Spoken by the Lord
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3)
The ministry of the Lord Jesus is a continuum of the revelation of God to man; revealing Himself as the Great God, the Only God, and the Almighty God from the beginning in Genesis, and all the way to the end of the Book of the Revelation. (Revelation 22:21) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. These last few words of the Holy Spirit in the canon of Scripture are centered on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the ministry of the Son of God. For grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. (John 1:16) For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17) This grace is the gift of God, and Christ was that gift; for the Son of God is grace incarnate. He came to restore order in man, He changed man into a glorified being, like unto Himself.  He removed the penalty of sin so that those who would come to Him through faith would receive grace from a loving God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8) And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. ( 1 John 4:16) Thus, the grace of God is initiated by His love, and that love for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is all grace.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;.(Ephesians 1:7) This wonderful grace is accomplished through the finished work of Christ. It is a true gift from God. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8) It is through faith that one receives grace, for without faith it is impossible to please God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)  In divine reckoning one must have faith and then grace is applied by God through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Faith belongs to the Son of God.  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)  Notice in this verse that I live by the faith ‘of’ the Son of God; the Apostle is declaring that it is not by ‘my’ faith, but it is the faith imparted from above by Jesus Christ. Although I must trust that faith in Him, it is His finished work at Calvary that gives authority to that faith from above. The faith of Jesus Christ is the unmovable link between the lost soul and the newness of life in Christ.  The faith of Jesus Christ is the unmovable link between the lost soul and the newness of life in Christ.
Now let us look at some points of grace in the Lord’s ministry. We will use the Gospel of John, beginning in chapter 1, verse 14, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. The Son of God is declared, by the Holy Spirit, to be full of grace and truth. This is pertaining to His eternal existence as grace and truth. He did not become grace and truth, He was grace and truth from all eternity. As the law was given by Moses in verse 17, (John 1:17) For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ; grace and truth came, or was manifested by Jesus Christ. Verse 14 relates to the Word becoming flesh; therefore, bringing His eternal Being into the world as the Son of God, or God manifest in the flesh. Here He is the manifestation of grace and truth to man. As the gift of God and the gift of grace, this is the fullness of grace, and we have received this fullness in verse 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. (John 1:16) Truly, it is the indwelling Christ that fills us with grace; grace is not merely something that we receive divinely, but we receive ‘someone;’ and this ‘someone’ is the Son of God, and He is the indwelling of grace. It is His personal grace that He has given to us; therefore, we should have grace in our lives and actions.
Grace is not a static declaration no more than the love of God is, or His goodness; as faith is tangible in Christ, so grace is tangible in Christ. If God is love, and God is good, He is also grace and truth. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;. (Colossians 1:19) It pleased the Father that in Christ should all fullness dwell; the fullness of His love, the fullness of His faith, and the fullness of Him is grace, of course, these are only a few aspects of the fullness that is in Christ. But, to the redeemed, these aspects of grace are essential:
1 — God’s love came from above
2 — God’s faith came from above and
3 — God’s grace came from above, and God’s truth in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Truly in Him, all fullness dwells. This fullness did not begin or start at His incarnation, but was from all eternity — past, present, and future. We, as man, dwell in time and space, but God sees eternity as a continuum with no time and no space. Christ came into this world to save sinners, as Paul declared, and he included himself as the chief of sinners. And all who have been to the end of the Damascus road will identify with Paul. Grace is the voice of a glorified Saviour, whether it is ‘Saul, Saul,’ or ‘Michael, Michael,’ grace comes by Christ, and in Christ as the gift of God. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3)
Grace is the continual work of God within us magnifying the Person of Christ
Turn back to John1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. I always wondered why God said ‘grace for grace’ until I understood that grace is a continuous action in my life. God gives me grace for today, and grace for tomorrow; therefore it is ‘grace for grace.’ In the Book of Romans, chapter 3, verses 22-24
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22)
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Romans 3:24)
Although it is brief, the Apostle Paul shows us a three part view of grace.
1. In verse 22, the gospel declared is God’s righteousness.
2. In verse 23, the sinners need, all have sinned.
3. In verse 24, being justified before God freely by faith and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are possessors of grace because He is the possessor of all grace. In the Gospel of John, chapter 1, God shows us, in the beginning of this gospel, the fullness of His grace. As we read through the Gospel of John we are blessed to hear (notice I wrote ‘hear’) the very words of grace from the Person of Christ. If you would just take a moment and pray that the Spirit would show you this grace throughout His entire earthly life as He walked amongst men — truly, grace upon grace. In the inspiration of the Scriptures it is the Holy Spirit who is the inspiring Person of the Godhead who dictates and reveals the Word of God. In John’s gospel it is the Spirit of God hovering over the words to show forth the grace of Jesus Christ. Unlike any of the other Gospels this grace is revealed solely in the Person of Jesus Christ, and He is unveiled as the fullness of grace. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and as that, He is the fullness of grace; and we who are justified by faith in Him hath that fullness of grace.
I know that you have heard for years that grace is God’s unmerited favor, and surely there is nothing in me that deserves grace. It was God who saw my need, and grace was imparted through faith. I said before that both faith and grace are imparted. They originate from above, and must come from above from the Lord Jesus Christ. Is this selected salvation? No! For all have sinned, and all the world is guilty before a righteous God; therefore, God was manifested in the flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ. He specifically came into the world to save sinners by His indwelling grace. The cross was not the grace of God; but He, who gave His life on the cross, was grace for grace. When Christ came from above, there were only a few individuals waiting for the consolation of Israel; so that when Christ came it is recorded that most did not desire Him. In fact, when He came unto His own, they received Him not; but that did not stop the grace of God. As Christ is the free gift of God, so the Possessor of faith has given us this unmerited gift in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The unmerited favor is really the favor of God, that God the Father has in His Son, for Christ imparts faith, then to answer the faith that He has imparted, He imparts grace. This happens simultaneously in the new birth, in a moment of time. Behold all things are new, and the first cry of the new born is a cry unto God ‘Abba, Father.’ One could say with Paul, for Christ loved me and gave Himself for me.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (Ephesians 2:4)
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)(Ephesians 2:5)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6)
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:7)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8)
Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:9)
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
The Spirit of God, once more, details that grace is ‘in’ Christ, and ‘comes’ from Him. In verse 4, it is God’s great love and mercy. Although we were dead in trespasses and sin, in verse 5, it was God who quickened us. It is God who has brought us together in Christ, and that uniting is by His grace, and by His grace we are saved. But, remember ‘grace for grace’ in chapter 1 of the Gospel of John, and in verse 6 of Ephesians 2, He has raised us together in that grace, for we were dead in our trespasses and sin. And now, we have a place in heaven together with Him. In this verse, God also reveals not just heaven but heavenly places in Christ. And in that position, we as the redeemed are sat down with Him — what a wondrous thought, that while treading the path on earth we are sat down with Christ in His throne. How much closer could grace bring us then to the very center of God’s throne. Then in verse 7, I know that not many have seen this wonder, but as saved and part of the grand redeemed body of Christ, we, as the body of Christ, will be displayed in His glory in all the ages to come. And this is to show forth, yes — you guessed it — the wonders of His grace, and the kindness of God towards us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Then in verse 8, the gift is thus received, it is cherished so that the one who is saved travels the depth, the length, and the breadth of God’s grace. And always remember you received it freely, as a phrase in the hymn of Rock of Ages states, ‘Nothing in my hand I bring,’ for it is of grace, and to that grace I cling. We are His workmanship in verse 10; grace has formed us, and through grace we are to be conformed to His image. We are His workmanship, all I am should be submitted to Him, should the thing that is made say to the potter, ‘Why has thou made me thus?’ Think of how we are made, in a moment of time, sometimes less than a breath we were snatched from this world (in the new-born experience) by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been created in Christ for one purpose, to show forth His glory. If that is centered in our hearts then everything else will come forth from that glory. Whatever His will, it will be full of grace and truth. As the Lord Jesus ministered to us in all things concerning Himself: out of the law, the prophets, the book of Psalms, the Gospels, and the Epistles; He will continually reveal Himself as the Potter molding the clay as He molds us to a work of His own grace and glory that we should be to the praise of His glory. Amen.
© Copyright 2015, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.
All Scripture references are from the Authorized King James Bible. (KJV)
Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure, Save me from its guilt and pow’r.
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Not the labors of my hands, Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow,
All for this could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.
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Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die!
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While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgment-throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.
Words by A.M. Toplady – Music by Thos. Hastings