I want to share a story with you of a man who discovered grace, not only from God but also from man. It has been stated that grace is “ getting the absolute best when deserving the absolute worst.” The word for grace in the Greek meant unmerited favor. So you football pros can play a guessing game of “Who is it?” as I tell the story of a football legend.
He was born in Burlington, Iowa. His parents divorced when he was six. He and his brother lived with his mom for awhile as she suffered through a second failed marriage. Shortly after that, him and his brother went to live with his father in Cedar Rapids. It was there that he played football for Cedar Rapids.
After graduation he attended the University of Northern Iowa. At UNI, he was third on the Panthers' depth chart until his senior year. When he was finally given the chance to start, he was named the Gateway Conference's Offensive Player of the Year.
Following his college career, he entered the NFL draft and went undrafted. He was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers' training camp, but was released before the regular season began; he was competing for a spot against Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer.
It was at this time that he turned to stocking shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Cedar Falls for $5.50 an hour. It was also at this time that he became a Christian.
With the love for football still in his heart he returned to Northern Iowa and worked as a graduate assistant coach with the football team, all the while still hoping to get another tryout with an NFL team.
But there were no NFL teams willing to give him a chance, so he turned to the Arena Football League , and signed with the Iowa Barnstormers. He was named to the AFL's First-team All-Arena after he led the Barnstormers to Arena Bowl appearances in both of his first two seasons. His performance was so impressive that he would be named twelfth out of the 20 Best Arena Football Players of all time.
Before his third Arena season started, he requested and got a tryout with the Chicago Bears, but an injury to his throwing elbow caused by a spider bite sustained during his honeymoon prevented him from attending.
A year later his dreams came true when he was finally signed by an NFL franchise, the St. Louis Rams. He was allocated to NFL Europe's Amsterdam Admirals, where he would lead the league in touchdowns and passing yards. His backup at the time was another unknown quarterback named Jake Delhomme, who become another famous rags-to-riches quarterback story. Returning to the United States for the next season, he spent it as St. Louis' third-string quarterback behind Tony Banks and Steve Bono.
After releasing Banks and Bono, the Rams signed free agent Trent Green to be their starting QB, and he was promoted to second string. When Green tore his ACL in a preseason game, Rams coach Dick Vermeil named him as the Rams' starter.
With the support of running back Marshall Faulk and wide receivers Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim, and Ricky Proehl, he put together one of the top seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, throwing for 4,353 yards with 41 touchdown passes and a completion rate of 65.1%. The Rams' high-powered offense, run by offensive coordinator Mike Martz, was nicknamed "The Greatest Show on Turf" and registered the first in a string of three consecutive 500-point seasons, an NFL record.
He would set many other records including most yards passing in a Super Bowl game, the only quarterback to throw 400+ yards in a Super Bowl game, the only quarterback to throw for over 14,000 yards with two different teams, and the only quarterback to throw 40 touchdowns and win a Super Bowl in the same season.
In an interview with Terry Bradshaw from Fox upon leading the Cardinals to the franchise's first ever Super Bowl, he said, "Everybody's going to be tired of hearing this, but I never get tired of saying it. There's one reason that I'm standing up on this stage today. That's because of my Lord up above. I've got to say thanks to Jesus; you knew I was going to do it, but I've got to do it. And secondly, I've gotta say thanks to you guys (motioning to the Arizona fans); when nobody else believed in us, when nobody else believed in me, you guys did. And we're going to the Super Bowl!"
From being rejected by the NFL to becoming one of the greats in the NFL, he recognized two things. That grace, the unmerited favor he did not deserve, came first from God and then from man. Have you guessed who this quarterback is? Kurt Warner of course.
One of the most popular songs sung at funerals and other church services is “Amazing Grace.” But can we really grasp how amazing it is?
Tony Evans shared a story of a shopping trip with his wife. They stopped at a jewelry store and asked to see a particularly large and attractive diamond. They asked to have a closer look so the jeweler took it from the case. Evans tells the story this way. “Before showing it, however, he took out a black velvet cloth and placed the diamond in the center. Something amazing happened when the stone was placed against the backdrop of the dark cloth. Its brilliance was enhanced to an almost blinding degree.”
So it is with God’s grace. Let’s read Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
Everyone has sinned. All have fallen short. You, me, Tony Evans, Billy Graham, Joel Osteen, Steven Furtick; all of us have that backdrop of darkness called sin. And when God places his grace upon that darkness, it becomes magnificently brilliant. His grace is magnified by our sins. That is why the Bible says “---as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” (Romans 5:20) The darker the sin the more brilliant the grace.
However, there is a purpose to God presenting his grace like a diamond on a black cloth. One purpose is to showcase us. Ephesians 2:7 “So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”
I was not fortunate enough to have godly grandparents to be shining examples of a faith filled life. In fact, my grandparents had all died before I was born. That lack of godly examples is probably a reason that I never excepted Jesus until I was thirty. But I am striving to be that example for my grandchildren. And as I hear tales from my children about the faith of their children, I believe I am succeeding. Along with that is the hope that my grandchildren will talk about their Mimi and Pappy, and the faith exhibited to them so future generations are touched.
That is one purpose of grace. Too often we associate grace with a “get out of jail free card.” Grace was never intended to be misused but rather to be brilliantly magnified.
Also, grace is a gift freely given. And it’s not based on merit.
Ephesians 2:8 “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
If Tony Evans bought that diamond for his wife, he could not take credit for the beauty of it. Evans had nothing to do with its size or brilliance. He did not form the diamond. God did. It was God who placed all the elements in motion necessary for the diamond to be made. God’s grace is freely poured out on all people who believe. We can’t earn it or buy it.
Also if Evans bought the diamond for his wife it meant more to her than if she had bought it for herself. Most gifts I receive are items I could have bought. But it is special when it is given to me as a gift. There is the process of someone taking time to buy it, paying for it, and presenting it to me. So it is with God’s grace. Jesus took the time to walk on the earth as a man. He paid for it with his blood. He presented to me when I became a believer. But this was a gift so expensive I could have never purchased it. I can only receive it as a gift.
So, because grace is given to us and is to be showcased, we have an obligation. Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
We are God’s masterpiece through his grace. Before we were dark and filled with sin but grace painted a new landscape on us. Now we shine with the brilliance of grace. But what good is a masterpiece if it remains hidden? No one can appreciate it’s beauty when it’s hidden away. No masterpiece enjoys its own beauty. The masterpiece is designed to be enjoyed by others.
God’s grace is given us to be displayed. Indecent acts and bad attitudes cheapens the value of God’s grace. He created us anew to do the things that He planned for us to do. Too often we do our own thing at the expense of his grace. But since grace is a gift, it will not be revoked. However, there will be a day of reckoning that we will answer for our handling of this precious gift called grace.
So how do we display this masterpiece of grace? One way is by giving, not just financially but in other ways. When we display God’s grace we have a promise. 2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”
This scripture is found in the midst of 2 Corinthians 9. Paul has a group coming from Macedonia to collect a gift that was promised to them earlier by the church in Corinth. He sent some brothers ahead to be sure that the gift was ready so no one would be embarrassed. But he clarifies that he wants it to be a gift given cheerfully not reluctantly or under pressure. He tells them to remember that a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. He says that God is the one who provides both seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. And in that same way, He will provide and increase their resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in them. He goes on to say that two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. And the payoff for the church in Corinth is found in
2 Corinthians 9: 14. “And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.”
In displaying grace a prayer window will be opened that will allow blessings to flow from on high. And when giving is done with God’s grace amplified in our lives, just like the farmer who planted much, our blessings are increased.
So, how can a masterpiece be hidden. One way they are hidden is by putting a cloth over it. We can hide the grace given to us by becoming concerned with the things of the world. Two verses exemplify how.
1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” and
Colossians 3:2 “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”
Anytime we commit acts that do not glorify God, we hide the masterpiece of his grace. Anytime we entertain thoughts that are flesh by nature, we hide the masterpiece of his grace. Paul’s instruction to us is quite clear but hard to achieve.
The simplest of things, like eating and drinking, done to his glory. But we fail in so many actions that are far from his glory. As hard as we try our minds are prone to wander to thoughts far from his glory. So what can help us out of this mess? His grace.
We are given his grace so that when we fail more grace is given. It is a continuous circle of grace needed and grace given. It’s like the buckets at a water park. They dump water on you but as you stand there and get hot more water is dumped on you. It’s a never ending cycle.
In return we should desire to display his grace in every aspect of our lives. His masterpiece shown to his glory.
You remember Kurt Warner at the beginning of the lesson.
“I've got to say thanks to Jesus. And secondly, I've gotta say thanks to you guys (motioning to the Arizona fans); when nobody else believed in us, when nobody else believed in me, you guys did.”
Warner realized that it was the grace of God, the special favor, that allowed him to achieve his ultimate goal. He had also realized that he had to work harder than most to achieve it and thanked those who believed in him.
Paul echoed that same emotion in 1 Corinthians 15:10 “But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.”
Paul had to work harder than the rest because he wasn’t trusted. This was a man who spent a great portion of his life trying to destroy the church. He could only claim to have seen Jesus without any actual proof. Therefore, his ministry was under constant scrutiny. But through all he had been through he recognized that it was God’s grace that was a conduit for God to accomplish his will through Paul. And it got results.
When we allow ourselves to be conduits to carry the power of the Holy Spirit through God’s grace, we can accomplish mighty things. Like Kurt Warner, we can set new records. We can become winners in the midst of our struggles. We can be a blessing to others and ourselves.
