Vision & Values 3 – Grace
Devotions - Week 3
A people of Grace
Key Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 4:6-7, Matthew 18:21-35
Ephesians 2 verses 1-10 is one of the great levellers of the New Testament. You do not need to be a biblical scholar to understand it – though a bit of study will help you with some of the beautiful nuances. But at first reading it leaves you in no doubt as to its meaning.
We were dead in our sin – unresponsive to the majesty of God. Lost in our own selfishness. There was no hope!
But God – who is rich in mercy has made us alive in Christ!!
The richness and generosity of God is brought to bear against my spiritual poverty. I am transformed by the grace of God. The grace of God secures my salvation and holds my salvation secure – wow.
But what next? If God has done it all and will not go back on his word – what is to stop me heading back to my selfish life? The scandal of grace is such that we really should be left asking this question. Paul pre-empts, or is possibly responding to, this question when he writes in Romans 6:1
We were dead in our sin – unresponsive to the majesty of God. Lost in our own selfishness. There was no hope!
But God – who is rich in mercy has made us alive in Christ!!
The richness and generosity of God is brought to bear against my spiritual poverty. I am transformed by the grace of God. The grace of God secures my salvation and holds my salvation secure – wow.
But what next? If God has done it all and will not go back on his word – what is to stop me heading back to my selfish life? The scandal of grace is such that we really should be left asking this question. Paul pre-empts, or is possibly responding to, this question when he writes in Romans 6:1
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:1-4
No we are saved by grace such that we become a people of grace. Grace for ourselves, grace for one another and grace for those still to discover the grace of God.
Grace for ourselves both protects us from guilt which can only disempower us and from sin which damages us. It is grace that reminds us there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) and it is grace that equips us to say no to sin (Titus 2:11-12).
Grace for ourselves both protects us from guilt which can only disempower us and from sin which damages us. It is grace that reminds us there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) and it is grace that equips us to say no to sin (Titus 2:11-12).
Apply
- What do you think is the difference between guilt and the conviction of the Holy Spirit?
- Read Titus 2:11-12 – how does grace help us say no to sin and grow in us the fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)?
- How might a study of 2 Timothy 1:7 help?
We do not just need to apply grace to ourselves, we need grace for each other. We will fail – failure is part of life until Jesus returns. Sometimes our failures are small and inconsequential, sometimes they have huge impact. What is often true is that the big failures, especially with regard to the big three of Money, Sex and Power, are often a result of lots of small failures that we were not honest about.
As a pastor it breaks my heart when I meet with people whose big mistakes have now become public and they are now in a seemingly impossible position. I want to ask them, and sometimes I do, “why didn’t you talk to someone earlier”. Often the unspoken answer is that they feared how they would be received. This is a tragedy. Grace does not give us permission to deliberately fail, but it should absolutely give us permission to talk about it when we do.
We must not cheapen grace by choosing to sin because we are banking of forgiveness – but even if we do a truly grace filled community will create a culture whereby we can confess without fear of condemnation, exposure, judgement or gossip. We honour one another by being honest and accountable – but we surround people with grace. It is only by building this sort of grace filled community that we will be able to welcome people from all parts of society in the way that Jesus did.
As a pastor it breaks my heart when I meet with people whose big mistakes have now become public and they are now in a seemingly impossible position. I want to ask them, and sometimes I do, “why didn’t you talk to someone earlier”. Often the unspoken answer is that they feared how they would be received. This is a tragedy. Grace does not give us permission to deliberately fail, but it should absolutely give us permission to talk about it when we do.
We must not cheapen grace by choosing to sin because we are banking of forgiveness – but even if we do a truly grace filled community will create a culture whereby we can confess without fear of condemnation, exposure, judgement or gossip. We honour one another by being honest and accountable – but we surround people with grace. It is only by building this sort of grace filled community that we will be able to welcome people from all parts of society in the way that Jesus did.
Apply
- How do you think we build an even more gracious community? (Matthew 18:21-35)
- How do we develop greater levels of vulnerability and authenticity that enable all of us to be honest about our challenges?
- Think about your conversations about spiritual disciplines – how grace filled were you able to be with yourself and with others?
This Everyday Devotions was written by Simon Elliott, our Lead Elder.
If you would like to listen to the whole of this week’s sermon on Vision & Values 3 why not download the Everyday Church App or visit our website, YouTube Channel and at our Online Church Services.
This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.
Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.
If you would like to listen to the whole of this week’s sermon on Vision & Values 3 why not download the Everyday Church App or visit our website, YouTube Channel and at our Online Church Services.
This Everyday Devotions is accompanied by a devotional video that you can watch on our YouTube Channel.
Follow our Everyday Devotions Playlist for some songs to help you worship God in Spirit and truth this week.