THE GRACE EVERYONE NEEDS THAT ONLY GOD CAN GIVE
A Sunday Message
GLIMPSES OF THE AMAZING GRACE OF GOD
From Jerusalem to Galilee, the Lord manifested glimpses of HIS AMAZING GRACE through mighty works done to bless many people in their moments of serious need and desperation. These “signs and wonders” are previews of DIVINE FAVOR bestowed to an undeserving and incapable people.
He turned the water into wine when a wedding feast faced a desperate crisis of scarcity (John 2:1-11), He miraculously healed the son of an official from a distance (John 4:46-54) and restored a frustrated paralytic at the pool of Bethesda without any preconditions and demands (John 5:2-9), He provided free and abundant food to a hungry and exhausted people by multiplying the bread in the miracle of the loaves (John 6:2-13).
NOT UNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGE OF THE SIGNS
God was actually giving them a PREVIEW of how He will REDEEM an unworthy people BY HIS GRACE ALONE. Sadly, they were blind to the marvelous message that God was revealing because they never understood the significance of these miracles. (John 6:26)
We know this because when the Lord told them that they are not just to,”labor for the food that perishes, but FOR THE FOOD THAT ENDURES TO ETERNAL LIFE, WHICH THE SON OF MAN WILL GIVE“, they replied, “WHAT MUST WE DO, TO BE DOING THE WORKS OF GOD?
WRONG QUESTION FOR THE WRONG REASONS
In effect, Jesus is saying that HE IS GOD’S PROVISION. He is THE ‘FOOD FROM HEAVEN” THAT ENDURES FOR ETERNITY, sent from above AS A GIFT to those who will believe. But they cannot accept this marvelous FREE GIFT of salvation. They cannot understand how Jesus Christ can be the “Bread of Life” sent by God to save man from the eternal curse of spiritual death.
Why is that? because they will not accept the GRACE of God that NULLIFIES ANY HUMAN MERIT AND WORTHINESS to gain God’s favor. Man’s sinful and selfish nature wants to prove that he is deserving of God’s goodness and worthy of His love. There is something in all of us that desires to do good to make God indebted to us. (So that He will always provide).
This is the fatal error of religions people who are trying everything to gain salvation from God by their good and meritorious works. They are asking, “WHAT MUST WE DO, to be doing the works of God?” (John 6:28; Luke 18:18; Acts 16:30-31)
Strange question isn’t it? It is like asking, “What must a man do so that he can accomplish what only God can do?”
They were asking God with the wrong question and seeking Him for the wrong reasons. This is proof that they never understood the grace of God that provides eternal life. Therefore, they will not accept Jesus as God’s free gift to redeem them. Consequently, they can never be saved. Paul wrote about this:
Ephesians 2:7-9
So that in the coming ages HE MIGHT SHOW THE IMMEASURABLE RICHES OF HIS GRACE in kindness toward us IN CHRIST JESUS. FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH. And THIS IS NOT YOUR OWN DOING; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT A RESULT OF WORKS, so that no one may boast.
Titus 3:4-7
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, HE SAVED US, NOT BECAUSE OF WORKS DONE BY US IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS OWN MERCY, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR, so that being JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
THE PRODIGAL SON
In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus gave us the Parable of the prodigal son. It is a story of a son, who forced his father to give him a share of his property and “gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.” (Luke 15:13). When he lost everything, he ended up in poverty and tried to earn a living through humiliating labor. That is when he remembered his father and realized how he was so merciful even to their servants.
Luke 15:17-19
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “FATHER, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN AND BEFORE YOU. I AM NO LONGER WORTHY TO BE CALLED YOUR SON. TREAT ME AS ONE OF YOUR HIRED SERVANTS.” ’
In humiliation and sincere repentance, he decided to return to his father and SEEK HIS ACCEPTANCE BY TRYING TO DESERVE IT, no longer as a son but a dutiful servant. There is no place on earth safer and more secured than under the hand of his father.
But when the father saw him from a distance,
Luke 15:22-24
The father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
WE CANNOT EARN THIS MARVELOUS GRACE. WE CAN ONLY RECEIVE IT AS A GIFT if we return to God our Father in submission and true repentance. HE WILL RECEIVE US, RESTORE US AND REJOICE FOR HAVING US. This is the God that Jesus Christ is revealing about Himself to our world.
May we always rejoice in this amazing grace and remain faithful to the One who gave everything to save us.
Your Pastor (Jay-R Remorosa)