Remarkable Grace Part 2
Even though Paul had suffered for the Lord, he wrote that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. According to Ephesians 6:16-20, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
Remarkable grace is given so that we can serve our Lord Jesus Christ from a heart of love. Jesus said, “in that you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.” Jesus prayed for the soldiers who nailed him to the cross…”Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
The theme of Ephesians 6 is the spiritual battle. Jesus said, “blessed are they when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, great is your reward in heaven.” Because of God’s remarkable grace, mercy, peace, love and wisdom, be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.
God’s remarkable grace is his divine favor given by the one who didn’t’ need to give it to the ones who didn’t deserve to receive it. There’s also one other type of grace where Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor (grace) with God and men.
Grace is the foundation of receiving God’s precious gift of holy spirt. This valuable gift of grace was paid for by the precious blood of his son, Jesus Christ.
What makes grace remarkable? Grace is only found in one religion, the truth of Christianity. After Jesus’ resurrection, grace was available as God’s gracious gift. However, the Pharisees thought that there was no such thing as grace. They thought that they were righteous in their own works. They thought everyone else deserved death and that they were the only ones who were righteous. They were filled with so-called righteous indignation. However, because of Jesus’ righteousness, by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.
According to Romans 3:23, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He died in our stead that we might live.
The world says, “God helps those who help themselves.” This is the doctrine of the Pharisees. They think that they’re righteous in their own works… that they’re justified by their own performance. They try to help themselves through their vain attempts to keep the letter of the Old Testament law. However, Jesus said, whoever breaks one law only once is guilty of breaking the whole law. The Old Testament Law convicts everyone of sin. For by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 8 says, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Is it Christ who justified, yea rather who rose from the dead? What shall separate us from the love of God? Shall persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Because of the love of God through his son Jesus Christ, we have been justified freely by his grace.
How shall we who have been saved from sin continue any longer therein? It’s not about us, it’s about him. It’s easy to become prideful because of our own natural abilities. However, He’ll break up our physical and natural so-called gifts so that we can rely on his ability, not ours. Thank God for breaking our hearts. For tribulation worketh patience and patience experience and experience hope. And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
Jesus came to set the captives free. He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. The ultimate freedom is in captivity to our master’s will. Make me a captive Lord and then I shall be free. When we confess Jesus is Lord, this means we are no longer our own. Salvation means that he’s lord not me. The ultimate freedom is doing the Master’s will. We’re set free when we make his delight our delight…. Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give the desires of thine heart.
The Apostle Paul said, “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” The sin nature that we inherited from Adam is contrary to the righteousness of God. The antidote to our sin nature is the spirit nature that we received when we accepted God’s gracious gift. Romans 8:1 says there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the flesh, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.
When a woman was caught in adultry, the Pharisees gathered around to convict her of her sins. They pronounced her guilty as charged and picked up stones to stone her. Jesus said to the crowd, “he who is without sin may cast the first stone.” Her accusers slinked away. He said to the woman, where are your accusers? She said, they’ve all gone. Jesus said, then neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.
1 John 5:13 says that we have his gift of eternal life. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”
Because of his amazing remarkable grace, we’ve been given his gift of eternal life, his Holy Spirit. We who were dead in trespasses and sins hath he made alive, for by grace are ye saved.
When we know him, we are his and he is ours. For he who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him….
…..That we may be to praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael