Building A Gracious Life

Building God’s House

“Building a Gracious Life”

Let me start today’s message in a way that I normally wouldn’t, and that is to give the conclusion at the start, and then take the time to see how it works itself out.

And here is the conclusion, the reason for why we need to build up God’s house from the inside as a house of grace is because, if were not living in God’s growing, transforming, liberating, sustaining, restoring, and amazing grace, and then extending the same grace to others, then we’re living outside the will and way of God.

Now, that’s a mouthful.

Therefore, with that conclusion let me begin our time together in defining grace, because in truth it really isn’t all that well understood.

There are a lot of words that are misunderstood in our culture today. Take for instance the word “love.” A lot of people say, “I’m in love,” but in truth it’s more like, “I’m in lust.”

But grace is one word we cannot afford to misunderstand, and that’s because it has everything to do with our relationship with God. Most people wrongly define grace saying, “We’re under grace, so we can continue living like we want.”

And while it’s true that God forgives, we’ve totally misunderstood, misapplied, and misused God’s grace. When we see God’s grace for what it is, then our lives will change. When we understand God’s grace and rightly apply it, then our lives will undergo a dramatic upgrade.

Look at how the Bible describes this upgrade.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV)

God’s grace immediately upgrades our lives from being lost to being saved. If it weren’t for God’s grace we’d all be on a downward spiral to hell, but God’s grace saves us.

The Bible says, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:10 NKJV)

That’s grace. If God gave us what we deserved, we’d be dead. The Bibles says that the wages of sin is death, which means we are forever separated from God because of our sins. But God has given us His gift of grace through Jesus Christ and thus eternal life in heaven (Romans 6:23).

Grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we don’t deserve His blessing. It is extending kindness to those who don’t deserve it.

Now, in our conclusion, I stated a list of adjectives describing God’s grace that we not only experience through faith in Jesus Christ, but also that we need to be extending the same to others, which is a part of grace’s definition, that is, extending a blessing and kindness to those who we see as not deserving of it.

Growing Grace

The Apostle Peter tells us of our need to grow in God’s grace so we don’t fall into the error of sin.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18 NKJV)

How do we grow in God’s grace, I think the Apostle Paul speaks to this the best in his letter to the Ephesian church.

“Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24 NKJV)

Growing in God’s grace, however, isn’t what many people think. It isn’t working hard and obeying the rules; rather it’s by taking off the corrupt former self through renewing our minds in God’s word, so that we can then put on the new person, the new creation that we’ve become through faith in Jesus Christ.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

Therefore, it is in God’s grace that should be continually growing, not only in our relationship with Him, but also in how we extend it to others.

Transforming Grace

God’s grace transforms us, that is, God’s grace changes us. Now in many ways God’s transforming grace is the same as His growing grace. It doesn’t depend on our working our way through it; rather it is God working His way through us.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

What Paul is saying is that if we want to live in God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will, it doesn’t come through our abilities, but rather it comes through God’s grace.