BACKGROUND:
Paul’s application of the Genesis account, at the end of chapter four, of Sarah and Hagar exposed the real danger facing the Galatians—they were on the brink of losing their freedom in Christ. Paul expressed dismay at the report that though the Galatians had been growing in their faith, they were being influenced by those trying to destroy God’s work of grace in them.
Paul reminds the Galatians that they, as we do, have freedom from slavery to our sinful desires and to the Jewish law. But the freedom came at great price. In order for us to enjoy ultimate freedom, someone had to set us free, and that someone was Christ Jesus. Because Christ has really set us free, we should stay free. Christ has set us free from legalistic formulas, from God’s judgment upon sin, from all man-made rules, and from the subjective experiences of fear and guilt. We are to live it out, practice it, and rejoice in it! To turn back to the law and try to earn what Christ has already given mocks his sacrifice.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
The truth of GRACE is so foundational to the Christian life. If we fail to understand GRACE, we will never live the life that God has intended for us to live. There is freedom in GRACE. There is no condemnation in GRACE. There is no legalism or pressure to be 'religious' in GRACE. So what is grace?
There is no single definition that describes it.
- Grace is God giving us what we need not what we deserve.
- Grace is when someone does something for you that you could never deserve or earn or repay.
- Grace is all that God does for us on the basis of the cross. G-R-A-C-E -- God's Riches At Christ's Expense. What Jesus Christ did on the cross, already pay for it all, God does for us by Grace.
- Grace is the power from God that gives us both the desire and the ability to do His will.
What is grace?
#1. It is an attribute of God. God is gracious. Psalm 145:8 says, "The Lord is gracious." When God talks about His grace, He's giving Himself. He just doesn't give you "something"; the gift is Himself. We can say God is Love, we can say God is Grace. It's actually a part of Christ Himself.
#2. It comes through Jesus Christ. Grace comes through a person. It's personal. John 1:17 "For the Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Moses gave the Law and Jesus Christ gave grace. Romans 5:15 says, "The gift came by the grace of one man, Jesus Christ."
#3. It's eternal. God has always acted in grace. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, "Who has saved us and called us to a Holy life, not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. And this grace was given us in Jesus Christ before the beginning of time." A lot of people think that God acted one way in the Old Testament and another way in the New Testament. The Old Testament is Law and the New Testament is grace. But God has always acted in grace toward people. Genesis 9 says "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Abraham was chosen by grace. God has always acted by grace. Always. From the beginning of time. Grace is eternal.
#4. It's free. It's unconditional. It's a gift. You don't earn it. You don't work for it. Romans 3:24 says, "We are justified freely by His grace." Remember justified means just as if I'd never sinned. That is great news! God makes me just as if I'd never sinned. Because I deserve it? No. Because I earn it? No. But because of grace. It is free. It is a free gift. Titus 3:5 says, "It's not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He has saved us."
#5. It can be resisted. Grace can be resisted. You can resist it in your life. How? There are three things that will limit and hinder the grace of God in your life:
1) Hebrew 12:15 says that one of the things that limits God's grace in our life is bitterness. When you get resentful, when you allow bitterness to build up in your life towards another person, that hinders the grace of God in your life. "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." Bitterness hinders the grace of God in your life. God warns against it over and over saying, Don't become resentful!
2) Pride hinders the grace of God in your life. James 4:6 says, "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." When you or I get full of pride and think "I can do this on my own. I don't need God. I can make it by myself. I have plenty energy, plenty of time, plenty of ability" then God's grace is frustrated in our lives -- the power and the ability to do God's will.
3) Relying on our own works frustrates the grace of God. This is what the book of Galatians is all about. They had started by walking in the Spirit and then they continued by trying to earn God's pleasure by their good works.
6. It is limitless. God's grace is limitless. If you tried to measure the grace of God you'd face an impossible task. Romans 5:20 says, "The Law was added so that trespass might increase but where sin increased grace all the more increased." Literally, in the Greek, it says "Where sin increased, God's grace super increased." You cannot out-sin the grace of God. Have you ever heard anybody say, "That guy is hopeless!" But Romans 5:20 says nobody is hopeless. Where sin increased, God's grace super increases. You cannot out-sin God's grace. It is limitless.
Lord, today and everyday, drive deep down into our hearts the concept of GRACE. You have set us free, now help us live in that freedom - bask in that freedom. Lord, walk with the people of COV. Draw them to church this morning. Change lives this morning.
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