Introduction

Good morning, friends. It's a joy to be here with you today. We're here to talk about something that's at the very heart of our faith. It's something that has changed the course of history. It's something that has the power to change our lives. It's something called grace.

Grace. A simple word. Five letters. But it holds a world of meaning. It's a word that's woven into the fabric of our faith. It's a word that's written on our hearts.

Philip Yancey once said, "Grace is the only force in the universe powerful enough to break the chains that enslave generations." Grace. That's what we're here to talk about today.

We're going to look at a passage from Galatians. It's a passage that speaks of grace. It's a passage that speaks of hope. It's a passage that speaks of love.

"But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship."

This passage tells us about the birth of Jesus. It tells us about the hope that came into the world. It tells us about the love that was shown to us. It tells us about the grace that was given to us.

Let's pray together as we begin.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the grace that you have shown us. We thank you for the hope that you have given us. We thank you for the love that you have poured out on us. As we look at your Word today, open our hearts. Open our minds. Help us to understand your grace. Help us to live in your hope. Help us to walk in your love. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Today, we're going to talk about the birth of grace. We're going to talk about the role of Jesus in our lives. We're going to talk about the connection between God's love and our lives. It's going to be a good day, friends. Let's get started.

The Birth of Grace

When we consider the arrival of Jesus Christ, we're looking at the moment when grace was born into the human race. This was no ordinary birth. This was the birth of God's Son, sent to redeem us, to free us from the chains of the law and to offer us a new identity as children of God. This is the heart of the gospel message, the good news that brings us hope and transforms our lives.

A gift, freely given: It's not something we earn or deserve. It's not a reward for good behavior or a prize for achieving a certain level of spiritual maturity. It's a gift, pure and simple. And it's a gift that changes everything. It changes how we see ourselves. It changes how we see others. It changes how we see God.

The birth of Jesus: We see the ultimate expression of God's grace. Here is God, the Creator of the universe, choosing to become one of us, choosing to live among us, choosing to share in our joys and our sorrows, our victories and our defeats. Here is God, not standing at a distance, but drawing near, becoming intimately involved in the messiness and complexity of our lives.

Why?: Why would God do this? The answer is love. God's love for us is so great, so overwhelming, that He was willing to do whatever it took to bring us back to Him. That's what the birth of Jesus represents. It's God's love in action. It's God's grace made visible.

The beginning of a new relationship between God and humanity: No longer are we defined by our failures, our mistakes, our sins. Instead, we are defined by God's love, by God's grace, by God's willingness to call us His children. This is a radical shift, a complete reversal of the way things used to be. And it's all because of Jesus.

Not based on our ability to keep the law: It's not based on our ability to live up to a certain standard or meet a certain set of expectations. It's based on God's grace. It's based on God's love. It's based on God's decision to adopt us as His children.

The beauty of the gospel message: It's not about what we do. It's about what God has done. It's not about our efforts to earn God's favor. It's about God's decision to give us His favor as a gift. It's not about our attempts to make ourselves worthy. It's about God's declaration that we are worthy because of Jesus.

Why is birth of Jesus is so significant?: It's not just about the arrival of a baby in a manger. It's about the arrival of grace in the human race. It's about the arrival of hope for a broken world. It's about the arrival of love in the midst of our pain and our confusion and our fear.

The Incarnate's Role

As we turn our attention to the role of the Incarnate, we find ourselves standing on sacred ground ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO