30 DAYS OF ENCOUNTER WITH THE GRACE OF GOD
Welcome to the Year of Encounter in EPCC! We had 30 days of “Encounter with Jesus” and now we explore another 30 days of "Encounter with the Grace of God". My prayer is that we will see and experience Jesus even more through our encounter with His grace. Enjoy!
Pastor Samuel Surendran
Pastor Samuel Surendran
DAY 1
Grace - Jesus in Us
Grace is "God's unmerited favor". Grace as unmerited favor tells of God's favor given beyond our efforts or works. But what is grace in action? Grace is "Jesus living and working in man, making him able to do what he cannot do in his own ability".
To understand grace we need to understand the law first. Romans 8:3 says " For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh". (Romans 8:3 NKJV). In other words, the Bible says the weakness of the law is the flesh. Flesh here is not our human crav- ings ( though it is mentioned so in other places in the Bible). Flesh here is the human effort. That is why the law cannot help man achieve his righteous life because the law depended on the capability of man. In other words the law demanded man to be perfect but did not provide the means for man to achieve the perfection.
Since the law failed to bring man to meet the righteous demands of God, Jesus who is grace Himself has become the answer. Jesus brought the capac- ity for us to live out this life victoriously. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth". (John 1:14 NKJV). Jesus was full of grace and the word says He (the Word) dwelt among us! But where does it say He is in us? "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace". (John 1:16 NKJV). Hallelujah! We have received grace for grace through the full- ness of Jesus! The law came through Moses but through Jesus we have grace and truth (John 1:17).
Man had the truth before Jesus came which was the law but failed because man could not do or live out the truth in his own strength. Remember the weakness of the law is the flesh which is human effort. The flesh does not have the power to obey God. To remedy this problem that is the reason why Grace and truth came through Jesus. He not only brought the truth but gave us the grace to live out the truth because Jesus living in us is the grace of God.
Rejoice God's beloved for now we can live out the Christian life not in our own efforts but in Him who lives in us and makes it possible. He is our grace!
To understand grace we need to understand the law first. Romans 8:3 says " For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh". (Romans 8:3 NKJV). In other words, the Bible says the weakness of the law is the flesh. Flesh here is not our human crav- ings ( though it is mentioned so in other places in the Bible). Flesh here is the human effort. That is why the law cannot help man achieve his righteous life because the law depended on the capability of man. In other words the law demanded man to be perfect but did not provide the means for man to achieve the perfection.
Since the law failed to bring man to meet the righteous demands of God, Jesus who is grace Himself has become the answer. Jesus brought the capac- ity for us to live out this life victoriously. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth". (John 1:14 NKJV). Jesus was full of grace and the word says He (the Word) dwelt among us! But where does it say He is in us? "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace". (John 1:16 NKJV). Hallelujah! We have received grace for grace through the full- ness of Jesus! The law came through Moses but through Jesus we have grace and truth (John 1:17).
Man had the truth before Jesus came which was the law but failed because man could not do or live out the truth in his own strength. Remember the weakness of the law is the flesh which is human effort. The flesh does not have the power to obey God. To remedy this problem that is the reason why Grace and truth came through Jesus. He not only brought the truth but gave us the grace to live out the truth because Jesus living in us is the grace of God.
Rejoice God's beloved for now we can live out the Christian life not in our own efforts but in Him who lives in us and makes it possible. He is our grace!