“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Ephesians 4:7
The word “grace” is defined in the dictionary as “disposition to, or an act or instance of kindness, courtesty, or clemency; mercy.”
Some of us need more grace than others. Have you ever seen the movie “Scrooge”? In that movie Ebenezer Scrooge was a person who everyone hated because he was mean and cruel to everyone that he met. One night he was visited by a “ghost” of a friend of his who had died years ago, and was told that he would be met by three ghosts. These ghosts would take and show him the past, present and future of his life and be shown how he had lived towards others.
Eventually when Scrooge was visited by the third ghost, he was taken down to hell, were a huge chain was wrapped around him. Each link of this chain represented every bad thing that he had done towards others while on the earth. This chain was so big that it completely surrounded and immobilized him. At the end of the movie, he realized what a terrible person he was, and completely changed the way he used to be and became a kind person. Now he obviously wasn’t the only person who was a sinner, but the main point is that he needed to receive a lot of grace to make right all of the things that he did wrong to others.
That is just the same as someone who has sinned all of their life. Maybe they are 70 years old and finally realize that they are sinners and in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. And then you have a 20 year old who realizes that same thing. They are both the same: sinners. One of them may have sinned more than the other and require more grace, but God’s grace and forgiveness is available to all who come to Him and believe in Jesus.
Look at the Apostle Paul. When he was a Pharisee, Saul(Paul) persecuted Christians and tried to stop them from preaching. He even oversaw the stoning of Stephen. But the Lord gave Paul grace, and forgave him all of his sins. Paul may have needed more grace than someone else, but the Lord used him for great things. Paul used the great amount of grace that he was given and used the rest of his life for Christ.
Remember when Jesus was crucified, the one thief crucified along with Jesus realized that he was a sinner too. Shortly before his death, he realized that he needed forgiveness, and the Lord told him…”Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43.
Read this parable in Matthew 20.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.” (Matthew 20:1-14)
Here we read that those who worked for only an hour got the same as those who worked for the entire day. Those who worked for the whole day thought that they would get more, but they had already agreed at the penny a day. Now this parable could be used to teach that we should be content with our wages, or used as an example of how the Jews were given the things of God first and now the Gentiles can receive them as well, but for right now I am going to use this as an example of grace. A person can live their whole life for the Lord and receive their reward, which is eternal life, and someone can come to Christ at the end of their life, finally realizing their need for a Savior, and live out the short time they have left for Him. If they continued in Christ, they will both receive the same reward: grace, forgiveness, and eternal life in Heaven.
The gift of God’s grace is available to all, but don’t use it as an excuse to sin, saying, I can just go and get forgiven if I make a mistake. Grace is available so that we can be forgiven, not a license to sin.
God has an abundance of mercy and grace; all you need to do is reach out and take it.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 