Grace is Better - Acts 20:32
March 19, 2023
donuts are good… but DP and Snickers are better… the law is good… but grace is so, so, so much better… grace brings goodwill, kindness, love… freedom, favor, forgiveness… power, healing, prosperity… assurance, confidence, strength…
grace is God blessing you for no other reason than He loves you… grace is Jesus…
Rom 7:12… “the law is holy, righteous, and good…”
Acts 20:32… “commit you to grace… to build you up… give you an inheritance…”
1Cor 15:10… “by grace I am what I am…”
2Cor 4:15… “as grace spreads… thanksgiving increases to the glory of God…”
Eph 1:7… “we have forgiveness of our sins… according to the riches of grace…”
Eph 2:5-7… “saved by grace… display His immeasurable riches of grace…”
1Pet 1:13… “set your hope completely on grace… brought by revelation of Jesus…”
charis… that which affords joy, pleasure, delight; goodwill, favor; kindness of God which turns people to Christ, keeps, strengthens, and increases them in faith, love, and knowledge…
not everyone thinks grace is better… Christian magazine listed 8 signs of Hyper Grace churches… wasn’t positive… complete misunderstanding of grace…
1. pastor never preaches or takes a stand against sin
2. lead pastor never takes a cultural stand for righteousness… and condones abortion
3. OT is almost totally ignored
4. people who live immoral lives are allowed to teach and lead ministries
5. lead pastor often speaks out against the institutional church
6. lead pastor preaches against tithing
7. lead pastor preaches only motivational messages… doesn’t preach whole counsel of God
8. key members of the church regularly live sinful lives, exempt from punishment
Rom 5:20… “the law came along so that sin might increase…”
1Cor 15:56… “the strength of sin is the law…”
Jude 1:4… “ungodly people say God’s grace allows us to live immoral lives…”
what do real hyper-grace churches look like… what makes grace better…
Preach Nothing But Jesus
grace is better because it is all about Jesus… understands we don’t need more rules and regulations, but a revelation of the One who fulfilled them for us… in Him or in Christ used over 3500 times in almost 1800 verses… greatest need is Jesus…
Rom 3:24… “justified freely by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…”
Rom 6:11… “consider yourself dead to sin… alive to God in Christ…”
Rom 8:1… “therefore, there is now no condemnation in Christ…”
Rom 8:39… “nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ…”
2Cor 1… “we have put our hope in Him… every promise is Yes, in Him…”
Eph 1… “chose us in Him… holy and blameless in Him… forgiveness in Him… in Him you have received an inheritance… in Him you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…”
Phil 4:19… “God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ…”
Col 2… “in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom… continue to live in Him…”
2Pet 1:1-3… “everything required for life is found in the knowledge of Him…”
Reveal God as Father
grace is better because it reveals a Father who loves you… cares for you… wants you to come home and be blessed… world needs that more than anything… that changes hearts and minds… not more rules… best pic of Dad comes from Jesus…
Matt 6:25-34… “your Father knows you need these things…”
Luke 11:2… “whenever you pray… Father, your name be honored as holy…”
Luke 12:32… “don’t be afraid… your Father delights to give you the kingdom…”
John 14:20… “I am in my Father… you are in Me… and I am in you…”
John 16:27… “for the Father Himself loves you…”
Rom 8:15… “you received Spirit of adoption… by whom we cry, Abba, Father…”
Heb 1… “the Son is the exact representation… of God the Father…”
pater… thru Christ, we have been exalted to an intimate relationship with God and no longer dread Him as a stern judge, but revere Him as a reconciled and loving Father…
If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he knows of God as his Father. If this is not the thought that controls his whole life, he does not understand it very well at all. Everything that Christ taught… all that makes the NT better than the OT is summed up in the knowledge of God as Father. —JL Packer
Value the Law
grace is better because true grace churches actually use the law correctly… for what God intended… not for the righteous, but the ungodly… to point us to Jesus…
Rom 3:31… “do we nullify law by faith… absolutely not… we uphold the law…”
Rom 7… “I delight in God’s law… who will rescue me… Jesus Christ our Lord…”
Rom 10:4 AMP… “Christ is the end of the law [limit at which it ceases to be]…”
Gal 3:19-26… “law was our guardian to lead us to Christ… be justified by faith…”
1Tim 1:8-11… “law is good when used correctly… not meant for righteous… but lawless, rebellious, ungodly, sinful, unholy, sexually immoral… that conforms to the gospel…”
Obedience is a Fruit
grace is better because obedience doesn’t come from have to… but want to… our obedience is a fruit of His love for us… not a root of our love for Him… and if we truly desire obedience… doesn’t come from effort… but knowing you’re forgiven…
Luke 7:36-50… “which loves more… the one He forgave more… her many sins are forgiven, that’s why she loved much… one forgiven little, loves little…”
John 14:15… “if you love Me… you will keep My commands…”
John 15:9… “as the Father has loved me… I have loved you… remain in my love…”
Rom 1:5… “grace brings about… the obedience of faith…”
Live Godly Lives
grace is better because it empowers us to live godly lives and not be slaves of sin… not look at what you did… but look at what He did… approach throne, not hide…
John 16:8-11… “HS… convicts believer… about righteousness…”
Rom 6:14… “sin will not rule… because you are not under law… but under grace…”
Heb 4:16… “approach throne of grace with boldness… receive mercy and grace…”
Titus 2:11-14… “grace instructs us… to deny sinful pleasures… live godly lives…”
His Faithfulness
grace is better because it focuses on His faithfulness, not ours… total, complete unending confidence, not fear, knowing it’s His responsibility to keep us secure…
grace is better simply because it’s all about Jesus… that’s all we need… pray…
1Cor 1:8-9… “He will keep you strong till the end… blameless… because He is faithful…”
2Cor 1… “God makes us stand firm in Christ… sealed us with HS as guarantee…”
2Tim 2:13… “if we are faithless… He remains faithful…”