The Gift of Grace; click here to listen

Jesus was like a losing battle for request. Well, we have gone through the Christmas eve eve eve. And now the New Year's eve eve eve and it's here 2015. Now we are continuing the gifts we went through the month of December we talked about the gifts that God gives us here. My very first show of 2015. We are can extend that one more one more week and today were going to talk about the gift of grace and for a lot of us. We came up trying to understand what that word meant and you know it was something that people said before, the Aiden and all those kind of things and honestly before the year 2014, which is now coming past when I came to the year 2014. Now I really didn't have much of understanding of this word and I quite often felt a little bit like Chevy Chase's aunt and so worked up like a clip from vacation, Christmas or Christmas vacation to get a sense of what a lot of folks think when they think of grace.

Since this is Bethany's 80th Christmas. I think she should lead us saying grace is now they want you to say grants to public for kids and all men and last week we were here with Vinnie and we had when we were talking about that in Vinnie's table when he was growing up in Christmas 21 folks. And so when you said grace Vinnie went, what were you thinking grace meant shut up really quiet. There is a certain matter of grace out about you out what'd you. Would you perceive what actually was. It the first boot camp I was out with Todd when he talked about being fathered by God, I really understood that it was about the ultimate forgiveness was like relief that I was finally who I was meant to be. I personally had a tremendous misunderstanding when it came to grace and I came into the year of two 2014 and I actually Chris Jones, which was doing a whole series on grace and he was doing all he said, what in the world is this word mean and for whatever reason God had me in Isaiah 61, and I found myself here and all the sudden it started the come together for in Isaiah 61 is the very verse that Jesus quoted when he was in the synagogue when they asking to speak and Jesus quoted this being his mission and he said the spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me� In the NIV version because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for captives and release from darkness to prisoners to Bergkamp to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and just like you said you there is forgiveness and then there's a lot of things but when he said that I want to proclaim this the year of the Lord's favor.

I came to understand that that word favor. There in the Hebrew was the Old Testament form of the word grace because grace meeting favor and so it was kind of when I put it together in the Robby translation RSV Robby standard version. I went oh I get it I'm declaring 2014 is the year that Robby is my favorite and when that came together for me and I started to picture what that meant to be somebody's favorite.

I started to unwind. This puzzle for me and I remember so vividly when you started talking about his favorite in your my favorite great to be the favorite right and so I've got this other Christmas clip because we just come another Christmas season that it's it's from the Grinch but here we have a little girl and as I begin to understand grace in the in the royalty that when you're in the presence of somebody who has grace that you automatically feel like you're there favorite no matter what your behavior may have been, and so the Grinch found himself in the presence of a little girl that was showing him grace and when you listen to this clip, you might be surprised at here is a perfect picture in my imagination. Now, as I see it of what grace looks like quality is so daughter Lou. Thank you from the grantee shall apply when Christmas spirit is sort supply. Now I sound like a book also says the all Grinch because sometimes things get led since last place I have it now so you felt like a Grinch and at some point Cindy Lou said you are that your meister right you see the way. In spite of Grinch's behavior.

She now is going to treat him like the Grinch is her favorite and she nominates him to be the holiday at your meister and so in a funny sort of way. When and again is that is God is come to earth and we talked about it all through the Christmas thing, but now Jesus is saying now.

Now you're my favorite and I'm in a nominate you for holiday cheer.

Meister in spite of the fact of how you behave is you are now my favorite kind of interesting and and so yesterday you look at me like that area because it is but you saw this in as your growing up, but do you have it on the streets. There you have the Godfather were there in the streets of New York right yeah okay we always leave me in my life. Yeah, that guy makes you the Grinch meister if you're leaving there again.

Well I think it's it's interesting to note that that quite often the matter in all circles that idea of favor, and when you were the Godfather's favorite you had a set certain amount of protection of the other people to low Robby yet. I did, I did only because of my Godfather running and so when you are sitting at Frank Sinatra's table right in my Mrs. holy will. Robby then you get to sit with a big, big LI hope we get home tonight to make anything on the wheelman. I'm afraid at the Copacabana. Where did you get to sit right at the front. The front table on stage because because my father was in my head because of him and you are favored yeah I was favorite and that favor is a picture of grace that really took my breath and the more I thought about it the more I realize and and interestingly, after I'd come across as I watched a Barbie movie and Barbie was a mermaid. I highly excited. Lila has brought so many things to your life. This is gotta be one of the bushes with the flawed Vista blog see Barbie had grace and whoever she came in contact with.

She acted like they were absolute favorite and she of the stone fish that she treated humans by the fact that he had poisonous barbs on them.

She still treated them with complete grace and because of the way that she treated. He rose to the occasion similar to the way that when the Grinch if you've seen the movie when Mary Lou nominates him as a holiday. Cindy Lou Cindy you yeah you know you're better than Robby I Lou nominated that particular who in the Grinch rose to the occasion. Well, one of the cool things to me is in the book of John, when you don't. John is first describing Jesus as we now know him and the 14th chapter the first verse says the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son, who came from the father full of grace and truth. And with my new understanding of that when you are in Jesus's presence, you feel like your is absolute for your number sit at the front table with Frank's mother was Juergen.

I feel like you just been nominated. That's how Jesus was in in and full of grace. John knew because he been around Jesus and he was one of Jesus love even described himself that way because what it John, thank John thought I missed favorite Kelly times did he say that I'm the one that Jesus loved because John himself felt the favor because he was Jesus's favorite and 2015.

Now this might be your year of 14 was me.

Oh, I'm sorry. This is neither the latter so we got so much more. I got probably another 12 Bible Verses Come Your Way along this hallway. We got another wonderful clip was shown, so stay tuned. So much for coming at you go to mass country radio.org the part of the Christmas story seldom told his baby came to die. Hello, I'm Chuck Swindoll was an extraordinary event. It was heralded by the heavenly hope, but the birth of the Savior, and even the life of the Savior.

These were only the prelude to the death of the Savior. And this is the part of the story that makes it all fit together. The reason for the coming the one who was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life then came to the cross because sin had taken its maximum toll on humanity, some kind of penalty had to be paid in the payment death of the Christ child visit Insight for living's website insight Archie math me and amazing race today on the mass journey. I'm joined with my brother Alan. My brother venues were describing in on sort of last installment of the gifts that we see God gave us through Christ to some and of course we come to save the best for last. Absolutely amazing amazing Grace and you know what I was coming up for years and years.

New church you heard this word unmerited favor and as I've really been researching that I don't overthink it. The unmerited part, I suppose, because we see ourselves as undeserving. But God doesn't see it that way. So we just go with the word favor and when you use the word favor favorite surreal close byword.

What you think that your God's favorite to such an extent that he would die for you and then you begin to get the picture. But as we go through and we study that word which is Horace if you look at the Greek word, the translated race throughout the New Testament we don't find it just a whole lot in the Gospels but I did want to share where you do find it, because where you do find it in the Gospels meeting Matthew Mark Luke John it's real descriptive of that word favor and so the first time we find work is in Luke chapter 1 and says and the angel said to her, fear not marry, for thou hast found grace actually favor. I have found favor with God. In other words, God is saying Mary the reason why you get to have baby you're my favorite, so it with the first time we see that that much and it was translated favor.

There that Mary thou hast found favor with God and then use it again in Luke chapter 2 and the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and favor right. He was a favorite, he was not only you know if you are around him he would be your favor but you would always feel like you were his favorite. When you're in his presence and then you coming to look for words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said this is not Joseph, son, for if you love them or excuse me words were all bear witness and wondered at his graciousness. I eventually get there again.

People wondered how could this young man be so gracious. How could they see that in so when you see a lot of movies that show a prince or princess and they have are referred to as their grace.

What you're seeing is that quite often when you're in the presence they treat everybody like there there favorite and that's what they're saying and that's how you feel when you're in Jesus's presence.

Now the only couple times that Jesus uses the word is in Luke chapter 6 and this is the one lesson he's going to give us on grace and the only place we find him using.

And so, Jesus himself said, for if ye love them which love you what grace have you for sinners also love those who love them and Judah. Jesus said it again in Luke 633 and if you do good to them which do good to you what grace have you for sinners also do even the same so it's, like Jesus is saying when you get treated like you know you like the Grinch might treat you or is somebody hurting you might treat you and you respond with love and favor like I still in spite of in and we been there a couple times and we finished quite a number of times and I've been there without a couple times right absolutely. But yet even after we've been mad at each other. We come back and we respond like man Al is still my favorite.

I don't think those were the word you actually you use these notes didn't go that way for a while but when the healing came is when we showed each other what and favor and favor and in it wasn't long after I came this understanding I was watching a movie called finding Forrester and Sean Congress. It's a phenomenal actor and enters his situation of a young black man going to a very prestigious college to learn how to write and interestingly that the same bad guy that that was in the that played sort of the Satan picture in the movie Mac Davis and Amedeo Amadeus.

I'm glad he wasn't a Macadamia Macadamia know that was going to hurt God's creation. That same guy is now turning on this poor young black man because he's he's got this phenomenal ability to rightly sees it. Once again he's jealous, but who jumps in Sean Connery and this this is a picture of the kind of grace when somebody important stands up and and is on your side. I'm sure I speak on behalf of everyone here and thank you for this unexpected visit quality were is something we should all aspire to reach me. I do what we owe this honor. Prof. Crawford, I spoke here today because a friend of mine wasn't allowed to friend who had the integrity to protect me when I was unwilling to protect him. His name is Jamaal Wallace. Jamaal Wallace is a friend of yours � she is.

I helped him to find his own words, by stopping the sum of mine and didn't return.

He promised never to say anything to anybody about me. Promise, which he kept his visit appears to be heartfelt. I'm sure you will appreciate that it will not change or interfere with this institution reaching a fair and proper decision. It is one more issue those laws that I read today. I didn't like them, Jamaal Walsh. I very on the decision concerning I have finals but I'm wondering put you on the spot. If you ever been in the position were somebody of great importance like Mr. Forster your nurses phenomenal writer and he's going to stand up on your behalf and save this guy is my favorite. This guy is worth listening to.

This guy has what it takes. If you are having is a situation were somebody that was of extreme importance like you know some a person of a college or some did that on your behalf.

Not present of the college. Someone far more important in my life. But let me preface this by telling you how I learned about grace and it was for my wife and she explained it to children and I heard this and this is where I got it earlier marriage that mercies. What is mercies when you don't get what you deserve, but grace is when you get something you could never earn or afford or even hope for. That's grace and that's the like. He said the favor that comes from something you couldn't do on your own now that this time was when I was engaged to my wife and we went to our pre-pre-marriage counseling and we sat down with the pastor for the first time and he shook. I shook his hand shook my wife and we allowed her to sit first and is she sat down we were beginning to set and she said before we go any further I want to make sure that in my vows. It says love, honor and obey because I want my husband know that I will love, honor and obey him because I trust him as the leader of our family. We both stopped mid squat. We never hit the chair, he stopped at me shocked and he stopped and looked at me shocked.

I looked at him shocked and he sits on. I believe she's a keeper and I said yeah and I sat down and I really didn't understand what happened for the next few minutes because all I could think of was this woman who we dated, we've never been married, we've never she's giving me complete authority in our relationship and I haven't done one thing to deserve it. I haven't done one thing to earn it and now all of a sudden it's there and I was faced with the reality of how I can live up to this. I think yours you think many that perhaps he was Candace's favorite habit you've collected is stored, probably the audience that you guys have heard a number of times. My father was a hard man to get along with very haughty never showed is what we do know what our children love to see it with my mother because of the era and what his life was all about but then he got old he didn't like my wife because she was divorced 10 years that speak when he got old him and my mother we took piece was made and we were sitting one night at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. The coffee yes I am from the north and he looks up at my wife and he says he's a man I never was a man he just broke down. He laid so much grace on me that the love that I didn't think I had just poured into my heart miming. I did the day he died and I idolized when you I knew that he seemed is wrong ways when I was grace from your father Vinnie the earthly father or your heavenly father.

That's didn't know it but it was coming from his heavenly father.

Wow, what a great way to start 2015 that we are feeling like we are father's favorite wife, and in those kind of things as we are highly favored Jesus would come and die for us.

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