THE BENEFITS OF HIS GRACE (2)

Today, we will continue with our discussions on “The benefits of grace.”

2. We are Justified by Grace. “Being justified FREELY by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

“That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Tit. 3:7).

What does it mean to be justified? To be justified means to be officially declared innocent, blameless, not guilty, discharged and acquitted. That’s the one the bible says, there's therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who… (Rom. 8:1-2).

Grace makes us blameless in the sight of God. Because of His Grace, when God looks at us, He doesn't see any fault in us. He sees the righteousness of Jesus instead (2 Cor. 5:21). This is not to assume that Grace is a license to sin:

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? ² God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Rom. 6:1-2).

Apostle Paul said, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).

3. We reign in life through Grace. The believer reigns on earth by the grace of God. 

“For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17).

A life of impact and relevance on the earth is made possible through the grace of God.  Human efforts and money, no matter how good they are cannot buy heavenly promotion or divine announcement. It is the grace of God that enables us to reign in this life. 

Every child of God is redeemed to reign and rule on the earth, but it takes grace to command influence and relevance in your environment. 

Talent is impotent without the grace of God. Human ambition is useless without the grace of God. It is grace that enables the unknown to be known. Grace gives recognition and value to life on the earth. 

4. Grace provides healing for every wound. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Ps. 147:3).

5. Grace provides comfort for every sorrow. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

6. Grace provides assurance for every despair. “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken” (Ps. 34:17-20). 

7. Grace provides love for the unlovable. Jesus said, “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Lk. 6:27-28).

8. Grace provides forgiveness for the sinner. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).

9. Grace provides courage for the discouraged. “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Josh. 1:9).

10.  Grace makes you great. “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain…” (1 Cor. 15:10).

By the grace of God, I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21), By the grace of God, I am more than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37), By the grace of God, I can do all things through Christ that gives me the strength (Phil. 4:13), 

There is absolutely nothing you can become on the earth by your own strength alone. All your human efforts and abilities put together without the grace of God will amount to frustration. 

It is the grace of God that enables you to succeed and excel in your assignment and business on the earth. 

Whatever you are today is by the grace of God, because it is the grace of God that generates results. 

Grace is the maker of the saints, not location or association. There are people who are highly connected but not celebrated.  There are many people who have the best education from the best schools in the world but they are not occupying the best positions on the earth. What determines who you will become on the earth is not your human strength or physical muscle but the grace of God.

For instance, It was the grace of God that turned a prisoner like Joseph into a Prime Minister in Egypt. It was the grace of God that located David in the bush where he was following his father's sheep and made him the King of Israel. It was the grace of God that located Mary, a virgin espoused to Joseph, and made her the chosen vessel through with God manifested Himself on the earth (Lk. 1:28-34).

11. Grace guarantees family peace and enables us to live together with each other in harmony (2 Pet. 1:2).

 No two individuals can actually live together in one room in peace without the grace of God.  It takes grace to become a good husband to your wife. It takes grace to become a virtuous wife to your husband.  It takes grace to build a happy family. 

When you hear that these couple have been married for fifty years, it takes grace to achieve that. Violence and war are absent where the grace of God is present. When you enter a place saturated with the grace of God, the first thing you will notice there is peace. When grace comes, peace is enthroned.

12. Grace defends and protects the righteous from all evil. When the grace of God is upon a man, that grace will protect and defend him from every attack of the enemy. 

And Jesus said unto Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Cor. 12:9).

The grace of God is sufficient for every trouble. It doesn't matter how terrible the situation may be, there's a grace that will enable you to pull through. It doesn't matter what the enemy throws at you, the grace of God is sufficient for you. There's a grace that keeps the believer in the midst of storms without falling. 

13. Grace enables us to finish our course with joy. Without the grace of God, we cannot run the Christian race and finish it (Zech. 4:6). 

It is grace that enables you to continue when all hell is broken loose at your face. We run and don't give up because of the grace of God. We keep pushing and pressing forward towards the mark of the high calling of God upon our lives because of the grace of God. Sometimes we are persecuted and cast down but we keep going because of the grace of God. 

14. Grace empowers the believer to grow spiritually. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…” (2 Pet. 3:18).

It is the grace of God that enables us to grow in the knowledge of God. It is by grace that we are transformed from glory to glory. It takes the grace of God to engage the word of God. Grace compels us to love God and hate evil. The grace of God draws us closer to God day by day. Without grace, no one can say Jesus is Lord. 

15. Grace gives us access to divine revelations and mysteries hidden for ages (Eph. 3:8-10). There's a grace in God that makes it possible for a mortal to access the manifold wisdom and knowledge of the immortal God. This grace helps you to understand the Scriptures in a way that is not known to another man. It helps you to see beyond the letters. This grace makes you a custodian of ancient secrets that are only available in God. It is grace that gives you access to the hidden secrets of the Kingdom of God.

16. Grace makes you a Giver. (2 Cor. 8:9). Man is naturally stingy.  It takes the grace of God to give. Anyone who loves giving has this grace working in his/her life. It's grace that enables people to want to give or support other people. It is grace that empowers the believer to give to support and promote God's work on the earth. 

The giving grace is so important in the body of Christ. It's not enough to have the grace of revelation, utterance and faith, we all need to have this giving grace to be able to contribute to the growth and expansion of God's Kingdom on the earth and as well support those who are in need.

In conclusion, the beginning of grace is redemption. Until one is saved (redeemed), his journey of grace has not begun. You need to become a child of God in order to enjoy the grace of God. What grace cannot do does not exist. 

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit! 

• Your friend: I. I. MADUBUNYI (Senior Pastor).  Mar. 5, 2023