Grace

Grace was upon them all

Acts 4:32-35

1. Despite our bad deeds, bad ways, bad living God gives good I call this grace.

• First of all we never get what we deserve at the hand of God

• What we do get is God Grace

• The United Church of Christ came out with slogan, “God is still speaking.” So what is God speaking I think Grace

• The UMC slogan for the longest time Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.” Gods Grace is Open

• The Baptist slogan “Be kind, be merry, be Baptist.” Grace is forever don’t worry be happy

• Acts 4:33 says of those apostles of the first-century church, “Great grace was upon them all.”

2. Grace is a way of life

• Grace is a period officially allowed for payment of a sum due or for compliance with a law or condition, especially an extended period granted as a special favor:

• Grace is simple elegance or refinement of movement: "she moved through the water with effortless grace"

• Grace an attractively polite manner of behaving: "she has all the social graces"

• (Grace Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners

• Grace defined: a short prayer of thanks said before or after a meal: In Tennessee eating breakfast I saw a sign which said, Grace is not just a prayer of thanks but Grace is a way of life

• Grace must have been a way of Life for the early disciples they were of one heart and one mind (People more important than stuff) It was the way they lived

3. Grace is Favor of God

• In Luke we have a familiar verse. “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him” (Luke 2:39-40).

• The Greek word for “favor” — is Grace so it means The Favor of God that’s Grace

• The grace or favor of God likewise rests upon those gathered disciples after his death and resurrection; one might say God smiles on us.

4. Jesus gives us Grace

• When Jesus enters the synagogue unrolls the scroll of Isaiah and reads the Spirit of the Lord being upon him, to preach good news to all the downtrodden and oppressed.

• He closes the scroll and announces: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Isaiah sums up the whole episode by saying: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth” (Luke 4:18-22).

• There’s that word “grace” again! Only this time it’s the “gracious words that came from his mouth.”

• Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah, but there’s something there he doesn’t read.

• The last words of Scripture that Jesus reads there in the Nazareth synagogue — from Isaiah 61:1-2 — are “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (“favor,” again, is the same word as “grace”).

• But here’s what he leaves out: The proclamation of Isaiah 61:2 is “the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God.” So is Jesus all about grace Jesus gives us grace

5. Grace does a lot of Good stuff for us Convicts, Convinces and converts

• Grace of God Draws 43"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

• Grace of God gives us redemption 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5heC predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,

• Romans says God’s Grace Justifies the Unjust . 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus

• Grace makes us one 2 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

• Grace gave them power to share 33 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

• Grace seemingly creates no needs 34 There was not a needy person among them,

• Graces Adds to your church in acts 2 47 God added to the church daily such as should be saved