For a few moments we’re going to look at grace…the absolute free expression of God’s lovingkindness to us…totally undeserved, unearned, and unmerited on our part. To start off I think Paul said it best, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” Think about it, without the grace of God where would you be today? Without His lovingkindness directing you, would you have taken a totally different path and ended up somewhere that you never intended to go? For it’s only by His grace that sin is no longer our master, for we are no longer under the Law, but under grace. (Romans 5:20-21) Our standing before God now resting in the righteousness of Jesus not in our meager attempts to keep the Law. But why does God do this? It says in Ephesians 2:7 that so “God might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Jesus Christ.” What encouragement! So “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) Confident that by His grace we can find support to sustain us and mercy for forgiveness. This grace can be summed up in II Thessalonians 2:16-17 when Paul wrote, ” May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, Who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
Safetypinlove 