The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ John 1:14- 18

Grace is the basis of our walk with God, without which we have no relationship with Him. The grace of God come into fullness in Jesus Christ, what Christ revealed about the Father is His grace and truth. Verses 14 & 17 mentioned grace and truth, but the word grace is mentioned in its own in verse 16, which is the verse we will be focusing on today.

So, what is grace? Grace indicates God's unmerited favor abundantly lavished on us; a kind of favor that brings blessings & joy. So, grace is something totally undeserved, it is given freely; all the giver wants in response is a sense of gratitude. Grace is freely given to us therefore we should learn to walk freely in the grace of Christ, but this can only be done when we have a relationship with Him.

The glory & mystery of Christ is unique, He is the only one full of grace and truth, His uniqueness is also seeing as He is both God and man i.e. He had the glory of God and the body of a man. God who embodied grace & truth yet dwelt among us. However, grace & truth reveals what was lacking in the Law.

Note that the Mosaic law was not bad and Jesus good, rather both the giving of the law & the coming of Jesus Christ, marked decisive events in the history of salvation. In the Law, God graciously revealed His character & righteous requirements to the nation of Israel. Jesus, however, marked the final definitive revelation of God's grace and truth. Christ was superior to Abraham (John 8:53), Jacob (John 4:12); and Moses (John 5:46-47; 9:28).

The Law then was operated by merit while in Christ, unmerited favor is release in form of grace. i.e. the law did not leave room for much forgiveness, if one failed, the law did not throw its arms around one to forgive but rather it condemned that one. Hallelujah…. When grace and truth came, Christ forgave by throwing His arms around us and freely forgive as long as we are remorseful to ask Him for forgiveness.

The Law was in three parts

- Moral code: This was the 10 commandments, established in the people's obedience. They had to do good works and to live right in other to be accepted by God. In Christ or the New Testament these are known as works.

- Ceremonial code: These was the way they had to worship God. It was established with sacrifice, which animals were to be killed, all the specifics of how, why, when & where the sacrifice ought to be made. it was also established by blood but under grace we are serving God anywhere and in spirit and truth.

- Civic code: How to treat others. Jesus Christ came to fulfill all righteousness.

You see the Law is like a cheque, which is a promise to the bearer. If a cheque written toa bearer, he/she has to take it to the bank, then the monetary value of the cheque is given to him. These means the purpose of the cheque has been fulfilled.

But Jesus came to live the law out right, to satisfy all its demands and to complete it purpose. After the cheque has been fulfilled, it become useless to the bearer i.e. the bearer cannot catch the same cheque the second time i.e. once the cheque is paid, it loses it power.

The word of God became man to pay man's penalty under the law. People made sacrifices when they broke the law; so because of the world's sin, it was necessary for a man to die; that is why Christ had to become a man in order to suffer the indignities that were due to all men. The word full of grace and truth paid the fleshly penalty.

In grace, God pours His blessings into our lives, he does this by bringing the gospel truth to our attention as he speaks to us. The gospel tells us of God’s rich promises and invites us to come & receive life from the Savior.

Friends you will agreed with me that there is no true joy apart from that which comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our joy, peace & the giver of all good things/gifts. Indeed, without Christ we are nothing. Christ came to us so that He can go to The Holy God for our sake and to relate with us, unholy people, through the Holy Spirit. Hence Christ had to be a mediator between God and man.

You see instead of the law, which was on a cold stone tablets, God's revelation (truth) now comes through a person, Jesus Christ' life. What Moses gave is not the same as that which came from Christ even though all are God's nature.

Grace enables us to face trials & challenges with joy, a joy which is not superficial, a joy which is deeply and securely grounded in the peace of Christ; a joy that stands the test of time. Peter describe this joy as unspeakable & full of glory (1Peter 2:21).

Please my beloved in the Lord; let me leave us with this reflection.

Let us just wonder & ponder for ourselves this question; what is the principal end of man; 'is it to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever?

The law points us to the good news of grace and truth which comes through Jesus Christ; the good news to which we now are partakes; grace tells us that it is the Fathers pleasure to give us His kingdom (Luke 12:32 READ); glory hallelujah thank you Jesus Christ. Amen.