Discovering the Heart of God Part 18 Grace

1. Discovering the Heart of God Part 18 Grace

2. Grace Defined Last week we looked at God’s mercy, we defined this as “God not giving us what we deserve”. This week we want to look at the counterpart of mercy which is Grace. Grace is “God giving us what we do not deserve”.

3. Grace Defined There are several other definitions for Grace. Some have defined it as “unmerited favor”. There is also the acrostic definition, “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”.

4. Abundant Grace Grace has to do with God treating us with great favor. He pours out great and abundant favor upon us every day. God gives us each what we need. 1 Peter 4:10As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

5. Abundant Grace Ephesians 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. God’s grace has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Notice that it does not say, most or nearly all, but every. This is not based on our own merit but that we are in Christ.

6. Abundant Grace One aspect of this abundant grace is largely ignored by most writers, and yet it is central to our understanding. It was God’s grace that placed man in a unique position in the created order. Adam was not created when God determined to place him over Creation, so Adam did not earn this privilege, but He did fail in his responsibility. God’s grace is working to restore man to his intended place and condition.

7. Purifying Grace Ephesians 1:4Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. God chose us to be “in Him” from before creation. Please note God’s goal for our lives. We are to be holy and without blame before Him. Also note that we should be characterized by love. Lets face it, this is not in our flesh, but it is through His grace!

8. Positional Grace Ephesians 1:5Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. God did not need to redeem us, but He did. He would have been justified in placing us at the bottom of the created order. Instead, He has predetermined to adopt us into His family through the redemptive work of Jesus.

9. Relational Grace Ephesians 1:6To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Here is the pivotal verse in this passage. All that God has done is based on His grace. Though all eternity, we will stand as a testimony of God’s great grace poured out upon us.

10. Restorative Grace Ephesians 1:7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. This is the basis of most sermons on Grace. Saving grace is the “meat” of grace. God’s mercy delivered us from the eternal consequences of our sin. God’s grace based upon the finished work of Jesus upon the cross becomes the basis of our forgiveness and restoration to our Creator. Romans 3:24Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

11. Restorative Grace Ephesians 2:8-10For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We have not been saved by our own works, but by the grace of God. We were not saved to continue in our sin, but to live transformed lives that bring praise to His grace. Ephesians 1:12That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

12. Restorative Grace God has a path that He desires us to walk. It is a path that brings beauty to our lives and brings God’s transforming grace into our community. We all have slipped and stumbled in our walk, but God’s grace restores us to the proper path. It is God’s grace that moves our hearts to repentance and restoration with God and with each other.

13. Transformative Grace Ephesians 1:13-14In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. God’s grace seals us with the Holy Spirit of Promise. We should ask what that promise is. One part is our salvation, that we will be allowed to enter God’s presence and receive our inheritance.

14. Transformative Grace The other part is that we will stand “perfected” before God. We will be all that God intended us to be. This is the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in our lives even at this present time. Galatians tells us that He who has begun this work in our lives will see it through to completion.

15. Transformative Grace There is a real beauty here. God has a plan a purpose for each of us. It is a unique, custom designed plan that make us all different, and at the same time brings us together in Christ. God has made us each different and given us different gifts and abilities. The Holy Spirit is bringing those talents out in our lives as we grow and mature.

16. Transformative Grace This is what it meant in Luke 2:40 And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. Jesus was growing and exhibiting His unique personality, talents, and gifts. We speak of this form of grace when we speak of a graceful dancer or a deer running gracefully. You do not have to be like any other. You only need to become the person that God has designed you to be. You need to express your “God given self”!

17. Acceptional Grace Ephesians 1:6To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Lets revisit our key verse. What separates grace from forgiveness. Forgiveness is based in grace, but grace is something more. We find the key here. Grace means “You are accepted!”

18. Acceptional Grace People are striving for acceptance. They will go through great personal work and compromise to obtain it. I have hurt people in my time, and have asked for and received forgiveness, but I was then held at arms length. I am no longer accepted as I have shown my weakness and might repeat the hurt again. God’s forgiveness is unconditional. This we can all be grateful for!

19. Acceptional Grace Just a note so I am not misunderstood. I can forgive and accept a person, but it does not mean that I am foolish. It would not be grace to place a person in a situation where they will be tempted and fall. I can accept a person and protect them and myself at the same time. You do not get an alcoholic a job in a liquor store, nor do you put a pedophile teaching children. Instead we put a loving hedge of protection around them.

20. Acceptional Grace So stop and think about grace… You ARE accepted in the beloved. You cannot work for acceptance anymore than you can work for your salvation. You need to rest in it. We do work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit for transformation of our lives so we can live in a way that brings praise to God’s grace at work in us.