Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Intro: Today I would like to you about grace. Which is one of many of the many attributes of God and a subject some have forgot about while others talk about it with no real understanding of it. Today Lord willing I will like to bring grace back to our memories where hopefully it will never be forgotten or taken lightly again, and give us an understanding of it. That we may love and appreciate God more than ever.
I. Before we understand grace we must first know what it is.
A. When you look the word grace up in the dictionary you are given several attributes associated with it but today we want to focus on these six; mercy, love, compassion, patience, favor, and kindness.
1. In mercy we see that it is an act of compassion or kindness to some one that is in misfortune or to an offender as defined in the Webster's dictionary. In Psalms 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name. (2) Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: (3) Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; (4) Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; (5) Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (6)The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. (7) He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. (8) The LORD [is] merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.(9) He will not always chide: neither will he keep [his anger] for ever.(10 )He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.(11) For as the heaven is high above the earth, [so] great is his mercy toward them that fear him. (12) As far as the east is from the west, [so] far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (13) Like as a father pitieth [his] children, [so] the LORD pitieth them that fear him. (14) For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we [are] dust. (15)[As for] man, his days [are] as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.(16) For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.(17) But the mercy of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;(18) To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.(19 )The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.(20)Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.(21)Bless ye the LORD, all [ye] his hosts; [ye] ministers of his, that do his pleasure.(22)Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul. In this Psalms we are given a clear definition of the mercy of God and you may ask well how long does this mercy last well in Psalms 100:5 For the LORD [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his truth [endureth] to all generations. We know that His mercy is eternal. God will never stop being merciful to those that chose Him and follow his commandments as laid out in Psalms 103.
2. The next attribute of grace is Love. This love is a love that is unmatched there is none like it for it is pure. This subject alone is in over three hundred verses and because of time I couldn’t possibly say them all but I think that on this subject one can sum it all up it is John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. He loved us so much He sent his only begotten Son to die for us just so that we may have eternal life. Sin separated us, but love brought us together. We know that 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. Because 1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. We are told that God is love and it is eternal love for God is eternal.
3. Next we have compassion, and we know that it is a sympathetic feeling toward someone or something. In the Word we are told in Psalms 78:38 But he, [being] full of compassion, forgave [their] iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. And also in Psalms 86:15 But thou, O Lord, [art] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. These two are similarly because they speech of God being full of compassion; these are two of many that bare witness too this fact that God does have compassion upon us and does care for us thou we sometimes fail him or turn from him he still has compassion to forgive us.
4. We see next that grace is patient. We are told in the word in Romans 15:5 ¶ Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: We see God is patient and if we back up a verse we see that in Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. We learn that through patience there is hope; He is patient with us that we may obtain the hope that He has for us through His will here on earth and also for the blessed hope of the return of His son Jesus to take us home. I must share with you these verses about the hope we have in patience the return of Christ; In Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.(11) Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.(12) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name.
5. Next we have favor through grace. In Psalms 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as [with] a shield. Also in Psalms 30:5 For his anger [endureth but] a moment; in his favour [is] life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning. There is nothing like obtaining favor with someone for you know that you will be taking of, but to have favor from God is a testimony that he will take care of you that He will comfort you and shield you in times of need. You may ask what about those that are not Christians they seem to have favor with God. I want to tell you know they do not for in these three verses it says that only the righteous have His favor let us look in Proverbs 11:27 ¶ He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him. Proverbs 12:2 ¶ A good [man] obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. Proverbs 14:9 ¶ Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous [there is] favour. Let us seek Him for his favor and not man or this world for there is no favor to them only destruction.
6. Lastly of the attributes of grace there is kindness. God is kind to his people and will not remove it from them. We see in His word that in Isaiah 54:10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. If we go back a few verses we will see that Hs kindness also is everlasting thou we may anger Him at times it does not last for it says in Isaiah 54:8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
7. Now after examining these six attributes of grace we se they all tie together and no verses are more fitting to put them together than Ephesians 2:4 ¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,(5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (6) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:(7) That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:(9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
II. Now after examining those six you would think that would be enough, I pray it was but just in case I would like to give you a few examples of the attributes of Grace. I pray they will bless you and also that you will take the time to read about them yourself.
1. An example of mercy of the many men and women of the Bible I chose David. Through both the books of Samuel and Kings we are giving the life of David. Thou a man after God’s own heart he was the chiefest of sinners, it was he that in one moment broke three commandments when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and then later broke another commandment by having her husband killed because she was having his child. These alone are but a few of the sins of David but thou a chief of sinners God had mercy upon him. David a great sinner was a greater repenter and wrote one of the most beautiful Psalms describing our awesome God.
2. Next we have Love and example of this is Ruth. In the book of Ruth we are given the story of Naomi, Ruth, and her sister Orpah. They had all lost there husbands and Ruth and Orpah were Moabites while Naomi was a Hebrew and by having these two women in the family the Mosiac law was broken that they were not to marry outside there people. So after the death of there husbands Naomi was going to go back to Bethlehem and urged her daughter in laws to go back to there home land because of the uncertainty of the two strange women in a strange land she feared for them. Orpah took the request and went back but not Ruth she loved Naomi and would not leave as said in Ruth 1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, [or] to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people [shall be] my people, and thy God my God: I will stop there and I know you say how does this fit into to the love of God; because just like Ruth he loves you enough that he will not leave you just as said in Hebrews 13:5 … for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
3. Now we come to compassion and for this I chose the people of Ninevah. In the book of Jonah we see that God is going to destroy the people of Ninevah because of their wickedness, but God had compassion on them to give them a chance to repent and sent Jonah. Yes we know Jonah fled from this call because he didn’t care for them and wanted them destroyed. But we know that after a three-night stay in the belly of a whale he could then understand the compassion of God for us. He preached to them and they where saved all because God cared for them.
4. Another example of these attributes of grace we see in the Israelites the patience God has for us. In the books of Exodus to Joshua we see how God was patient with them thou they complained and murmured. God was patient with to deliver them to the Promise Land, even when they turned from Him and had to chastise them he still was patient enough to deliver them into His Promise. Thou by there own sins did the journey take longer He was with them through it all to get them there.
5. Next we have favor and for this I chose Joseph from the book of Genesis. In his life Joseph was a favored son as found in Genesis 37:3, and his brothers were jealous of him and had him sold into slavery and the Egyptian captain Pothiphar bought him and he was favored by Pothiphar, and also another liked him too and that was Pothiphar’s wife. She tried to seduce him and he refused and in anger she accused him of rape as found in Genesis 39:10-20 and he was placed in prison but as stated in Genesis 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Joseph refused to give into sin and temptation and for that God’s favor was upon him that he was to be taken care of. And later he was released and was redeemed into a high possession under the Pharaoh. For those that are not ashamed of there God will his favor be there to testify of the Glory of God on his child’s life.
6. And lastly we have kindness and for this I chose Esther from the book of Esther. In the book of Esther we see the story of Esther who was beautiful and was chosen along side many other women to be the wife of Ahasuerus. But before they could be presented to the king they first be well groomed and arrayed to come before him and the one in charge of this was Hegai and the word says upon Esther meeting him that he showed kindness to her and made sure she was well taken care of as found in Esther 2:9. She was then chosen and later helped keep her people from being killed by a decree that went out. Just as Joseph obtained favor Ruth had kindness showed to her that she was preferred over all others. Just as God shows kindness to us in times of distress or when we sin he still cares to forgive us when we cry out to him.
III. But thou these were each example of grace the most important of all was Christ.
A. His mercy toward us was he heard our cries as sinners.
B. His Love for us was that he left Heaven for us.
C. His compassion for us kept him from looking away.
D. His patience for us kept him to finish what we our selves could never do.
E. His favor proved his love for us.
F. His kindness toward us was when his mercy, love, compassion, patience, and favor took him to a cross. Too die for us that we may know that Gods grace could take Him to a cross, be persecuted, die, be buried , and in three days arise and live for ever more as the eternal Son of God who made the way that we could go to the Father through Him.
