Grappling With Grace
Sermon Review
26 March 2000
Reading - Luke 15:1-7
Too often the church, and Christian individuals, engages in sleight of hand which hides the reality of God's grace - His active, merciful, loving involvement in our lives. We do this by being judgmental, self-righteous, smug, legalistic, acting superior etc. As the sinners and people of shady repute fled from the religious establishment of Christ's day, so, too, people steer clear from the church today. Too often they are made to feel worse rather than better. Yet such people flocked to Jesus. They sensed grace i.e.; acceptance, care, and love, instead of condemnation and judgment. As a Community of Believers we need to 'live' grace. That is, take it seriously and practise it towards each other and beyond. But the question is 'how?' There are at least three things.
Discover afresh the extent that you as an individual need 'grace'. Too often we compare ourselves with others because it makes us look good; we need to submit ourselves to God's standards - we then will find we each need the death of Christ to be forgiven and accepted by God. Nothing more, nothing less See (Rom.3:23-26,4:25). You need just as much grace as a prostitute or a murderer – nothing you do could reduce the amount of God’s grace that you need. Sobering isn't it!
Realize that being good and performing well as a Christian does not reduce or offset the amount of grace you need to be saved and acceptable to God (e.g.; Rom. 4:1-8); It is either by wages i.e.; law or merit-making, or by grace we are acceptable to God. You can't have it both ways! Being obedient and cooperatively working with the Holy Spirit in being transformed e.g.: being loving, kind, patient, forgiving etc., is God's best gift to us, it is not a way of working off a debt (Eph.2:8,9; Heb.12:1-3,10,11; 1Pet.1:9; 2Pet.1:4).
Live 'grace' i.e.; to be a source of compassion, care, love, acceptance etc, requires experiencing grace oneself. The realities of one's own huge need for grace and the impossibility of reducing the amount must travel from the head to the heart. It must soften the resistance, the defensiveness, the desire to perform for acceptance, and initiate wholehearted thanks, praise, adoration and appreciation (1Pet.1:8; Eph.3:18,19). This will enable 'grace to flow to others from you (2Cor.1:3-5). Ultimately it is spending time with God experiencing the realities of grace which best equip us to live 'graciously'
If we do these three things we will be well on the way to being a Community of Grace in every sense of the word.
Blessings