Acts 13:43, and here it is even just a little more than the grace of God as a message, but also the grace of God as a way of life.  The grace of God as serving our Lord Jesus Christ.  Let’s go back up to verse 38.  I’ll just summarize.  He came into the synagogue and then he was teaching about Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead.  Then in verse 38 Paul says, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses.”  And then you know what happens.  Then the Jews kicked him out, the Gentiles came and said, “Well, come and preach to us the next Sabbath.”  And here verse 43, “Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.”  That has to do with the message of God, the way of living.  It is the grace of God.  So you can see how all encompassing the grace of God really is.

Now one other one that we want to catch here over in Romans 14:3.  Here again Paul went into the synagogue and the unbelieving Jews, verse 2, stirred up the Gentiles.  Verse 3 now, “Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord…”  Now it doesn’t say how long they were there, but I’m sure that they were there several months.  “…Which gave testimony unto the word of His grace…” There it is.  “The word” means “message”.  Now, let’s follow through.  What is one of the names of Jesus Christ?  The Word.  Through Whom do we have grace?  Through Jesus Christ.  So here we can expand this even more.  It has more meaning than just the word or a preaching or a message, but it has to do even with everything concerning Christ.  “…The word of His grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands.”

One other place where it talks about the grace of God is 2 Timothy 1:8.  “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us…” Notice we’ll put it all together here see.  “…And called us [there it is, all with the grace of God, you see.] with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace…” (2 Tim. 1:;8-9).  So we see God’s purpose and grace does what?  It is the calling, it is the saving, it is everything to do with God interacting in our life according to God’s purpose and grace.

Now let’s just read a couple more verses here. Verse 10, “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death…”  Boy that is tremendous.  You know people really understood that.  “…Hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles” (vs. 10-11).  And so all of this then is by the grace of God.

Now let’s just briefly look at some of the things concerning Jesus as He was growing up.  Luke 2:40.  How was Jesus able to do the things that He did?  By the grace of God.  That’s how He was able to do it.  Mary was selected to bare Jesus by how?  By the grace of God.  The angel came and said, “Hail Mary, you are well favored.”  And favored means you have received grace from God.  There can be no more graciousness given to a person than that.  That’s quite a mighty thing to be chosen to bare the very Son of God.

Ok, Luke 2:40, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him.”  Jesus whole life, everything that Jesus stood for was the epitome of grace.  And He needed the grace of God and it was upon Him.

Now down here to verse 52.  That is after the incident there at the temple, and they found Him and brought Him back home and so forth.  Let’s just start here in verse 51, “And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart.”  Now I just wonder what Mary thought at the resurrection.  And remember when they were all gathered in that room where 120 of them were.  I wonder what was in her mind, what was in her heart, because all these things were going on.  Several places Luke said, “And she kept it in her heart.”  In other words she remembered it.  “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature [that is age], and in favour…”  Now this is an unfortunate translation.  This should be, “…and in grace…”.  He grew in grace.  Not that He was ever lacking in grace.  Because just like God is always perfect, but God is also growing in knowledge, Jesus was perfect from the time that He was conceived.  But at His conception He was not a perfect 20 year old.  So this is why He grew in wisdom stature and in grace “…with God and man” (vs. 51-52).  Shows us quite a bit about the life of Christ as He was growing.

Now let’s go to Hebrews 2 and let’s look at the end of His life, because that was also by the grace of God.  Now while we’re turning to Hebrews 2 let’s understand one of the verses that we covered in 1 John 1 where it says that Jesus was full of grace and truth.  Which means then that everything that Jesus did was directed by the grace of God.  Everything, from the time that He decided to become a human being.  And that is by God’s Own choosing.  God’s election.  Everything that we see, God has reached down and He is the One Who has done it.  Lots of times we like to think God does something because we’ve done something, and it’s the other way around.  We do something because God has done something.  So therefore we don’t need to get all uppity-uppity about what we do or do not do because God is the One Who does it.  James said don’t say that we will do this or we will do the other thing tomorrow.  You say, if God will.  Why?  Because if it isn’t with the grace of God you may not do it.

Hebrews 2:8, it talks about Jesus.  “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet [that is, mankind in general]. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him.  But now we see not yet all things put under him.  But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death [for the purpose of suffering death], crowned with glory and honour…” Now notice this next statement here.  “… That He by the grace of God…” That’s a tremendous thing.  By the grace of God.  How much does God want us to receive eternal life.  So much so that He sent His Son so that our sins could be forgiven.  “…By the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb. 2:8-9).  So that’s a tremendous gracious act that God would give His Son. That’s why it says there in John 3:16, and this is where we started the series on grace when we came in the book of John, John 3:16, that God gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  So it’s by the grace of God.  Verse 10, “For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

Now let’s go to Hebrews 4:16.  Do you remember how I mentioned that the reason that Jesus sits at the right hand of God is because the right hand is symbolic of salvation and Jesus is our Savior.  Now add that together with what we need here in chapter 4, and let’s pick it up in verse 14.  “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities…” In other words He can.  He feels it.  He understands them.  He knows them. Yes, He has lived them, see. “… But was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  Now notice verse 16 carefully.  “Let us therefore come boldly…” Now that doesn’t mean come barging up like a charging pit bull, or elephant.  It means that you come confidently, courageously.  That you come knowing that you can trust in Christ, see.  “Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace…” So Christ is there.  That grace is to be given.  We are to live in that grace, and walk in that grace.   And as it says here continuing in verse 16, “…that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help…” The grace is given to help.  That means then we get an extra supply of grace “…to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16).  Now that doesn’t mean just run to God whenever things get so bad you’re ready to squeal Uncle, because there is not a time that we don’t need the grace of God.  Can you think of a time that you don’t need the grace of God?  I can’t think of one time when we don’t need the grace of God.  I mean, we need the grace of God in every thing we do.  So we need to come to God in that time of need, and of course that is every day.

Now let’s look at another section.  The grace of God and power.  Let’s go to Acts 4, and I know I’ve heard many ministers talk about, and I’ve heard people talk about, “Well why aren’t there miracles?  If we could only do better things there would be miracles.  If you only had faith there would be more miracles, because Jesus said if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you can say to this mountain, ‘Be removed’, and it will go into the sea.”  So therefore we all run around and condemn ourselves because God is not doing the things because we’re not doing them.  Is that true?  No, that’s not true because when God gives grace for power, God is the One Who decides to give it.  If we go to God and by our works we earn it then it’s not grace.  You don’t earn a miracle.  Ministers can’t earn the privilege of God using them for miracles.  And I’ve known ministers that have fasted, I’ve known ministers that have prayed.  I’ve even heard them bragging, “Oh, I’m fasting and praying so we can have more miracles”, and let everyone know.  Well, God could care less.  God will do it when it’s His time, and He will do it in His way.

Acts 4, and let’s see exactly what was happening here.  This is after they were released from prison.  They were all praying together.  Let’s pick it up here in verse 29.  “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto Thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak Thy word [and that’s what we need to have, that kind of boldness and confidence], by stretching forth Thine hand to heal…” See, they’re asking God to stretch forth His hand.  Not asking God that they could have good works so that God would have to work miracles through them.  No, they asked God that by the stretching forth of Your hand to heal; “…and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of Thy Holy Child [and that should read “servant”, the word is dulos, which means servant] Jesus.  And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy [Spirit] Ghost, and they spoke the word with boldness” (Acts 4:29-31).  So God decided that He was going to give that power, and that He was going to give that grace, as we’ll see here in just a minute.

“And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common” (vs. 32).  Now just stop right here.  This is not communism, or that we all run off someplace and sell everything and give it all to the preacher and he puts in the bank and you all go live out here and when the communal fails then he’s got the money in the bank and you have nothing.  No, they were there together because this is an extension of the time from Pentecost and they all stayed together through that time after Pentecost.  Rather than going home they stayed in Jerusalem.  So that’s why they had all things in common.  It would be like if we all had to stay here for a while, well then we would have to share and give and things like that.  That’s what it’s talking about.

Verse 33, “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”  So here it is, remember where I started out that God gives more grace?  Well, here it is.  More grace.  It’s called great.  In this sense it’s not great in what we think of as a great person, but great in the sense of the amount of grace that God gave, or the quantity that God gave.  There are several areas in the New Testament where grace is translated “favor” or “gift”, or “acceptable”.

Now let’s go to Luke 6 and let’s see one of these instances.  I’ll just refer you to the notes on grace so you can look them up if you desire to look up those different areas where the word grace from the Greek charise is used in a different translatable way.  Luke 6:32 says, “If ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?”  Now the Greek there is charise, which means “what grace have you”.  In other words, if you only do the things of loving those that love you, there is no grace from God.  That’s what it’s talking about.  What grace have you?  Obviously you have thanks.  I mean the people that you love thank you, and you thank them.  But it is, “what grace have you”?  And that means what grace have you from God because you love those that love you.  “…For sinners also love those that love them.  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what [grace] thank have you? For sinners also do even the same.  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye?”  What grace have you?  See, that’s why another instance, the gift that was sent by the Greeks down to Jerusalem, the gift of grain and dates, and things when there was the famine down in Jerusalem, it was called a gift.  It was also called grace.  So could refer just to the physical giving.  So if you just give to them what grace have you?  “…For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again” (Luke 6:32-34).  And in many cases because of interest, a whole lot more.

Ok, verse 35.  “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great…” See, because God will count it the way He will through His grace, not through your way of doing things.  Now how many times has some political mucky-muck been on some board of whatever.  It think a lot of them are on United Way, and they are the big this and the big that, and they are giving their time and donating.  Then you find out later they’re nothing but crooks under the skin anyway, so you see that’s why God has it so that we don’t plan it.  “Well, I will join the United Way and I will donate my time and services and I will be noted in the community and then I will run for Mayor and I will be elected.”  See, that falls into the category of doing things that you hope a return for.  “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”  And if He weren’t there wouldn’t be anyone left alive.

Now let’s look at the category of grace and gifts.  Let’s go to 1 Corinthians 2:12, grace and gifts, because God gives certain gifts and of course that all ties in with, you can just put in your notes there 1 Corinthians 12 about the gifts and so forth.  This is a word which means freely given.  So even our understanding of God’s word, even our understanding of the things that we have of God, verse 12, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given…” Now the phrase “freely given” means God has graciously given them to us.  Now “freely” means with no charge.  There is no charge.  That’s why it says that you can’t buy your way into the Kingdom of God.  You know Simon Magus tried that, to buy the Holy Spirit.  It is freely given unto us.

Now, Romans 12:6 talks about the grace of God that is given to us in reference to the gifts differing one from another.  Let’s pick it up in verse 3 and we’ll see how this ties right together and also Paul speaking here of the grace that was given to him.  “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you…” So this is part of God’s giving of grace to the apostle Paul for the effect of preaching as we covered before, so he is speaking to every one that is among you.  “…Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.  For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…” So the giving of this gift, whatever it is.  Some people have one gift one way.  Some have a gift another way.  That is all from the grace of God.  It is given to us.  “…Whether prophecy [which means speaking or preaching], let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth…” (Romans 12:3-7),  and he goes right on showing that all of these things then are exercised through the gift of a grace of God.

One more place.  1 Peter 4:10, “As every man hath received the gift [that’s cheritos, which means the gift], even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”  So there are the giving that God gives to us, the calling that God gives.  All of it has to do with the grace of God.

Now there’s one other section that is important that we need to understand that has to do with the grace of God and each of us individually.  Let’s go to 1 Corinthians 1:3.  This kind of flows into one of the other sections that I have.  There is a whole section that I’m not going to cover except just a few scriptures, which has to do with the opening and closing of each of the epistles, having to refer to the grace of God.

Here, verse 3 it says, “Grace…unto you, and peace…” Now that’s very important.  When we understand the grace of God we have more peace.  And I think that we have really begun to understand that and learn that and we are going to preserve that peace by the grace of God.  “Grace…unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 1:3-4).  So you think of it in a personal way.  Christ is the One Who has given it to you.  So that shows how active God that is involved in our lives.

Colossians 4:6, now here it talks about with our speech.  Here, let’s just pick it up in verse 5 so we can get the thought flow here.  “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.  Let your speech be always with grace [in other words in a good and positive and kind way], seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”  It just becomes part of our way of life, the way we walk, the way we talk, and everything then reflecting the grace of God.

Now there’s one other very important section, which has to do then with affliction and suffering.  Let’s go to 2 Corinthians 12.  Now sometimes you will see someone who is afflicted with something and God does not intervene to do anything for them.  God does not heal them, though they pray, though they’ve been anointed or whatever.  And God has another purpose in mind for them.  Now we have one such a lady, Esther Greisinger, who is much that way.  And she has done more to help people in her state of weakness than she could have done any other way because of the grace of God that is given to her for that very purpose.

Now in 2 Corinthians 12 Paul is talking about his affliction that he had.  Let’s begin in verse 5.  This is when he had the vision and he didn’t know if he was in the body or out of the body, and he didn’t know.  But he says in verse 5, “Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.  For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh…” (2 Cor. 12:5-7).  We know that he had this terrible eye condition.  Terrible eye condition, where in Galatians it said that they didn’t even want to look upon him.  And when he wrote the book of Galatians it was with such large letters so that they could read it.  It says, “…a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me…”

Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that it was a demon because obviously Paul was not bothered with demons.  A messenger comes from the word angelos which is also translated angel.  This has to do with a messenger or probably was a messenger from Satan…bam…just like Job, the disease was upon him.  But that doesn’t mean that it was there on him, or that he was demon possessed, or that he was demon bothered.  In other words God allowed that messenger to afflict him with this affliction, and then obviously left him.  Just like during the affliction of Job, was Satan there with him all the time?  No, only to afflict him.  When the affliction was gone it was Job and his three friends and then God up there listening to what’s going on.  Satan was not there.  So there are some people who thought that this means that Paul had a demon with him all the time, just to kind of correct him.  No, he had an affliction which was a messenger from Satan.  Once he received it then it was to buffet him, “…lest I should be exalted above measure.”

“For this I besought the Lord thrice [that is three times], that it [now notice “it”, see, not he, it, what ever the illness was] might depart from me.  And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee [God’s grace is sufficient]: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (vs. 8-10).  So understanding fully the grace of God he understood what it meant to be afflicted.

Now there are several scriptures that we want to cover in the opening and closing of some of the epistles.  Let’s go to 1 Peter 1, and it’s interesting that if you go through and study it, Paul and Peter talk more about the grace of God then any of the others.  Here, 1 Peter 1:2.  I’m only going to cover just a couple and then we will end the series with the grace of God with this.  But it is very important for us to understand that when they wrote their epistles, and when they wrote these letters and they said the grace of God be with you.  Grace and peace, and love and mercy of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, there is an actual blessing that comes with that.  See, it’s a very important thing that they put in there.

Here the apostle Peter says, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”  Now that is quite an introduction and lots of times we go studying along and boy we want to get to the important things so we cut out the first verses and we cut out the last verses and we don’t realize how important that is for us.  So you go through and you study those and you read those and they are important to us.  and I’m just trying to conserve time rather than go through and just repeat every one of them.

Let’s go to Romans 16:20 and we will see one of the closings of the apostle Paul.  Ok, it does it twice here in Romans 16.  Verse 20 says, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Amen.”  Now Amen means “so be it.”  So if he says the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, Amen.  It means that he wants the grace of God with you.

Down here to verse 24 now.  “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.”  And that’s one of his more powerful endings.

Let’s go to 2 Corinthians 13:11.  “Finally, brethren, farewell.  Be perfect [that means to be spiritually mature], be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.  Greet one another with an holy kiss.  All the saints salute you.  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy [Spirit] Ghost [that is the fellowship, the inner fellowshipping of the Holy Spirit with you], be with you all.  Amen” (2 Cor. 13:11-12).  That’s almost one of the best endings that you could have, right there.

Galatians 6:18, it says, “Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Now notice what this says, “…be with your spirit.”  That is, in the spirit of your mind.  “Amen.”  That’s a significant verse, isn’t it?  And here it’s the last one.  And I don’t think we’ve read that one very many times.

Let’s  finish here and we’ll close by going to Ephesians 6:23.  “Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Grace be with all them that love [see, grace and love go together] our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.  Amen” (Eph. 6:23-24).

And that will be a good place to end the series here and concerning the grace of God, and I will have this all typed up and sent out to you so you will be able to study through all the other scriptures.  But it might be very inspiring for you to read through… just set a goal and read through the first three or four verses, and the last three or four verses of every one of the epistles of Paul and I think you will see how much the grace of God is involved actively, just like it said there, “and the grace of God be with your spirit.”