GETTING TO KNOW GOD:  HE PROVIDES US GRACE

TEXT:  "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

- John 1:14

Grace.  What a beautiful word!  Our text teaches us that Jesus, the Word, is "... full of grace and truth."  Grace is the precious jewel of Christian theology.  The more you examine the subject of grace, the sweeter it becomes.  The topic of grace can never be fully explored by human minds, yet each of us can enjoy the benefits of grace.

John Newton, the former slave-trader turned minister, penned the words of the most famous hymn of all-time.  The lyrics of this hymn still remain among the greatest words apart from Scripture:

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me;

I once was lost but now I'm found,

'Twas blind but now I see.

God's grace is truly amazing.  Grace is so amazing because the source of grace is so amazing.  God, Himself, is the God of grace.

But what is grace?  Grace is God's unmerited favor.  In other words, grace is God's mercy and blessings that we do not deserve.  When God blesses a person that is totally unworthy, that is grace.  

Grace is a gift from God, motivated by the love of God.  Grace is tangible evidence of God's kindness.

There's so much that could be written about this subject.  I want to concentrate this message on God & His grace. 

We tend to only focus on the blessings of grace.  We give thanks for the good things that God does for us.  We praise Him for His kindness and tender mercies.  We should do all these things.  However, most of the time we fall short of meditating on the One who provided the grace --- God Himself.

As I've written in past weeks, God is holy, just and great.  He does not owe mankind anything other than justice.  Of our own choice, we have willfully rebelled and sinned against God.  Our sins are acts of treason before the righteous God of the universe.  Yet it should amaze us to consider that this mighty God could respond against His enemies with acts of tender grace and love.

Far too many Christians get used to grace.  Grace is no longer a wonder to us.  We're no longer moved by the precious grace that transformed us.  We need to return again to the prayer closet and revisit the One who continues to show grace to us.

Grace is part of God's nature.  When mankind was at his worst, God was still at His best.  When men sinned so greatly, God provided an even greater measure of grace.

These days, there is a man-centered gospel that is popular.  This heresy has bits and pieces of humanism, secularism and pop-psychology thrown together.  Basically, the message of the man-centered gospel is that each one of us is good --- but we do have some brokenness that God yearns to help us resolve.  We do what we can to improve and Jesus will make up the difference.  Here's the problem with such teaching ---- it is NOT what the Bible teaches.

The Bible teaches us that we are all sinners.  The Scriptures tell us that the wages of sin is death.  Furthermore, we are completely unable to redeem ourselves.  We are spiritual bankrupt and utterly lost.  We cannot save ourselves.  Jesus Christ came and died on a cross, dying for those who will repent and believe.  His sacrificial blood is sufficient to cover even the worst of sinners.  As sinners, we are spiritually dead.  We don't need reformation; we need regeneration.  Only God has the power to make a dead man alive.  When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it was Jesus, not Lazarus, which performed the miracle.  Lazarus' resurrection was act of God's grace.  When a sinner repents and believes in Jesus, God saves him --- and the work is accomplished by grace. 

Every aspect of our salvation is because of grace.  Think about it.  God's calling, the Spirit's conviction, regeneration, transformation, justification, sanctification, and ultimately, glorification are all acts of God's grace.

Grace is truly amazing.  More importantly, the One who shows that grace is amazing.  It is astonishing to consider that Someone so great can also be so tender, loving and kind --- even to those who have rebelled against Him.

Have you experienced the life-changing grace of God?  Julia Johnston summarized it best when she wrote:

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,

Freely bestowed on all who believe!

You that are longing to see His face,

Will you this moment His grace receive?

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.