grace of our Lord. Well how do I do that?
- Be in the Word - Paul said his final goodbyes to the leaders of the church of the Ephesians and he told them to dwell in God’s word. “"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up…” (Acts 20:32). We are built up, we grow by being in the Word of grace - the Scriptures.
- Abide with Jesus Christ - the word abide means “to remain” It is like if you came over to my house but didn’t leave for another week. You would have been abiding in my house. Jesus said to remain, to abide in Him. It is through Him we receive the grace of God. “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” (John 1:16). So abide in Him, dwell with Him in all your thoughts, actions and goals in life. He will cause you to grow in grace.
- Be strong in it - Paul tells Timothy, “you therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:1). Let grace have a strong part of your life. Let it consume you. Always be thinking about God’s grace. Always be thanking God for His grace. Look at all of life through the eyeglasses of grace. Depend on grace. Pray for and with grace. Sing about God’s grace. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
So what is the evidence of grace in my life? What if I don’t see much evidence of God’s grace in my life? The following areas are evidences of God’s grace actively at work in your life. No, this isn’t about perfection but it is about your life being changed and transformed by the grace of God. He, by His grace is continually sanctifying us and changing us. That is what we mean by evidences of grace. So take a quick test by answering "Yes" or "No" to the following statements:
- You sense God’s power over sin in your life (Rom 6:1-14)
- You have the strength and ability to walk in holiness and righteousness in this world (Titus 2:11-14)
- You share Christ with confidence & boldness (Acts 1:8; 4:31)
- You have the confidence to live life in Christ’s power (2 Cor 12:9)
- You have a hunger for the Word and are growing in it (1 Peter 2:2-3)
If you honestly answered no to some of these questions then you may not be seeing the evidences of grace in your life. The Scriptures give a few reasons why that may be. But before you read these, I would encourage you to take a moment and pray to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal which of these may be true in your life.
- You may not be saved by grace to begin with - you may have never truly given your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Being saved isn’t just raising your hand or walking forward or saying a sample prayer. Being saved by God’s grace includes surrendering to the will and desire of God, yielding your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and being transformed. This is what it means to be truly born again…it is being changed. “He (God) saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5). Regeneration is the act of taking something that is old and making it new and different. The Bible says that when someone is made new and different the evidences of grace come with that change. So maybe the first thing you need to do is “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
- You may be proud - pride is the fastest grace killer out there. Pride puts itself above grace. Pride doesn’t need grace because it is self-sufficient. The Bible gives a strong warning against pride. “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."” (James 4:6). Did you catch that? God is opposed, resists, blocks the proud. But he gives grace to the humble. Perhaps the reason why you are not seeing the evidences of grace in your life is because a root of pride is remaining is your life. Humble yourself before God and ask Him to reveal where you are being prideful and confess the sin and God will give grace.
- You have not been drawing near to God in confidence - too often we lack confidence and treat God like a lucky charm. Our prayers are feeble, weak and full of doubt. The bible tells us to come to God and “ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:6-8). Again…did you catch that…the one who doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord!! Instead we are to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16). Do not doubt or be weary when you approach God. Instead, by faith in the sufficient work of Christ, draw near with confidence and find grace to help in time of need.
The grace of God is indeed a wonderful and precious gift. In the words of the classic hymn...
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!
May Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2)
Pastor Nathan
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