Grace is something that we all long for. It’s written into the very fabric of our lives. It’s as though we all know that we are undeserving of grace, but yet we long for it and wait for it. It’s woven into our storytelling. Consider one of my favorite movies: “Oh Brother Where Art Thou”. In that movie, the main character – Ulysses – is on the run from the law. The whole movie is about his efforts to restore his relationship with his wife by obtaining a pardon from the law. The story takes twists and turns as he tries to use all of his wits to outsmart this mysterious lawman and his hound. At the end of the movie, everything seems to be resolved. He receives a pardon from the governor and his wife is ready to reconcile, under one condition: that he goes back to their old home place that is about to be flooded by a new dam, and retrieve their old engagement ring. While in the house retrieving the ring, the lawman and his hound catch up to Ulysses. Despite his insistence that he’s been pardoned, despite his flowery words, the lawman will not let him go. As they prepare the noose to hang him, Ulysses drops down on his knees and begins to pray for grace from a God that he has ignored the whole movie, and in that instant, the flood waters come rushing in and wash away the lawman and his hound, along with everything from Ulysses’ past life. He is baptized into a new life, purely by grace alone.
This theme of grace is etched into our hearts because we know something is wrong. You don’t have to look far to see the evidence of that. It seems that every week there is a report of another mass shooting. Corporations celebrate sexual freedom with their engagement in the sexual revolution. The rich and powerful openly abuse other people for their own benefit, and then at most, receive a slap on the wrist. But, we don’t have to look to the news to know that it is true that we need grace. We can look to our own sinful hearts, too. We rage against our fellow man, harboring hatred towards others. We foster our own lusts, mulling over our own sexual desires in our mind, or seeking them out from the privacy of our computer screens. We despise the rich and powerful for their abuse, knowing good and well that we covet that wealth and power so that we might bend our world to our wishes.
The Bible calls this condition “sin”. We need grace because we are all sinners. Now, you might be thinking, “wait a minute preacher! I know I do a few things wrong here or there, but I’m not as bad as a mass shooter or a sexual deviant or a greedy rich man. Plus, if I need to, I can just clean up and start living right, and then God will accept me.” But, to say that is to misunderstand the depth and complexity of sin. Sin is not just an act that you do against God’s will (though it is certainly that too). Sin is a condition of your heart. The Bible speaks of three aspects of sin: its depth, domain, and desire. First, sin has a depth to it – it reaches all the way to the core of who we are. In Romans 5:12, Paul says, “Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” Paul explains that sin entered the world through one man – the first man, Adam. When Adam rebelled against God by taking the forbidden fruit so that he might be like God, he brought sin into the world. And, sin didn’t stop with Adam. It permeated all who descended from Adam. We know, right now, that this is true because everyone dies. As Rom. 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death”, and death is all around us. So, sin extends to everyone who is a child of Adam.
Second, sin has a domain. In Eph. 2:2, Paul tells us that everyone is born under the domain of Satan (“the prince of the power of the air”). Satan rules over all who are not in Jesus Christ. As Paul describes it, we walk after him, following his will, doing his bidding. You might be thinking, “Oh no! I’m not a child of Satan. I’m led by my own desires and will.” You might think that, but your heart betrays you.
Finally, sin has a desire. Jesus says, in John 3:19, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” Sin is not just something you are conditioned to do because you were born in Adam. It’s not just something that you are forced to do because you are under the rule of Satan. Sin is something you desire to do because your heart is turned against God.
No wonder we long for grace! No wonder we weave grace into our stories! We need it so badly. We need a change of nature and a change of dominion. And, I have good news for you today! Jesus Christ has come to give us that grace that we so badly need. Back in John 1, the Gospel writer tells us, in verses 14-18, of three ways that Jesus brings grace. First, in verse 14, Jesus brings the embodiment of grace. John says that Jesus is full of grace and truth. It’s popular in Christian circles, this time of year, to emphasize that Christmas is not as important as Easter because the most important work of Jesus is that he died on the cross and rose again. But, actually, I think that misses the point. Jesus’ work of salvation began in the manger in Bethlehem. You see, in taking on human flesh, Jesus did what Adam failed to do. He lived in perfect obedience to his Father. He resisted the temptations of Satan in the wilderness. He perfectly obeyed the law of Moses. And he loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. As far as the depth of the sin of Adam goes, Jesus went there too… all the way to the grave.
Second, Jesus brings the eminence of grace. In verse 16, John says, “we have all received grace upon grace” from Jesus. This is the idea of God heaping grace on us through Jesus. Everywhere we turn, there is more grace in Jesus Christ. In his earthly life and ministry, Jesus gave us grace by living in obedience to God and revealing who God is. In his death on the cross, Jesus gave us grace by paying the penalty our sins deserve. In rising again from the grave, Jesus gave us grace by defeating the judgment of sin (death and hell) for us. In ascending on high, Jesus gave us grace by giving us his Holy Spirit that we might have his presence as we live faithfully for him. Jesus is full of grace. Friend, understand, that it does not matter who you are or where you’ve been. Jesus’s grace is enough to forgive you, to wash you clean, of the guilt and shame of your past and even your present struggles. His grace is always present and abounding in every way.
Finally, Jesus brings the effectiveness of grace. In verse 17, John says that the law came through Moses, but grace came through Jesus. One of the main purposes of the law of God is to reveal our sins. It is like a mirror that shows us what we really look like. And, it reveals that ugliness of our sins, even when we try to pretty things up. To go back to “Oh Brother Where Art Thou”, it’s like the hound that tracks us down. It doesn’t matter how cunning we are. It doesn’t matter how much we dress up, how clean we look to others. The law knows who we really are. It can smell the stench of our sin through all of that piety and good works. The law condemns and sentences us to death. But oh friend, hear the good news today. Jesus has already taken the punishment that the law would require. Rom. 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Today, you can be set free from the condemnation of the law through the grace that is available in Jesus Christ. But, you must be “in Jesus.” And to do that, you must repent of your sins, which means that you change your mind about your sins. Give up on thinking that your sins really aren’t that bad. Recognize them to be worthy of death and eternal judgment in hell. And turn to Jesus in faith and trust that his death paid the penalty for your sins, and his resurrection from the dead means that you will one day rise, too.
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