Grace in the Middle Suffering

In Ephesians 3:1 Paul says that he is a prisoner and in Ephesians 3:2 he refers to the grace that God has given him.

Most of us would not connect being a prisoner with grace. Paul spent a lot of time in prison. He saw his time in prison because he was serving God as neither punishment nor discipline. He saw it as the natural consequence of serving Jesus in a fallen world. He saw his whole life as defined by God’s grace.

Grace according Philip Yancey is the “last best word”.

Grace is seen in all areas of life.

We say grace before a meal to acknowledge God’s provision.

In England the queen is referred to as “your grace”, acknowledging that as the queen, she shows love for all her people.

There are grace periods for credit cards, rental cars, and mortgages, meaning that there is a period of time after the payment is due when there will not be any penalties if the bill is paid.

In music there are things called grace notes. These are notes that are not essential to the melody but add to the impact and enjoyment of the music. If these notes are not included, they are missed.

Grace contains the essence of the gospel.

The great Christian revelations come not by the discovery of something that was not known before. They happen when somebody takes radically something that was always there.

Grace is not something invented by God at the cross. Grace was always there because God is grace. He shows His unearned love, mercy, and favor to every human being.

I love the grace moments we see clearly in scripture.

God appearing to Jacob at Bethel and promising to be with him, protect him, and return him to his home.

God taking care of and providing for Ruth and Naomi and giving them a kinsman-redeemer in Boaz.

God choosing David to be king even though David’s brothers were much more outwardly impressive than he was.

God dealing with Israel and Judah over decades of them obeying and then falling away and serving other gods.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is seeing God’s grace in the everyday things of life.

In the New Testament we have awesome pictures of God’s grace.

Four of them really speak to me about the extent of God’s grace.

The first is in Luke 19 where Jesus encounters Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus is a much-hated and dishonest chief tax collector. The people hated him and saw him as a traitor to his own people. Jesus saw him as a man who was lost and needed to be reconciled to God. Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for lunch and reconciled him to the Father.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing reconciliation to the Father through His grace.

The second is in John 4 where Jesus encounters an unnamed Samaritan woman.

Jesus engages this woman in public, breaking down barriers so that she can came to know Him as Messiah, Savior, and Lord. Grace breaks down human-made barriers so that salvation can occur.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing God’s grace breaking down barriers so that people can really know God.

The third is in John 8 when a woman caught committing adultery is brought to Jesus.

Jesus sees the repentance and brokenness of the woman and does not do as the religious leaders did and condemn her. Jesus intercedes for her and then forgives her and releases her from condemnation and shame.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the removal of condemnation, shame, and guilt through God’s grace.

The fourth is in John 21 where Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him and three times gives him instructions to take care of God’s people.

Jesus restores Peter and removes the hurt of Peter’s denial of Him.

We all fail and Jesus knows that, so grace restores us.

Raises the Roof and Remove the Walls is being restored to friendship with Jesus.

The root of the Greek word for grace is charis which means “I rejoice” or “I am glad”.

Grace should make us rejoice and be bold as we live.

What does the world learn about God’s grace when they watch us as the followers of Jesus?

In and With Grace, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe