“A GRACE-FILLED LIFE”

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Meditation on Romans 5:1-11

March 6, 2013

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         ¹Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

       ⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. ⁹Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:1-11)

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      Pastor Dean was unable to be here this evening because of illness.  We will keep him in our prayers.

      I did not learn until noon today that Pastor Dean would not be able to make it tonight, so what I am going to share with you is something the Lord has been working on in me. This is not a well-polished, rehearsed sermon that some pastors are capable of pulling off at the last minute. But what I share with you comes from the heart.

     I have been thinking about God’s grace. I don’t think I began to learn about His grace until I was an adult—and still I have so much more to learn about what it means to accept and receive God’s grace and live a grace-filled life.

      My parents had high standards and expectations for me growing up.  They still do, God bless them! I know they love me very much.   But these high standards led me to learn that only “All A’s” would do. Anything less showed I wasn’t trying hard enough—or wasn’t good enough. I didn’t take risks and try new things because I might not do them well.  There was a certain shame in that.

    These high expectations weren’t limited to school.  They were applied to all areas of my life. The unhappy result of unrealistically high expectations and criticism by those closest to me is a person who is overly self-critical—and not easily satisfied with my own efforts. 

     I am a perfectionist. And you know what?  There are plenty of us in this world!  Some of you are perfectionists, too.  On a job application, we are the ones who can truthfully answer “yes” to the questions of being detail-oriented, conscientious, responsible, reliable, punctual...  Many perfectionists are also workaholics because their own sense of worth comes from what they do. They are not finished a job until their own performance or product meets their high standards.  And perfectionists tend to be planners and worriers—people who fret that they may have made a mistake or something terrible will happen if they don’t try to work out a problem in their mind before it has even materialized as a problem.

     The good news is there is hope for us in God’s grace!

      The apostle Paul was also a perfectionist.  He had high expectations for himself and for others. He was a worrier.  He was known to scold a bit when congregations fell short of his vision. He said things like, “You foolish Galatians!”   This served him well as a church leader who wasn’t afraid to voice his opinions, though they may be unpopular.

        But his perfectionism was something with which he struggled, especially when the Lord revealed to him the error of his ways.  In II Corinthians 12, Paul tells the story of the “thorn in his flesh” and how he prayed repeatedly for God to remove it. Scholars speculate that this thorn was a physical problem—illness or handicapping condition; others say the thorn was sin.

   

      In any case, God did not remove the thorn.  He answered Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

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     What does Paul mean by “God’s grace”? It is the undeserved mercy and forgiveness of the Lord. Undeserved! God’s grace is freely and lavishly offered to all people.  This grace is more than enough to redeem all sin.  God’s grace is what has achieved the work of our salvation and reconciliation with Him. 

     In Romans, Paul emphasizes the Lord’s grace as opposed to our own works of penitence or goodness that “earn” or “achieve” our salvation. Paul writes, “ ¹Therefore, since we are justified by faith, (meaning, since we are made righteous and forgiven of all our sins by faith) we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have obtained access to this GRACE in which we stand.”

     God’s grace is demonstrated to us by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, for our sakes! Paul says,   ⁶For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person — though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”

     What I am telling you, my friends, is that being a perfectionist is not what God wants for you and me.  Being a perfectionist falls short of God’s glory! It turns our focus to serving our own expectations and standards, instead of looking to God and seeking to serve Him through our thoughts, words, and deeds.  What we think is “perfect” for us may not be God’s perfect Will!  He has things planned for you and me—that we don’t even know about, yet!  

      When you are a “perfectionist” you are really saying that God’s sacrifice of His only Son isn’t enough for your salvation.  That God’s grace falls isn't good enough. There’s more YOU have to do! That you can only be pleasing to God if you meet some other human standards—of which God may not even approve!

    

     Friends, during this holy season of Lent, as you seek to draw nearer to the Lord, don’t be surprised if you hear Him say, “Why are you worrying about all these things? Don’t lose your peace over things that don’t matter.

    

    “There is only one thing that matters for eternity. And I freely give it to you, because I love you!

   

      “My GRACE. 

       “MY GRACE. 

       “MY GRACE is all you need.”

Let us pray.

     Gracious Heavenly Father, forgive us for our self-critical ways, for wasting time and energy on things to please ourselves and other people, but are not important to you.  Thank you for your grace and love that has redeemed us!  Draw us closer to you, Lord, so we can hear your perfect Will, and you can show us a new way of living—a grace-filled life.  Remind us that we are pleasing to you not because we work hard or are smart or any other earthly measure.  Open our ears and hearts so we may hear you say, “I love you. My grace is all you need.” In Christ we pray.  Amen!