Let Us Have Grace

[00:00:00] Something that struck me in our lesson today, a couple of things. I had to think how very similar David's experience and Eve's experience were. Eve and Adam and Eve were given to eat of all the trees of the garden, but this one tree they couldn't eat of. [00:00:37] David was blessed with all kinds of things, and that's one of the things Nathan pointed out to him. God blessed you with so many things, so many opportunities, so many blessings. But there was one thing that David wanted that God said he couldn't have And I had to think how all sin comes under two categories One is we either want something that we think that's been held back from [00:01:13] God has either not given us something that we ought to have or He's given us something that we don't need or don't want. You think about that. I don't know if I'd ever thought about it quite in that way before, but you think about that. Every sin that comes into our lives is either one of those two categories. We either have something that we don't think we need or want or we want something that we don't have. [00:01:47] In either case, what we do is, we despise God. Nathan said to David, you've despised me. In other words, we tell God that he just doesn't know how to handle our lives. And that's where sin is. So I don't know, I thought that was something that kind of stood out to me that I don't know if I really saw in that sense before. [00:02:22] I want to turn over to the book of Hebrews again today, chapter 12. I want to read the last portion of this chapter, starting in verse 22. But ye are come unto Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels. Now, let me just explain something real quickly here. Before this, he's talked about Moses receiving the Ten Commandments and the law. [00:03:00] Now he says, but, and but tells us there's a change. There's something different going on. You've come to Mount Zion, not to the mount where the Ten Commandments were given. You've come unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and an innumerable company of angels. And pay attention here because he builds on this. [00:03:32] To the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn Who's the Firstborn? Jesus The General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn Which are written in heaven And to God the Judge of all And to the spirits of just men made perfect And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant And to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel See that ye refuse not him that speaketh, for if they escape not who received him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. [00:04:17] Who spoke on earth? God did. God came down on earth and gave to Moses the Ten Commandments. And if you go back and read before this, you'll be reminded of how scary that was. If they escape not him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. Whose voice then shook the earth, it actually, I mean the mountain shook like an earthquake when God spoke at Mount Sinai. [00:04:59] But now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And he says, And this word, yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, or that can be shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Now, he uses a lot of words here, and you want to pay attention to what he's saying. [00:05:30] He's saying, okay, all the things that happened when God gave the law to Moses were very important, they were scary, they were awesome, they spoke of the greatness of God, and so on. But he's saying, now look, we're beyond that. God didn't speak on earth, he had spoken on earth, but now he's spoken from heaven. And he says, yet once more, in other words, there's one more thing that's going to happen, and that's it. [00:06:11] And he says, yet once more I'm going to shake the earth and the heavens. And in doing that, those things that can be shaken, those things that are shakable, are going to be removed. That's what happens in an earthquake, right? The things that are shakable are taken away. Chad and Jenny know well about that. [00:06:42] I see him shaking his head. Yeah, it's a big deal. And he says, the reason for that is so that those things that cannot be shaken will stand, will remain. So there's, you know, this shaking that goes on removes a lot of things, but it also displays some things. And when everything's said and done, you realize, oh, there's something that can't be shaken. [00:07:16] Now, look what he says in verse 28. Wherefore, now, when you see a wherefore or a therefore, you stop to see what it's there for. So he's building on all of this and he says, because we receive in a kingdom which cannot be moved, that that that cannot be shaken. It's not going to be changed. It's not like in chapter 1 where he talks about a vesture, a garment that he folds up and puts away and gets another garment. Because we've received a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. [00:08:01] For our God is a consuming fire. I want to focus this morning on this, let us have grace. Just some questions to ask ourselves this morning. How would you go about pleasing God? What would you think would be the best way for you to please God? [00:08:36] If we crawled on our hands and knees for a hundred miles, or slept on a bed of nails, or, you know, what kind of things would impress God? Secondly, what can you do to take care of your sin or your sins? What can you do? Can you offer sacrifice? Can you dialogue with God, talk with God, and you can work out this whole thing of sins? [00:09:15] And then the last question, since God has done the impossible for us, But shouldn't we take the greatest care to serve Him as He desires? That's a question that this portion is raising for us. Now I want us to just notice just a little bit here what this passage is saying. I want us to just look at some words. Let us have grace. [00:09:46] That let us have there is telling us that we need to hold to. We need to hang on to grace. That's important for us. Now, what is grace? Grace is a benefit or a favor. That's the simple meaning of grace. A benefit or a favor. This is direct from Strong. So you can look that up. There's quite a number of words that are used there. [00:10:18] We hear the term God's riches at Christ's expense as an acronym for grace. And that's good. It includes some things. Grace is unmerited favor. We hear that sometimes. It's a benefit or a favor that we don't deserve. So he says, let us hold on to grace. Because we've received a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us hold on to grace, whereby we may serve, and that's just simply as a servant, an attitude of worship, that we may serve Him acceptably, and that has the idea of pleasing Him well. [00:11:07] All. We're going to serve God acceptably, in other words, in the way that he's going to be happy with, that he's going to be pleased with. With reverence, that has the idea of awe, and this is the only place where this Greek word is used in the New Testament. and with godly fear. That has the idea of proper caution. So he's given us a number of things here. He's telling us that because of what we have, there's some motivation there. [00:11:45] There's a proper way to do things and there's an improper way to do things. One of the things that's happened is that people have come to an improper way of doing things And so Paul is writing this, the writer, if you don't agree with me that it's Paul, that's fine But the writer is talking to us about how things need to be done because of what God has done for us Now, how can I please God? [00:12:18] Micah 6, 6-8 says Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body? [00:12:50] for the sin of my soul? He's asking that question. How are we going to please God? What are we going to do that makes God happy? That satisfies God? And then he says, He showed thee, O man, what is good. What doth the Lord require of thee? What's going to please Him? But to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. Now, I'd like to just look back. There's some Old Testament people that found favor with God. [00:13:25] And I think this is interesting. Over in Genesis chapter 6, verse 8, Noah. It says there very specifically, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Why? Why? Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord? Marjorie says that he obeyed, right? [00:14:02] We don't know what Noah did before that, do we? He obeyed afterwards. He built the ark. What did Noah do before that? We don't know. We're not told. Did Noah always obey? No. Noah messed up after he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. I want us to notice something, and that is, what is grace? Unmerited favor. [00:14:39] Are we here today because we've pleased God so well that He's given us His grace? Or are we here today because God has given His grace and we've responded to that grace? There's a lot of difference. The second one that I'd like to notice is Moses. A couple of places here, Exodus chapter 33, verses 12 through 17. Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people, now as not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. [00:15:16] Yet thou sayest I know thee by name and thou also hast found grace in my sight Moses was having a little struggle there He said God you're not telling me everything I don't know who you're sending with me But you've told me I found grace in your sight Now therefore I pray thee If I've found grace in your sight Show me now thy way that I may know thee That I may find grace in thy sight And consider that this nation is thy people And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. [00:15:50] And Moses said to him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. So Moses recognized that God's grace upon them would have some earmarks. [00:16:22] And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. That's beautiful, isn't it? God says, Moses, you've found grace in my sight. Now, why did Moses find grace in God's sight? Why do you think that God chose Moses to lead the children of Israel? [00:16:55] Was it because Moses had done so well? He was such a great leader? I mean, he's the one that went down there and killed that Egyptian that was bugging the Hebrew guy. Okay, he was an excellent leader, right? Is that why God chose him? No, he chose him by grace. You found grace in my sight. You found favor in my sight. Now, over in Judges chapter 6 verse 17, Gideon found grace in the sight of the Lord and he said unto him, it's Gideon talking to the angel, [00:17:36] If now I have found grace in thy sight, show me a sign that thou talkest with me. Ruth is one that found grace. This isn't directly related to God, but it comes out, it gives us a good point. Ruth chapter 2 verse 10, she fell on her face, this is talking to, I was going to say it's Boaz, but I don't think it is. You have to look and see who she's talking to here, I can't remember right off hand. [00:18:09] She fell on her face, bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger? I believe it is Boaz. And so she recognized that she had found grace. She was a stranger. He knew nothing about her whatsoever except who her mother-in-law was. That's the only thing he knew about her. He didn't know what kind of a person she was, whatever. But she found grace in his sight. [00:18:40] And that was amazing to her. How have I found grace in your sight? Last one I want us to notice is the Israelites. Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 2 Thus saith the Lord, the people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. Never think about the wilderness as grace, do you? He said that the rest of the people, after those people died in the wilderness, the rest of the people found grace in the wilderness. [00:19:16] Alright, in the New Testament, now we want to look at a number of things. First of all, salvation is by grace. And I want us to get this. Let's go to Acts chapter 15, 11. How are Jews and Gentiles both saved? But we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they. [00:19:48] The we and the they is the Jews and the Gentiles. We believe that we'll both be saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Now, go over to Ephesians chapter 2, verses 7 to 9. Familiar verses, but I want us to look at this because this is the key of what he's talking about here in Hebrews chapter 12. There's so much in these verses, we're not looking at what all is in here, we want to notice one thing. [00:20:22] He says that in the ages to come, and you wonder what we're going to do in heaven? Here's one of the things that's going to happen. That in the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Jesus Christ. How long do you think it's going to take God to show us the exceeding riches of His grace? [00:20:54] It's going to take ages. We don't even begin to comprehend the exceeding riches of His grace. Now, let's read verse 8 together. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Let's read it again. For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. [00:21:30] How are we saved? By grace. By grace. Now the next verse says very specifically and plainly, not of works lest any man should boast. And Paul goes to great lengths to talk about this. He says, look, if you were saved by your works, then you could talk about how good you are. And then it's no longer grace because you deserve it. Grace is undeserved. Who is saved today because you deserved it? Come on. Somebody here has got to be saved because you deserve it. No. We're not saved because we deserve it. We're saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. [00:22:26] And that's such an important thing for us to understand. It's the only way that we're saved. And so one of the things that Hebrews, the arguments that he's presenting there, one of the things that's happening there is that he's saying, look, here was the law. Here was the old covenant. Here's how things were done back then. Those things did not save. Don't try to hang on to them. Don't try to bring them in, into grace, because they don't fit. [00:23:06] Those are things that could be shaken, even though God put them there, even though they were important, even though they had their place, even though they brought us to Christ, they are not part of where we live now. So, you know, there's lessons to learn. There's principles that are there. I'm not throwing away the Old Testament. Don't misunderstand me. But the argument that he brings here is, look, there was the law. [00:23:37] There was the shaking and the quaking on Mount Sinai. There was the fear that fell on the people. There was all those things. But he says, but ye are come. You're come to something different. Now let us have grace. Then in Titus chapter 2 verse 11, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. I think it's important for us to recognize that very specifically. [00:24:11] Now, obviously, grace can be twisted. Jude, verse 4, For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. In other words, they say, we have grace, that means we can do whatever we want. We have God's favor. He's given us His favor while we were sinners, so we might as well sin because we get His favor there. No. They deny the only Lord God and the Lord Jesus Christ. [00:24:52] Grace can be twisted. And you can go through the scripture and you can look at that. Paul says, shall we sin that grace may abound? God forbid. Are we trying to multiply God's unmerited favor to us because we sin more and more so that he can show us more and more of his unmerited favor? No. We've received His favor and we respond in love and worship and adoration. [00:25:26] Secondly, grace can be fallen from. We can go from favor to disfavor. Hebrews chapter 12, this very chapter back in verse 15. Looking diligently lest any man fall from the grace of God or fail of the grace of God. And he goes on and talks here. So we've got to recognize that grace can be fallen from. We can come into disfavor with God if we choose to ignore the favor that He's shown us. [00:26:04] You know, you look at it this way. Suppose you and I were born in a third world country and we had absolutely nothing. We didn't even have enough to eat every day. Had only the clothes that were on our back. Had a little, maybe some cardboard or something to live under and sleep under at night with our family. And someone came in, a wealthy businessman from some other part of the world came in, and for no obvious reason at all, he picked us. [00:26:48] And he took us and gave us everything he had. A wonderful house, all the food, all the clothes, all the money we wanted, we could have whatever we wanted. Now, if we responded to that by misusing it, by going around talking bad about him, by doing those kind of things, how long do you think that's going to go on? [00:27:22] Do you think that favor is going to continue? Do you think that wealthy man is going to say, that's fine, it doesn't really matter, I'm just giving you what I have? No, we would fall into disfavor. And so that's a possibility. Grace can also be frustrated. That word frustrated means cast off or despised or rejected. In Galatians chapter 2 verse 21, Paul says, I do not frustrate the grace of God. And look what he says, how we frustrate the grace of God. [00:27:58] For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. I've frustrated the grace of God. I've cast it off. I've rejected it. If we're able by keeping the law to obtain salvation, then grace is no more grace. How are we saved? By grace through faith. [00:28:33] By grace through faith. And Paul says here specifically, I frustrate the grace of God when I look to the law for righteousness. Because righteousness doesn't come by the law. It only comes by Jesus Christ. And so by trusting Him, I accept the grace that God has bestowed upon me. Now, grace comes to us through Jesus Christ. [00:29:08] 1 Corinthians 1, verse 4 I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. When did Christ die for us? While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [00:29:39] That's what grace is all about, right? We didn't deserve Him to die for us. We didn't deserve for Him to come here to earth and be a sacrifice for our sin. to be our sin offering. We didn't deserve that. He didn't come here because we were such great people and we had responded so well. No. It was while we were yet sinners. Before we had responded to God's offer of grace and salvation. [00:30:12] And so it's the grace of God which is given to us through Jesus Christ or by Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ That though He was rich Yet for your sakes He became poor That you through His poverty might be rich You see how that works? God has bestowed grace on us through Jesus Christ [00:30:46] So that we could be taken from our sin From our poverty from the wretched condition that we were in and brought up to be useful vessels in the household of God. 1 Timothy 1, verse 14 The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Jesus Christ. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant. [00:31:18] Now, I like that. I like the way Paul uses all those descriptive terms. He could have just talked about the grace of our Lord, but he said the grace of our Lord was abundant. What's abundant? Is it just enough to get by? Abundant is more than enough, right? Why? If we have an abundant crop, we've got more than we need. It's a good crop. But he doesn't just say abundant, he says exceeding abundant. Way beyond abundant. Way beyond that. [00:32:07] The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 9 We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. [00:32:40] Did you ever think about that? That Jesus was able to suffer death, to taste death by grace, by the favor of God? How does that look like favor? that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Now, I want us to notice something. Grace is intended for everyday life. [00:33:12] Grace isn't just something that we receive from God as salvation, but it's something that enters into everyday life and experience. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 10. Here's what Paul said. The Apostle Paul, all he'd done, all he'd experienced, here's what he said By the grace of God, I am what I am By the grace of God, I am what I am Why are you what you are today? [00:33:46] How'd you get there? No matter where you are, what you have is because of the grace of God, right? Even if we're not saved, we are blessed because of the grace of God, right? I think we need to recognize that. His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain, But I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. [00:34:22] You see how grace affected the everyday life of the Apostle Paul? Grace was poured out upon him. God poured out His grace upon Saul on the way to Damascus one day. And Saul didn't just sit back and say, Man, I love this thing of grace. It is so good. It is just wonderful. It has changed my life. And just sit there and say that over and over to himself. [00:34:53] No. He said the grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain. That grace moved me. It motivated me. It compelled me. It pushed me to respond. And I was able to accomplish, by the grace of God, I was able to accomplish a lot. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 12 For our rejoicing is this, again the Apostle Paul, our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience [00:35:30] that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we had our conversation in the world, our lifestyle, the way we lived in this world was by the grace of God and more abundantly the you word. Grace is intended for everyday life. [00:36:00] And then he writes about it in 2 Thessalonians 1 verse 12 where he says that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus' name is glorified in us as we accept his grace. As we accept His grace, His name is glorified. [00:36:32] That's important for us. It's something that we need to get a hold of. The grace of God is bestowed upon us because it's grace. It's not because of us. Get over it. God didn't have His grace bestowed upon you because of who you are. It's because of Him and who He is. And that causes us to respond and it causes us to affect our world in a positive way because of the grace of God. [00:37:09] God's grace is intended to benefit others. It's intended for everyday life, but it's also intended to benefit others. 1 Peter 4, verse 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Now, if we really appreciate the grace that God has given us, then he says we're going to minister the same to others. [00:37:50] Why do we work together as brothers and sisters in the church? Because I do so good and you do so good? No. We do it because of grace. And as we experience that grace, we share that grace. No, you said something that you shouldn't have said. You don't deserve. Me to treat you well. I said something to you that I shouldn't have said. I don't deserve your kindness. But because we receive grace, we minister the same to one another. [00:38:36] I think we do well to stop and think about how gracious we are. It really tells us more about how much we appreciate the grace of God than we stop and think a lot of times. Wherefore, we receive in a kingdom which cannot be moved [00:39:09] In other words, and I want us to understand this What the apostle is saying here is Look, God has given his final opportunity to mankind If we reject his grace given through Jesus Christ There is no more opportunity There's not going to be another, God doesn't have some other option waiting in the wings. This is it. [00:39:42] That which cannot be moved. It's not going to be shaken, it's not going to be changed. This is it. God's final option. What else could He do? You stop and think about this. If we don't receive grace from Him, what else could He do? What other option is there? What's the next step? There is not only judgment. Grace. [00:40:14] Cherish it as the most valuable possession you will ever receive. The grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men. For by grace are ye saved through faith, not of yourselves, lest any man should boast Not of works, lest any man should boast Let's stand together for prayer [00:40:46] Our Father, we're moved as we stop and think of the manifold grace, the exceeding abundant grace that You've shown to us, the riches of Your grace, the vastness, Lord. And we look forward to that time in eternity When you will spend ages with us, showing us those exceeding riches of your grace and your kindness toward us through Jesus Christ. [00:41:26] Lord, I pray that you help each one of us to understand clearly that it's not by works of righteousness that we're saved. It's not by keeping the law. All, it's not by knowing a lot of things, but Lord, the only hope that we have in life is for you to pour upon us your grace. [00:42:01] Help us also to see, dear Lord, that we can waste that grace. You've given us that grace so that we can share it with others So that we can tell others of the opportunity they have for grace And I pray that you help us to do that well We just thank you and praise you for what you've done for us We pray it in Jesus' name, Amen