Is

Sufficient?

Gr a ce

Anthony C Sands

INTRODUCTION

Every Christian at some time or other, struggles with the concept of grace. You accept that it is by grace that you are saved by faith, but when it comes to how we actually live, and we see how many shortcomings we have - then you might not accept the fact that God can or will forgive you, and that He would still want to use you for His kingdom. So many beat themselves up and think that perhaps they need to work a lot harder for Gods favour and mercy. This is not a do what you want teaching, but it is designed to help you understand Gods grace and how it works through your life to others.

GRACE IS THE CHARACTER OF GOD

Grace is built into the very make-up of God. Many think of God as the one that punishes you every time you do something wrong, or that the ground will open and swallow you up. They even think that God puts disease on them for being disobedient! Although the Old Testament is filled with instances like that where the children of Israel were severely punished for their rebellion, we also catch a glimpse of Gods heart where He is filled with compassion and mercy. Remember that the Old Testament is a foreshadow of things to come. What you must understand is that God does not wish you bad, or waits for you to mess up so that He can punish you. But, His word helps us to understand His character.

But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He Psalm 78:38 turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath

The psalmist explains how God who at times punished disobedience - yet He showed compassion on them, forgiving them their sin. So even in this place of law, God gives us a glimpse of whats in His heart. Nehemiah is called by God to They refused rebuild the walls of Jerusato obey, and they were lem. His heart is for them not mindful of Your wonand their situation so much ders that you did among so that he weeps and fasts them. But they hardened when he finds out about their necks, and in their their plight. rebellion they appointed a He finds favour with the king, leader to return to their receives the material that he bondage. But you are God, needs, and the men to help ready to pardon, gracious him. and merciful, slow to anAfter building the walls, re- ger, abundant in kindness, storing their homes and and did not forsake place of worship, they gather them. together to seek the Lord confessing their sins. Read how they prayed in Nehemiah Chapter nine verse 17. Notice how they acknowledge their forefathers mistakes and their rebellion, and also the fact that God did not wipe them out - but that He was ready to pardon! Even though they hardened their necks and did things contrary to what God intended, yet He did not destroy them. That is why so many christians misunderstand grace. Because they think that the moment they mess up or feel that they have let God down through their disobedience, then immediately He is against them and will not

hear them or want to help them. You must understand that the character of God is one of grace. As long as you turn to Him and acknowledge your wrong, He is gracious and merciful and He will forgive you. You and I have access to the grace of God immediately! You dont have to wait days or even months. Some feel that they will have to do some spiritual things like praying more, fasting, or try to be good for as long as possible, then God will show them grace. Regardless of who you are, where you have been, or what you have done - Gods grace the Bible says, has appeared to all men. (Titus 2:11) We therefore need to ask ourselves some questions like; - How does His grace work? - Is His grace enough? - How does it manifest in the body of Christ? - Does the Church mirror this God kind of grace? And by addressing these real questions, we should through the revelation of Gods word, have a better understanding of His grace, and how it should work through our lives to others.

JONAH AND GRACE

To show you how Gods grace works, I want to highlight the story of Jonah, his attitude, and his actions compared to Gods. Definition of Grace Mercy, favour (n) Antonym (or opposite) Disfavour, mercilessness, unforgiveness Jonah has been asked by God to go and share the good news with the people of Ninevah. He is to tell them to turn from their wicked ways, to warn them of impending doom if they do not repent. Jonah does what a lot of us would do. He runs away from the task as he feels that they do not deserve Gods grace. In his mind they had done too much wrong to be given another chance. How many times has the Church reacted in the same way to those who have backslidden, made mistakes, thinking that they do not deserve to be given a second or a third chance in the Church! We acknowledge that God loves them, but we will not receive them. Jonah decided that it was going to be up to him whether they be given a chance to repent and to turn their life around. So he thinks that by running away from the job God has given him, that Ninevah will be destroyed and perhaps rightfully so.

You might be thinking that there are people you know that rightfully deserve to go to hell, or that they deserve all the pain they have - but you must know that you and I have the greatest opportunity to show them the grace of a loving Father who sent His only Son to die on the cross of calvary, so that they can be free from the curse of the law, and to receive His mercy and favour. Jonah gets given another opportunity to go, which he reluctantly does. To His amazement, the whole city repents after hearing his simple message. This angers Jonah and he complains to God. Listen to what he says in Chapter 4 verse 2. So he prayed to the Lord, and said, Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. So Jonah knew that the character of God was to show mercy and grace, yet he was not prepared to! The Church must be prepared to show this same kind of grace to others. We are NOT their judge! We do not decide whether they can be received in the Church or not, or whether they can be used by God or not. Our role is to be Christ-like and if people want to return to the Lord and therefore to the Church, then we must receive them and help them to be all that they can be for Him. God questions Jonahs attitude and asks him if it is right that he should be angry. This is too much for him, so much so, that he goes outside the city to go and sulk. The Bible says that he makes himself a shelter for shade,

sat under it and waited to see what would become of the city. The Lord is about to teach Jonah and us a lesson! God prepares a plant (chapter 4 verse 6) to be shade for his head and to stop him from being miserable. In the early morning God prepares a worm that damaged the plant so that it withered and could not provide shade for him when the sun came up. With the sun now beating on his head and feeling faint, Jonah again gets angry. God asks him, is it right for you to be angry about the plant? What you need to understand in this illustration is that Jonah was prepared to give the plant another chance to grow and to be of use for him, allowing him to take cover from the sun, yet he would not be prepared to give the people of Nineveh a chance to return to the Lord and to be used by God for His glory. But the Lord said, You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left - and much livestock. Some people show more grace to their dogs than they do to people! They treat their plants and material things far better than they treat Gods people. Gods grace is towards humans. It is for people that God sent His Son! How about us being a people of Godly grace again! You might not like some people, but God needs you to repent and show them how God can and wants to restore them.

WHAT IS GRACE OR FAVOUR?

favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the one who receives it and in spite of what that person deserves. Grace is one of the key attributes of God. Grace has nothing to do with works or the law. It is Gods umerited favour towards you and me. It is God providing space for you and me to be men and women of God. Godly opportunities can not be gotten by our works. Grace says be what you want to be, but be it in Me. Here are some definitions of grace; Grace = Accept dechomai Accepted apodechomai Acceptable - prosdechomai The Holy Spirit is the spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29). We must not turn Gods grace or favour into works. if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. Often times the Church preaches about grace, but expect the people to work for it through their financial giving, by their church attendance, and by being involved in various projects. This is not grace! When there is an expectation that to become a christian, or to see Gods blessings
Romans 11 : 6And

on my life, that I must perform in a certain way, or abide by a churchs culture - then it is NOT grace! Grace can never be measured by works! If you are a church leader, pastor, lifegroup leader, or a leader in any capacity where you are influencing people, then you must never ever expect those you lead to believe that they can only be blessed by fulfilling some religious rule or law and that grace is something you get when youve only made one mistake and no more. The apostle Paul quotes words And He said to me, by Jesus in the hope that we My grace is sufficient understand that Gods grace or for you, for My favour is more than enough for strength is made perus. For as often as I come to fect in weakness. Him in repentance and forgive(2 Corinthians 12:9) ness, He has room enough for me to come into His throne room and find Him to be a God that will forgive and offer me His favour. God has sufficient grace for as many people who would come to Him. And when we are in His presence and finding His favour, then we will also find strength for our times of weaknesses. To explain this further we need to look at some biblical examples of Gods grace or favour. In Genesis chapter 30 we read the story of Rachel who was married to Jacob (whose name was later changed to Israel). Rachel could not have any children and was envious of her sister who could. Her complaining and jealousy angered her husband Jacob. She then offers her maid Bilhah to Jacob who bears him a son (her second child)called Naphtali.

The picture of grace in this story is seen by the fact that Naphtali, who in reality is born out of wedlock (by the maid), yet he has access to the blessings of God as if he was a legitimate son. And of Naphtali he said: O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, And full of the blessing of the LORD, Possess the west and the south. (Deut. 33:23) What this means in practical terms is that even those we think do not deserve the grace or favour of God,that in fact they do! It is not only the learned, the bible students, those who flow in spiritual gifts, or the ones who abide by some leaders or churches perception of grace that are blessed by God. Isnt it good to know that regardless of your background, that you will find favour when you come to God. Another example of grace is seen in Mary, the virgin who gave birth to Jesus. We know nothing of Marys background other than that she was a peasant and a resident of Nazareth, a city of Galilee. She must have been of the tribe of Judah and therefore in the line of David (Luke 1:32), although the genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 do not say so, because they trace Josephs genealogy rather than Marys. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, or you have found favor with God. (Luke 1:30) Grace is an amazing thing and if understood and exercised we possibly could see more people accepting Jesus as Lord of their life, and working to extend the kingdom of God.

FROM FAITH INTO GRACE The words Amazing Grace was penned more than 300 years ago, and was never meant to be sung. Today, Amazing Grace is one of the worlds most familiar songs, and even fewer know the remarkable story of the man who wrote them. Grace as conceived in the hymn, is about the gifts of divine love, protection or mercy, especially when bestowed upon the undeserving. It is also difficult to imagine a person less deserving than the songs author John Newton. John Newton was born in London in 1725. His mother died when he was 7. His father, a ships captain, tried several times to arrange a career for him, but he consistently sabotaged all his fathers efforts. At the age of 17, while sneaking off to see a girlfriend, Newton was met by men gathering recruits for the English navy. He jumped ship in 1744, but was quickly recaptured and flogged. By sheer luck, he was traded into service aboard a slave ship, which took him to Sierra Leone, where his life was filled with abuse and despair. In 1748, John had a chance to escape and sail for home. The ship left Africa following the trade route to North America and then England. Nine days out to see they faced a violent north Atlantic gale that slammed into the ship.

The storm swept people overboard, and only a light cargo of beeswax held the leaking vessel afloat. Finding himself among the survivors, John Newton wondered why a man as wicked as himself had been spared. As the boat limped home, he began a slow spiritual awakening. He continued in the slave trade and was captain of a vessel by 1750. While home for a visit in 1754, he had a strange seizure and doctors told him not to return to sea. So, following his new faith, he studied for a career in the Church of England. He was ordained in 1764, and made a curate of Olney, a small rural town, where he wrote a hymn later known as Amazing Grace. John Newton wrote many hymns fro weekly services. In Newtons day, hymns were spoken and not sung. The hymns title has also changed. Newton called it Faiths Review and Expectation, and when he published it in a 1779 manual of hymns, he included a reference to 1 Chronicles 17:16-17.
1 Chronicles 17 : 16

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: Who am I, O LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servants house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O LORD God.

We know that faith is vital because the Bible says that without faith its impossible to please God. But this is not where it ends. Our faith in Jesus needs to be manifested and evidenced by grace. Grace is the acceptance of others even though they are different to you. It is allowing others to come into your life and relate and work together for a common purpose. Grace is the evidence of Gods love towards you and now extended through you to others. How many people do you know who are of faith yet never see any grace towards people in their lives? The Lord God is merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth (Ex. 34:6). Therefore, grace is almost always associated with mercy, love, compassion, and patience. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
Romans 4 : 16 Psalm 84 : 11

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, In the Old Testament, the supreme example of grace was the redemption of the Hebrew people from Egypt and their establishment in the Promised Land. This did not happen because of any merit on Israels part, but in spite of their unrighteousness (Deut. 7:78; 9:56). Although the grace of God is always free and undeserved, it must not be taken for granted. Grace is only enjoyed

within the COVENANTthe gift is given by God, and the gift is received by people through repentance and faith (Amos 5:15). Grace is to be humbly sought through the prayer of faith (Mal. 1:9).
Amos 5 : 15

Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the LORD God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
Malachi 1 : 9

But now entreat Gods favour, That He may be gracious to us. While this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favourably? Says the LORD of hosts. Grace is your ability to yield to the will of God and to the needs of others. You cannot reach your full potential through the works of the flesh, but understand that everything; salvation, healing etc is by grace through faith,

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
James 4 : 6

John 1 : 17

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble Let us consider some things grace does; 1. Grace justifies
Ephesians 2 : 8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9not

of works, lest anyone should boast.

By His favour when you as a sinner come to Him, that opens the door into his grace, or unmerited favour. 2. Grace provides access to God
Hebrews 4 : 16

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. He is a gracious God and coming to Him, you find that He has grace or favour towards you to help you in your time of need. 3. Grace helps you to love
Colossians 4 : 6

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. When you find it difficult to love, knowing Gods grace helps you to love others. 4. Grace helps in the time of weaknesses He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. You can only know His strength when you admit your weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 12 : 9And

WHOSE GRACE IS IT? I have found that we can so easily preach the message of grace, but find it difficult to show it. It begs the question whose grace is it? What I mean by this is that we offer grace, or acceptance to those only that fit into our culture, or because we like them. We will give them a second chance because they are willing to change. Understand that mans grace operates within the boundaries that they , the people or the organisation sets. Whereas Gods grace offers no boundaries. You might set the boundaries for grace, but His grace is sufficient. God does not want us to always go back into sin and waver in our faith. But when you come with repentance to Him, He is obligated by His word to accept you and to give you another chance to turn your life around. Men will never do that! If you fail one time too many, they dont want you or dont believe in you. Gods And the result is that you now have to work Grace or for their grace. You will have to perform in Mans a certain way that will give them the assurGrace? ance and peace of mind to accept you. And just maybe, they will believe enough in you to allow you to be involved in some area of ministry. Its important therefore to consider the scriptures as they help us to understand the outworking of grace.

Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? (Matthew 18:21) What a great question to ask! If we are anything like Peter we would also think that forgiving a person seven times is more than enough. Why? Because I dont have the same grace as Jesus. That is why we need to understand Gods grace and see it work out the way God intended. Jesus answered Peter in Matthew 18:22 saying. I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Wow! Thats tough! You mean to say that as often as a person comes to me to ask for forgiveness, I must show grace and forgive them? Yes! You dont understand how they hurt me? you might say. But if they come to you and ask for forgiveness, you are instructed by Jesus to do so, not just once, but seventy time seven, or 490 times! OUCH! Now you and I know that the likelyhood of a person sinning against you 490 times is very very high. That is a big ask, but it shows the amazing grace God Has and the extent to which we should allow His grace to flow through us. I suggest that you also read the parable Jesus gave immediately after he answered Peters question (Mattew 18:23-35).

As believers it is important therefore that as people of faith, that we move into grace. Not a grace based on mans understanding, but on Gods word. Our lives need to be a reflection of Christ, and showing grace to others is certainly a key a part of it. Showing grace does not mean that you get walked on by everyone. It does not make you a softy, or weak. In fact, it is completely the opposite. Grace allows you to love, show compassion, to forgive, and also to correct, help , and to support. And just in case you were undecided, Jesus confirms our need to forgive, or show grace to those offends us, or sins against us. Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins Luke 17:3-4 against you seven times in a day, and seen times in a day returns to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.

Therefore faith without grace is not an option. Let us walk in this grace that Jesus has shown towards us and still does, because we are not perfect and we all fall short of the glory of God.