GRACE
Put simply, GRACE is the unmerited favor of GOD THE FATHER. No man can earn the GRACE of GOD, but must receive it as a free gift. GRACE is one of the gifts that comes to us from THE FATHER who is in heaven.
JAMES 1:17 "EVERY GOOD GIFT AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE, AND COMETH DOWN FROM THE FATHER OF LIGHTS, WITH WHOM THERE IS NO VARIABLENESS, NEITHER SHADOW OF TURNING"
John 1:17 "FOR THE LAW WAS GIVEN BY MOSES: GRACE AND TRUTH CAME THROUGH JESUS CHRIST."
The GRACE brought by JESUS allows us to partake of the blessings of Abraham, which are:
- 1). God will bless those who bless you.
- 2). God will curse those who curse you.
- 3). The blessings are everlasting blessings.
- 4). It is a blessing of revelation of the will of God for your life.
- 5). It is a blessing of power in battle (Abraham defeated armies much larger than his own).
- 6). It is a blessing of preservation
- 7). It is a blessing of earthly wealth.
- 8). The blessing will extend to our loved ones.
- 9) The blessing will extend to the inheritance we leave behind.
- 10).The blessing will remove past mistakes
- 11).The blessing will give us a new identity (Abram became renamed Abraham by God)
- 12).The blessing renews the promises of God. ( You are never too old to receive. Abraham was 90 when he received the blessings).
- 13).The blessing makes the impossible, possible. (How could Sarah have ever conceived at her age?)
- 14). It is an outrageous blessing. Far more than we ever could comprehend.
- 15). It is a blessing of longevity and thus, divine health.
- 16). It is a blessing of divine guidance.
GRACE is the point - the area of our lives - where GOD THE FATHER is working. JOHN 5:19 "THE SON CAN DO NOTHING OF HIMSELF, BUT WHAT HE SEETH THE FATHER DO: FOW WHAT THINGS SOEVER HE DOETH, THESE ALSO DOETH THE SON LIKEWISE." Like a good son, JESUS sought to imitate HIS FATHER.
GOD THE FATHER works a work of GRACE - super-abounding grace. And where does HE do this work of grace? HE works it at the point of man's greatest weakness.
Never in the Scriptures do we see JESUS going to a strong man and saying. "I will make your stronger." Why? Because the grace of GOD was not at work there.
Rather, we see JESUS walking around and looking for the areas of greatest human weakness. Why? Because that is where the FATHER'S work of super-abounding grace was happening.
The work of grace is recorded in MATTHEW 11:5 "THE BLIND RECEIVE THEIR SIGHT, AND THE LAME WALK, THE LEPERS ARE CLEANSED, AND THE DEAF HEAR, THE DEAD ARE RAISED UP, AND THE POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM."
GRACE came pouring into all creation through the person of JESUS CHRIST. Through the very center of His being flows a mighty river of GRACE.
A great example of the grace of God is found by looking at the Apostle Paul. Much confusion has been formed from trying to understand what he meant by 'a thorn in the flesh'. Many have interpreted this to mean that Paul had some sort of illness from which he was not healed. Yet a close look at the Scripture reveals something very different.
Let us first look at what Paul said about himself. In Acts 23:6, he describes himself as a Pharisee, and son of a pharisee. The pharisees were the 'masters' of the law of Moses. They knew every jot and tittle of the law, and built around themselves traditions which in many ways departed from the intentions of the law. No one is justified by the law. In fact, the law came in order that man would see that everyone will at some time in their lives, break one of the commandments of the law. And, breaking even one law is just as bad as breaking all the laws.
Now, let us look at Acts 22:20, where Paul makes a confession, "AND WHEN THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYR STEPHEN WAS SHED, I ALSO WAS STANDING BY AND CONSENTING UNTO HIS DEATH, AND KEPT THE RAIMENT OF THOSE THAT SLEW HIM."
So, by his own admission, Paul not only broke the law, but was responsible for the death not only of a man, but a born-again, Spirit-filled child of GOD. Satan, the lawyer, must have taken great pleasure in this. So much so, that he sent a special messenger to buffet Paul where ever he went. Can you not just hear that messenger now? "You preach the goodness of JESUS CHRIST yet you yourself murdered one who believed in him. You are therefore worthy of eternal punishment, regardless of what you believe now.
Paul sought the LORD on three occasions to remove this tormentor from his life. Yet the response by the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD THE FATHER was, "MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR THEE."
Paul thus realized that it was it the very point of his weakness that the power of GOD through GRACE, was at its strongest. For that reason, Paul could say that he gloried in his weaknesses, for he knew that it was the point of his weakness that the GOD OF GRACE was strongest.
