Grace in Galatians (Part 202) – Why Grace Should STILL Amaze You

https://youtu.be/Qd5KsqHajEQ?si=TPFF_4NaJ9XRvocs

Today, we continue our focus on THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, as we learn to maintain our posture of faith after God has revealed His plans for our future.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

2 Peter 3:18 GNT“But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever.”

Luke 10:20 Mirror“It’s time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven’s perspective.”

1 John 3:10 Mirror“There is a very visible and vast difference between living one’s life from your God identity or from a fallen man’s mindset.”

Proverbs 25:2 NKJV“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Scripture we will study today:

Galatians 6:18 TPT“May the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, be with your spirit, my dear brothers and sisters! Amen.”

Galatians 6:18 AMPC“The grace (spiritual favor, blessing) of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with your spirit, brethren. Amen (so be it).”

Supporting scriptures:

John 1:14 NKJV“And the Word became 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.”

John 1:17 NKJV“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

1 Timothy 1:15 NKJV“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”

Luke 7:47 TPT“Her many sins have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.”

Ephesians 4:29 TPT“And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 TPT“For you have experienced the extravagant grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although he was infinitely rich, he impoverished himself for our sake, so that by his poverty, we could become rich beyond measure.”

Acts 20:24 TPT“My life means nothing to me. My only aim in life is to finish my race with joy and to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus—the mission of testifying to people the wonderful news of God’s grace.”

Setting the Stage:

Today, we remain in Galatians 6:18. Yesterday, we opened the final verse of this letter and saw that grace gets the final word. Today, we will seek to glean a few more nuggets from this verse. Paul leaves us with one word that holds everything together. Let’s unpack it.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. Grace Has A Name, And His Name Is Jesus.

Look closely at what Paul writes. He does not say, “May grace be with your spirit.” He says, “May the grace of our Lord JESUS CHRIST be with your spirit.” Read that. Grace is attached to a Person. Grace is not an abstract force floating in the universe. Grace is not a religious concept you study in a classroom. Grace has a name, and His name is Jesus. When Jesus walked the earth, the Bible says that He was full of GRACE and TRUTH. When Jesus went to the cross, grace went to the cross. And when you received Jesus, you did not just receive a doctrine of grace. You received the Person who IS grace.

How this applies to you:

— Grace is not a thing you get. Grace is a person you know, and His name is Jesus!

— John 1:14 NKJV says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory… full of grace and truth.” When God wanted to show the world grace, He did not send a document. He sent a Person. Grace put on flesh and walked into human history.

— John 1:17 NKJV says, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The Law was a system. The Law was given to Moses on tablets. But grace was not given. Grace CAME in a person. Grace is a Savior. One was a code to keep. The other is a Person to know.

— You will never run out of grace, because you will never run out of Jesus.

— I want you to picture a believer who keeps asking God for “more grace,” as if grace were a substance stored in a heavenly warehouse. But grace is not a substance. Grace is a Someone. When that believer wakes up to the truth that grace is the Person of Jesus living inside him, he stops begging for a thing and starts drawing from a relationship.

— This is why religion can never compete with relationship. Religion offers you rules. Under grace, Jesus offers you Himself.

— Walk into today knowing that grace is not far from you. Grace is as close as Jesus, and Jesus lives in you. You do not have to chase grace. You simply have to commune with the One who IS grace. This is how you live and enjoy #TheGraceLife.

2. Never Lose The Amazing Nature of God’s Grace.

Look at how the Passion Translation renders Gal 6:18. It does not just say “grace.” It says “the WONDERFUL grace of our Lord Jesus.” Read that word. Wonderful. It means full of wonder. Marvelous. Amazing. Paul is at the very end of his letter, at the very end of his life, and after decades of watching grace work, he still calls it wonderful. He never got over it. He never let grace become ordinary. And here is the danger for you and me. The longer you walk with God, the more familiar grace can become. And familiarity will quietly steal the wonder.

How this applies to you:

— Grace is meant to amaze you. That is why the old hymn calls it “amazing grace.”

— Familiarity is the thief of wonder. You can hear about the cross so many times that you stop being moved by it. You can sing about grace so often that the words leave your mouth without ever touching your heart. What Jesus did for you should never become old news.

— 1 Timothy 1:15 NKJV shows that Paul never lost the wonder. Near the end of his life, he wrote, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Read those words. Of whom I am chief. Decades into ministry, Paul still saw himself as a recipient of God’s grace. He never graduated past being amazed that grace reached HIM. The closer you get to God, the less you think of yourself!

— The day grace stops being wonderful to you is the day you have forgotten what you were saved from.

— Luke 7:47 TPT records Jesus saying of the woman who washed His feet, “Her many sins have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.” Read that. Forgiven much, loves much. The wonder of grace stays alive when you never forget how much you were forgiven.

— When you remember the pit grace lifted you out of, the wonder should flood back into your heart.

— Walk into today and let grace amaze you all over again. Do not let it become a word you say. Let it be a wonder you feel. Wonderful grace reached you, wonderful grace is holding you, and wonderful grace will carry you all the way home.

3. Paul’s Final Act Was To Pray Grace Over The People He Loved.

Notice what kind of sentence Galatians 6:18 actually is. It is not a command. It is not a correction. It is a prayer. Paul writes, “MAY the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” That word “may” makes it a prayer, a blessing, a benediction. After six chapters of hard teaching, Paul’s final act toward these believers is to pray grace over them. He could have ended with a warning. He could have ended with a list of demands. Instead, the great apostle calls grace down on the people he loves. And what Paul models, you are called to do.

How this applies to you:

— Paul’s last move was not to instruct them. It was to bless them.

— The most powerful thing you can do for the people you love is not to correct them. It is to call grace down over their lives. Correction has its place, but grace is what truly changes a heart.

— Ephesians 4:29 TPT says, “Let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.” Read those words. Speaking words of grace. Your mouth was designed to be a delivery system for grace. Every conversation is an opportunity to release grace over somebody’s life.

— I want you to picture the people God has placed around you. Your spouse. Your children. Your coworkers. The struggling believer down your row at church. Every one of them is somebody you can pray grace over. You can be to them what Paul was to the Galatians, a voice that calls grace down when they need it most.

— Stop cursing what you are supposed to be blessing.

— You received grace freely. Now you get to release it freely.

— Walk into today as a person who blesses. Speak grace over your home. Speak grace over your children. Speak grace over the people who have not earned it, because that is exactly the kind of grace you received.

4. If You Only Take One Thing From The Book Of Galatians, Take GRACE.

We have come to the very last verse of the book of Galatians. And I want you to notice the word Paul chose to leave ringing in their ears. Of all the words he could have closed with, he closed with GRACE. Not law. Not effort. Not performance. Not a final warning. Paul closed with GRACE. That was not an accident. The entire letter was a battle to keep these believers anchored in grace, and Paul makes sure the last thing they hear is the main thing they need. If you have followed this whole series and you only walk away with one word, let that word be grace.

How this applies to you:

— The whole book of Galatians can be summed up in one word: GRACE. 

— Look back over the journey. Paul confronted the Judaizers over grace. He defended his apostleship to protect grace. He exposed the bondage of the Law to lift up grace. He taught the fruit of the Spirit as the overflow of grace. Every chapter, every argument, every illustration was pointing to one thing… GRACE!

— 2 Corinthians 8:9 TPT says, “You have experienced the extravagant grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although he was infinitely rich, he impoverished himself for our sake, so that by his poverty, we could become rich beyond measure.” Read those words again. What jumps out at me is: extravagant grace. Jesus gave up everything so that, by His grace, He could give you everything. That’s amazing grace.

— You were saved by grace. You are kept by grace. You will finish by grace.

— Acts 20:24 TPT says Paul’s mission was “testifying to people the wonderful news of God’s grace.” That was the message of Paul’s life, and it is the message of this entire letter. Galatians is a six-chapter testimony to the grace of God.

— If religion ever tries to add a requirement to your relationship with God, remember the last word of Galatians. Grace.

— Walk into today, and every day after, holding tightly to the one word that holds everything together. You do not have to earn it. You do not have to deserve it. You simply have to receive it. Grace was the first word of Galatians, grace is the last word of Galatians, and by the help of God, grace will be the defining word of your entire life.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You that grace has a name, and His name is Jesus!

I do not just have a doctrine of grace. I have the Person of grace!

Grace is not far from me. Grace lives inside me!

The wonder of grace will never grow old in my heart!

Your grace still amazes me. I will never let it become routine!

My mouth is a delivery system for grace. I speak words of grace!

I received grace freely, and I release it freely!

I will speak grace over my home and over everyone around me!

Grace is the word that holds my entire life together!

I am living THE GRACE LIFE, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!