Sermon Central
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Benefits Of Grace
Contributed by Pastor Duncan Shabane on Feb 27, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: God loves us with an undeserving favor and His love toward us is unconditional, we are to believe in Him and to honor Him for loving us this much
GRACE : Meaning, Benefits and how to receive it
What is GRACE?
“The very center and core of the whole Bible is
the doctrine of the grace of God.”
“Grace” is the most important concept in the
Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ.
Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God.
Other definition given by scholars and Theologians about GRACE?
“Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving."
“Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues."
“[Grace] is God reaching downward to people
who are in rebellion against Him.”
“Grace is unconditional love toward a person who does not deserve it.”
Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering, and brokenness. We live in a world of earning, deserving, and merit, and these result in judgment. That is why everyone wants and needs grace. Judgment kills. Only grace makes alive.
A shorthand for what grace is – “mercy, not merit.”
Grace is the opposite of karma, which is all about getting what you deserve (reaping what you sow). Grace is getting what you don’t deserve, and not getting what you do deserve.
grace is not about us. Grace is fundamentally a word about God: his un-coerced initiative and pervasive, extravagant demonstrations of care and favor.
In grace, God gives nothing less than Himself. Grace, then, is not a third thing or substance mediating between God and sinners, but is Jesus Christ in redeeming action.”
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13)
¦ Grace brings 10 great benefits to our lives:
1. We are SAVED by GRACE.
The only way to Heaven is through the doorway of grace. You can’t earn it. You can’t work for it. You can’t buy it (Ephesians 2:8-9).
2. We’re FORGIVEN by GRACE.
Though we don’t deserve it, God wipes our slate clean by his grace (Isaiah 43:25).
3. We’re SUSTAINED by GRACE.
God will never ask you to do anything he doesn’t give you the ability and the power to do. That power and ability is called grace (Philippians 2:13).
4. We’re HEALED by GRACE.
God heals our broken hearts and binds up our wounds even though we don’t deserve it (Psalm 147:3).
5. We’re LIBERATED by GRACE.
Our relationship with Jesus isn’t a bunch of chores to do. Instead it’s about resting in what the Lord has already done. If your Christian life is not a life of resting in Christ, you’re moving into legalism (Matthew 11:28-30).
6. We’re given TALENTS by GRACE.
God has given each of us the ability to do something well, and we’re to use those abilities for him (Romans 12:6).
7. We’re USED by GRACE.
God uses us to fulfill his purposes in this world, not because of anything we’ve done but simply through his grace (Ephesians 3:7).
8. We’re KEPT SAVED by GRACE.
We cannot lose our salvation because it’s a gift of God. If you could earn it, then you could lose it the moment you stopped earning it (Jude 1:24).
9. We’re TRANSFORMED by GRACE.
Through his grace, God makes us new through the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2).
10. We’re MATURED by GRACE.
God’s work of making us more like Jesus happens not because we’ve earned it or by our own effort but by the grace of God (2 Peter 3:18).
God’s grace is real and powerful in our lives. You might look at all these benefits and wonder, “How do I receive God’s grace?”
“For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17 )
