The Gift of Grace | Sunday, December 25, 2022

In Him you and I have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself. (Ephesians 1:7–9)

On Christmas morning, the greatest gift to remember is the abundant, unmerited grace of God given to us in Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas

If you're tuning in on the day this message goes live, then it is Christmas morning—so there's no better way to begin than to say Merry Christmas. I hope this has been a joyful season for you. I know the holidays can be stress-inducing: guests to prepare for, events to attend, purchases to make, crazier traffic, busier stores, and people who seem to have a little less patience. There are also year-end deadlines for many who call Cross Connection home. But I pray that in the midst of all the craziness, you might enjoy and rejoice in what this holiday is truly all about.

More Than Just Salvation

That's what we've been aiming to do throughout this Advent season. It has long been said that Jesus is the reason for the season, and I hope you realize that when Christ came, He came to bring far more than just salvation—though it's hard to say "just salvation," since salvation is such an awesome gift. The Scriptures make clear that Christ brings exceedingly great and precious promises in abundance, in great riches of His grace.

In Him we have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, and through Him we have all things that pertain to life and godliness. As Peter writes, God has given us in Christ Jesus everything we need to live this life in a godly manner. When Jesus comes into the world, He brings all the fullness of God with Him—fullness of joy, peace, love, and all things found in Him.

Our God Loves to Give Good Gifts

In our study over the last several weeks, we've seen that our God loves to give good gifts. Every good and perfect thing we have is ultimately a gift from our heavenly Father, and it is His good pleasure to give us these things. He gives us richly all things to enjoy, as Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:17.

I've found, in Scripture and in life, that our enjoyment of God's good gifts brings Him glory and praise—much as when you give a gift to your kids or grandkids, their enjoyment reflects back on you as a good gift-giver. All the blessings God pours out are to the praise of the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1).

Blessed to Be a Blessing

God's good gifts are also intended to be shared. They are not given to us to hoard, nor to be arrogant or proud of, nor to trust in—they are given to be a blessing to others. Going all the way back to Abraham, the first follower of God by faith, God said in Genesis 12, "I will bless you, and you shall be a blessing." That is God's desire for us too: He pours out His gifts for our joy, for His praise, and so we can bless others.

This is a good thing, because we learn from Christ that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). If you've ever given someone a gift they needed or wanted and watched them enjoy it, you know the reward of giving.

A Question Worth Asking

So it is worth asking: How are you ministering or sharing the good gifts God has given you? Are you being a good steward of the manifold grace of God? If you're a follower of Jesus, you have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, wonderful spiritual gifts, and amazing practical talents and abilities. How are you using those things?

As an aside, we learn from Jesus's teaching in the Gospels that there will be a day when we give an account for how we've used what God has given us. So as we get ready to step into 2023, I encourage you to take account of how God has blessed you—spiritually and practically—and think about how you are stewarding and sharing those things for His kingdom.

One More Great Gift

As we wrap up our series on God's gifts, I want to talk about one more important gift God has poured out upon us—a gift given for our joy, for the praise of His glory, and to be shared with others. If you've been around the Bible and the church for any length of time, this won't surprise you. In fact, this very gift is the root Greek word translated a number of times in the New Testament as "gift," and it is the root from which all other great gifts flow.

We read in Ephesians 1:7–9 that it has pleased God to make the riches of His grace abound toward us, according to the good pleasure of His will. One of the greatest gifts from our great God—which we rejoice in, which brings Him glory, and which we must share—is God's great grace. And here's the awesome thing: He is rich in grace. There is no lack of grace with God. He has poured it out lavishly upon us, and He wants us to pour it out lavishly upon others.

What Is Grace?

This begs the question: what exactly is grace? The Greek word translated "grace" is charis, and it is associated with words like goodwill, favor, blessing, care, and kindness. It is often said that grace is unmerited, undeserved favor—a blessing that bestows kind favor upon the recipient and then grants them a new, favored status.

You and I, who were dead in trespasses and sins, have been given blessing and favor in Jesus Christ. This grace gives us a favored status before God—not merely as His servants or friends, but as His children. By grace we have been saved, made alive, granted access to God, redeemed, adopted, justified, and sanctified, and ultimately by His grace we will one day be glorified, receiving a new body to be with God for eternity.

Jesus, the Sole Source of Grace

This grace comes from God by Jesus Christ alone. Jesus is the sole source of the rich and abundant grace of God. The Gospel of John opens with a beautiful prologue, and in verse 17 it says, "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Here at Cross Connection we've spent a couple of years studying Deuteronomy, looking deeply at the law of Moses—but grace and truth have come through Jesus.

Romans 1 says that through Jesus we have received grace, and John 1:16 says that in Him we receive "grace upon grace"—a helping of grace upon another helping upon another. God continues to pour out His grace in abundance in Christ.

So when we celebrate Advent and Christmas, we are celebrating the coming into the world of rich and abundant grace. We're not just celebrating the birth of the Savior prophesied by Isaiah and Jeremiah—we're celebrating everything that comes with Him: His love, our sure and steadfast hope, and abundant grace upon grace, an undeserved gift that gives us a favored status before God.

Rich in Mercy

Paul describes this beautifully in Ephesians 2:4–9:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses... made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)... that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Many know verses 8 and 9, but what precedes them is also awesome: God is rich in mercy and great love, and by His love and grace He has made us alive in Christ. In the ages to come, when God creates a new heaven and new earth, He will reveal to us the exceeding greatness of His grace and kindness. God's grace in Christ Jesus is the only path to eternal life and blessing, and it has been freely and abundantly given.

Comfort and Hope by Grace

By His grace we have everlasting comfort and a good hope. Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 2:

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work.

Everlasting comfort and good hope are products of God's grace. As a Christian who has received the grace of God, you have the absolute certainty of these things.

Grace That Trains Us

One amazing thing about grace, which I was reflecting on in my own devotions this last week, is that it transforms and trains us unto righteousness. Titus 2:11–12 says:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.

Sometimes people think the law teaches us how to live righteous lives, but really the law shows us how sinful we are and how much we need grace. It is God's grace, coming into our lives, that teaches us to deny ungodliness and to live soberly, righteously, and godly. By God's grace we become more righteous.

Ministers of Grace

Not only that—by God's grace we become ministers of His grace to others. Writing to the Ephesians, Paul says in Ephesians 3 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and partakers of God's promise in Christ through the gospel. Then in verse 7 he adds, "of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power." God's grace enabled Paul to be a minister of that grace for others.

So God's grace saves us, gives us a favored status, makes us accepted as His children, works in us to live more righteously, and then enables us to be ministers of that grace to others. As Jesus told His earliest disciples when He sent them out, "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10).

Freely Give This Christmas

If you are a recipient of the grace of God today because you've trusted in Jesus Christ, you've received that grace freely—and you are to freely give it to others. As you exchange gifts today, may it be that you freely and richly give the greatest gift Christmas commemorates: the gift of God's abundant grace in Jesus Christ.

December 25th is a great day to remember and share the grace of God, but it should not be the only day. God has commissioned us to be ministers of His grace. Like the apostle Paul 2,000 years ago, you are an ambassador of the grace of God.

Don't Be Like Jonah

It's hard to believe, but next Sunday begins a new year. My hope is that 2023 may be a year in which we more effectively bestow the grace of God upon others, freely and abundantly. Beginning next week we'll start a four-week series in the Old Testament book of Jonah, where we meet a reluctant prophet.

Jonah was reluctant because God called him to share a message of divine judgment among the Assyrians—a rising power that would one day destroy the nation Jonah loved. Jonah didn't want to go, because he feared the Assyrians might heed the message, repent, and turn to God, and that God would be merciful to a people Jonah actually wanted destroyed.

Don't be like Jonah. Don't be a reluctant minister of the grace of God. Don't fall into the trap of thinking, "I don't want to give grace to those people—they're wicked and hate God." Those are the very people who need the grace of God. Remember, there was a time when you did not have grace, and how you needed it. Freely you have received; freely give.

A Christmas Challenge

On this Christmas Day, I challenge and encourage you: there are people around you every single day—maybe even today—who have not received the grace of God. He has given it to you in abundance: the grace that saves you, that gives you access, by which you stand, by which God is transforming you into the man or woman He desires you to be. That grace is freely given to you so that you would freely give it to others. Grace upon grace—that's the gift we need to share this Christmas Day.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I pray that You would give us boldness by Your Spirit to share the good news of Your grace with someone—at least one person—today. God, give us boldness, give us that opportunity and the eyes to see it, and to share Your love, Your kindness, Your hope, Your joy, Your peace, Your rest, Your grace. For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.