Scripture: Matthew 7:7-12 (2 Cor 12:7-9)
In the gospels,
how many times would you guess that Jesus uses the word grace? -0-
Nowhere in the gospels does Jesus ever use the word grace. But he does describe what it looks like.
Matt 7:7-12
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 7:6 Jesus does not dispense his grace
arbitrarily:
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus offers his grace to everyone, but only those who believe in him will receive it. His amazing grace is that He offers it to all who will come to him. As a loving father, God rejects no one. Also as a loving Father he gives his children the option (like the prodigal son) to take the life He has given them and walk away from Him. The consequence, eternal death in hell, is because they chose to reject his free gift of eternal life.
AMAZING
GRACE published 1779 (241 yrs
ago) John Newton, a former slave trader.
(v7 published 1829 Anonymous)
melody called “New Britain,” published with the “Amazing Grace” lyrics in 1847 (173 yrs ago)
When Ashland was founded, Amazing grace, as we know it was only 40 years old – a relatively new piece of music.
In light of God’s word, that
grace is God’s unmerited gifting of new life let’s see what the words of this
most loved hymn is saying:
1.
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.
Amazing Grace! Suggest that this is something more than ordinary grace. In the New Testament, the word translated as grace is the Greek word charis (/ˈkeɪrɪs/; χάρις), (Ryan Hagele’s daughter’s name) for which Strong's Concordance gives this definition: "Graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude)". Spiritual gifts or charismata which comes from the word family charis, is defined in the New Bible Dictionary as "grace coming to visible effect in word or deed."[17] A Greek word that is related to charis is charisma (gracious gift). Both these words originated from another Greek word chairo (to rejoice, be glad, delighted).[18]
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term used is chen[19][20] (חֵן), which is defined in Strong's as "favor, grace or charm; grace is the moral quality of kindness, displaying a favorable disposition"
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
Do you like the sound of rain or a gentle breeze as it whispers through the autumn trees or the sweet cooing of a newborn baby? If grace could have a sound, imagine what it might be. Soft, yet full, delightful and sweet. Is it not one of the most beautiful sounds when you hear that someone has received the grace of God through Jesus Christ for the very first time. That means it is a sweet sound that saved a wretch like me! WRETCH = a base, despicable, or vile person.
Luke 15:24 PRODIGAL SON: this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'
Lost/found, blind/see, dead/alive all refer to the change that takes place when we experience God’s amazing grace.
2.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and
grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
God’s grace helps us recognize how far from God we are and can bring us to a place of fear before him while in the same moment relieve that fear, knowing that by His grace, He loves us anyway, and it all happens in an instant – in the hour we first believe.
3.
Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I
have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
Grace is not limited to salvation – to the moment we receive new life in Christ. Those who have been Christians for years can look back and see how, by God’s grace alone, we were saved, directed, protected and brought through horrific struggles in life and know that whatever we face ahead, God’s amazing grace will lead us home.
4.
The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my
hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be, as long as life endures.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace.
When I die – I will live in peace and joy. Rev 21:1-5 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
6.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, the
sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below, will be forever mine.
Though the earth will be no more, our eternal inheritance is in Christ alone. That is a promise of God’s amazing Grace.
7.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.
God’s Grace gave us physical birth, spiritual rebirth, and an abundant earthly life, and eternal life where we can sing praises to the one who has lavished on us such AMZING GRACE!
2 Cor 12:7-10
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Similarly other words recorded
that are not in the gospels: “It is more blessed
to give than to receive”
Conclusion
I asked you to remember a name? Ryan Hagele who has a daughter he named Kerris = God’s Grace
Ryan was a hs football player and Nathan was the school’s mascot and friends with many of the athletes. Ryan was Nathan’s best friend. Nathan shared with Ryan about Jesus, and invited him to church and to young life. Think about that. God placed Nathan in Ryan’s path. God showered Ryan with his Amazing Grace the moment he proclaimed Jesus as his Lord and Savior. When you consider all the world’s God’s hands have made…and yet saw fit to put a believer in his pathway who loved Jesus enough and loved his friend enough to introduce them to one another – that is Grace! NO!! That is AMAZING GRACE!! And to say thank you to God for that grace, Ryan and his wife Chrissy
John 10:9-10 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He
will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The 10 virgins illustrates that
the door can and will be shut if you do not light your lamp – meaning put your
faith in Jesus.
Jesus has an open door policy:
Rev 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him,
and he with me.
Do you remember
that no one opened their doors for Mary and Joseph as they were about to give
birth to Jesus? Not even the little hotel or Inn in Bethlehem – he ended up
being born in a barn. Another small hotel manager shows us what should have
happened.
Nowhere in the gospels does Jesus ever use the word grace. But he does describe what it looks like.
Matt 7:7-12
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus offers his grace to everyone, but only those who believe in him will receive it. His amazing grace is that He offers it to all who will come to him. As a loving father, God rejects no one. Also as a loving Father he gives his children the option (like the prodigal son) to take the life He has given them and walk away from Him. The consequence, eternal death in hell, is because they chose to reject his free gift of eternal life.
(v7 published 1829 Anonymous)
melody called “New Britain,” published with the “Amazing Grace” lyrics in 1847 (173 yrs ago)
When Ashland was founded, Amazing grace, as we know it was only 40 years old – a relatively new piece of music.
I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.
Amazing Grace! Suggest that this is something more than ordinary grace. In the New Testament, the word translated as grace is the Greek word charis (/ˈkeɪrɪs/; χάρις), (Ryan Hagele’s daughter’s name) for which Strong's Concordance gives this definition: "Graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude)". Spiritual gifts or charismata which comes from the word family charis, is defined in the New Bible Dictionary as "grace coming to visible effect in word or deed."[17] A Greek word that is related to charis is charisma (gracious gift). Both these words originated from another Greek word chairo (to rejoice, be glad, delighted).[18]
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term used is chen[19][20] (חֵן), which is defined in Strong's as "favor, grace or charm; grace is the moral quality of kindness, displaying a favorable disposition"
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
Do you like the sound of rain or a gentle breeze as it whispers through the autumn trees or the sweet cooing of a newborn baby? If grace could have a sound, imagine what it might be. Soft, yet full, delightful and sweet. Is it not one of the most beautiful sounds when you hear that someone has received the grace of God through Jesus Christ for the very first time. That means it is a sweet sound that saved a wretch like me! WRETCH = a base, despicable, or vile person.
Luke 15:24 PRODIGAL SON: this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'
Lost/found, blind/see, dead/alive all refer to the change that takes place when we experience God’s amazing grace.
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
God’s grace helps us recognize how far from God we are and can bring us to a place of fear before him while in the same moment relieve that fear, knowing that by His grace, He loves us anyway, and it all happens in an instant – in the hour we first believe.
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
Grace is not limited to salvation – to the moment we receive new life in Christ. Those who have been Christians for years can look back and see how, by God’s grace alone, we were saved, directed, protected and brought through horrific struggles in life and know that whatever we face ahead, God’s amazing grace will lead us home.
He will my Shield and Portion be, as long as life endures.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
5. Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil, a life of joy and peace.
When I die – I will live in peace and joy. Rev 21:1-5 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
But God, who called me here below, will be forever mine.
Though the earth will be no more, our eternal inheritance is in Christ alone. That is a promise of God’s amazing Grace.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.
God’s Grace gave us physical birth, spiritual rebirth, and an abundant earthly life, and eternal life where we can sing praises to the one who has lavished on us such AMZING GRACE!
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Conclusion
I asked you to remember a name? Ryan Hagele who has a daughter he named Kerris = God’s Grace
Ryan was a hs football player and Nathan was the school’s mascot and friends with many of the athletes. Ryan was Nathan’s best friend. Nathan shared with Ryan about Jesus, and invited him to church and to young life. Think about that. God placed Nathan in Ryan’s path. God showered Ryan with his Amazing Grace the moment he proclaimed Jesus as his Lord and Savior. When you consider all the world’s God’s hands have made…and yet saw fit to put a believer in his pathway who loved Jesus enough and loved his friend enough to introduce them to one another – that is Grace! NO!! That is AMAZING GRACE!! And to say thank you to God for that grace, Ryan and his wife Chrissy
The Clerk of Waldorf-Astoria
In
the city of Philadelphia there was a little third class hotel. Into it one
night there came two tired elderly people. They went up to the night clerk and
the husband pleadingly said, “Mister, please don’t
tell us you don’t have a room. My wife and I have been all over the city
looking for a place to stay. We did not know about the big conventions that are
here. The hotels at which we usually stay are all full. We’re dead tired and
it’s after midnight. Please don’t tell us you don’t have a place where we can
sleep.”The clerk looked at them a long moment and then answered, “Well, I don’t have a single room except my own. I work at night and sleep in the daytime. It’s not as nice as the other rooms, but it’s clean, and I’ll be happy for you to be my guests for tonight.”
The wife said, “God bless you, young man.”
The next morning at the breakfast table, the couple sent the waiter to tell the night clerk they wanted to see him on very important business. The night clerk went in, recognized the two people, sat down at the table and said he hoped they had had a good night’s sleep. They thanked him most sincerely. Then the husband astounded the clerk with this statement, “You are too fine a hotel man to stay in a hotel like this. Your extreme grace has truly blessed us. How would you like for me to build a big, beautiful, luxurious hotel in the city of New York and make you a general manager?”
The clerk didn’t know what to say. He thought there might be something wrong with their minds. He finally stammered, “It sounds wonderful.” His guest then introduced himself. “I’m John Jacob Astor.” So, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel was built, and the night clerk became, in the years to follow, the best known hotel man in the world.
By 1976, the 47-Story Waldorf-Astoria in New York City served three-quarters of a million guests in its 1,900 rooms. That clerk welcomed them all because he had practiced an open door policy much like Jesus who has gone back to heaven, to prepare a room for each of us. John 14:2-7 In my Father's house are many rooms; And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
