Powerful Words of Grace
Introduction
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Grace is the unearned favor of God. Jesus demonstrated the qualities of grace in his life. The church is the adopted family of Jesus, rescued by grace. In prayer we come before a throne of grace, we find the help we need because of the mercy of God.
Grace is not just a word in theology books; it’s the heartbeat of Christian life. Every act of prayer, every moment of repentance, every breath of hope comes because God chose to pour His favor into our brokenness.
There are some key words that will help us understand, accept, and be grateful for grace.
1. STRENGTH: Grace is for the stormy days.
Strength through hope. Peter writes to the persecuted and scattered church to put their hope in the grace to be revealed. 1 Peter 1:13 “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.” When Jesus makes his ultimate return, he will still be full of grace and truth.
Strength in the struggle. Grace is for the rough waters, the slashing swords, and the oppressive regime. It is the only strength that every Christian can claim when our faith draws the enemy’s fire. Whatever white waters you have had to traverse, grace has given you the strength to stay the course. That’s because all other options fail. Your goodness? Your self-control? The advice of others? In the night hours, when darkness threatens to overtake your spirit, grace defends. Grace reminds us we are accepted, safe, assured, and empowered.
Strength in the darkest hours. In his darkest moment, Jesus depended on grace. Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” At the cross we see grace enacted, shared with a criminal, covered in blood and death. Jesus, full of grace and truth, tasted death for all of us by the grace of God.
2. GRATITUDE: Grace moves us to be Thankful
Grateful to be included. In Acts 11, the Spreading Gospel has come to Antioch. Rumors of this Gentile hub responding to God reached the ears of the mother church in Jerusalem. Apostles sent Barnabas to find out what was happening there. Luke records, “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad; and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose…” (Acts 11:23). What Barnabas did next was an amazing act of Grace. He sought out a converted terrorist to bring him to Antioch. Acts 11:25 “So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church, and taught a large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians.”
The graceful spirit of Barnabas influenced the former Christ-hater, Saul of Tarsus. Paul later wrote to Timothy and thanked God for including him in grace. 1 Timothy 1:12-14: “I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service, though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him; but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
We also should be filled with gratitude. It may not be as dramatic, but we all have a Saul/Paul story- we were blind but now we see! In the next verse, Paul acknowledges that he is the chief of sinners, but that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! Nothing here points to Paul. It all points to King Jesus in gratitude!
3. SCANDAL: It’s so Unfair.
Grace is delightfully unfair. We like things to be fair. We hope judicial judgments are fair to all involved. We live in a country with laws protecting people and possessions. If you break the law, you suffer the consequences. Whn juries hand down the verdict we hoped for, it is because we have an innate sense of right and wrong. It’s only fair that someone who committed a crime must suffer a sufficient punishment. When someone works, they deserve a fair wage. This is our human perspective. But it has nothing to do with grace.
Jesus told a story about some workers hired at different times of the day. After a long day at work, the boss instructed them to be paid. Those hired about the eleventh hour each received a denarius. When the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. They grumbled at the householder, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ - Matthew 20:8-12
I understand the objection! It wasn’t fair! Matthew 20:13-15 “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” Jesus turns our sense of fairness upside down in this parable, and in a stunning display of grace, he pays them all the same.
And I thank God for this inequity and unconscionably poor business practice! It is scandalous! Like when God forgave you. I am appalled that grace is so freely offered to sinners. Real sinners —the kind you wouldn’t have at your dinner table. We want to object, but when we do, we argue against ourselves. We can baptize our sin and make it not that bad. The truth is, Jesus endured the cross for your mild, not-so-bad, whitewashed sin. Grace doesn’t ignore justice—it fulfills it at the Cross.
4. INCREASE: Grace Grows as you Need It
The weakness of the human race lies in our inability to eradicate the power of sin in our lives. We can develop new habits, leave behind old habits, control the urges that lead to major destruction, and make it our aim to always follow the example of Jesus. But our inability to corral the powerful force within will stay with us.
Grace is about how God has provided the final word on the power of sin. The Enemy is defeated. Sin is cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. The power of sin is cracked, broken, and doomed forever. That is God’s eternal perspective. As humans, however, we are faced with our own inadequacy to just stop sinning altogether.
Romans 5:20 “…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…”I have believed that where sin increases, judgment increases all the more. Grace is not just about forgiveness, it is about change. Curtis Barbarick wrote, “Grace is meant to be transformative,” and he is right.
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
Conclusion
Fleming Rutledge wrote, “The grace of God. That's what the gospel is about. It isn't about religious attitudes or beliefs or choices or works or spiritual exercises or anything else that human beings can dream up to do. It's about what God has done, what God is doing, what God will do.”
These are powerful words of grace—strength for our storms, gratitude for our inclusion, the scandal of God’s mercy, and a grace that never stops increasing. This is the grace that saves, sustains, and sends us.
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
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Discussion Questions
1. What does 1 Peter 1:13 teach us about the relationship between grace and hope?
2. Why is grace a more reliable source of strength than self-control or advice from others?
3. How does Jesus’ dependence on grace in his darkest hours (Hebrews 2:9) encourage us when we suffer or struggle?
4. When Barnabas saw the “grace of God” at Antioch (Acts 11:23), what did he do and why?
5. How does Paul’s story (1 Timothy 1:12-14) illustrate gratitude for grace even after a dramatic past?
6. How can expressing gratitude for grace influence our faith and relationships with others?
7. Why do you think we struggle with grace being “unfair” as in Jesus’ parable from Matthew 20:8-15? Is there a difference between fairness from a human perspective and divine generosity? How does this affect your view of grace?
8. How does Romans 5:20 challenge our instinct about judgment when sin increases? In what ways does grace
transform us beyond forgiveness (see Titus 2:11-14)?
9. Fleming Rutledge says, “The grace of God… It’s about what God has done, is doing, and will do.” What does this
statement mean to you?
10. Which of the four words—Strength, Gratitude, Scandal, Increase—resonated most with your faith journey this week?
