(Read John 8:1-11)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” The passage I have asked you to read this morning (John 8:1-11) deals with the woman caught in the very act of adultery. We know she was caught red-handed and she deserved whatever the law allowed, but when the issue was brought to Jesus, instead of giving the woman what she deserved, Jesus extended to her God’s amazing grace. We will deal with this story tomorrow. For this morning I want to share with you something from Andy Stanley’s book “The Grace of God.”
“Grace. What I crave most when my guilt is exposed. The very thing I’m hesitant to extend when I’m confronted with the guilt of others—especially when their guilt has robbed me of something I consider valuable. Therein is the struggle, the struggle for grace. It’s this struggle that makes grace more story than doctrine. It’s the struggle that reminds us that grace is bigger than compassion or forgiveness. That struggle is the context for both. When we are on the receiving end, grace is refreshing. When it is required of us, it is often disturbing. But when correctly applied, it seems to solve just about everything…
To say that someone deserves grace is a contradiction in terms. You can no more deserve grace than you can plan your own surprise party. In the same way that planning voids the idea of surprise, so claiming to deserve voids the idea of grace. You can ask for it. You can plead for it. But the minute you think you deserve it, the it you think you deserve is no longer grace. It is something you have earned. But grace can’t be earned. To earn something is to find an equivalent. There is no equivalent where grace is concerned. Grace is birthed from hopeless inequity. Grace is the offer of exactly what we do not deserve. Thus, it cannot be recognized or received until we are aware of precisely how undeserving we really are. It is the knowledge of what we do not deserve that allows us to receive grace for what it is. Unmerited. Unearned. Undeserved. For that reason, grace can only be experienced by those who acknowledge they are undeserving.
From the beginning, the church has had an uneasy relationship with grace. Yet history has shown that the church and Christianity in general fare best when characterized by grace. The church is most appealing when the message of grace is most apparent. Yet grace is often an early casualty in the world of organized religion. The gravitational pull is always toward graceless religion. Instead of defining itself in terms of what it stands for, the church often takes the less imaginative and easier path of defining itself in terms of what it is against…
The odd thing is that when you read the New Testament, the only thing Jesus stood against consistently was graceless religion… in Jesus we get as clear and as close a look as we will ever get of what grace looks like in an otherwise graceless world… It is our misunderstanding of grace, as modeled and taught by Jesus, that leaves us feeling as if grace allows people to “get by” with things. But grace doesn’t dumb down sin to make it more palatable. Grace doesn’t have to. Grace acknowledges the full implication of sin and yet does not condemn. But not just any grace. The grace of God.”
So what does this mean to you today? Two quick things:
1. You are a recipient of God’s grace. You know you don’t deserve eternal life or the life the Father has worked in, with, and through you to experience. You are who you are by God’s grace.
2. You should be a conduit of God’s grace. Since God’s grace has come TO you, your prayer should be to allow it to flow THROUGH you. Ask the Father to touch someone today, through You, with His amazing grace.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for loving me even though I don’t deserve it. I have not earned Your salvation, nor could I ever do it, but You still loved me enough to give your Son to die in my place. Jesus loved me enough to take on my sin, even though He was sinless. The Holy Spirit loves me enough to live inside of me, even though I often make mistakes and disregard His instructions. Your love is amazing, Your grace is astounding, and Your mercy is astonishing. I will never cease to thank You for Your grace. Your grace has come TO me and I now ask You to allow it to flow THROUGH me. Use me as a conduit of Your love, grace, and mercy today and every day. I ask this in all humility, because I know I don’t deserve it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
