All articles
Building Faith•8 min read

Where's the Grace?

In Luke 2, the first mention of grace in the New Testament, it is God placing it upon his Son, Jesus, as a child.

By Kris EmersonOctober 31, 2022Season 4, Episode 53 · Where's the Grace?
Listen while you read

Season 4, Episode 53 · Where's the Grace?

Play the original Excel Still More episode here without leaving the article.

What to remember
You can say the word grace and you should, but more than that, demonstrate the word grace in Jesus' name.
He said, I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Preaching the grace of God must begin and flourish through the preaching of Jesus.
Key Scriptures
Luke 2John 5Acts 2

The story behind the idea

The answer may be absolutely, and I'm going to prove it to you today in a way that I hope leads to better understanding and has some nice action items at the end. Just to give you a little illustration of what I'm talking about, there have been several people over the last few years who said, Kris, you need to be preaching more on authority. What they really meant was they wanted to see the word on the slide, or read the word in the sermon title, or hear it in very common brotherhood language.

What stands out

Those passages I mentioned in Luke and John tell us something very interesting. In Luke 2, the first mention of grace in the New Testament, it is God placing it upon his Son, Jesus, as a child. In the Gospel of John in chapter one, the only time grace is mentioned, here is what is said. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Why it matters

First John 5 says that Jesus keeps us, he strengthens us, he increases our faith, and he kindles in us the exercise of Christian values. Again, I cannot describe the fullness of God's grace and how it works.

A faithful way forward

Later in first Timothy, when Paul was reflecting on that, guess what he called it? He said, I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Put it into practice

The closer you draw to him, the more of God's mercies abide in your heart.

Think about it

Take the idea with you.

  1. 01What idea from this study most needs my attention right now?
  2. 02Where does this challenge the way I am currently thinking or living?
  3. 03What is one faithful step I can take this week?
From Excel Still More

Prefer listening?

The original episode player is available near the top of this article, so you can listen without leaving the page.