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Presented by Lisa Bishop
As we get started in talking about grace, I want to take you back to a hot summer day in the mid-80’s as I was entering my mid-teen years. I still get flashbacks from my spiral permed hair that blew away all height restrictions with the backcombing and amount of Aqua Net hairspray I used, but I digress. On this particular summer day, I was in the driveway of my childhood home, excited to wash my dad’s 1979 Oldsmobile. Now I know that may sound weird, actually enjoying washing a car, but for a little bit of backstory, my dad loved cars. Growing up, I would see him take meticulous care of them by washing and waxing them on a pretty regular basis. A clean car made my dad really happy. So, I was eager to get out my bucket of soapy water and pull out the long green garden hose to make the boxy, brown, five-seater, top-of-the-line car shine.
I didn’t have my driver’s license yet and had never driven, let alone been behind the wheel of a car. So, my dad pulled the car out of the garage and parked it in the driveway for me to wash while he did some gardening in the backyard.
There I was, lathering up my dad’s Oldsmobile, rinsing it off, and using old bath towels to dry it until it glimmered. I was so proud and even happier to know this was something that would mean a lot to my dad. To impress my dad a bit more, I thought it would be cool if I not only washed the car, but I parked it all by myself in the garage. Now mind you, on the other side of the garage was my dad’s prized possession, a 1969 Firebird convertible. Gold, with a white top, in mint condition, and perfectly polished. You can see where this story is heading.
I got behind the wheel of this brown boat of a car, aiming to park it in the garage when instead, I nervously drove it into the left side of the garage door. In a panic, my foot hit the gas, and I swerved to the right. I had managed not only to dent the right side of the car, but also to side swipe my dad’s precious convertible.
I know you are probably wondering, “What were you thinking?” Well evidently, I was not thinking clearly. At that point, I was completely freaked out and scared to death to tell my dad what had happened. I was worried he would be really mad at me.
In my hysteria, I found my mom. When—in the midst of hyperventilating—I told her what had happened, she said, “Don’t worry! Everything will be just fine.” And we proceeded to walk to the backyard together to tell my dad. When I told him what happened I will never forget what he said. “I love you, Lisa. It’s just a car. We can get it fixed. You are more important to me than a car.” In that moment I expected to get what I deserved—a tongue lashing for my carelessness and a life sentence to my bedroom. But that’s not what I received at all. Instead, I was the recipient of something powerful. The powerful and impactful gift of grace.
The grace my dad extended to me that day did something to my mind and heart that forever left an impression. It taught me, amongst many things, to value people over possessions. My dad’s selfless act was based on his character. He saw how fearful and upset I was, and he chose to respond with mercy and kindness rather than erupt and be rash with his words. When he could have punished me, instead he lavished me with love.
The concept of grace can be hard to grasp but it was made tangible on that hot summer day in 1984.
Ephesians 1:3-8 tells us about the grace that has been given to us in Christ.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.
This is a powerful reminder of the divine nature of God and the favor he has toward all who believe in Jesus Christ. All your sins and mishaps and mess-ups have been forgiven because as his kid. God gives you the riches of his grace. He doesn’t just sprinkle grace, he lavishes you. Lavish means “to furnish one richly so that he has an abundance.” It’s like paying for one scoop of your favorite ice cream and getting three scoops instead. Ok, that’s not a great analogy, but you get the point. We have such a scarcity mindset when it comes to grace because we base it on our performance or how “deserving” we are when God bases grace on how generous he is.
It reminds me of the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus tells the parable of a man who had two sons. The younger son basically asks his father for an advance on his share of the inheritance that would eventually come to him. It’s an odd and somewhat insulting request seeing that his father is still alive, and inheritances are received after someone dies. At any rate, the father divides his property and gives the younger son his half. The son blows all his inheritance in reckless living and finds himself broke. So, he decides to head back home and confess his sin against his father and against God. As he is approaching his father’s house, his father sees him from a distance, and filled with compassion, he runs to embrace his son. He proceeds to clothe his son in the best robe and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. He even brings the fattened calf to be slaughtered and holds a feast to eat and celebrate. He says, “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
Instead of getting what the younger son deserves, his father celebrates his son’s return and lavishes him in grace.
The grace of God was given to you as a gift when you put your trust in Jesus. No strings attached. As Jesus hung on the cross, he poured out his blood for you so that he could pour out his grace and favor on you. It is not because of your performance or perfection; it is a result of your position before God. Loved, justified, redeemed in Christ.
I know! It is so hard to grasp because we do not deserve it. All of the time, we fail and flub and downright disobey. But God is not waiting to punish you or condemn you. His forgiveness and grace never run out; they are free gifts that keep on giving.
This extravagant grace isn’t a favor you can achieve by being good; it’s the gift you receive by being God’s.
But that’s not the way things always were. Israel, God’s chosen people, lived under the Law—not under grace. Like us, they were disobedient, so God established the sacrificial system which included sacrificing an unblemished animal (Leviticus 1-7). The animal acted as a substitute, paying the price with its life for the person’s sin. This shedding of blood and death provided a symbolic way for their wrongdoing to be covered and forgiven.
But since it was humanly impossible to obey every aspect of all 613 commandments God handed down through Moses, God the Father graciously sent his Son Jesus to fulfill the Law for us through his death. Our Savior’s sinless life gives us permanent forgiveness because he died once, for all sins. When he shed his blood, Jesus covered your sin. The result—a personal relationship with God and an abundance of never-ending grace.
Is there an area of your life where you find it hard to receive God’s grace because you feel you don’t deserve it?
Can you imagine giving someone a gift for their birthday? You have spent months thinking of the perfect gift, and you are so excited for your friend to open it. Yet, when they do, they look at it, shrug, and toss it aside. We do that with God’s grace!
The best way to receive God’s grace is to thank him for it. I think we miss God’s grace because we tend to take things for granted, without even knowing it at times. We think good things that happen are mere coincidences, or we don’t stop to think about it being a result of God’s goodness. Anything good that happens in your life, whether it’s a new job, a promotion, getting assigned to an important project at work, or even a trial you may be facing is a place for God’s grace because he is with you. Grace is a result of God’s faithfulness. Stop and thank him! As a matter of fact, what can you stop and thank God for in this very moment? God’s provision is God’s grace.
God’s grace is also meant to train and motivate you to be godly and live a life of obedience to him. Grace is not something to take for granted or a license to sin. As the Apostle Paul declares in Romans 6:1, What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!
When you sin, be quick to confess, ask for forgiveness, and repent. To repent is to change your mind, to change your inner man. Which in essence means you have decided and are determined to turn your mind away from the sin and change your actions and desires to honor Jesus.
Grace is the greatest gift you and I have received. Grab it and take hold of it. As a follower of Jesus, just as you are a recipient of grace, that means you should also be known as a person quick to give grace to others. Yet, grace tends to be the least identifiable quality in Christians today. As an ambassador of Christ, you are called to live a grace-filled life and be an outpouring of kindness—God’s grace—to those around you. In your workplace, at home, in your small group, in your community, and yes, even when you are driving behind the wheel of your car in traffic. There are no grace shortcuts. You will fall short. But remember, there’s grace for that.
Whether you have been following Jesus for 2 months or 25 years, we all need reminders of the character of God and the privilege of being his sons and daughters. It’s one thing to know the truth of God’s Word; it’s quite another to live it, daily. We are all works in progress, but remember that from the overflow of his fullness you have received grace heaped upon more grace (John 1:16). In the day-to-day moments of life, ask the Holy Spirit to help you see, grasp, and be grateful for God’s grace.