Grace At Work

So how do we feel about the fact that our God loves us unconditionally?
Feels wonderful doesn't it! Like a great big weight off our shoulders. 

• No more worrying about whether or not we're doing enough to please Him. 

• No longer questioning our Right Standing With Him.

But does this love give us the license to do whatever we want - in the surety that God loves us unconditionally, no matter what.

Yes, indeed it does. 

For once we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we ceased to operate in the realm of law and sin. We've been operating in the realm of Grace - Righteousness - freedom from the law and sin, ever since we gave our lives to Christ. Many just haven't realised it yet. 

So does this mean we can sin as much as we want, in the knowledge of who and what we are? 
Indeed it does. 
But here's the amazing thing about the miraculous power of God's grace.

His grace gives us the desire and power to do what is right - not by our power but by the power of Christ in us.

Check out this paradox.

On one side you have your old self, trying desperately to please God, and to attain Right Standing With Him by Focusing on doing what is right - not sinning, paying your tithes, paying your offering, giving to the poor and needy etc etc; basically doing all the things that you believe will please God. 

But as a result of working tirelessly to do what is right, what you are really doing is working tirelessly to avoid sin, or upsetting God. There is of-course nothing wrong with this. Indeed it is most admirable. But the more you focus on avoiding sin the stronger its' pull becomes. Also the thought of constantly focusing on not doing anything wrong sounds rather exhausting don't you think?! 

Can you relate? 

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On the other side you have your new self; relaxed and assured in the unconditional love of God. As this knowledge grows, the revelation of who you are - an unconditionally loved, and Righteous child of God - begins to wax stronger with each passing day. All the while you begin to think less and less of having to avoid sin; and instead become more and more aware of who you actually are.

This is why we are told that we were not given a ''spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind''.

It is the recognition and acceptance of God's unconditional love that enables and empowers us to overcome our challenges. 

Let's put it this way - fear (of sin, and of whether or not God loves you) doesn't exactly lead to having a sound mind does it??!!

Today's Two Verses

1. ''For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.'' -Ephesians 1 vs 4

Was it as a result of our good works that He chose us? 

Or was it as a result of our efforts to attain Right Standing With Him that He chose us?

Nope. 

He chose us before we had even done anything.

       2. ''In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the one he loves.'' -Ephesians 1 vs 4 -5

The important words to take note of here are 'Predestined' and 'Freely'.

There is no-one that doesn't fail from time to time. God knows this. That's why Jesus died for you. And despite your failings, God predestined you to be adopted as His child. He did this out of his unconditional love for you, and gifted you His Righteousness 'freely'.

Freedom

I often wonder whether we Christians enjoy our relationship with God. Whilst this may sound a tad absurd it's actually an important question to ask ourselves.

Do I enjoy my relationship with God?

Or better still, who is God to me?

Is He someone I feel obliged to worship and obey for fear of the consequences of not doing so?

Or 

Is He someone I worship and obey so that I can have a good life - to be blessed.

Thankfully God's Grace covers all things, so either way is okay.

But are either of the above reasons healthy?

In other words do we feel free, or shackled by a never-ending fear of failure, in our quest for God to be at peace with us?

The dictionary says that freedom is 'the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.'

Do we feel free with God?  Or are we more or less imprisoned in our fear of disobeying God's commandments / laws, and thereby incurring His wrath?

I hazard a guess to say that many of us are living in 'fear' of what might happen if we disobey God's commandments. In other words our constant efforts / works to attain righteousness have actually placed us in a surreal state of imprisonment. 

We are imprisoned by our fears of what might or might not happen if we fall short of God's righteousness / commandments.

I won't keep you too long this morning. Indeed I've realised that just as it took Jesus to open my eyes in order to fully understand Grace it will be the same for you. 

I have being hearing the message of grace for many years; read a number of books on it. I had even written about it several times. But my eyes only opened properly in July, this year. Until July, though I liked the sound of the message, and although I loved to write about it, I wasn't really living it. I simply couldn't fully flow with the notion that Christ has done everything to attain my righteousness. The common sense, or better still, the pride in me refused to accept that no works / effort was required from my side.

So no matter how eloquently I write, unless Jesus says it's time for you to understand, ain't nothing gonna happen. But believe me, That time will come sooner rather than later. And I can't wait till it does; to see that big beaming smile on your face - That smile that says 'hey, I can't believe how much God loves me - how wonderfully loved and blessed I am - how amazingly righteous I am.'

There is nothing more powerful than the realisation of your perfect Righteousness through Jesus Christ. The moment you accept that Christ makes you righteous, the fears, condemnation, and guilt instantly begin to fall by the wayside. 

Trust me, it will definitely happen. 

But until then I'm going to play my part, and simply point out some verses in the bible to you.

Let's look at two verses this morning.

1. 'Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and saught to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.'

Romans 10 vs 8

In other words, like I did for many years, rather than accept that Christ makes me righteous - that He has already done everything to make me righteous - many of us simply cannot fathom being in Right Standing With God without our own works/ efforts.

Christ makes you righteous. Not your works/ efforts.

2. 'Did you receive the spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?'

Galatians 3 vs 3

Grace and works do not go together. If they did, then grace (Unmerited Favour) wouldn't really be grace, and Christ needn't have come in the first place.

Grace, through our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour is what has ALREADY attained our Righteousness; not our works / efforts.

Ask Jesus to give you a deeper understanding of grace this morning. 

There is no greater blessing, no greater power, and no greater joy than the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.