John 1:16
"For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace". (New American Standard Bible)

We find key words in the Bible and we that daily, but we do not always understand and realize the consequences and the impact these key words can have on our lives. There is one word, which we find in the Word of God, which we are going to look at in the following series of teachings. That word is Grace.

The name of our ministry is Bethesda - House of Grace and we want to learn more about this Grace which is in "The House".

Let us look at Genesis 6:8.
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD".

Noah lived in a world of sin and God looked at him and saw potential in the man Noah and he "found grace in the eyes of God". In the Old Testament we often find "found grace in the eyes/sight".

Exodus 33:12
Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, "Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, "I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.'

Exodus 33:13
Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people."

Exodus 33:16
For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth."

Exodus 33:17
So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."

Exodus 34:9
Then he said, "If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance."

The word grace here is the Hebrew word "chen". - Favor, grace, graciousness, kindness, beauty, pleasantness, charm, attractiveness, loveliness, affectionate regard.

The root "chanan" means "to act graciously or mercifully toward someone; to be compassionate, to be favorably inclined."

In Zechariah 12:10 we find the same word and we see God's grace poured out upon Jerusalem enables them to look longingly and beseechingly toward their King. God's grace will result in Israel's seeing Jesus as someone of infinite beauty. His goodness enables them to repent. The Holy Spirit is called "the Spirit of grace" in Hebrews 10:29.

Looking at the New Testament, we also see the word grace and here we have the Greek word charis
- From the same root chairo as chara "joy" and "to rejoice." Charis causes rejoicing. It is the word for God's grace as extended to sinful man. It signifies unmerited favor, undeserved blessing, a free gift.

Looking at our first scripture John 1:16. ("For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace"). We see that John states that grace comes from God's fullness, teaches that grace is more than God's disposition or impersonal favor. It is God meeting us, at our point of need, in the Person of Jesus Christ, including all His power and provision.

Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord".

In Roman times the word "wages" was a well know word. This word was used daily. The soldiers got their "wages" daily after working a full day. What Paul say here is that what we "earned" as our "wages" is death. But there is hope for us. A way out. In Jesus there is a "gift" for us and no one can earn it. We get grace as a gift.

In the Roman times it was a custom that the Kaiser gave the soldiers, on his birthday, a day's leave. This was called a "charis". What Paul really said here is that we earn the death, but Jesus came and He gave as a "charis - grace".

When people put in a toast they say:
South Africans say - Gesondheid
British say - Cheers
Germans say - Prost
Zulus say - Amiboia (meaning, come again)
Romans say - Charis - meaning: May this day and the rest of your life be showered with goodness - grace.

When God says: "grace" it is a word of power, a word that can change your life. When God gives grace there is abundance in your life. Grace can not be purchased or earned.

Hosea 11:8
"How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I set you like Zeboiim?
My heart churns within Me;
My sympathy is stirred.

When we look at Matthew 20:1-15. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, we see that Jesus rebukes the spirit of serving for the reward itself rather than out of love.
:14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'

We must keep our eyes on God the giver of grace and not on people around us. In this way we can all receive more than enough grace from God, He has enough for all of us. Here we see clearly that we do not earn grace, grace is a gift, which we all can receive. The whole Bible is a Book of grace. Grace started with Adam and Eve. God gave them cloths and that was His grace to them.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

God had only one answer for Paul and that was " My grace is sufficient for you ". Grace is like the waves of the see. There is always another wave breaking on top of the previous wave. It continues to come to the shore. Nothing can stop it. There is a song that we love to sing.

Grace upon grace like the waves on the shore
Always enough, always more
Grace upon grace like the waves on the shore
All that we need is ours from the Lord

Proverbs 19:12
The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor (grace) is like dew on the grass.

Zechariah 12:10
"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

We see "the Spirit of grace" and we must remember that the Hebrew word for spirit and wind is the same word - ruwach
- meaning wind, breath, mind, spirit. This word means a power, which we can not see, but we can see the effect of this power. We can not see grace. We can not purchase grace. We can not earn grace. But we can see the effect that grace has on our lives, and we say: "The Spirit of grace blew through us." "The spirit of Grace is in our midst".

May the grace of God be with you and the Spirit of Grace surrounds you.
Amen.