Grace Upon Grace
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TITLE: Grace Upon Grace
SUBJECT: Jesus
PROPOSITION: To know Jesus is to know grace because Jesus was 1) Full of Grace and Truth, 2) The Giver of Grace Upon Grace, and 3) The Revealer of Who God Really Is.
OBJECTIVE: In this lesson, the listener should understand that grace comes from and through Jesus Christ because he is the incarnation of grace itself.
AIM: I hope that with this sermon I can help us be a more gracious people.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Read: John 1:14-18
2. About the Text:
1) John is seeking to communicate the essence of Jesus character in these first few verses.
2) He talks about Jesus as being the light in verses 5-13.
3) Then he talks about Jesus being full of grace and truth in verses 14-18.
4) He is leading up to verse 18; he wants us to know that to see Jesus is to see God.
5) Grace and truth are the two words that he chooses to represent Jesus’ essential character.
6) This is contrasted with the law that came through Moses.
3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.
DISCUSSION:
I. Jesus was full of Grace and Truth
1. To be gracious is to be favorable toward others regardless how they treat you.
1) Jesus loved everyone (Matthew 5:43-48).
2) He was generous with his love for others – “I will come and heal him” (Matthew 8:7).
2. To be truthful is to let others know what God’s word says about their state of affairs.
1) Jesus told people the truth about their circumstances – John 8:31-47.
2) He didn’t hold back simply because it would make him popular – John 6:66-69.
3. We can be both gracious and truthful.
1) Consider Jesus’ words to the woman taken in adultery – John 8:1-11.
2) Jesus words to Martha – John 11:21-27.
II. From His Fulness, We Receive Grace Upon Grace
1. Jesus was grace personified.
1) 2 Corinthians 8:9
2) 1 Corinthians 1:4 – “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus.”
2. He also acted graciously toward others.
1) He had compassion on the people – Read Luke 7:11-17.
2) He gave his life on the cross and died so that others might live – 2 Cor.5:15 “and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
3. We receive both his person and his actions as a person.
1) Jesus is God’s gift to us.
a. He gave Jesus to us on the cross (John 3:16).
b. He gives Jesus to us today (Romans 6:23).
2) Jesus actions as a person are our gift as well.
a. He teaches us through his example – Read 1 Peter 2:21-23.
b. He chose the cross for us – 2 Corinthians 5:14 – “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died.”
III. Jesus Reveals to us Who God Really Is
1. When we understand who Jesus is, we understand who God is.
1) If you’ve seen Jesus you have seen the Father (John 14:8-11).
2) Colossians 1:19 – “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”
2. We need to know who God is because we are made in His image – Gen.1:27.
3. Jesus reveals to us who the new man is as well.
1) Romans 8:29 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
2) 1 Corinthians 15:45 – “Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”
CONCLUSION:
1. To know Jesus is to know grace because . . .
1) Jesus was Full of Grace and Truth.
2) From His Fullness, we Received Grace Upon Grace.
3) Jesus Reveals to Us Who God Really Is.
2. Invitation