Sermon Notes

CHARIS - Sunday – 08^th October, 2023

Overview

1. Introduction – Charis – the Grace of God
2. Grace and Mercy
3. Grace reveals that we are Righteous
4. Grace takes away Fear
5. Grace makes us born-again into God’s Family
6. Faith coupled with Grace releases Miracles
7. Grace and Favour
8. Conclusion

Introduction – Charis – the Grace of God

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)

The Grace of the Lord is sufficient for our lives. The revelation of God's grace transforms our lives, and our thought patterns and takes our lives forward into the divine destiny that God has prepared for our lives. Grace is the manifestation of the fullness of the person Jesus. Grace is not an attribute of Jesus; Grace is the person of Jesus Himself. We can also say that the name for God other than Emmanuel is ‘Charis’ which means grace.

Many times, we say that we are one in Jesus, but without knowing and understanding we manifest the character and the nature of ourselves. But if we are one with Jesus the manifestation of Jesus comes in us and we also will be another Jesus in this world. When we are born again, we are becoming another Jesus in this world. Now the world is not able to see Jesus because He is glorified, He is in the spirit form in heaven. But the world is able to see us and the world comes to Christ by seeing us, by knowing and walking with us, and by spending time with us, because Grace is the manifestation of the fullness of the person Jesus and the revelation of Grace makes us like Jesus.

Grace is the manifestation of the fullness of Jesus. So, when the Bible says ‘My grace is enough for you, it means Jesus Himself will be with us in any of the situations. Paul was like us. He wanted answers to his current problems but Jesus told him, ‘Paul, I just do not want to answer your current problem but I want you to understand that I myself will be with you in every situation.’

This is the same thing that Jesus Christ wants to tell all of us any trouble that comes in our life, any suffering that comes in our life, we shall witness how the presence of God makes it sufficient for our lives. The revelation about the presence of Jesus will keep us from getting discouraged and giving up, even if the situation is bad.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV)

Here the Word of God says that grace is a gift from God. Charis is a gift from God. With the revelation of grace, and who Jesus is to us, our faith will increase and we can get answers to our prayers.

Grace and Mercy

The synonym of Grace used in the Bible is mercy. Mercy and grace are closely related but they are not the same. Mercy is kindness and compassion, and God's grace is the person of Jesus.

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.”

Luke 5:5 (NKJV)

Grace is the fullness of the manifestation of the person Jesus. Here we read, out of all other parked boats, the Lord Jesus Christ is choosing the one boat, whose destiny He had already written, that is the boat of Simon Peter. Jesus knew what was the situation, yet Jesus tells Peter to do the same thing in which he had miserably failed. And Simon answered, Master, we have toiled all night and they caught nothing, they received nothing in sufficient, but at your word, I will let down the net. And when he said that and did that, he got a great catch.

It was not their catching skills, nor their big nets, but when the person Jesus comes into any situation, there cannot be in-sufficiency, but there will be sufficiency and abundance in that situation. It is the fullness of God, His grace activates in that insufficiency state and automatically, the sufficiency comes.

Grace reveals that we are Righteous

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

Luke 5:8 (NKJV)

Even after being born again, some believers always have the feeling of unworthiness inside them. But this mental feeling of being unworthy, eradicates the power of grace from our lives and we will be hooked to our old selves and deep-rooted situations and will struggle. But instead, we should declare our identity in Christ Jesus, the King of Glory.

Here we read Peter saying Jesus, please go away from me, for I am a sinner. Grace never says that we are a sinner. Grace always reveals that we are righteous. Grace gives us an assurance that we are bought by the precious price of Jesus.

Grace takes away Fear

“Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.

Luke 5:10 (NKJV)

The revelation of grace takes away all the fear from our lives. The word of God says fear brings tormentation. Fear takes away the love of Jesus from our lives. But the grace gives us peace inside us and it will make us sufficient.

Grace makes us born-again into God’s Family

Mercy saves us from judgment but Grace makes us born again into God's family. Mercy is always connected with judgment. Grace is never connected with judgment.

“…for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.”

Deuteronomy 4:31 (NKJV)

In the Old Covenant, there was the Law and the commandments from God that the people of Israel had to follow. And the repentant heart and the sacrifice offered to God released the mercy of God and it declared them free from God's judgment. But in God's Grace there is no judgment, because through Grace we become the son of the Almighty God. God is not a judge but God is a father to the new covenant church because we are being born again into God’s family.

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Psalms 51:1-2 (NKJV)

It is mercy in the Old Covenant, but according to the New Covenant, Jesus has erased the transgressions on the cross of Calvary. It is the Grace of God. When we understand the revelation of grace, we will be able to walk in to the fullness of God's plan, God’s will, God’s purposes, and God’s blessings. And any time the devil brings a trouble on our lives, we can easily win over that life because Jesus says, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’

Faith coupled with Grace releases Miracles

For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)

The word of the Lord says, by grace, we have been saved through faith.

Many times, as born-again believers, we try to build faith by saying positive confessions and faith confessions but it does not always work because there is no coupling with the revelation of grace. Faith on its own cannot stand because it is always dependent on the revelation of God's grace.

There is a difference in the magnitude of freedom we show towards our family and someone who is not. In the same way, we all know God, we all know Jesus and we all know the Holy Spirit, but instead of just knowing God, if we can understand by the revelation of grace, faith will operate very powerfully. In the system of law, grace does not operate.

Grace and Favour

It is by faith that we have been saved by grace. Salvation exists because the Grace of God is available. Now when a sinner lives his own way, Jesus comes in search of him, that act of God coming after that one lost sheep is the favor of God. So, we can understand that Favor is the execution part of God's grace.

“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him.’

Acts 7:9 (NKJV)

Joseph was sold and taken away from the place he should have been, but God was with him and God delivered him out of all his troubles and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt and made Him the governor. The TPT Bible says that the favour of God was given to Joseph.

From the life of Joseph, we can understand that when a person has received Grace from God, he receives:

1. Sense of Love

2. Sense of Care

3. Sense of Provision

Joseph received the above three from his family.

4. Elevation: or upliftment. Joseph saw a dream from God, marking his day of elevation.

5. Protection: When he got elevated, his brothers began to envy him, but they could not kill

him because God protected Joseph.

6. Promotion: Joseph was accused, abused, and put into prison, but God did not forget him because the favor of God was with him and God promoted him to be the governor.

7. Minister of God

Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:15-16 (NKJV)

The ultimatum of having God’s Grace in our lives is that, through us, gentiles might get sanctified.

Concluding Prayer

Dear Jesus,

We want to thank You for blessing us with the revelation of grace. Help us to move forward in that grace so that we can grow in love, care of God, provision from God, so that God can elevate us to become soul winners for the Kingdom of God.

In Jesus’ name

Amen