Amazed by Grace - Pastor Dave
Amazed By Grace
Dave Hess
“The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.”
— Colossians 1:6 (ESV)
Understanding the grace of God is not just a theological idea. It is something that completely transforms the way we live, think, and relate to Him. When we truly understand grace, everything changes.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
— Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)
The word grace (charis) describes the amazing favor of God poured out on our lives. It fills us with:
Joy — causing us to thrive and become fully alive
Acceptance — knowing we are loved and in right standing with God
Power — enabling us to live as righteous children, no longer slaves to sin
Scripture tells us that the Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus (John 1:17). The Law itself was holy and good, but it could not save us because of our sinful nature. God did what the Law could not do. Through Jesus, grace overflowed to humanity in a way the Law never could.
The grace of Jesus is greater than the disgrace of sin.
We are not made right with God by perfect rule-keeping, but by receiving His free gift.
The book of Romans repeats this truth again and again:
Your old nature is dead. Your new life has begun.
Grace does not only forgive us. Grace transforms us.
Titus 2:12 tells us that grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.
Grace establishes something inside of us. It gives structure to our hearts.
Grace teaches us to say no to lies by filling our minds with truth. As we meditate on God’s Word, new pathways are formed in our thinking. Old patterns lose their power, and new life begins to grow.
Grace also teaches us to say no to temptation.
Temptation itself is not sin. It is the place where grace gives us strength to overcome. Like training in a weight room, resistance builds spiritual strength. What once felt impossible becomes possible through the power of God working within us.
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)
Grace does not only help us resist sin. It empowers us to believe what God says about us.
The Holy Spirit convinces us of three things:
Our need for salvation
Our righteousness in Christ
The defeat of the enemy
Because of grace, sin is no longer our master, and sinner is no longer our identity.
We are new creations.
“Although you were once distant and far away from God, now you have been brought close through the blood of Christ.”
— Ephesians 2:13
One of the greatest gifts of grace is closeness.
Through Jesus, we are not just forgiven. We are adopted. We are brought into the family of God.
In the Old Testament, God was rarely called Father. But in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to the Father again and again, and then invites us into that same relationship.
Because of grace, we can pray, “Abba, Father.”
The same Spirit who lived in Jesus now lives in us.
We share His relationship with the Father.
We share His inheritance.
We share His life.
This is the miracle of grace.
Grace is more than forgiveness.
Grace is more than mercy.
Grace is the power of God working inside us, changing who we are.
It teaches us to say no.
It empowers us to say yes.
It brings us close to the Father.
When we truly understand grace, our lives begin to bear fruit, just as the gospel has always done.
And we find ourselves amazed…
by grace.
